Shelly develops a cocaine addiction, gets married and experiences the beating of her life. Just when she feels like her life is over, she finds an opportunity to leave it all behind and move to the beach. Shelly’s new roommate gets drunk and steals her car, almost killing himself and another man. With little money and no job, she deals with bail bondsmen, aggressive attorneys, and telling her father about the new claim on his insurance policy. Shelly endures Hurricane Erin, becomes homeless, and survives by reinventing herself. She buys her first home, loses her business, then Hurricane Irene ruins her wedding. She learns enough about herself to survive the divorce and start over again after a bus trip lands her in the Florida Keys. Believe it or not, it’s real. This is my life story written as fiction, and the sequel is even better because I overcome all of this to become a great cop.