Steven T. asked Josh Lanyon:

Hello from Italy. I'd like to say two thing. First, "Stranger on the Shore" is one of my five favorite books of all time, I'm so in love with that story, so thank you for writing it. Second, where do you get the inspiration for your novels from? Real life, pure imagination, a mix of the two... Thank you again for your work!

Josh Lanyon Hello Steven! Some of my favorite readers are in Italy. ;-) Inspiration is an interesting, complex thing. It can come from anything: a line from a song, a glimpse through a window at night, an overheard conversation, a distant memory. A lot of my stories are influenced by true crime--in the case of Stranger on the Shore, I'd seen a documentary called The Imposter. So you're right, it's usually it's a mix of real life, imagination--and probably a good bit of empathy because you have to ask What If? and then put yourself into the mind of your character. It's a great question--thanks for asking.

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