Lesly Segura asked Matthew Sullivan:

where did you get the idea to write The Orphans?

Matthew Sullivan Great question! I actaully had the initial idea while I was watching the previews before The Wolverine. That's when I decided I wanted to take a break from writing screenplays and start writing novels (side note: that decision had nothing to do with The Wolverine, which I enjoyed).

After that, I started with what I knew I wanted to accomplish with the novel: one, introduce mindfulness and meditation as a means of self-empowerment and finding happiness; and two, use the story as a metaphor for my experience going through cancer treatments (I used to be a lot like Charlie in the first 100 pages). From there, I just let the ideas pop into my head and kept the ones that fit with my goal for the series. I also read a lot of religious history to get more ideas to borrow.

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