Dear Reader. Extension 1788 is inspired by actual events. It was my extension while employed primarily as a numerologist on a psychic line. On rare occasions, callers' concerns sent shivers of chills through me. I desired not to linger and would swiftly wrap up those calls. One such call is revealed in Chapter 3 of the book. In this case, I changed the storyline lest the actual caller ever read Extension 1788. Most callers wanted quick readings on a specific aspect of their life: love, finances or winning lottery numbers. Occasionally, I received clear messages as to whether a caller would win. One actual event is related in Chapter 4 of the first book. Gradually I developed a following and kept notes on these callers as they were not inclined to repeat previous conversations. Many I lost sleep over. The references to the June 2, 1976 car bombing murder of Don Bolles, a reporter for The Arizona Republic newspaper who succumbed to death June 13, 1976 as told by the character Gracie, is found in Chapter 24. On a personal note. . . One evening shortly after Don Bolles death, a terrified co-worker asked me to accompany her to the Caliente Club in Phoenix. Once there, I followed her to a small group of people gathered around a table, hands clasped around their cocktail glasses, some chain smoking revealing nervous twitches, others staring quietly into their drinks. Once my co-worker vouched for me, one or two nodded but the rest stared unrelenting in their acceptance of me. When the volume of the music ramped up, my co-worker placed her hand on my arm and suggested I step back, out of earshot, to which I quickly complied. Not ten minutes later we were out the door. Fear engraved in the lines on her face, she made a straight shot to her vehicle. I had many questions but asked none. As her hand reached for the door handle, she said, "This whole thing has a lot of people scared, really scared." Over the next few months as the investigation into his death unfolded, she grew more agitated. Her comments to me more cryptic until one day, on the way to the lunchroom, she stated the basis for her fears. That experience, her experience, was seared into my mind and one I would reflect on frequently. Years later, I felt compelled to weave some of this far-reaching tragic historical occurrence into the fictional characters in the Extension 1788 series. www.annshirley.net Ann Shirley lives in northern Arizona
