Nineteen-year-old Lou Ward drove out of her southern New Mexico hometown headed north so fast, she didn't even look in the rearview mirror. With her two small children and a passion for fast cars, she was on her way to a large life as a newspaper owner and editor in the Jemez Mountains, Montana and Ireland.

Her newspapers are legendary, as is her unique style of writing, straight from the hip. When a high speed head-on collision in Ireland destroys her happiness and her ability to drive, Lou is forced to return to the hometown she never wanted to see again so she could heal in dry, warm weather. Met by many a tragedy on what she thought was the Road To Hell, life in Carlsbad brought her an unexpected peace she never intended to find.