This is my first book and being so, I wanted you to know there are a lot of fun things I incorporated into the story that come right from the pages of my own life; the first being that the story takes place in Oklahoma City.

          I chose Oklahoma City because it is where I grew up and I have always felt a great deal of connection to the community, it is such a loving and friendly state with lots of beautiful scenery, I felt very comfortable having my characters live there.

          In addition to the book being set in my home state, you would be interested to know that all the characters are from my life. Most of them are named after people in my family, or interesting people I have met at different times. Even the name of the lead character Daniela; it is the name I wanted when I was about ten years old. I had a girlfriend whose name was Daniel, and so I decided I liked that name so much, I had her start calling me Daniela. I never could get my family to catch onto it though! Some of the names are original in form, and some I changed a little to sound like the original, but I can assure you, each person or their name is based off someone I know or have met or wish I met.

            The scenes in the story are based on the same principal; many of the things that happen in the book are things that have actually happened to me. In chapter five when Daniela first meets Dr. Robert Hollin, she has a terribly embarrassing check up…it all really happened to me! Of course there are a few elaborations, but I can promise I was just as horrified by the time I left my doctor’s office as Dani was.

          There are a lot of physical elements woven in from my life as well, such details as the car Daniela drives, the 1977 Ford Fairmont, rust and blue. Yep, my car, and yes it was really found and purchased in the way the book describes for a whopping fifty dollars!

          The character Daniela herself is probably the most significant, she is really based seventy five percent off me, did I mention I’m a nail tech? And her addiction to chocolate covered peanut candies couldn’t be truer, and in fact I eat them constantly when I write! Of course that’s personality wise, in the looks department she is definitely somebody else; I see her in my head as kind of a Taylor Swift.

          So many of the things are true, and some are completely made up, but I hope there is a good balance of true and false, I WONDER if you can figure out which is which, Hmmmm.

          Well I hope you enjoy reading WONDER and may it warm your heart, keep you guessing, laughing, crying and on the edge of your seat!

                                                                                            Thank you,

                                                                                          Christi Watson