I began to develop this novella as a twenty-paged screenplay for a film short, then as a full-length feature film. My inspiration for the book stems from childhood memories of my mother, who became a single parent after my father died when I was seven-years-old. My three brothers, my sister, and I were raised in a housing development in the Harbor area of Los Angeles. I witnessed the struggles that my family and other families endured when faced with unexpected adversities. Years ago, I remember an incident when one of my older brothers, who was eighteen-years-old at the time, had been accused of a serious offense by a group of three individuals. Several weeks later, the detective assigned to the case ceased his investigation of my brother after the members of the group recanted their accusation, and the charges were dropped. 

     I truly must give great thanks to my life partner and fiction writer, Robert Torres Gonzales, who was raised in East Los Angeles during his teens and had attended California State University Los Angeles and UCLA. Sharing his life experiences along with his literary expertise will always remain valuable to me for many years to come.

     Most of the events recorded in this book loosely occurred; one or two were experiences of my own, the rest of those of people of whom I encountered throughout my youth, and who had undergone some sticky situations with the legal system.  Some of the gang-related practices touched upon have been in use among its members in the surrounding area of East LA during the last few decades.

     Although my book is intended mainly for young adults that enjoy reading romance books and crime novels, I hope it will not be disregarded by others on that account, for part of my goal has been to try to remind conscientious individuals of how they may have reacted if placed in the same situational environment. In conclusion, I hope to instill a message with positive impact upon the readers of this book by pointing out that when faced with extreme adversity, may each of your journeys of struggle ultimately bring about courage, love, and kindness instead of fear.