Sally Tyler Hayes spent seven long years working for a small-town newspaper at Hilton Head Island, S.C., the highlights of which were interviewing Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen (when they were preparing for their roles in Major League). She spent countless hours covering the most boring of government meetings. During the worst of them, she flipped to the back of her notebook and sketched out scenes for her first novel.One Halloween, when a mundane story forced her to miss her baby’s first trick or treat, she decided she’d had enough of reporting, and she didn’t intend to miss anymore firsts with her son.