The final book in the trilogy was a challenge to write for several reasons. When I wrote The Button Boy it begins with you knowing Josiah, the button boy, is on his deathbed. I felt I got to the end of his story too fast. The story stopped just as his business was on the verge of expansion and there were many unanswered questions about Johannes and Berta Schmidt and Josiah's wife, Emelia. This is what prompted books two and three.

Book three is split between telling what lead to Josiah's success in the button business and Emelia's impending success as an author. I attempted to bring out Josiah's quirky and lovable qualities as a husband and father and endear him to the reader. He was an avid reader which I felt helped lead to his business success. I enjoyed writing the background stories of his children and some of the employees at The Button Boy.

I have German heritage on my father's side with his grandparent's being immigrants. I based Johannes and Berta's story from research on immigration in the 19th century. When Emelia and Josiah decided to go back to Germany in book three to research The Schmidt's for Emelia's family book, that was a joy to write. The city of Bollen, Germany was handpicked by me from all the other cities in Germany because it was a small town fishing village on the Weser River. I felt it was the type of town that would have had button makers selling buttons in a town square, and all the other businesses I imagined in my story could have been in that small town.  It was fun for me to plan their trip back there for them because I learned a lot about Bremen, Germany and Bollen, Germany. In my research, I also found their car route from Bremen to Bollen on Google Maps and took the entire ride with them that day (that took me much longer to figure out the way than it took them).

Writing the last book was bittersweet for me. I grew so attached to this family that I didn't want to see their story end. I still think about another book, but I don't think it will happen. I was especially attached to Emelia's story because in many ways she had the same insecurities about her writing as I have now. She was an older writer who achieved her dreams and I think that could happen to any older writer if they persist in their work. 

As of this writing, I am working on new books to come out in early 2026. They are totally opposite of The Button Boy books and I hope they will be well received. More on that later, as the release dates draw closer.

Thanks again for reading my series. I love and appreciate all my readers very much and hope you will keep following my writing adventures. I am always happy to receive comments and questions via my contact page. 

Until next time ... Barb Peterson