Goodreads asked Oleg Lurye:

What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

Oleg Lurye I am aware of quite a few mysteries that I try to solve in my books. On second thought, these are probably not mysteries but some unexpected impressions and weird coincidences. For instance, the idea for my novel entitled “A Mirror Above the Abyss” dates back 20 years.
At 10 am on September 11, 2001, I was scheduled to have a meeting in the WTC South Tower as part of my investigative reporting, but the meeting was cancelled the day before because my prospective source was too busy, and rescheduled for October.
I had always been delighted by the WTC towers because of their austere beauty and grandeur, and I felt like I needed to see them once again before leaving New York. In the early hours of September 11, 2001, I was wandering around the WTC towers, and all of a sudden I felt like I would never see them again. Perhaps it was just a premonition that it would be long before I saw my beloved New York City again? I don't know. And a few hours later, still very early in the morning on September 11, 2001, I flew out of JFK. When I landed in Frankfurt, I heard about the tragedy… About 9/11.
The rescheduled meeting never took place. My source had died.

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