Dear People,

I wrote this yesterday. Just thought I'd pass it on to help shed some light on what you may be reading or hearing about sooner than later. . .

Today FedEx just delivered a large box to me. Yes, it is full of books--"The Man Who Predicts Earthquakes." Now while I should be excited I must admit that I am anxious too. This book is controversial. This book is bold. This book is different. It's the book I wish I had when I was in high school and college. It's for the mainstream audience. It's going to irk some people, and it's going to please others.

I must tell you that I was going to write this book 20 years ago. But once I finished grad school, I decided I had written enough articles on Berkland and animals sensing quakes. I had no idea that two decades later, especially after the Indian Ocean quake-tsunami of 2004, that there was an important book ready to be written. And I did it.

I'm warning you now that I wrote it in a first-person narrative. I expose both Berkland and myself, our lives and how earthquakes and earthquake prediction have affected both of us. I realize that it covers both Berkland's entire life as well as mine. Plus, it discusses great quakes that have affected other peoples' lives around the world.

The bottom line: Receiving this completed book today is a huge emotional experience. I didn't know that it would be like that. I thought I would be happy. But I'm gun-shy. I'm the inquisitive girl in a geology college class at SFSU who was laughed at when I asked about Berkland and if animals could sense quakes.

Well, enough said. The book is released. The book will be promoted. The book will be reviewed. I hope my friends on this site enjoy the read. I hope Mr. Berkland is pleased with the Berkland Book, which took me 20 years to finally do.
And you know what? After all the hard work and stress involved--I would do it again.

C