Were you influenced by The Bridges of Madison County in the creation and writing of this story?

Some critics have made this assumption, but in reality, I was guided more by The Notebook than The Bridges of Madison County. Yes, the characters were roughly the same age in both Nights and Bridges, and yes, the relationship ended, but other than that, there was little in common with the stories. Bridges was the story of adultery, after all, while mine was not. Paul sacrificed for his child; the main male character in Bridges was a loner without children. The main female character in Bridges cheated on her husband, Adrienne had been left for her husband for a younger woman. Paul was a much harder-edged, flawed character than was the main male character in Bridges. The list could go on and on, but I think you get the point.