The idea for this story came from an article about real people working on dolphin communication just as I describe in the book.  I also wanted to say something about cetacean strandings and ocean pollution in general.

This was also a chance to play with the characters being influenced by somebody else besides Astrid, who is away, and also flesh out the backstory of the Maxxims, of which there is more to come.

I have outlines written for the next four Astrid books.  They are: Astrid Maxxim and her High-Rise Air Purifier, Astrid Maxxim and the Great Water Project, Astrid Maxxim and her Hypertube Hovertrain, and Astrid Maxxim and her Outpost in Space.