What Inspired The 'If I Stay' Series Books?

After his sister is brutally attacked and crippled investigating the rape of a thirteen-year-old, Richard Baimbridge rushes back to his hometown of Wilmington, NC, to assist in her recovery only to come face to face with his tormented past and a dark family secret. Serving as his sister's legs, he fights to stay above the flood of childhood trauma as he is drawn into the dark underside of this quiet coastal community where he becomes the primary suspect in the murders of Wilmington's young girls in this riveting suspense thriller that explores the special bond between a brother and sister. More than 500,000 copies sold worldwide. "Bill Benners is a fresh and welcomed new voice in crime fiction. My Sister's Keeper is a compelling and original psychological thriller. Awesome, powder-keg suspense!" --Andrew McAleer, Crimestalker Casebook/crimestalkers.com

My sister Iris almost died from anemia. The day she was hospitalized, my whole family started blaming me. I'd been frail since birth, so Mom and Dad had always poured all their attention into me. The new school supplies were mine, the new clothes were mine, and even on the birthdays we shared, the cream and chocolate part of the cake always went to me first. I used to hear Iris crying at night. But whenever I tried to comfort her, she just shoved me away. On my twelfth birthday, I came home from school with a perfect score on my test, beaming as I pushed the door open. Mom and Dad's eyes were red, and they looked at me as if I'd done something terrible. “Why can't you ever be nicer to Iris? We give you everything, and you should be thinking about her too.” “The doctor said her health problems are all because of how she feels.” “You're so spoiled, so selfish.” I lowered my head. They didn't know that I was frail because I'd made a deal to take Iris's death for her. Tomorrow, I was going to be erased.

Elena Carter once had everything, a brilliant career, a respected name in medical research, and a family she believed was worth sacrificing everything for. As a pioneering pediatric immunologist, she was on the verge of a breakthrough that could save thousands of children suffering from a rare and deadly genetic disorder. But for love, she walked away from it all… choosing to become a wife, a mother to a fragile child who depended on her for survival. She believed her sacrifice meant something. However, she was wrong. Her husband, Marcus Thorne, lies a truth Elena never dared to see, a truth that begins to unravel the night a stranger sends her a message that changes everything. What starts as suspicion soon turns into something more devastating than betrayal. It isn’t just about another woman. It’s about stolen time. Broken promises. A decision that will cost Elena more than she ever imagined. When tragedy strikes and the truth finally surfaces, Elena is forced to confront a reality so cruel it shatters everything she once believed in love, loyalty, the man she trusted with her life. With nothing left to hold her back, she walks away. But she doesn’t leave empty-handed. She takes with her the one thing that still matters to her. Years later, she returns… no longer the woman he once overlooked, but a force the world cannot ignore. A doctor who saves lives. A woman who rebuilt herself from ashes. Fate brings them face to face again Marcus is left with a truth he can no longer escape: The woman he once took for granted… Is now the only one who can save what he holds dear. But some losses don’t fade. Some wounds don’t heal. And this time. Elena Carter may choose herself.

"I thought you were beautiful the first time I saw you in the rain..." Dylan: The sudden death of Dylan's father was a wake-up call. After pouring a decade of his life into his company, Dylan felt like had nothing to show for it. No wife, no kids, no family. With no destination in mind, he sells his company and wanders the world, eventually finding himself in Silver Springs... Bonnie: Bonnie Kincaid is also on the run... for her life. The police can't keep her safe. Things look hopeless when her car breaks down in the remote mountains of Colorado. A handsome man rescues her, fixes her car, but also gives her a reason to stop running. For the first time in a long time, she feels safe. Unfortunately, both Bonnie and Dylan's pasts catch up with them, and in order to put down roots to grow a family, they have to stop running. But they aren't finished with her yet...

16 year old Scarlet Paine struggles to understand what’s happening to her, as she wakes and realizes she’s becoming a vampire. Alienated from her parents and her friends, the only person she has left to turn to is Sage, the mysterious boy who has quickly become the love of her life. Yet Sage, whose house she finds boarded up, is nowhere to be found. <br><br>Scarlet, alone in the world, with nowhere left to turn, seeks out her friends and tries to reconcile with them. All seems to be patched up when they invite her to join them on a trip to an abandoned island in the Hudson—but as things get out of hand and Scarlet’s true powers are revealed, who her friends and enemies are becomes more confusing than ever. <br><br>Blake, still interested in her, tries to make amends. He seems sincere, and Scarlet is confused as she has to grapple with whether to be with Blake or to wait for Sage, who is nowhere to be found. <br><br>When Scarlet finally finds Sage, they have the most romantic time of her life; yet it is tinged with tragedy, as Sage is dying, with but a few days left to live. <br><br>Kyle, meanwhile, turned into the only other vampire left in the world, is on a murderous rampage, seeking Scarlet; Caitlin and Caleb consult with Aiden, and they each embark on different missions—Caleb to stop and kill Kyle, and Caitlin, to the famed Yale University library, to research the ancient relic rumored to both cure and kill vampires for all time. <br><br>It is a race against time, and it may be too late. Scarlet is changing rapidly, barely able to control what she’s becoming, and Sage is dying with each passing moment. As the book culminates in an action-packed, shocking twist, Scarlet will be left with a monumental choice—one that will change the world forever. Will Scarlet make the ultimate sacrifice to save Sage’s life? Will she risk everything she has for love?

At least as far back as she can remember, she has always known she was different. Raised in a small town by loving grandparents and surrounded by generations of whispered traditions, she grew up learning that some things are simply known, not explained. Dreams carry warnings, family recipes heal more than the body, and the women in her family possess a gift they call "the Knowing." As she comes of age, she finds herself caught between the world she was born into and the life she hopes to build. Guided by a strong moral code, fierce loyalty, and gifts she doesn't fully understand, she must learn that family isn't always defined by blood. Set against the backdrop of Appalachian folk magic, old secrets, and deep-rooted traditions, The Knowing in Her Blood is a story of love, sacrifice, and discovering that true power lies not in where you come from, but in the family you choose and the life you are willing to fight for.