I thought I would share some trivia about True Courage.
- The name of the “bad guy”, Senator J.P. Landry, came from a friend of mine, who I used to write with when I lived in Virginia. Jamie Farrell, who also writes as Pippa Grant, was complaining about her landlord, and I told her I’d name the bad guy in my next book after him! Serves him right, eh?
- The title wasn’t actually meant to indicate it’s a followup to True Gold, although it certainly is, in a way. Instead, I was thinking of something to do with “courage” and the title True Courage popped into my head. Likewise, Temptation and Redemption, both one word titles and loosely connected stories, were never intended to be similar either!
- Katie’s pet rat, Chloe, is based on the pet rat my daughter had, Boyd. We loved Boyd, although he really did bite–my husband’s ear was a favorite target! Here’s an excerpt from chapter two, when Ellie meets Katie–and Chloe.
- The dedication in the beginning of True Courage is taken from a line in Abraham Lincoln’s speech to Congress, in which he says “We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.” It seemed appropriate to dedicate the book to the refugees fleeing oppression the world over.
Now you know!