My name is Andrea Powell. I grew up in Gordon, Georgia. I have four brothers and three sisters. I never believed that I could write a book at all. When I was in the eighth grade, I was told that I had a learning disability, but my mother always told me to believe in myself. My mother, Estella Basley Powell, passed away after a fight with breast cancer for only a year. My father, Rufus Lee Powell Jr., passed away in a car accident. Two of my brothers have also passed away. Andre DeWayne Powell passed away from AIDS. My other brother Rufus Lee Powell II was murdered. My writing was the only way I could deal with the pain.