Shattered Lives (35 page)
Authors: Joseph Lewis
Tags: #Fiction, #Mystery & Detective, #Retail, #Thriller
Author’s Notes
Like
Taking Lives
and
Stolen Lives
,
Shattered Lives
is a work of fiction, but it is based in fact. One just has to read headlines or watch the news to find our children caught up in the most heinous crime of Human Trafficking. It is my belief that to force a child to engage in sexual activity is unconscionable. This should not, must not, happen. Ever.
I began to research the topic of child abduction, child sexual abuse, child safety, prevention, and education because of the case of a missing boy from St. Joseph, Minnesota, Jacob Wetterling, who at age 11, was taken at gunpoint by a masked man in front of his younger brother, Trevor, and his best friend, Aaron. I began speaking to parent groups, student groups, teachers, and faculty about the topic and how we can keep kids safe. It wasn’t much, certainly not nearly enough, but I did what I could.
Taking Lives
, which is the prequel of my Lives Trilogy, was released in August, 2014. The first book of the Lives Trilogy,
Stolen Lives
, was released in November, 2014. As I stated above, these are works of fiction, yet based upon years of research, as well as the stories that kids and parents shared with me over the years. But it is a work of fiction, first and foremost. The statistics quoted in the stories are true, taken from the National Center for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children website. And while kids are abducted, some for a long time, kids do make it back home. We’ve read news reports about kids who do, and we rejoice. Sadly, some kids don’t make it back home. Some kids are found dead.
Taking Lives
and each book of the trilogy,
Stolen Lives
,
Shattered Lives
and
Splintered Lives
are meant to be stories of hope, a story of survival. Each of these books pays homage to law enforcement and other caring individuals who work to bring kids home safely.
I want to thank Jamie Graff, Earl Coffey, Bryan Mabry, and Jim Ammons for their expertise in police, FBI, and SWAT procedure; James Dahlke for sharing his forensic science work with me; Jay Cooke, Dave Mirra and Bill Osborne for their IT expertise; and Sharon King for patience with all my medical questions. I also want to thank the folks at Sage and Sweetgrass, Robert Johnson, and various personnel at the Navajo Museum for taking the time to answer my questions about Navajo culture, tradition and language.
I want to thank Winona Siegmund for her patience and her editing skills on each of the books. I want to thank Stacey Donaghy of Donaghy Literary Group for guiding my writing career, and of course, Natissha Hayden and the folks at True Visions Publications for giving me the opportunity to see my books in print.
Lastly, I can’t tell you how supportive and encouraging my family has been. My wife, Kim, and my kids Wil, Hannah, and Emily have been so understanding and encouraging, never letting me give up and pack it in after each rejection. They stood by my side and supported me and whatever great or little success I might have as a writer. I am truly blessed for having been a husband to Kim and dad to my kids. I love you guys.
To you, the reader, thanks for taking a chance on an unknown writer, a guy who loves putting words on paper and seeing what might be made from them. I hope you enjoyed the prequel,
Taking Lives
, and the first book of the Lives Trilogy,
Stolen Lives
, and I thank you for your willingness to continue the journey with me through the trilogy and beyond, and I hope I never disappoint you.
Happy and Thoughtful Reading,
Joe
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