Many, many thanks to Ed Moltzen, whose thoughtful contributions are reflected throughout the book and to those who reviewed and improved the full manuscript: Dina Nelson, Bobbie and Jerome Ciaravino, Terry and Bill Gasbarre, Jennifer Culp-O’Brien, Bobbi Passalacqua, Lauren Grant, and Nancy and Tom Gleason.
There are others who collectively impacted my life that deserve acknowledgment: my foster parents who diligently worked toward providing me structure and consistency, specifically the Petermans, and all of my dear friends along the way who did not judge me based upon my circumstances and embraced me for me, and some of whose families went further by ensuring that I was fed and properly clothed: Kim and Celinda Garcia, Sheryl Williams, Tracey McMaster, Tracy Ressa, Erin DeMeo, Jeanine Illario, Cynthia Tait, Tammy Fisher, Kim Forsa, Veronica Sullivan, Monica Murray, and Beth Seltzer, and Reyne Macadaeg.
Much appreciation to Jo LoCicero, who fifteen years ago told me to start writing, and Patty Cooper and Katherine Barna for their early encouragement and guidance.
My story could have gone dark had it not been for the educators that illuminated my light even though they only had a moment in time to keep it burning before I moved on. Those educators who stood out and truly touched me include Kevin Ferry and Bob Maguire, Centereach High School; Lewis Brownstein, Nancy Kassop, and Gerald Benjamin, SUNY New Paltz; John Farmer, Seton Hall Law School; Ms. Van Dover, Saint James Elementary; and Ms. Muse, Branch Brook Elementary. The same sentiment is extended for the public library systems.
This page would not be complete if I did not express sincere gratitude to the charities and county and state government that provided us desperately needed services and the dedicated public servants whose attention kept us moving forward. We are now thriving and as a result have created a generation of independent, compassionate children, who are already giving back through church and charity.
About the Author
REGINA M. CALCATERRA, ESQUIRE, serves for Governor Andrew Cuomo as the executive director of the New York State Moreland Commission on Utility Storm Preparation and Response. Regina’s state appointment rose from her position as chief deputy to Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, where she assisted him in managing the day-to-day operations of the county and managed the county’s response and immediate recovery to Superstorm Sandy. The majority of Regina’s private sector experience was as a partner to Barrack, Rodos & Bacine, an internationally recognized securities litigation firm, where she represented defrauded public and labor pension funds by recouping billions of dollars from those who committed corporate fraud on Wall Street. Combined, she has twenty-five years in public- and private-sector experience, including serving as an adjunct professor of political science at CUNY Baruch College. For over a decade Regina served as a frequent commentator of policy and politics on nationwide television and also contributed op-eds on national and local issues. She proudly serves as a board member to You Gotta Believe, an organization that works toward finding older foster children forever homes. She is a graduate of the State University of New York, New Paltz, and Seton Hall University School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in the State of New York, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Eastern and Southern U.S. District Courts.
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Credits
Cover design by Mumtaz Mustafa
Photograph © by Fernando Arias Ramos / Trevillion Images
Copyright
ETCHED IN SAND. Copyright © 2013 by Regina Calcaterra. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-221883-4
EPub Edition AUGUST 2013 ISBN 9780062218841
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