Don Westwood lived in New York City for most of his adult life, working in the performing arts as a producer, stage director, manager and writer. For part of that time, he occupied an apartment next door to two women who earned their livelihood in the game, as they referred to it.
They became friends, and Don spent many afternoons in their company. The women enjoyed swapping stories about adventures -- and misadventures -- in that life. Their stories became the genesis of Don's crime novel, THE GAME.
Don discusses this topic in detail on the novel's website: the-game-novel.com