Dedication
To Trixie.
In memoriam.
My beautiful golden retriever, who waited patiently by my side throughout the creation of this story.
Acknowledgements
Writing is a solitary journey, but there are many people who helped along the way and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. My utmost appreciation goes to:
Dusty Richards, of the Ozark Creative Writers Conference, for issuing the challenge to write a first novel and make it a western.
The Antioch Writers Workshop, where Clint McCown critiqued that fresh first chapter.
Bobbi Smith, for her Creative Challenge Contest, for taking the time after the manuscript took third place to tell me the story really needed to start in chapter three, for her encouragement, advice and friendship.
Everyone who voted for A Desperate Journey in the American Title II contest. To Dorchester Publishing and Romantic Times magazine for sponsoring the contest which launched so many authors. And to my American Title II sisters.
Lucy Monroe, mentor and friend. My former critique group.
Carrie, my first editor for believing in and taking a chance on this story. Bethany Morgan, who inherited me, and who made editing this manuscript a joy. Samhain Publishing for publishing the first edition.
I’m thrilled to be able to offer this second edition, which would not be possible without the fine work of Sheri McGathy, my cover artist for this beautiful new cover, and Julie L. York my formatter.
Thank you to my family for their unfailing support. But most especially, to my husband Mike, for supporting me all these years and making it possible to follow this dream.
Authors Note:
The prologue was not in the original story, which was in the contest. I added it later at the insistence of my agent before the book sold to Samhain Publishing in 2007. I’m not a fan of prologues in general so I debated over including it in this re-release of the first novel I ever had published. But as I do not believe in re-writing history and do not want any of my readers to feel they have not received the full story as originally published I decided in the end to leave it in. Perhaps it is also the fact that Sally’s husband is not a good man and the prologue is distasteful even to me, which makes me want to remove it. It is as distasteful as he is. He is not a good man. Which you will discover as you read on. I make no apologies for him. He is after all, a villain. My western romances have been described, as “gritty” and I make no apologies for that either. The west was a rough place, so you might expect a western story to have a gritty taste. I certainly do and I enjoy writing damsel in distress stories. It is all the more satisfying to me when we reach the end and the happy ever after. I hope this is so for you, my reader. May you enjoy this reading journey.