Evil Never Dies (The Lizzy Gardner Series Book 6) (27 page)

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

After nearly twenty years, I decided to transition from writing romance to writing thrillers. I had always loved reading in the thriller genre, so I thought, why not give it a shot? After writing the first hundred pages of
Abducted
, I found myself unable to sleep well. Researching real-life serial killers was not, I realized, for the faint of heart. I put the book away and wrote
Having My Baby
, a contemporary romance, instead.

When I came back to
Abducted
, I found myself sucked into Lizzy’s world. Suddenly, nothing could stop me from finishing that book. Getting a good night’s sleep was no longer a problem because I realized my book wasn’t about serial killers, or bad guys, or rapists. The book was about Lizzy Gardner. She is a survivor. Although traumatized by her past, Lizzy is determined to push on and find a way to heal while also helping others.

Months after finishing
Abducted
, since the book had yet to be submitted to publishers, I self-published my first thriller. I never intended for
Abducted
to become a series, let alone a bestselling novel. But more than one million readers later, I can tell you that’s exactly what happened.

Evil Never Dies
is the last book in this series (although you never know what might happen down the road). Lizzy and friends have been living in my head since 2009, and I have mixed emotions about saying good-bye to them. But I absolutely cannot move on to my next thriller series without saying thank you to my readers, every single one of you. You’re the best!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks to Alan Turkus, Jacque Ben-Zekry, and Tiffany Pokorny for their ongoing help and support.

Special thanks to Kjersti Egerdahl for reading the manuscript and helping me every step of the way.

Again, much gratitude to David Downing for making my scenes come alive. I think you’re amazing!

Thanks and gratitude to my sister, Cathy, who continues to read every book I write. For more than twenty years, she has taken her red pen to all my manuscripts. She reads every page, over and over again, without complaint, always asking for more.

I must acknowledge Joe Ragan Sr. and Pat Ragan for their continued enthusiasm and support. Their belief in me throughout the years never wavered, not once.

All my love to Joe Ragan. I couldn’t do it without you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2012 Morgan Ragan

New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author Theresa Ragan
grew up with four sisters in Lafayette, California. She has garnered six Golden Heart nominations in Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart competition for her work. After writing for twenty years, Theresa self-published in March 2011 and went on to sell more than one million books. In 2012, she signed with Thomas & Mercer and is having the time of her life.

Besides writing thrillers under the name T.R. Ragan, Theresa also writes medieval time travels, contemporary romance, and romantic suspense. To learn more about Theresa, visit her website at
www.theresaragan.com
.