In Carmen's bar in our village there is a large stuffed boar's head hanging on the wall. Someone has placed a hat and large pair of spectacles on it. This gave me the idea for the cemtral character, Bruno the Wise Old Boar.

In September 2006 a terrible storm hit our valley in the mountains. Although brief it caused a lot of flooding and damage. The old villagers could not remember anything like it but there was a repeat of the storm the following September. This gave me the idea for the story.