This book is not an actual continuation of The Bregdan Chronicles. It is an answer to the constant request to know how The Bregdan Chronicles started. If you're not interested, you can move ahead to more Bregdan adventures in Book # 14 - Misty Shadows of Hope. ______________________________ Some days stand out in your mind so clearly that you can remember every moment. You can remember every smell. Every thought you had. Every word that someone says. You remember that the sky was cloudless, and the day was hot and thick with humidity. You remember it was a day that totally changed what you believed your life would be. I had one of those days... My story of being a writer begins the day I vowed I would never write. I'm going to warn you now that this book is not going to be a "straight line journey". I don't believe anyone's life is a straight journey. I believe we all travel many twisted roads to get to where we are right now. We experience things we don't believe are significant - only appreciating their significance years later when we are able to look back and see how each event fits into the grand puzzle of our complicated lives. It could be that my journey is more twisted than most, but if that is true it's what was necessary to prepare me to write. I savor and appreciate every moment now; even the ones I thought would destroy me. I truly never thought I would never write this book because I am a very private person. A conversation with the person I trust most in the world convinced me to change my mind. She convinced me my readers deserved to hear the story of just how The Bregdan Chronicles came to be. You'll learn about the day I decided to never write again. And, the bedridden period of my life that finally made me write my first book. You'll learn about my years of living with a prejudiced family, enduring the bigotry and rioting of the Charlotte school system in the 60's & 70's, and my defiance that taught me the truth. You'll learn the family secret that almost devastated me when I discovered it. You'll learn just why I decided to write about the Civil War & Reconstruction. You'll learn how long The Bregdan Chronicles will last. Maybe. I'm not sure I know! You'll journey the twisted roads of my life that have led me to now. And, you'll learn the most important reason I've decided to make my life an open book to my readers... My readers are part of my family. I look forward to sharing the adventure of this book with you! Blessings, Ginny Dye