Meet the Author

I’m Amber Torres, and I didn’t write *Amber* because I had an easy story to tell. I wrote it because I know what it feels like to be a child who doesn’t understand why life is so hard. I know what it feels like to move through places that are supposed to feel like home and still wonder where you belong.

I spent part of my childhood in foster care. I experienced things that changed the way I saw people, trust, family, and even myself. There were moments when I felt like my story was already written for me.

But it wasn’t.

As I got older, I made choices while trying to survive circumstances I didn’t always know how to handle. Some of those choices brought consequences. Some brought lessons. And some became memories I carried quietly for years.

Eventually, I realized that surviving something and healing from it are not the same thing.

That realization is part of why I wrote *Amber*.

This book isn't meant to make my past look pretty. It isn't meant to make me the hero of every chapter. It's my attempt to tell the truth about a girl who was trying to find her way through a life she didn't choose.

Because behind every statistic about children in foster care is a real child.

A name.

A face.

A story.

Mine just happens to be Amber.

And if you've ever felt forgotten, abandoned, lost, or like your past has already decided your future, I hope somewhere in these pages you find a piece of yourself—and a reason to keep going.

I survived my story. Now I'm finally brave enough to tell it.