The Whitlow Sanction: Vol. I


	Preface I thought of Webster’s definition for “preface” as I pondered what my readers would need to know regarding their journey into my novel, The Whitlow Sanction: Volume I. Even though it is a work of fiction, this story is very much a departure from my other writing projects. Enjoy! Dear Reader, You already know from the title that this book, The Whitlow Sanction: Volume I, will have a sequel. Actually, I’ve decided to create a Whitlow trilogy after I couldn’t find a satisfactory breaking point sooner than its near 550 pages. I have enough material for probably fourteen hundred or so pages. I don’t think I am mistaken in that regard and hope you will appreciate the difficulty I face in order to tell this tale. My new publisher has named me the new queen of trilogies, since each of my novels is such. I have successfully written and published three novels over the past two years, the most recent being Murder Unwired and they’re all generally in the romantic/erotic murder mystery genre; however, this is my first foray into the realm of the suspenseful thriller. I can best describe the story as the journey I never expected to take but ultimately had to. In many ways, it allowed me to fulfill a desire to tap the journalism bug I felt deep within, which dated back to my university days—it was now or never. I’ve elected a genre that has been almost exclusively the domain of male writers, many of whom I’ve adored and followed over the years. As a mature black female who has lived the American dream—sane childhood, educated, a wife, a mother, a successful career woman, a grandmother, and now an author, I must admit, the fact that males, in particular white males, have dominated this genre and have served as my inspiration, along with a number of black authors. In The Whitlow Sanction: Volume I, I’ve taken a number of real-life characters and their experiences and made them into a work of fiction I am proud to author. This story combines information dating over a twenty-year period, as far back as 1981 and as recently as 2001. It’s chock-full of every twist you can imagine—intrigue; sex; betrayal; loyalty; murder; conspiracy; high-tech gadgetry; fanatical antagonists; big-money capers; con games; colorful characters; powerful women; thought-provoking dialogue and propositions; funny sequences; and American, Caribbean, and European locales. My interest in Tarot reading, as an entertainment pastime, is how it all began. A reader of my first two books, Wired for Murder and The Big Payback, contacted me and asked if I would read for him. As a patron, he was curious. He had seen me on a local TV show last year when I revealed my Tarot interest. I meet many Tarot card enthusiasts at various gatherings, so his request was not unusual. I'll call him Mr. X. Upon meeting this man, I immediately sensed that he was very different, nothing overt enough to characterize definitively, but certainly he qualified as unusual, although a gentleman at all times. It was through this reader that I made my entry into a world I had never imagined existed beyond the movies or the creations of writers. I came to find that, after reading two of my books, he had already chosen me to tell this story. I was amazed at what the cards revealed—past, present, and future—about this stranger. A fun experience. Notwithstanding the reading, he offered to take me on this journey that I now call The Whitlow Sanction: Volume I, II and III, a story he believed needed to be told. Even though partially an imaginary venture, nearly every character is loosely based on a real person, most are still alive, particularly the lead protagonists. Of course, I grew suspicious. Why me? The prospect intrigued me, and his assurance that should I distort the story sufficiently, no harm would befall me. Rule #1: I could never reveal everything I would be told, including his name or the parties he would make available. This understanding resulted in a series of legal contractual agreements. I also agreed that he would retain the right to review whatever I wrote prior to publication. I concurred because he was not seeking to co-author but only to critique my treatment. This mesmerizing voyage took me to many places and into the company of various people, some quite chilling, who recounted their experiences as sources for my treatises. A number of my resulting discoveries were activities that had captured some national attention and had been primarily illegal. My husband questioned whether I should continue. Although he remained supportive, he still worried about my safety around this element. I spent many nights doubting whether I would survive the revelations and the mind trips they entailed. And more importantly, I wondered if my writing would change as a result. My eyes were opened wider than I’d ever anticipated, never to be closed again. This was, at the very least, an experience I’ll never forget. I was given unfettered access to people who were international, first-hand players, people with backgrounds that would haunt any of us by simply hearing about them. Unknown to my sources, at least at that time, I had an opportunity to reach back to an old friend whom I’ve known for over thirty years to verify the actual existence of one of the main characters. His notoriety did not go unnoticed in my friend’s profession. I was advised to be careful about seeking what I might not wish to find. My trust in my friend’s judgment, long before meeting Mr. X, was firm. This friend recalled specific events about him that propelled me toward the quest I’d chosen, or more aptly said, toward the quest that had chosen me. To my readers, I ask that you look beyond my task to tell an entertaining story. Closely consider the underlying theme of what is being sold beyond the entertainment value, not by me, but by the antagonists. I have deliberately not offered a moral position as to good or evil because I am not the seller. I leave the good versus evil decision for your perusal. I must admit, I found many of the premises to be alive and well in our society because we’re willing to accept them when delivered in artful oratory or with a written spin we relish. Welcome to the Whitlow journey. With much gratitude, Betty Bradford Byers PURCHASE THIS BOOK NOW... LINK TO: BETTY BYERS BBB Collection Pkg. \| Books and Tarot \| \| Return Home \| GREAT LINKS \| WHAT'S NEW? \| CONTACT US \|