Inspiration Behind The Letter Tree

The Letter Tree, like every book, comes about in its own unique way. I knew I wanted to write a feud book but wasn’t sure what that would look like. 

I spent time reading about famous feuds hoping to find something that would trigger ideas for a story. The research was fascinating! I had so much fun reading about Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton, Hatfield/Mccoys and Capone/Moran, but it wasn’t until I read about Adolf and Rudolf Dassler that I felt like I was onto something. 

I found the feud that eventually resulted in the Puma and Adidas shoe companies (go read about it, you’ll be intrigued). 

With that feud in the back of my mind I took that bit of inspiration and threw it into Buffalo, New York in 1924, added some You’ve Got Mail (unanimous correspondence), a sprinkle of my own personal memories from Buffalo, New York and a giant scoop of imagination and before I knew it, I had the bones of an intriguing story. 

As the story came together it grew further from its inspiration until it was truly a story all its own. I fell in love with this story as I wrote it. It challenged me as a writer, not only because it was a new era to write in, but also because of the challenge of using letters to tell part of the story. 

The result is a story that will keep you turning pages and finishing with a happy sigh.