Goodreads asked Shannon MacFarlane:

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

Shannon MacFarlane I suppose there is a grain of truth in all fiction. Obviously I didn't grow up in the Dust Bowl era, but I was raised in Kansas. The closest thing to Esta's story in my own life is that I was very accurate with guessing the sex of unborn babies in my family. Somehow this led to a stint as a "dream interpreter." I still do this for a couple friends and family, but it's all nonsense. However, I do think it crossed my mind that it would be easy to take advantage of people in this way. This may have spawned the concept of the story, but it ended up going in another direction. I've also always been fascinated by Sociology with regard to mass hysteria -- cults, witch trials, etc. What circumstances would set the perfect stage for a whole town to proclaim the daughter of a poor dirt farmer as a Prophet of God? The Great Depression, dust storms, poverty, hunger, tragedy. That sounds about right.

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