How did you choose this topic for your novel? Why did you want to write about something that happened so long ago?

I answer this question a lot. If you read some of my interviews and/or watch my videos, you will see that I have found lots of ways to talk about my inspiration for The Rock and the River, and why it was a meaningful book for me to write. Here are the highlights: I like history. I think it is important to know where we as a society have been so that we can better understand how we got to where we are, and where we’re going from here. America has come a long way since the civil rights era, in some respects, and not far enough in others. Writing this book helped me see those parallels very intensely, and it made me wonder what I would have done, what choice I would have made if I had been around when the civil rights era went through the transition from non-violent protest to militant community organizing. Exploring that question fueled my writing process. Plus, 1968 seems like it is longer ago than it really was. Lots of people who were children, teenagers, young adults and even middle aged adults in 1968 are alive and can tell their own stories about these difficult days. It was important to me to begin an intergenerational conversation with young people and adults about this recent history and how it affects us today.