Shattered Dreams

Irene Spencer came from four generations of polygamy. As the second of ten wives, she was the mother of fourteen of her husband's fifty-eight children. Irene lives in Anchorage Alaska, with her faithful husband of nineteen years, Hector J. Spencer, who never leaves her side. At eighty-four years of age, Hector travels with Irene, proudly basking in her recent, new-found success. They currently reside in Woodbridge, California with Irene's oldest daughter, where Irene continues to write and work on various projects. When she's not writing or speaking, Irene is on the road, traveling the globe from Alaska to Mexico, Idaho, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Louisiana to visit her family. Irene is also a world traveler, having traveled through twenty-five of the fifty U.S. states and to twenty-three foreign countries. She speaks both Spanish and English fluently. Although she had only a ninth-grade education, Irene earned her GED and took a creative writing class at University of Las Vegas. In fulfilling her passion and calling as an inspirational speaker, Irene shocks, amazes and motivates her audience. Irene interweaves humor throughout her testimony of her former, unconventional lifestyle. Irene serves as a keynote speaker for "rescue missions," church congregations, women's centers, and other groups and events throughout the country as invited. Despite the demands on her time to fulfill her speaking engagements, Irene finds time to continue her writing and spend time with her family. She plans to author additional books.

Laural Merlington has recorded well over one hundred audiobooks, including works by Margaret Atwood and Alice Hoffman, and is the recipient of several AudioFile Earphones Awards. An Audie Award nominee, she has also directed over one hundred audiobooks. She has performed and directed for thirty years in theaters throughout the country. In addition to her extensive theater and voice-over work, Laural teaches college in her home state of Michigan.