We have all had interesting, intriguing encounters and experiences that make us say "I need to write this down." Maybe it's something we have seen, someone we met, or an unforgettable trip. With this in mind, Raquel Garcia has created Tickets to My Life, an autobiographical collection of essays and short-short stories. Step behind the curtain of a life performance and into this collection of stories and essays that represent diverse experiences-both joyous and challenging-that helped tell her story.

What better vehicle to introduce them than a train trip, inspired by the train travel Raquel took from Florida, where she lived as a child, to the New England area. Later, when her family moved to southern Connecticut, she would take the train to New York City, arriving through Grand Central Station.

Raquel Garcia hopes that readers will enjoy their trip through these accounts. Let your imagination take flight through Tickets to My Life, each one a reminder of the complexity of the human experience, and may you find your own reflections within these pages.