Hannah and Eden

These were my two favorite female leads to write. More than any other characters, they hold the most pieces of me. They hold not only some of the best parts of me but also some of the worst. Or at least, I was led to believe they were the worst.

Growing up, I was shy and quiet. I loved school, especially literature and math. I never gave teachers a hard time and always had my homework done. I also behaved at home. Basically, I was what you would call a "goody-two-shoes." When my younger sister got to school, the teachers all assumed she was just like me and they said that. She didn't like that, so she decided to rebel. She made bad choice after bad choice. In her mind, those choices were all my fault because I set too high of an example.

Fast forward to after I got engaged. We found out we wouldn't be able to have children. I was devastated as I'd always wanted to be a mom. When I told my sister, I mistakenly expected empathy, kindness, and support. Instead, she looked me dead in the face and said, "Everyone always thought you were 'LIttle Miss Perfect,' but I guess they were wrong. At least I could have children."

That was easily the cruelest thing anyone had ever said to me and it forever changed our relationship. I've since forgiven her, though I've never told her that. I had no choice as it was consuming me and I couldn't let her have that power over me any longer. Through our neverending love for one another, my husband and I came to terms with it, as our path became clear. We were put here together to be the voice for those who don't have one.

Our first dog, Midnight, came to us when I most needed her. She was abused and abandoned by her former owners. We adopted her from our local SPCA. We had to work to gain her trust but once we did, she loved us with everything she had. We had an amazing ten years with her. After her passing, we were heartbroken and not sure we wanted to go through that again.

Midnight, however, had other plans. She sent Holly to us a couple of months after her passing. We're now approaching the ninth anniversary of adopting Holly from a shelter in TN. She was abandoned along with two of her siblings. A transport van brought her and several other dogs from the shelter to their new homes. Holly's two siblings were adopted by families in PA, where we also live. We thought it was so cool that they all ended up in the same state.

I've shared bits of this story with only a few people, as it was overall very painful. When I started writing, I held back somewhat. My first two books have some parts of me, but much more subtle. When I got to Pet Shop Passion, I was feeling more confident and more willing to share pieces of me. I continued and even expanded on that with Silent Angel. Hannah and Eden will always hold very special places in my heart.

Until next time,

Samantha