About the Author

Rachel Carrera

Official Biography

How She Got Started
            Rachel Carrera has always been a story-weaver, and she’s  been writing short stories for as long for as she can remember.  But she never had a desire to turn her tales  into books until mid-2013 when she dreamed her first manuscript, The Prison  (unpublished), three nights in a row.
            Each night, she dreamed more and more details of the same  plot.  When she woke after the first  night, she thought Wow, what a cool movie, but then she realized it  wasn’t a movie she’d ever seen.  After  the second dream, she was impressed by the magnitude of details that  returned.  Following the third dream, she  knew Divine Intervention was tapping her on the shoulder, telling her to write  a full-length novel.
            What She Reads
            Rachel enjoys reading multiple genres, especially thrillers,  but she favors psychological and historical thrillers that make people think  and don’t insult their intelligence by being predictable.  Her favorite authors range from Edgar Allan  Poe to Stephen King, William Golding, Patricia Cornwell, John Boyne, Sue  Grafton, V.C. Andrews, and Dennis Lehane.   When she needs a break from the twists and turns of thrillers, she  indulges in her affinity for Amish fiction by Wanda Brunstetter and especially  Beverly Lewis.  She also loves most of  the original Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in  Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.  She appreciates many of the classics such as  Charles Dickens and some Shakespeare, as well as most of C.S. Lewis and Mark  Twain.  And she’s adored Beverly Cleary, Judy  Blume, Johanna Spyri, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, and Laura Ingalls Wilder  from the time she could read.  Another of  her favorite books is The Diary of Anne Frank.   She also generally enjoys reading anything about Medieval times, American  life in the nineteenth century, the industrial revolution, and classic  television actors’ autobiographies and memoirs. Because Rachel is an empath,  she often reads and studies what she can about the Holocaust, slavery, and the  sinking of The Titanic, all of which make her heart hurt for the victims of  these atrocities.  
            Rachel is a mom to a beautiful daughter, Stefani, and a  handsome son, Jeremy. She currently lives in Florida, but she’s also lived in  New York and spent a great deal of time in Canada as well as Pennsylvania.
            Rachel was a litigation and trial paralegal for fourteen  years and managed three different law firms during that time.  When she decided to get out of law, she  trained and then opened her own wedding photography studio with her sister,  Michelle.  They did professional  photography full-time for seven years until the industry took a nosedive. Rachel  then became the Director of Marketing at a law firm, which allowed her to  utilize her writing skills as well as her photography and Photoshop  abilities.  
            Lupus Warrior & Autism Advocate
            Rachel was diagnosed with Lupus SLE in the 2010s which forced her to slow down. Despite being a Lupus Warrior, Rachel writes when her body  allows her to.  A few years ago when her  Lupus took a turn for the worse, she reduced her hours at work and began working from  home as the law firm’s On-Line Marketing Strategist.  It’s still the perfect job to exercise all  her creative talents.
            Rachel has Asperger’s Syndrome which is a high-functioning  form of Autism.  On most days, this  doesn’t really bother her. As a matter of fact, both of her kiddos are also “on  the Spectrum.”  Some days are more  challenging than others, but they’ve all learned that they are who they are  despite having Asperger’s, not because of it. 
            Last but Not Least
            When she’s not writing or reading, you can generally find Rachel restoring old photos in Photoshop, oil painting landscapes,  decorating cakes, or watching classic TV. Also, Rachel love, love, loves cats!  (Isn’t owning a cat a prerequisite to being a  writer?) As of 2024, she has four indoor cats (Zsa Zsa, Sophie, Nova, and  Stewie).  In 2023, Rachel lost her  beloved Devon Rex named Cleo who often felt compelled to help her write.  In remembrance of Cleo, Rachel’s books are  published by Cleo’s Room Publishing.

Cleo