Loosely based on a real-life case, known as the "Internet Chatroom Murder." Thomas Montgomery (screen name: marinesniper), a 47-year-old married man, pleaded guilty to murdering his co-worker, 22-year-old Brian Barrett (screen name: beefcake). The two men were involved in a love triangle with "Jessi," an 18 year old girl whose screen name was talhotblond. While the two men knew each other from work, neither had ever met "Jessi" in person. However, "Jessi" was a real person, but it was actually her own mother, Mary Shieler, who was posing as her own daughter online. Jessi was unaware of her mother's actions till after Barrett had been murdered and her mother's role in the case became widely known.
Lilly's favorite book as a child was The Velveteen Rabbit, written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson.