Serial killer Bobby Joe Long raped and killed all his victims during his 1984 rampage, except one: 17-year-old Lisa McVey. After being held captive for 26 hours, McVey lived to tell authorities how Long snatched her from her bicycle as she was riding home from a late night shift at a Krispy Kreme donut shop. She told how she convinced him not to kill her by saying, "I really like you" and "I think you sound nice." And she kept mental notes of what she could see through her blindfold: "Dodge Magnum" written on the dashboard, Long's flowered shirt. When Long finally let her go, he told her to lie about her capture. She didn't. Long, now 43, is on Florida's death row for killing another Hillsborough woman, Michelle Denise Simms. He is also serving life sentences for eight other murders. Many books have told Long's story. But Smoldering Embers is told by two authors who knew him: McVey and Susan Replogle. McVey got to know him during the 26 hours; Replogle dated him before the killings, but the relationship turned violent when he tried to have sex with her. Smoldering Embers is also co-authored by Joy Wellman, a former radio talk show host who said she became interested in Long because of her own experience with rape. The three authors will be at Barnes and Noble Saturday at 1 p.m. The book not only examines the women's experiences with Long but also with the justice system. It took a decade and millions of dollars in taxpayers money to sentence Long to death, Wellman said. The appeals still haven't ended. Long, who was on death row for two killings, was acquitted in March for the 1984 murder of 18-year-old Virginia Lee Johnson on a technicality by the Florida Supreme Court. "Does anyone feel safe with our form of justice?" Wellman said. But even through such difficulties, the book shows that women can survive, Wellman said. Replogle is now an interior decorator and McVey has married and works with children in the Hillsborough Parks Department.