@sootyjesse So the story is somehow already familiar to both you and a good friend, even though you've never found the book? That's cool.
You know, I saw Paul McCartney in concert a few years ago. He said that he woke up one day with the entire song "Yesterday" in his mind, complete words and music.That had never happened to him before, so he spent a couple weeks playing it for the other Beatles, other musicians, family, friends, anyone who would listen, assuming that he was playing a song he'd heard somewhere, determined to find out the correct title and artist. Ended up his subconscious wrote it overnight, literally. :)