I first had the idea for the story about ten years ago, and it stayed with me. And although I’d always dreamed of writing a novel someday, I didn’t have the confidence to think I could actually pull it off, that I could match the high standards of the books I most like to read. Then one day, about five years later, I figured that if the story would ever be told, I’d have to be the one to do it. So I gave it a shot. I spent over four months creating an outline; then three years later…