What Inspired Me? you ask.

I've had some of you ask me what my inspiration was for A Bird on a Windowsill, and it made me stop for a second to think about it. I've been writing and then editing and then working to get it into your hands so much so that I don't think I could have come up with a coherent answer to that, until now. 

As with all my books, there's not really a one-word answer. Within 400,000-ish words, there's quite a few people, places and events in my life that have inspired the pages.

"But what were the people, places and events that specifically inspired Salem and Savannah's story?" you ask. Well, here are a few:

Small weekly newspapers. sweet text messages. the ocean. Sullivan's Island. my hometown. Missouri. creek slabs. old, wooden docks. first loves. little, country churches (the one-room type that seat 90, at best). that one, old guy who knows all the town's gossip. my own fascination with the sky. small towns. Hale-Bopp. old trucks. being young. the river bottoms. trains. summer. Polaroids. young love. open letters.

And there are many more! And I just wanted to say that I do really love this story. As I write, the characters really do become real to me. And that's especially true for Salem and Savannah. Often times, as I'm writing the first draft, I use placeholders for certain characters' names, so I can go back and change them later. BUT...that rarely happens. I rarely go back and change the names, simply because that's his or her name! They are who they are; I just can't bring myself to call them by another name! So, Salem and Savannah were always Salem and Savannah. It's as if they've always existed! And maybe they have!

It's a love story. It's a story about young love and first loves and second chances. It's about choosing the past or the present. It's about holding on and letting go. And I'm so excited for YOU to read it!  And I can't wait for you to meet the two people who I've fallen in love with over the past few months! Until then, happy reading!
                                                                                                               ♥Laura 

---