Goodreads asked Jennifer Berry Hawes:

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

Jennifer Berry Hawes I covered the Emanuel AME Church tragedy as a breaking news story for the newspaper I work at in Charleston. Then, a few months later, I approached the two lone adult survivors because they hadn't spoken publicly, and I had a sense that they might be ready. They were, and after I met them and learned about their journeys up to that point, it became clear that there was much more to their stories than what we could fit into even the most in-depth newspaper story.

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