I finally published my first novel and people have asked me, “Was the story about your life?” Not at all! Except for the protagonist being a schoolteacher, Grace was just a fictional character . . . at least at first. People have asked, “How did you get your idea for the plot?” In 1986, I read about a bus accident on the road to Reno. It rolled down the embankment and into a river. Nineteen people were killed and 22 injured. Divers looked for the bodies. The fact that th