LOST CREED: (Book 4 Ryder Creed series)
Page 24
After seventeen books, numerous research and too many conversations with the law enforcement professionals (like Leigh Ann) who do this for a living, I don’t shock as easily as I once did. But I have to tell you, my research for this book shocked me. Let’s start with this fact: according to a study funded by the Women’s Fund of Omaha, there are 900 people for sale online every month in Nebraska.
Okay, that’s stunning enough. But here’s another: 75% of the people trafficked in Nebraska, are from Nebraska. How can that be? You don’t need to dig deep to find the sick evidence that includes parents selling their own kids. In 2013, a Franklin County mother was sentenced to eighty years in prison for trafficking her two children to her boyfriend and people she met online.
Another startling fact: the national average age for a sex trafficking victim to enter the trade is twelve to thirteen years old. Some of these children are lured by promises of a better life, only to find themselves alone and trapped. Others are abducted.
New laws are being passed enforcing new and stronger penalties. For a long time many of the victims who were being trafficked—many who were under eighteen—were charged with prostitution. They were the victims and yet, they were the ones being arrested instead of saved.
Operation Cross Country—the national task force that Maggie and Pakula are a part of in the beginning of this novel—made its eleventh annual sweep last October. They recovered 84 minors and arrested 120 traffickers during raids across the country.
I don’t delve too deep into the subject for “Lost Creed.” I can’t possibly do it justice in a short novel. But I do hope it makes all of us more aware and observant. Because whether we want to believe it or not, it’s happening across the country. And it’s not just in the cities. It’s happening in our communities, during our State Fairs, and in hotels along our interstates.
As always I have a long list of people to thank.
All my friends who put up with my long absences and help keep me grounded. Thanks to Sharon Car, Marlene Haney, Sandy Rockwood, Sharon Kator, Maricela and Jose Barajas, Dr. Elvira Rios, Pat Heng, Dan Macke, Erica Spindler, Luann Causey, and Christy Cotton.
To Deb Carlin and our Westie Pack: Duncan, Boomer, Maggie and Huck. We make an awesome team. I could never do this without you.
To Leigh Ann Retelsdorf, for many conversations as well as reading an early copy of this book and helping me get the facts correct. By the way, if there’s anything the novel gets wrong, it’s because I overrode my dear friend’s advice and used creative license to make the story work.
To Patti and Martin Bremmer for telling me about “the Christmas house.” Your descriptions were so vivid they had to be in a novel.
To Danine Tworek for suggesting I dump dead bodies closer to my childhood hometown of Silver Creek, Nebraska. My apologies for moving your job to a David City convenience store instead of the one in Silver Creek, but too many strange things I write about end up happening. Hopefully there will never be any bodies discovered in pastures just off Highway 92.
To wildlife biologist, Amee Rief for getting me the contour map and all the details about Lake Wannahoo.
To Dr. Enita Larson, for helping me navigate Ryder’s dive scene. And again, if I got anything wrong, it was my fault, not Enita’s. Also, Dr. Larson has generously allowed me to use her children’s names for my veterinarian, Dr. Avelyn Parker.
To James Rollins for an awesome quote.
To my publishing teams at Little Brown Sphere in the UK and HarperCollins in Poland and to my agent, Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
To all the booksellers, librarians, book clubs and book bloggers for mentioning and recommending my novels.
And a huge thank you to all of my readers, VIR Club members, and Facebook friends. With so many wonderful novels available, I’m honored that you continue to choose mine. Without you, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to share my twisted tales.
Last, this book is dedicated to Linda and Doug Buck along with Buddy and in memory of Hunter. Good neighbors are hard to come by. Good neighbors that are also good friends, are even harder to come by. Thank you both for helping Deb and me in this new publishing adventure.
A HUGE THANK YOU!
First off I'd like to thank you for choosing to read LOST CREED. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave me a four or five star review; I would be hugely grateful. A few words makes a difference in readers finding a new author that they might not have read before. Here is your link: Click to review LOST CREED on Amazon.
I would love to connect with you. Please find me on Facebook and Instagram. If you are not yet a member of my V.I.R. Club (Very Important Reader), I encourage you to take the time to visit my website and join for exclusive news, receive special offers, bonus content and when my next book DESPERATE CREED is available. Your thoughts and feedback are very valuable to me. Email works best: AK@AlexKava.com
DESPERATE CREED (Ryder Creed Book 5) explores the Creed family dynamics and a desperate rescue that pushes Ryder’s feelings for Maggie O’Dell.
Sincerely,
Connect With Me!
Website: www.AlexKava.com
Facebook: @AlexKava.books
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Get started on the Maggie O'Dell series. Click here to order from Amazon for KINDLE
Table of Contents
ALSO AVAILABLE ON KINDLE BY ALEX KAVA
The best way to stay in touch is to join my V.I.R. Club (Very Important Reader's Club).
DEDICATION:
Prologue
Friday, October 20
Chapter 50
Sunday, October 22
Monday, October 23
Tuesday, October 24
Author’s Note and Acknowledgments
A HUGE THANK YOU!
Connect With Me! Website: www.AlexKava.com Facebook: @AlexKava.books Twitter: @AlexKava_Author
LOST CREED
Copyright © 2018 by S. M. Kava
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at Prairie Wind Publishing, 15418 Weir Street, Box 202, Omaha, NE 68137
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Ordering Information:
Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For information, please email the Sales Department at sales@pwindpub.com
Interior design and formatting: Deb Carlin and Mariana Vidakovics
Book cover design: Prairie Wind Publishing
Jacket photograph: Simon Belcher
First Edition
ISBN: 978-0-9973897-7-7 Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-9973897-9-1 eBook
ISBN: 978-0-9973897-8-4 Trade paperback:
Printed in the United States of America
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