Author Dr. Richard Karlen and His Wife Hiroko Karlen

Richard R. Karlen grew up in Newark, New Jersey, where he later practiced dentistry for thirty-five years. He currently lives in Scotch Plains, New Jersey with his wife, daughter and twin grandchildren. His most recent novel, LOOKING FOR BERNIE will be published by Ironbound Press in the spring of 1999.

Author’s Note

I first became aware of Huntington’s Disease in the mid 1980’s, when a close friend, who was at risk for HD began to behave uncharacteristically. He was alternately seen as being "stressed out", "depressed", "phobic. " I witnessed over the course of several years the unhappy effects that his bizarre behavior had upon his family, until a definitive diagnosis of HD was finally confirmed. While it was this experience that led me to write DEVIL’S DANCE, it should be noted that DEVIL’S DANCE is not biographical, and that the story and characters in this book are fictitious and should not be considered representative of HD victims and their families.

The action of DEVIL’S DANCE takes place in the early 1980’s. Since it wasn’t until 1983 when there was an initial genetic breakthrough in the discovery of a DNA marker near the Huntington Gene, and in 1993 when the gene, itself, was discovered, it is not unfair to state that DEVIL’S DANCE is in a very real sense an historical novel. Today, not only can a diagnosis be made with HD quickly and with little margin of error, but with the advent of new drugs and a better understanding of the disease, there has been considerable progress in treatment. We see HD patients living longer and with an improved quality of life than existed previously, and it is not unreasonable to believe that one day a cure will be found for this terrible illness. Hopefully, DEVIL’S DANCE will bring to the public a greater awareness of HD, and thus be of some assistance in hastening that day.