What was the inspiration for Miracle?

Miracle came from several places:

1. I heard a Bible story about Simeon, who waited at the temple until he met Jesus. And once he met Jesus, he said his life’s purpose was complete and he could die happy. (It’s speculated Simeon was very old). I wondered, what if there was a young girl who fulfilled her life’s purpose (like how Amie is her father’s miracle). Then what happens next?
2. My dad passed away from pancreatic cancer, and some of the same things Amie experiences are the same as mine. Although my dad didn’t have cancer his whole life (he had it for about 6 months), my dad was in and out of the hospital a lot. In a previous draft of this book, Ba-ba said some of the same things as my dad.
3. My dad is the inspiration for Ba-ba. They are similar in many ways. They both studied the Bible. They both sat in a recliner in the living room. They both had a good sense of humor.
4. I *LOVE* music. I’ve played music all my life, and still do! So Amie’s music background is much like mine.
5. I also really love the Harry Potter books, so that’s why Amie thinks about Harry Potter so much.
6. When I read Grace Lin’s The Year of the Dog, I realized I could write Asian-American main characters, too. (Previously, I’d written Caucasian/white characters because those are the books I read.) Grace’s book inspired the Asian-American family in Miracle, and how Amie and her family celebrate both American and Chinese holidays.