Mary's own words from the foreword best describe what Bittersweet is all about: ...the concept of publishing another journal was continually spearing through my consciousness. The relentless thought would not give me a moment's peace until I accepted that the twelfth book would be the manifestation of this bittersweet situation -- a situation of doing a book I was reluctant to do but couldn't not do. And, in order to appease the former objection to the material, I would compromise by making this one different. It would not be arranged in the format of a daily diary as the first one was; it would be marked by the more outstanding events in my life. In this manner, the mundane aspects of my life have been left out and, instead, Bittersweet focuses on the main events that have transpired since Soul Sounds ended. I've titled each of these separate events. Therefore, I suppose this format transforms the second journal into a collection of short stories rather than a day-by-day diary. And as I scanned the varying content of these separate stories, it struck me that I've come full circle. Book Number One began in a simple mountain log cabin and, by the end of Book Number Twelve, another tiny mountain dwelling nestled among the high pines becomes my mainstay." Many dramatic changes have occurred in the life of Mary Summer Rain since the publication of Soul Sounds, some of them quite astounding in their implications. With illustrations, and a twelve-page color photo section, Bittersweet will be one of the most informative, interesting, and controversial books Mary Summer Rain has ever written. Mary Summer Rain is the author of eleven other books: Spirit Song, Phoenix Rising, Dreamwalker, Phantoms Afoot, Earthway, Daybreak, Mountains, Meadows and Moonbeams (for children), Soul Sounds, Whispered Wisdom, Ancient Echoes, and The Seventh Mesa (a novel).