Memories of my Viennese family and the fellow refugees and people displaced by war that I grew up with lie at the core of my novel. ALL THAT LINGERS I absorbed their stories of loss, of difficult decisions and survival against the odds, of rebuilding lives, even of triumph. I came to understand how much of the past lingers—sorrow, anger, the loss of trust and even faith. Yet their resilience was proof that hope lingers as well for otherwise the struggle would not have been worthwhile. The CLAY CANVAS and the revised CLAY CANVAS were inspired by my 20 years of work as a ceramic painter. Alphabet tiles I painted led to the children's illustrated alliterative alphabet book AN AMUSING ALPHABET. SHORT TALES AND RUMINATIONS were inspired by real events, dreams, and my imagination. THE BEST THING ABOUT BENNETT includes scenes inspired by experiences my husband and I had in Uganda. I am always grateful for reader reviews of my books on Goodreads. For more information on the Vienna of my novel ALL THAT LINGERS please go to my website.