Inspiration for the novels came from Torres' background, things that were most familiar to him: the East Harlem barrio where he was born and raised in an atmosphere of racial gangs, drugs and poverty.
Insipracija za romane došla je iz Torresove pozadine, stvari koje je dobro poznavao; iz Istočnog Harlema gdje je odrastao i atmosfere rasnih bandi, droge i siromaštva.