Читать книгу Deadly Silence - Lindsay McKenna - Страница 5

Dear Reader:

I was a firefighter for three years in the 1980s. I was the only woman on the West Point Volunteer Fire Department of twenty men. I was the first to break the ice. I learned a lot about fire fighting and what it took to be good at it. As a writer I like to write what I know. That way, my story comes off as living and breathing for the reader. I have a great respect for the women and men firefighters of today. Back in the early 1980s a few courageous women were breaking down the doors of firefighting—proving that it wasn’t just a “man’s” job. In three years I think I saw it all. I won’t go into the gory details. But what I want is to infuse Deadly Silence with my knowledge of firefighting and the rigors and challenges that come with it. Most people live in a city and you don’t think twice about your fire trucks coming down asphalt streets.

Out in rural areas where there are roads, dirt roads and off-vehicle trails, it puts a whole different perspective on firefighting; particularly in the winter and spring when roads get slick or they get so muddy it can actually stop a fire vehicle from advancing to where the structure fire is located. It’s heartbreaking. And I saw it happen. Owners of homes that burned to the ground because a fire truck and firefighters couldn’t get to it, get angry. They had a right to be upset. But when someone took out a rifle and started shooting at firefighters, that was a whole different ball of wax. When people lose their home, it’s devastating. For them and for the firefighters. Everyone feels helpless. And so, with my background in rural firefighting, I’ve used some of my experience to create this story.

For my many Morgan’s Mercenary readers, you will get to meet the heroine of this book, Casey Cantrell, daughter of Alyssa Trayhern-Cantrell. I’m now writing about Alyssa and Noah’s children. I’ve written about all five of Morgan and Laura’s children so I can now write about the other children. Stay tuned; you may see some more of them popping up now and then in my newest saga-series, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This is Book Three. If you haven’t read the rest, run to Harlequin.com and pick up Shadows from the Past (HQN, December 2009) and Deadly Identity (HQN, December 2010). I hope you enjoy this new series. Drop me a line at muted29081@mypacks.net or visit my website www.lindsaymckenna.com. You can also sign up at Facebook at: www.facebook.com/eileen.nauman. Happy July Fourth!

Lindsay McKenna