Carlene Rae Dater brings thrills to the Halloween fun

Cate: Please welcome Carlene to my special Halloween celebration. Carlene, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Carlene: I began my writing career as a journalist writing hard news, feature articles and humorous essays. I have sold short stories to magazines in the horror, mystery, confession, religious and humor markets. To date I have published nine novels, three novellas and a non-fiction book about my adventures as a volunteer at the San Diego Sheriff’s department. I have two more books coming out in 2013, both mysteries, and one is the beginning of a series. I teach a “Write it – Publish it!”class Southwestern Community College where I live in Coos Bay, Oregon with my husband and two huge Labrador Retrievers.
Cate: What do you love most about Halloween? Carlene: Seeing the really little kids dressed up! Most of them don’t have a clue what Halloween is all about, but they know candy is involved so they’re all for it!
Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Carlene: Yes! I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and every Halloween we find JUST the right costume to wear, usually something we made, and then….it would be so darn cold, we’d have to wear our winter coats over it! Dad took us out anyhow and we got our booty.
Cate: Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Carlene: Yes, the first man I dated seriously, died tragically in a motorcycle accident. He was 10 years older than me, and had always been very protective. After he died, I used to wake, in that murky time between dark and day, when shadows fill the bedroom, to find him standing at the end of the bed. I knew he was watching out for me. After I met and married my husband, he came once more, stood at the end of the bed, nodded once and then disappeared. I believe he watched over me until he knew I was happy and that my husband was a good man who would care for me.
Cate: What frightens you the most? Carlene: Taking a shower, alone in the house, especially at night! Yes it’s true – I never got over Psycho !
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Carlene No, but I always wished I would have gone to Fall River, when I lived in Massachusetts, to visit Lizzie Borden’s house. It’s a B&B now and supposed to be haunted.
Cate: Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share? Carlene: No, I’m afraid I don’t. After cooking for my husband for over 43 years, my favorite thing to make now is reservations!
Cate: Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Carlene: My paranormal romantic suspense novel is titled, LEGACY, and it’s available at: www.nobleromance.com
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Carlene:When Jane Sullivan finds a mysterious envelope containing a birth certificate and a note telling her it’s time to claim her legacy and to look for the mark, she believes she’s finally found a clue to her true identity. With the help of investigative reporter, Tony Ackerman, Jane follows the clues and, as her 30thbirthday on Halloween approaches discovers her true legacy, and it’s not at all what she expected – it’s much, much worse.
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme? Carlene: I started out to write a Halloween themed short story for a contest but….the story kept growing until it became a novel.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Carlene: I have two more novels coming out early in 2013. Both are mysteries. Deadly Deception is a standalone book and Not for Sale is the beginning of a series that takes place in a small town on the southern Oregon coast!
Cate: Thanks for being part of the Halloween fun, Carlene!
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