Emma asked Jennifer E. Smith:

Hello Jennifer! I just finished reading your latest book Windfall and I loved it so much! Where did you get your inspiration from to write it?

Jennifer E. Smith Thanks so much, Emma -- I'm thrilled you loved WINDFALL, and excited that it's finally out in the world!

I've always been obsessed with moments in time that act as hinges -- days where there's a clear split between a before and an after. I'm not sure anything captures that quite so perfectly as winning the lottery, which of course changes everything. So I've wanted to write about that for a long time now. But it wasn't until I was standing in line at a bodega one day behind a young guy buying a huge stack of tickets that the whole thing clicked for me. I knew right then that I was going to write about someone who wins millions and millions of dollars before he's even figured out who he is yet -- and that I wanted to tell it from the perspective of the girl who sets everything in motion by giving him the ticket.

Thanks so much for asking!

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