By Susan Stoker
This is a book about survival and strength, of opening one’s eyes to what is written between the lines.
Reading Zoey and Bubba’s story brought me back to the days when I used to go on long hiking trips with my friends. I loved those days, the camaraderie and fun of discovering new trails, the exhilarating feeling of being one with nature, and meeting new friends along the way.
There was one mountain I loved so much that I climbed its peak time and again. To me, reaching the summit was like entering what I fondly call the playground of the gods. A 360-degree view all around and walking above a sea of clouds… it was my heaven!
Imagine yourself, but an insignificant speck on a vast—and often hostile—world filled with unknown dangers, where hidden treasures can only be had if Mother Nature deems you fit to be called to her banquet.
Like Zoey and Bubba, who faced the test of survival both natural and man-made, I was able to appreciate what now is slowly slipping from my grasp, and that is nature in its purest form.
Like Bubba confronting his twin, Malcolm, I confronted the wrath of nature head-on. I survived being stranded on a mountain, with Mother Nature letting loose a Category 5 storm as my team was in the middle of a five-mountain trek.
I survived teammates abandoning colleagues, themselves fighting to survive. Yes, I did lose friends along the way, but I survived. I came out scarred, physically and emotionally from one particularly brutal date with nature, but in the end, I stood tall.
Securing Zoey reminds me that amid the storm I am in right now, far from the arms of nature that I am strong. That I am a survivor. For this, I thank Susan Stoker, an author whose works constantly remind me that life is easier if we but learn to open our eyes to the right path.
I hope dear reader that you get the chance to see the story through my eyes.
Read between the lines, I implore you, there may be a gem or two waiting for you.
Bitch N Books 
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