Rose, a young migrant girl, alone and confused in a strange country. Her innocence and naivety ultimately lead her into the arms of evil, changing her life forever. The actions of her tormentors cause her to run, as far away as possible.

She spends the next couple of years roaming the country, trying to forget the past, and hoping to make a fresh start. However, no matter how far she travels, she is unable to forget the circumstances that drove her to flee.

Tired of running, Rose decides to return to the area where her troubles began, hoping the sins of the past can finally be erased from her memory, and the life she was forced to abandon can somehow be reclaimed. Eventually her prayers are answered, but in a way she would never have believed possible.

Occasionally you hear about, or if you are lucky enough, meet someone who has what is known as the X-Factor. A special quality that is impossible to define. Claire Steel had the X-Factor.

Not only was she beautiful, inside and out, she was also smart, reliable and when required, tough. Maybe it is a combination of these qualities that create that presence, which is known as the X-Factor.

One thing for sure. Claire was the girl that every girl wanted to be, and the girl that every man wanted to be with. After leading a fairly normal existence for the first 20 something years of her life, everything changed when she met a young man and fell in love.

As is so often the case, the innocent at heart are attracted to the Rogue Gene, and Claire was no exception. Unable to control her emotions, she felt powerless to do anything about the passionate, but turbulent relationship she was entering into.

During moments of despair, she visualised herself as a freshly plucked flower being washed downstream by the current, knowing that nothing short of a miracle could save her from the whirlpool she was approaching, and the falls beyond, which would ultimately seal her fate.

I have always wondered how actors retain their sanity, or do they, when they spend the majority of their lives pretending to be someone else.

However, I experienced their dilemma myself when I tried to create the characters for my book. I would literally spend hours trying to imagine what they would say and how they would say it, in a particular situation, and what the reply would be under those circumstances. Doing this seemed to turn them all into real people. From the feedback I have received, the majority of readers have remarked how much they have loved the characters, so it appears I accomplished my goal of bringing them all to life.

Despite the fact I have read the novel several times, I still experience laughter, loathing, tears and fears as I interact with my imaginary cast.

Tommy is the central figure in the book. Abandoned at birth, he never really knows what makes him tick, or why. With no one to compare himself to, it is almost like he has lost his memory, as he struggles with his identity. He is fearless and happy to deliver his own brand of justice, an eye for an eye, but where does his strength come from?

After the death of his adopted mother, his only lifeline to his past, he is driven to search for his biological mother, hoping that if he finds her she will be able to help him identify who he really is. As I wrote the book, I found it impossible not to live every moment of his life alongside him.

JHH.