I. Had. To. Finish. This. Book.
I’m so glad I did and I’m so blessed to have a friend who wouldn’t let me give up. I hope everyone reading this book has at least one friend like that. Someone you can call when you’re discouraged or when you’re lost.
Another person who believed in this book and in me was Rebecca Luella Miller. Thank you, Becky! I sincerely appreciate every kind comment, as well as every red pen editor’s mark on the page. You, Rachel, Paul Regnier and Mike Duran—members of our Panera writing group—gave me the courage to continue. I’m also grateful for the support of OC Writers, a group that gets together to both write and chat about books. I treasure those quiet times, when we all sit together and bang away at our keyboards. I’m also encouraged by the family atmosphere of the Barmy Drapers Writing Group. Eddie Louise Clark, Chip Clark, and Amber Theresa Morrell have made me feel completely at home from Day One.
Finally, but not lastly, thank you to my husband, Tom, for loving me and supporting me and helping me to pursue my dream of writing, and to my son, Jesse, who inspires me to be a better person, and to my God, who always loves me, even when I make mistakes and get lost along the way.
Author’s Note
I may not have done all the things my main character, Rachel, did in this book, but I was definitely a Lost Girl when I was a teenager. I got drunk, took drugs, skipped school, ran away from home, hitchhiked to different states, and was put in juvenile three times. Being wild can seem like a lot of fun at the time, but quite often the consequences aren’t fun at all.
There are many ways to be lost. You might have a family who doesn’t understand what you’re going through, or you might have a best friend who slept with your boyfriend. You might be bullied at school for being different, or you might be embarrassed because your parents don’t have much money, or because they’re alcoholics or drug addicts.
The fact that you feel lost doesn’t mean you’re alone or that nobody cares about what you’re going through. I care. I care a lot. That’s one reason I wrote this book. And I want you to know that there are people and organizations out there that care about what you’re going through, too. Please remember, it helps to talk to someone—a friend, a parent, a high school counselor, or perhaps someone from the list below.
•National Runaway Switchboard:
Website: www.1800runaway.org
Phone: 24-Hour Crisis Line: 1-800-RUNAWAY
• Safe Place:
Website: NationalSafePlace.org
• Teen Health and Wellness:
Website: TeenHealthAndWellness.com
Phone: Suicide Hotline: 800-784-2433
Immediate Medical Assistance: 911
Crisis Call Center: 800-273-8255 or text ANSWER to 839863
About the Author
Born in the Midwest, magazine editor Merrie Destefano currently lives in Southern California with her husband, two German shepherds, a Siamese cat, and the occasional wandering possum. Her favorite hobbies are reading speculative fiction and watching old Star Trek episodes, and her incurable addiction is writing. She loves to camp in the mountains, walk on the beach, watch old movies, and listen to alternative music—although rarely all at the same time. www.merriedestefano.com
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