Letter to the Publisher

Dear Publisher,

My name is Kathryn Byron and when I was eleven years old, I wrote a book called Lost Among the Tears. The book is about a girl named Hope living through the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. I first learned about the hurricane in science class during our weather unit. When the levees broke I hadn’t any idea how horrible it would be. After that I watched as many people struggled and began to think about how it must have been for the children that were suffering. They had just started the new school year, new school supplies, summer stories to catch up on, and then the storm hit and everything changed.

I was inspired by what happened, and I tried to picture myself in their positions. My thoughts were put on paper, and I was transformed into a girl around my age that had lived in New Orleans during that time. As more news came in, more ideas were put into my story, and it seemed that my relationship between my brother and I became similar to the two sisters in the story.

A musician from New Orleans, was helped by our church after being sent to a shelter in Charlotte, North Carolina. I first heard him sing "This Little Light of Mine" in the church's contemporary service. When I met him he told me some of his story and I was truly moved. Some of his experiences were put into my story as well.

After a year, I was finished with my story. Although it was finished, I realized that many people who had lived through Hurricane Katrina still had not solved their problems, and they continued to struggle almost two years after it occurred. I thought about how most Americans had forgotten the troubles of these people. I could help bring awareness to the public about how to help many of those survivors who are still struggling. I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me show these people that there truly is hope. If published, I intend to market and sell the book and contribute the proceeds to a foundation that will support qualified, charitable organizations that are assisting people affected by Hurricane Katrina. When published, my book could help those people recover from the tragedy and give them a chance for a fresh start.

I know that with the help of others with a common goal and interest almost any dream can come true. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Kathryn Byron