Goodreads asked Kalen Vaughan Johnson:

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

Kalen Vaughan Johnson When I began ROBBING THE PILLARS, Charlotte was my protagonist. To say she possessed nerves of steel and the grit to handle any situation, wasn't enough for me. I wanted to know why. What influenced her? - how did she maneuver within the confines of her station? I had this image of her father - his strength, his sense of justice, his fight. What impact did he have on her? I started writing James MacLaren. By the time I figured out his back story and put him into place, I fell totally in love with him and the whole cast that came with him -- a working class hero against the establishment story, set in post gold rush California. I loved this period of history - California was created from scratch, and clawed their way to statehood far quicker than many of the surrounding territories. The politics of the day make even our last election look tame. Corporate greed vs. vigilante justice was a common theme. The reader sees Charlotte grow up in this book, watches her unique relationship with her father, and sets her on a course for her own explorations into the west.

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