Researching this book took a special trip to New York because of all the times I'd been there, I'd never gone during the holiday season. I finally got to see all the department store windows, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and other seasonal highlights. The weather even obliged me by providing snow! Here are a few photos from that trip of things that inspired parts of the book.

The Union Square Christmas market where Katie shopped for a gift for Owen.

It was almost like they knew I was coming and planned just for me -- most of the major department store window displays that year involved fairy tales!. To the left, the Cinderella window at Lord & Taylor and to the right, the Frog Prince window at Bloomingdale's. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these did require magic.

Wollman Rink in Central Park, where Katie had her little ice incident. This photo is from a trip in March 2001, just before a blizzard hit and stranded me in the city for a few days (at the Plaza -- rough life, huh?).