Meet Rebecca Carpenter, whose debut novel, a confident YA sci-fi thriller, Butterfly Bones, is published today by Lakewater Press.

See Booklist review here.

Available to buy on Amazon.

My name… Rebecca Lorraine Carpenter

My family… I am married to Cory Don Carpenter.

We have two grown children, Lauren (Casey) Braun, and Philp (Shelby) Carpenter, and four grandchildren, Vanessa, Connor, Jayda, and Coltin, and one more on the way—another girl!

I was born… to Gary and Peggy Murphy, in the small farming town of Fruita, Colorado, located on the western slope of Colorado.

I have nine siblings—four sisters and four brothers, and I’m number five—smack dab in the middle of the craziness—which I’m sure has everything to do with my laid-back, nurturing personality.

But now live in… just one town over from Fruita, in Grand Junction, Colorado, with my husband and two dogs, Lexi, a black lab who is a diabetic alert dog for my husband, and Pinny, a miniature pincer with little dog syndrome.

I like my home because…Grand Junction is a small city with mountains on all sides.

The Colorado National Monument which highlights red rock cliffs and spectacular views in a desert setting is only fifteen minutes away, and to the east sits the Grand Mesa, a dormant volcano that has become home to a ski resort, numerous lakes and campgrounds, and miles of hiking and biking trails—all within a hour drive.

The majestic Colorado River snakes through Grand Junction, offering rafting, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and any water sports one can imagine.

A wonderful place to live

We experience all four seasons, with windy springs, hot summers, cold and snowy winters, and the most fabulous fall season with mild temperatures and gorgeous colors to view.

If you love the outdoors, Grand Junction is a wonderful place to live.

Best holiday? Christmas. The decorations, tree, snow, presents, giving—I love everything about Christmas.

My best one would be when I was working at a local nursing home, and a co-worker’s husband was in a bad car accident and didn’t have insurance.

The family had no money for Christmas—not even a tree.

After telling my mom the story, she wiped a tear and wrote a check and directed me to anonymously buy a tree for the family.

I did and told the woman it had been donated to the centre, but since we couldn’t have live trees there, we wanted her to take it for her family.

Sacrifice

She was so happy, and said it was the most beautiful tree they had ever seen.

My dad had been out of work for some time, and I knew they didn’t have the money for the tree, but they sacrificed anyway.

A couple of days later, I learned that this woman’s husband was the reason my dad had been laid off.

Mom said she saw it as an opportunity to forgive and serve those in need—even those who might not deserve it.

Worst? Thanksgiving—which is my second favorite holiday.

But I came down with the stomach flu one year and couldn’t enjoy any of it, but still had to cook all of it.

And I love to cook and have special recipes only made on Thanksgiving—and all I could do was lay on the couch as everyone enjoyed the meal but me.

Favourite writer? Shell Silverstein and Beverly Cleary from my childhood. Michael Crichton and James Patterson from my adult years.

I love a good thriller, but will read anything that’s well-written.

Poetry has always had a soft place in my heart, and Shell Silverstein’s humorous poetry is still read to the children in my Pre-kindergarten class.

Best thing about my life? My family. Family is the centre of my life and happiness. Spending time with my children and grandchildren, as well as brothers, sisters, parents, etc. is the most important thing I can do with my time.

When life is said and done, only the memories we made will matter.

What keeps you awake at night? My husband’s diabetes.

He can’t feel his lows, so I have to make sure he’s okay.

Paramedics

On many occasions I have awakened to him so low that he is seizing and is unresponsive.

Paramedics have to be called to give him a shot of glucagon, or high doses of sugar, or he could go into a coma or die.

We recently acquired a diabetic alert dog and are hoping she will be able to alert him at night before his blood sugars drop to such a dangerously low level.

Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars. As a child, I watched Star Trek weekly. But now, it doesn’t appeal to me like it used to.

Star Wars on the other hand, I watch whenever it’s on television and own the sets of the DVDs. As a matter of fact, it’s on TV now, and I’m watching as I write.

Favourite meal? Spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce, spinach salad, onion green beans, fresh fruit salad, and garlic bread.

I love to bake and cook, and I love to try new recipes. I have over 50 cookbooks and look forward to adding more to my collection.

What you don’t know about me?  I took tap dance as a child and still like to don a pair of tap shoes and have at it.

And each year during St. Patrick’s Day I watch River Dance … and it still gives me goose bumps.