The central idea of Diamond Ruby is survival—especially the survival of a teenage girl and her younger nieces in a New York City with no safety nets. I was inspired to write the book by the true story of Jackie Mitchell, a teenage girl who was such a pitching phenomenon that she struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game…and was then banned from baseball (along with all women).

I was so rankled by Jackie’s story that I created Ruby, gave her similar skills, and provided her with the opportunity and will to challenge those who would threaten her career and life. My hope is that readers will come away from the book with a vivid impression of New York City during the Roaring Twenties, and caring about Ruby and her family as they face those threats.