Author's Notes
I had a great deal of fun writing this novel. I will say from the outset that this story is completely fictitious. That is to say it is one hundred percent made up. I know it is redundant to say this, but this disclaimer is for those who may feel they need to write a book to refute my book... Well don't waste your time; unless of course you feel compelled to do so, in which case the controversy may generate a gazillion sales of my book, and that would be OK. That being said, however, there are a few actual places and events that are described in the novel that I would like to clarify.
For example, some of the towns and cities I mentioned do exist. Others I made up. In other cases I used the real names of villages, but changed their locations. I did this mainly so that my readers would not go traipsing into the villagers' backyards in search of souvenirs. Should you decide to do it anyway, don't be surprised if they don't have a clue of what you are talking about.
As I did my research I ran across several options in the actual spelling of the word jinn. There are djinn, djinni, jinn, jinni, genie, and genies. One source said that jinn was singular and jinni was plural. Another said jinn was plural and jinni is singular. I chose jinn to be singular as in one genie, and jinni to denote more than one.
Some of the historical figures I mentioned are real. Skenderbeg, Gjergji Kastrioti (1405-1468), was a true Albanian hero who kept the Ottoman Empire from spreading any farther west of the Balkans. Selim Bey and Perparim Lleshi are fictitious, but their names at least sound Turkish and Albanian.
The modern day characters are not meant to resemble anyone in particular, although they are at times a collage of characters I have met during my time in Albania and Turkey.
Vale of Shadows is a fun story to read. I hope you, the reader, will be able to take away a few nuggets of information that you can bore your friends with at parties, and at the same time feel you read a story worth reading. After all is said and done, I hope you can look back on my story with a smile on your face, and say to your self, "You know, it wouldn't kill me to buy five or six copies for my family and friends."
Enjoy!
Rob Dakin
Why I roll the way I roll
Some people have asked me how I got started doing my mission trips. Originally I went to Albania in 1994 and was part of the first summer of the Albanian Evangelical Rural Outreach or AERO for short. I went in as a member of a JESUS FILM team into the remote mountains of northern Albania. Campus Crusade for Christ had been invited by the newly formed Albanian Democratic government, after the demise of the Communist government, to teach the Albanian people about God. Under communist dictated atheism the people were punished for religious beliefs. I had the privilege of being a part of the AERO Projekt for ten years.
After spending a great deal of time in the villages it didn't take long for me to see a real need for health care, specifically dentistry. I began making other trips to Albania during the year to do dentistry. I had made friends and connections in that part of the world so that when the earthquake devastated Turkey in August of 1999 I was asked to set up a clinic in Janaury 2000 in an area that was at the epicenter of the quake. I went back and forth six times altogether in an eighteen month period of time. My wife Karen began going with me at those times, and has made many trips with me since to Albania, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Kenya. Four out of our five children, Josh, Jeff, Aubrey, and Joe have also gone with us. We are still waiting for Jon to come with us, but he's fixin' to.
Several years ago Karen and I decided that we did not want our success to be measured by how much money we have, or how expensive our automobiles are, or how big our house is. We wanted our success to be determined by how significant we are in the lives of other people. To this end we will continue to go where ever God leads us. This is what "makes us tic" both at home and abroad.
With all the joy that this has brought us an added blessing has been to have so many great experiences that gave life to the writing of Vale of Shadows.