Author’s Note

 

TEACH ME was the first novel I ever completed.

 

Though it wasn’t my first published book (that would be ENSLAVED, which will be re-released soon), TEACH ME was the book that convinced me maybe I could actually do this writing thing.

 

The idea for this story also arrived a dark point in my life, when I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to write another word. As I came out of the dark point, I booked myself a holiday to Europe and made the conscious choice to not take a pen and paper with me because there was no possible way I would feel that creative spark.

 

Stupid decision, Cassandra. So silly.

 

A holiday is as good as change, and I was in the middle of a bus tour in Scotland when of a sudden a scene popped into my head. A coldly handsome man watched a woman twirl in a ballroom, her joy warming the depths of his heart. I knew he loved her completely, and, as she glanced at him, I knew she felt the same.

 

I had just envisioned what would become the epilogue of TEACH ME.

 

But I had no pen! I was stuck on this bus, with no pen and paper to write down what I had just seen. An hour, two hours, and we stopped at our hotel for the night. Rushing into my room, I dropped my bags and searched the desk frantically, looking for—Success! A tiny pad and a complementary pen! I scribbled the scene on that tiny pad and, the next time we stopped in a town, I hunted down a stationary shop and bought a notebook. I spent the rest of the trip in Europe writing TEACH ME.

 

Elizabeth and Malvern grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go. They hold a special place in my heart, and I couldn’t be more grateful their tale came to life on that fateful European holiday. I hoped you enjoyed their story, too.