Barbara Fagan, for empowering me to write the proposal for this book. Your skills are peerless, your heart grand.
My sisters, who were there for us. My brother, for bringing Mia back to me. My father, who urged me to know that the Light Within is always on, even when we feel only darkness. It just took me thirty years to listen. My mother, for her love, her honesty, and her prophetic wisdom.
And to Paul, for everything.
Mia would like to thank:
To the man who taught me how to throw like a boy—I couldn’t have asked for a better dad. You’ve loved me as your own from the beginning and given me the priceless knowledge that when I wake up, I have not one, but two parents who love me.
Bubbie, for your quiet understanding of me, your courage, intellect, and humor. Thank you for giving me my mother.
Danielle Rose, for sharing my childhood; I love you and am deeply proud of you.
My aunts and uncles, for your love and support.
Nancy, because sometimes we need more than one mother. You’ve been there for me both whenever I asked and when you simply knew.
Karin, you’ve made enormous sacrifices generously and unhesitatingly and your humor, determination, and strength have always been an inspiration.
To all of my “Aunties,” Jordana, Cristina, Susan, Michele, and Miriam, thank you for helping to make my childhood magical.
Abel, for your boyish spirit, which buoyed me during some of the rough parts.
My college friends, Alex, Alexandria, David, Sean, Seleba, Simone, Soraya, and Yoomie. It’s been incredibly fun growing each other up.
Gerard, for seeing me through a different kind of transformation.
Lauren, for who we were and what we had. Hurting you has always been one of my biggest regrets.
My teachers at Santa Monica College, Dr. Diana Engleman, Dr. Christine Schultz, Dr. Karin Breedlove, Dr. Miguel Aparicio—for your encouragement and support.
Mike, for putting up with all the attitude and defenses, for kicking me out and loving me back in.
Cameron and Chaffin Pullan, for opening your hearts and homes and seeing through to who I really was and could be.
Sunny, for being the most faaabulous friend a girl can have.
My Morava girls, for sharing something with me that neither time nor distance can diminish. I love you all.
About the Authors
An author and screenwriter, CLAIRE FONTAINE has devoted time to coaching families in crisis.
MIA FONTAINE, a popular motivational speaker, has written for the New York Times and works in publishing.
www.claireandmia.com
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Praise
“Come Back is a powerful and moving story of two brave and exceptional women who struggled through darkness into the light. Beautifully written and inspiring…. This is an extremely important book.”
—Susan Forward, Ph.D., author of Toxic Parents
“This is one of those rare books I could hardly put down until I finished—a real and astounding gift from a mother and daughter who went through hell and then had the courage, passion, and generosity of spirit to relive it again together in these pages. Brilliant—and often funny, too!”
—Leah Komaiko, author of Am I Old Yet?
“A rare, visceral reading experience….Offering lessons in living, loving, and accepting responsibility that could benefit every reader.”
—Edwin John Wintle, author of Breakfast with Tiffany: An Uncle’s Memoir
“A beautiful and inspiring testament to the profound, complicated, but ultimately irreplaceable link between mothers and daughters.”
—Samantha Dunn, author of Not By Accident
“Come Back is a brave and passionately written book about an extraordinary bond between mother and child. Their story is an inspiration for us all.”
—Jessica Hendra, author of How to Cook Your Daughter
“A nightmarish saga of a teenage runaway in L.A. ends triumphantly….Mia’s desperate diary entries appear between Claire’s lively, angry, sarcastic narrative, allowing mother and daughter to maintain a heart-wrenching, honest dialogue.”
—Publishers Weekly
Copyright
COME BACK. Copyright © 2006 by Claire and Mia Fontaine. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub © Edition NOVEMBER 2008 ISBN 9780061979682
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
Come Back With a Bonus Excerpt: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back Page 35
