Goodreads asked Stephanie Landsem:

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

Stephanie Landsem My most recently released book, The Thief, came about right after I'd been offered a 3-book contract by my publisher, Howard Books. I was ecstatic. Then, they asked for a a synopsis for a second book in The Living Water Series. I was terrified.

I knew that I wanted the series to hinge on the life-changing miracles of Jesus and that I wanted this book to start with the healing of the man born blind but that was all I knew. So, I did what I always do when I don't know what else to do -- I called my sister.

Over the next hour, we talked -- about books and characters that we loved and why we loved them. We talked about Dickens and his street urchins, about Shakespeare and girls who disguised themselves as boys, and eventually about how we both loved the good thief and had always wondered about his story. By the time I got off the phone, I had a story percolating in my brain and 24 hours later I sent a synopsis off to my agent for The Thief.

Thanks, Rachel, for your help with The Thief and for all the times you've been there for me!

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