Lisa Tichenor began collecting the lessons she had written on note cards after the death of her son Willie from osteosarcoma. Pastor Adam Hamilton had asked her for practical tips to help friends who had lost a child, and she agreed to share what she had gathered.
Tichenor worked with Neil Moseley, then minister at Highland Park United Methodist Church, where she was a member. Moseley said the project let them remember Willie and process their own grief. Moseley said the book became more story than self-help.
After Tichenor read a 2024 Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate article about comic book writer Travis Hill, the team added him to the project. Hill, co-owner and editor-in-chief of Literati Press Engage Comics, said he has worked on more than 40 comic projects since he wrote his first comic in 2016. Moseley said the team aimed to have the book printed in time for the 20th anniversary of Willie's death.