Hey, I’m Rachel.

I'm forty-one years old, drive a pickup truck, wear cowboy boots whenever I can get away with it, and ask entirely too many questions.

I'm also the author behind R.E. Chatterton.

For most of my life, other people told me what to think, what to believe, and who I was supposed to be.

Eventually, I started asking my own questions.

That changed everything.

Since then, I've survived more than I ever expected to. I've rebuilt my life after trauma, alcoholism, and leaving a high-control religion. Along the way, I lost 180 pounds, found my voice, and discovered that resilience isn't about pretending to be strong—it's about getting back up, again and again.

Today, I create stories.

My debut memoir, Good Slave, is the most personal story I've ever shared with the world. It's not the destination—it's the introduction.

Everything else I’m creating is growing from the same belief: the best stories don't ask people to be perfect. They invite them to be honest.

Whether I'm writing memoir, developing The Briar Glen Mysteries, creating immersive mystery experiences through Lou Dog Studio, or dreaming up whatever comes next, my goal is always the same: to tell authentic stories about resilience, curiosity, mystery, and what it means to be human.

When I'm not writing, you'll usually find me wandering the back roads of Western North Carolina, walking around Lake Junaluska, chasing another creative idea that probably sounded impossible a week earlier, or spending time with my partner, Josh, and our two dogs, Louie and Chopper.

If you've found your way here, welcome.

This is just the introduction.