A Cold, Wild Wind — Frances Casey Kerns

She spent her childhood in a tarpaper shack, the daughter of bitter, neglectful parents. Out of her poverty, she fashioned a vision of the life she wanted for herself -- and set out to achieve it. Her dream of wealth and success propelled her through a tumultuous world crowded with jealousy, greed, and lust. Men wanted her -- and she used them. With the determination and inner strength possessed by only a few, she traded her beauty, her body, and the one love of her life to realize her destiny. And, swept along by a cold, wild wind, she succeeded... only to realize -- too late -- the price of her dreams...