Goodreads asked Richard Milner:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Richard Milner Vessel of Kali began with a single picture of artwork, of the Hindu goddess Kali, in a book I received as a gift. I looked at the piece of art, and I was consumed. The premise for the story, the backdrop of the world, the basic structure of the plot, the main characters and their general arcs: all of it erupted at one time. In short, I obeyed. I dropped the book I'd been working on until then, furiously got to work on Vessel, and over a long period of time honed and carved the story through many, many drafts to get it to where it is. As I changed over time, personally, the story crystallized. Eventually, I realized it was more or less a fictional memoir. I'm eternally grateful for that initial piece of artwork, because it changed me forever.

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