I had so much fun developing the kids in this story. This was something new for me. I haven't really written little kids before.

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Farley: Farley's name was actually the result of a poll I took on my Facebook author page. I had a pair of brothers whose names I wanted to have a specific flow together. Someone suggested Farley, and I knew that was it for the older one. Farley was a lot of fun to write. He's the oldest and always feels like he has to look out for everybody else. He's been through some hardships in his young life, particularly his mother walking out on them when he was very young. Because of that, he started really paying attention to people and figuring out what makes them tick. Farley's a way with words, especially for the ladies, and it all stems from that event. 

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Tinker: Tink is Farley's younger brother, and for him I needed a "throw away name". What I mean by that is, I needed a name that sounded like not much thought was put into it. Tinker is quiet and shy, and he's very detail oriented. His mind works faster than most people's and in ways that others can't understand. He doesn't say much, so people get the impression that he's "simple," but he's far from it. 

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Feo: Feo was actually one of the first kids I dreamed up for this story. I couldn't stand the thought that Erick would only take in "normal" kids. There had to be at least one with some issues. Feo was born with a variety of defects, causing his mother to abandon him. He was raised by his grandmother who probably believed he was cursed. She didn't spare much thought for him, and living alone with her in an isolated area, he spent a lot of time studying and befriending animals. For that reason, he has a keen sense about them, making him something we, today, might call a "whisperer".

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Truett: I stumbled upon Truett's name in our local waterpark. One of the lifeguards I saw last summer had that name on his nametag, and I just immediately loved it. Truett is a bright little boy who has had to grow up faster than he should have due to the fact that his mother was ill and his father was absent most of the time. Someone had to take care of his little sister, and Truett took that job upon himself. That's a big responsibility for a little boy of only five years. Erick and Mahala ease that burden from him, but it's a hard transition. 

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Sunny: Who doesn't love that little ray of sunshine? Sunny is kind of the baby Shirley Temple of the story. Everyone falls in love with her almost immediately, and she's just an enchanting little thing. Sunny's name was born out of her personality. I wanted a name so descriptive of her that her own brother couldn't remember her real name. (In case you missed it, it's Cora Lynn.)

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Helen: Wait! Who's Helen? Do you remember her? Her name is only mentioned one time in the final paragraphs of the book. She's the daughter of the "working woman" who asks Erick to take the girl in. Helen's name just popped into my head one day, but at the time, I knew I only had one girl in the mix. But then I realized, Erick and Mahala had plenty of room in their house and in their hearts. There was no reason not to add another child. A plain girl who has spent her life trying to remain unseen, Helen is one of the most clearly formed of all the children in my head. She is second only to Feo in that regard.