Chapter One

Introducing Dani was a challenge.  In my earlier versions, she was coming across as too uncaring and aggressive.  I needed to show her vulnerable side and then flip things around to show her power.

I’ve seen my share of people like Josh, who believe intimidation should be the first and only strategy of negotiation.  I’m clearly not a great admirer of the technique.  As my martial arts instructor says, bullies will always go with their <blank> of death.  A grip of death, a punch of death, the killer quip: whatever they think is the fastest way to get what they want.  They always believe their secret weapon is inescapable.

The warning about human predators and the second location is from Gavin de Becker’s The Gift of Fear.  He begs potential victims to never let themselves get taken to the second location.  They need to make a fuss and resist right away because once they are in the predator’s control, their chances of survival are slim.

I made up the town of Perdition because I needed something a little smaller than the traditional party towns.  I based it in part on college towns where the population is always changing as students come in and then graduate.  It seemed like the perfect place to avoid being noticed and find a ready pool of suitable victims.