The novel was inspired by an experience I had with my daughter when she was just four years old. She wanted to take dance lessons, but was too shy to participate in the classes. Nonetheless, she wanted to keep going week after week. I found that an intriguing idea: a girl who was too shy to dance but wanted it so badly that she couldn’t give it up. I made Jenny Spark, the heroine of my book, 12 years old because I wanted her to be able to do some amazing things that a four-year-old couldn’t. It also made it obvious that Jenny suffers from a real phobia that stops her from doing many of the things girls her age can do easily.