21st Century Reminder

As an author, it is important to describe the world around my characters, to give the story a sense of place. I suck at this, at least during my first drafts, so I always have to go back and add scenery to make my worlds feel real.

One thing I've noticed about my writing, as far as scene-setting goes, is that I tend to forget what century my characters are in. No, I don't end up putting characters from a modern-day fantasy into Biblical times or anything. However, I can sometimes displace them by twenty or thirty years.

I grew up in the 70s and 80s, with just a dash of the 90s at the tail end of my teens. My novels, for the most part, are set in the present day, which roughly translates as the year in which I'm writing them. I draw upon my memories for information on teenage life, which is why I often forget about tiny little details about the current millennium.

Like cell phones. Nobody had one during my high school days, but they are plentiful now. Same with iPods. And the Internet. I don't think there is a single cellphone in Epoch or Evil. A cell plays a major role in the beginning of The Cupid War, but that's it. No iPods. Very little Internet usage. My books are stuck in an era that pre-dates the Star Wars prequels!

But they still work, I hasten to point out. The themes in my novels are universal, and I rite reel guud, tue. However, readers will wonder why Stuart Bradley doesn't have a blog, or why Trina Porten's friends don't mention each others' Facebook status updates.

I'm getting a lot better at it. The novel I'm working on now has websites and texting and everything. If I can remember to do that with every story, then who knows? I might just achieve relevance.





Okay, that's enough about my flaws for one post! Here's a picture of my adorable cat Ron to send you off on a good note. Isn't he cute? You bet he is!

Interviewed by Amaleen Ison

Fellow author and book blogger Amaleen Ison recently did an interview with me. I posted all about it on Facebook and Twitter, and I'm now finally posting about it here. Please click here to read it and gain many insights into my marvelous mind! I mainly discuss The Cupid War, but there are questions about writing in general and a shout-out to my two favourite authors!

An Evil Fan!

2012 is off to a wonderful start. Here is an email I received from a fan named Angel Albright last weekend:

Dear Mr. Carter,
I have always thought about reaching an author to compliment them, but your novel, Evil?, is the first that has pushed me to do so. I had first stumbled upon you when I was searching my local library's website for books that had homosexuality as a subject. I love reading 'homo-fiction', mostly because I'm a flamboyant les. However, your book was more than simply a gay main character. It starts out with such a jaw-dropping subject and leads into such peculiar circumstances that whenever I tried to explain the book, it was an agitated struggle and I quickly gave up! It was filled with humor, heart-warming dialog and unbelievable characters. The plot was mind-blowing. There were spins in the book that made me put it down and have a silent fit. It was definitely one of the best books I have picked up. Thank you (oh so much) for writing it.

Euphoric,
Andrew-Angel


I can't tell you how much that brightened my spirits! Good to know that Evil? is reaching people. Thank you, Angel Albright!

2011 - My Thoughts

I could so easily talk all about the bad stuff from this year. In many ways, this was a very terrible year for me. There were, however, quite a few good bits, and those are the bits I'd like to share. So, in no particular order, here are my 2011 bests.

1. The Cupid War arrived in bookstores. Okay, that one was kind of obvious. But it's a pretty big one. I'm very proud of that book, and delighted so many reviewers gave it an upraised thumb.

2. I finished the first draft of a new middle-grade novel.

3. I have finally received proper treatment for my depression. This one is huge for me, and has led to many personal revelations and changes. For instance:

4. I have a clearer idea of what I want from life, and what I want to do.

5. I started making videos, including my Appeal To Emma Stone. It may seem a bit silly, but making that video got me more fired up than anything in a very long time.

6. Speaking of Emma Stone, my sudden interest in her led me to some very good movies that I otherwise would not have seen. The Help was an excellent movie, and Paper Man broke my heart.

7. Transformers: Dark of the Moon came out last summer, and it was AWESOME!!! And in 3D, no less. My fandom has been richly rewarded. And the toys were pretty cool, too.

8. Doctor Who: Series 6 was lots of fun. Favourite episode? A Good Man Goes To War.

9. My wife, Violet, got a lot out of her internship at Bell. As hard as it was supporting the two of us (and our cats!) during that time, it was wonderful to see her so happy.

10. Our cats, Karma and Ron, remain in good health. And are still adorably cute! Even though Karma just destroyed our Christmas tree, and Ron keeps stealing my side of the bed. Furry little bastards!

2011 was a very hard year for me, but I did make it through with some pretty nice accomplishments. I plan to build on those accomplishments, and have many more, in 2012. Until the apocalypse on December 21, of course.

New Vid & Amazon Page

I have a couple of new things to report! First, I have made another book-describing video, this one about Evil. You can see that vid by clicking here.

I now have an Amazon page! Click right here to have a look.

I've nearly finished another chapter of my latest comic fantasy. That one has been going well, with lots of ideas flowing. I've also finally started revising Kids Who Know. KWK is a story I'm really excited about, but I've felt too intimidated to edit it for the longest time. I've revised 100 pages so far, and it is going well.

Yay!

Closets Video & More On My Channel

Just a quick post to let all of you know I have some new videos up on my YouTube channel. My most recent is all about Closets, my ebook from SynergEbooks. You can check that one out specifically by clicking here. That's three of my books I've done videos for. Next up will be Evil, and I hope to make that one this week.

Also up on my channel are two new installments in my Inspirational Message series, and a parody of Rick Perry's recent political ad starring Sentinel Prime, one of my Transformers toys. Lots of fun, if you know the Transformers stuff I'm referencing (and the original ad, too). My first political video. Well, the guy had it coming.

In other book news, Flux has told me they are still interested in my next manuscript, Young Nostradamus, but they can't make a commitment until they have more sales information about The Cupid War. If the book does well enough, then Young Nostradamus will likely be a go. They likely won't have that information before April 2012; here's hoping I get exciting news then!

Giving Up?!?

I gave up last night. On everything. Writing, working, being a husband... heck, I gave up on the very gift of Life itself.

And now I feel a whole lot better.

Honestly, everyone always told me throughout my life to never give up, on anything. Fight, no matter how much it hurts, or you'll never get a job/get into university/pay the bills/have a relationship/achieve anything. Don't stop, not for one second, not for one billionth of an atosecond, or it will all vanish and you'll spend the rest of your life as a worthless FAILURE!!!

That's a fair bit of pressure to put on someone.

And let me tell you something about giving up... it's pressure free! No stress. At all. But how, I can hear you asking, will I pay those bills/finish my homework/raise the kids/clean the bathroom/make something of myself? Not my problem. But Tim, you can't do that! Too bad, I just did.

Want to know what I did last night, after I gave up on everything? I kicked back on my couch and played Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick on my Playstation 2. That inspired me to watch Army of Darkness again, so I did. Then I played with my cats, Karma and Ron. I scooped the crap from their litterboxes. I even cleaned and refilled the almost-empty one! Then I lay back on my bed and read a good book before turning in for the night. Not once during that time did I feel so much as a smattering of pressure, even when the Terror of the Deadites threatened to overwhelm me (no, that's not a metaphor for something, I'm talking about my Evil Dead game).

And this morning? The morning after I gave up? I got right back into things again. I did a solid chunk of writing, I met with a friend to play chess, then I returned home to blog. This afternoon, I'm planning to make another video.

I feel great. Refreshed and Relaxed. And I owe it all to giving up.

But only for one night. I just needed a little break from things. Perhaps I should have simply called what I did last night a break, but that wouldn't have sounded nearly so controversial or upsetting. Besides, all we really have is the present moment, so giving up for a moment is just as real as giving up for a lifetime. But it doesn't have to be for a lifetime. You have the right to change your mind and get back to it any time you want to.

Giving up isn't a bad thing. It's just a thing. Some things should be given up on. I joined a team in high school that turned out to be a haven for bullies, but I stuck with it (and was fairly miserable) because of all that never-give-up talk. Abusive relationships should be abandoned, harmful situations avoided. You're doing nobody any favours by sticking to something that brings you pain. That word 'retreat' was created for a reason.

When life gets to be too much, just give up (or, if you prefer, take a break) for a little bit. Enough to get some wind back in your proverbial sails. Your problems and responsibilities will still be there when you're done, I promise. And you'll be better prepared to face them.

Even if it is the Terror of the Deadites.