Dear Reader,

I had such a great time writing about Marena, Coulter, and their friends and family in Six Days to Live. It was important to me that my heroine and hero rediscover the intense love that drew them together in the first place, despite the sense of urgency, impending tragedy and trust issues. The theme throughout this novel is second chances—both with Marena and Coulter and with his relatives. Family is essential, and I wanted there to be forgiveness and healing for Coulter, his grandfather and his mother. I also loved the nonstop suspense in this story. To get that, I interviewed several medical and military professionals and did a ton of research on combat, self-defense, weapons and biotoxins (to name a few). While I used fictitious names for the poison and some of the chemicals Marena used for the antidote, I wanted the danger to be authentic for the readers and the scenarios realistic for the characters. I love to travel, so I also had a blast creating the backdrop for Marena’s life in Beaufort, North Carolina, and the biosafety level three biocontainment lab they used in Sedona, Arizona. Thanks so much for reading! I hope my characters resonate with you and that you enjoy this story as much as I do.

Lisa Dodson