The Closest Stranger

My name is Shane Ballon and I was born in Gretna, Louisiana on February 4, 1985 from my mother, Charlene Ballon. She is a strong woman who always worked 2 jobs to make sure we had what we needed to survive. I never met my father which made part of growing up rather difficult because we always had enough just to get by. Plus, raising me as a single mother was a chore in itself as I know I was not the easiest kid out there. My mother had 1 goal for me to complete and that was high school; I coulden't even do that for her. I joined a military program for youths called, "Youth Challenge Program" which was for troubled teens. I spent 5 1'2 months there behind there strict walls, but I did obtain my GED. It ultimately led to me joining the Army. I married my first wife while I was stationed in Ft. Carson, but that lasted only 2 short years; mainly due to Iraq. She did give birth to our beautiful daughter, Harmony which is 4. Now being one of the first in my family I am working on a degree in buisness. I reunited with my middle school girlfriend, Julie and we had our first son, Lyrik which is 4, shortly after started dating. After we married we added to our family with 2 more sons, Rythem which is 2 and Jazz which is 3 months. Julie has a daughter, Kryste which I have been taking care of since she was a toddler. She is 6 years old now. To protect the family we have a year old pittbull named Dexter. My writing started out when I was in Iraq as they were songs. I was heavy into music weather it was recording or playing the guitar. My songs were typically a mix of personal experiences and the blessing of a sick mind. After I had a few kids the music got pushed aside just because of the time it took. I was upset about it at first because it had been a passion for a very long time, but then I started writing and I came to find that I have a bigger passion for it. Like my songs; my stories are based on personal experiences and a sick world that I can create and control. My goal for the writing is to entertain readers, but to also make a career of sharing my experiences and ideas through my killer thrillers. I want to thank my wife, Julie, for supporting me with everything since we have been together and even though it has not been a full picnic; it has been a great ride so far. Dianna Wallen is another person I wanted to thank as she and I have spent hours talking about different ideas on how to put everything in place. John Christensen has also been a good supporter in having faith that the book could happen and succeed. The people I want to thank most of all is my kids because they give me the drive to want to succeed in life and be that great role model they can look up to and to my mother who still to this day has believed in me the whole time. This is a dedication to her and my family that believed in me as a father and provider.