Читать книгу Where the Road Ends - Tara Quinn Taylor - Страница 6

Dear Reader,

I’m excited to bring you this novel, which is very special to me. It’s one of those stories that had a life of its own from the beginning, taking me places I would never have dared to go before this. It first came about in a darkened and mostly empty theater as I sat through several nights of dance rehearsal with my daughter. I was entertaining myself, not working. I wasn’t plotting or developing characters. I never intended a book to be born. When I sat down at the computer one midnight after rehearsal, it was only to play around a little bit. How twelve pages appeared in less than an hour, I still don’t know. But they were the beginning of something that had more power over me than I could ever have imagined.

I’m partial to this story for another reason, as well. It’s set in Michigan—which I’ve always considered home. Though I’ve lived all over the country, most of my family—and my husband’s family—is still in Michigan. We own seventeen acres there, just outside Baldwin. You’ll see it about halfway through the book. And no, the owners don’t want to sell.

One more thing. I said this book took me places I wouldn’t choose to go. One of those was the world of child abduction. During the months I spent writing Where the Road Ends, researching procedures and statistics, I became concerned about my own daughter’s safety. Until I stumbled on a fairly new program sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children—Know the Rules. Know the Rules is a public-awareness campaign designed to educate and empower teens and their parents, and to help in the prevention of child abduction. I found that in educating myself about some simple rules, I could alleviate a lot of the fears I had. I was able to allow myself and my daughter to live not in fear but with confidence, because my child knew what to do if danger presented itself. You can receive a Know the Rules publication free of charge through my new Web site, www.tarataylorquinn.com, or by contacting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.missingkids.com.

My hope is that, empowered with knowledge, we all continue to live happy and healthy.

I love to hear from readers! You can reach me at ttquinn@tarataylorquinn.com or at P.O. Box 15065, Scottsdale, AZ 85267. You’re also invited to check out my Web site. With trivia contests, prizes, free giveaways, message boards and more, we have a lot of fun there! Come join us.

Tara