Goodreads asked Lynne Hugo:

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

Lynne Hugo I have, all my life, spent lots of time on outer Cape Cod. But it wasn't until I happened, in the late 90's, to stay--during my annual writing retreat-- right in a certain spot (the Indian Neck section of Wellfleet harbor) that I really saw oyster and clams being farmed in the shallows of beautiful Cape Cod bay. The racks and cages are only visible for an hour before and an hour after dead low tide. I was out walking the beach and became intrigued. Writers ask a lot of questions! I did, and was fascinated. I ended up making friends with some of the sea farmers (correctly called aquaculturists) and when I heard about a lawsuit to shut them down, of course I wanted to hear more. I became close to one of the women aquaculturists, and went back over a period of years, learning a lot about the life of the oystermen. I researched the lawsuit, which was filed by the owner of a vacation home who was there just six weeks a year and didn't want to look at the oyster cages at low tide. He said it spoiled his view. The outcome of the lawsuit was so bizarre, so unpredictable, so dramatic, that I knew I'd base my next novel on it.

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