Though Dale B. Dow has worked in the oil and gas industry for most of his career, two years ago he entered the world of literature when he wrote his first of three novels, The Carpenter and the Caretaker. Dale is a Cenergy contractor who currently works at Chevron, Kern River as a Facilities Engineer and Team Lead on the ADT Facilities Team. "I have never really been a writer," says Dow, "until I decided to finish Carpenter during my lunch hours."

The Carpenter and the Caretaker has grown in to a three-book series including The Carpenter and the Caretaker, The Carpenter and the Caretaker - Cahuilla Wind, and The Carpenter and the Captain - The Mist of the Morning  Star. Dow's series was born when he "dreamt chapter 35...and built the story from there."

The series has garnered significant praise and

produced many devoted fans who just can't wait to see what surprises Dale has in store for his compelling characters. Dow describes The Carpenter and the Caretaker series as "three stories about a fine cabinet maker named Brandon Dunwoody who has a knack of communicating with a spirit past. The Caretaker is a ghost with unfinished business, and Brandon holds the key to his existence on Earth and ability to pass to Heaven. The Caretaker happens to also hold the key to Brandon's destiny.

Through a murder/disappearance mystery, they 

both look to find what they seek." His readers say, "It kept me wanting more," and that the series "Hooked me in the first chapter and kept me interested every page thereafter."

Dale was not very interested in reading or writing as a young man. He says, "I was an athlete and a very active child. Never much cared for homework." Though now, at age 53, he is writing his fourth novel in 2 years. Dow says his family was, "pretty stunned," when he completed and published his first book, but now, "They've gotten over it."

In 2009, before becoming a Cenergy contractor, Dale was working as a project engineer for a company that was over 100 miles away from his home and family and he commuted home on the weekends. Then he received a call from a local Cenergy representative with an opportunity closer to home. "I eagerly accepted." Dale says he still loves his job at Chevron, Kern River and since his stories come to him so quickly, his writing schedule fits seamlessly with his day job. "I like to write at lunch, as I can do 1-2 chapters in an hour."

Even with all of the success Dow has experienced as an author, he has no plans to change his career path. He sees writing as, "a hobby that allows me to build stories that I myself enjoy...I write for relaxation and for a creative outlet...something on my bucket list." Readers who enjoyed the The Carpenter and the Caretaker series will be happy to know that Dow is currently writing 3 new works that he hopes to publish in late 2013 or early 2014. They will also be pleased to hear that Dale B. Dow plans to continue writing for years to come. "I hope someday when I retire, that I can continue to write prolifically...and with the stories I still have in my head, I don't think I will stop writing any time soon."