How Was 2010 For Me?

Not bad, but not great. I guess I'd rate the last 365 days as good.

I didn't write nearly as much this year (or last year, for that matter) than I did before. Nevertheless, I finished the first draft of A Walk-In To Remember, got to Chapter 19 of my new middle-grade novel, Rytis Maxwell and the Wer-Pigeons of Ottawa, and wrote a number of short stories. One of those stories my Doctor Who fanfic, which should see online publication soon. Another story was my contribution to the anti-homophobia collection Speaking Out. I finished and submitted that story yesterday, and I hope to hear yay or nay on it soon.

In other good news, the French and German rights for Evil? sold. Plus, I got a contract for my next novel, The Cupid War. Unfortunately, Evil? hasn't been selling well in the United States. Less than five hundred copies sold in the first half of 2010, and more than twice that many copies were returned to the publisher for a refund. Career-wise, that is very bad news for me. Given the enormous amount of attention Evil? has received from so many blog reviewers and other sources, I honestly don't know what I could have done better. I can only hope that The Cupid War somehow finds a larger audience.

Sorry to end the year on a sour note, but the poor numbers for Evil? really threw me. Most of the reviews were positive, after all. Here's hoping 2011 brings more success.

I'd like to take a moment to say thank you to all the people who reviewed Evil? and/or interviewed me over the last year. I am truly grateful, and wouldn't have sold half as many copies if all of you hadn't given me your help. I wish you all the best for the coming year.

Today Is My Birthday!

Today I turned 38, so three cheers for me!

I love birthdays. They're like Christmas, except they're all just for you.

Short Stories Coming!

My writing has really picked up in the last few weeks. I'm back on track with my Rytis Maxwell novel, and I've even managed to write a couple of short stories.

The first story is my attempt to enter the world of fanfiction. It's a Doctor Who story, set between two recent episodes of the show. Lots of fan fiction focuses on the things you don't see in the episodes (or movies, or books, comics, etc...). Sometimes these stories are written by fans to fix continuity problems, but mostly they are written for the sheer fun of it.

Of course, stories like these can't be published anywhere except on fanfiction sites, because of ownership and copyright issues. Fanfic gives writers and fans like myself the chance to use characters we would otherwise not have access to, and tell our own stories with them. As soon as I post my story, I'll put up a link.

The other short story I've written recently is one I've been asked to write for an "inspirational fiction anthology" called Speaking Out. The anthology will "feature stories involving a queer teens and their heterosexual allies confronting and overcoming homo/bi/transphobia." Personally, I was extremely honoured to be asked to contribute a story to this anthology, and I hope they like what I came up with.

My story is a sequel to Evil?, with reappearances made by Stuart Bradley and Fon Pyre. It was a lot of fun revisiting those characters, and it opened my mind up to all kinds of possibilities. I may have to use them again...

Speaking of Evil?, I've found yet another positive review! This one was written by Lisa Gibson, the winner of one of the contests I've provided signed copies for. Her blog is called YA Literature Lover, and the review can be found here.

Even More Love For Evil? Found!

I've found some more reviews of Evil? out there on them intermawebs. A lot more! There's a whole bunch listed on WorldCat for your reading pleasure.

Then there's this one at Queer YA, also very positive.

The good news keeps rolling in for Evil?! I could not be happier.

Cupid War Release Date!

Thanks to the computer system at Chapters/Indigo/Coles, I now know the release date for my next novel, The Cupid War. It is already available for pre-order, and the release date is set for August 8, 2011.

It's a little later than I'd expected - I'd been told the book would come out in the Spring. Nevertheless this is good news; the date is set, and I now have even more time to promote it.

Update your calendars, everyone!

Epoch Honoured!

This morning, I had an email from my agent:

We greeted this morning with this great news. Seems congratulations are in order as you are a celebrity.

Great news: Timothy Carters EPOCH/DÄMONENHUNGER got the second place in the category BEST INTERNATIONAL NOVEL of the rather prestigious German Fantasy Award. CONGRATULATIONS to the author … and all of us! ;-) tim
http://www.deutscher-phantastik-preis.de/

Not shabby my friend. Have a great day!!!

Second best international novel... yeah, that's pretty fantastic!

Cupid War Editing Done

About a month ago I finally finished my new draft of The Cupid War. I've sent it in, and am very relieved to have that part of the process over and done with.

Not that it was a bad experience or anything. Each suggested change was for the benefit of the story, and the newer version is a much better read. Some of the edits were challenging, and a lot of them revealed my weaknesses as a writer. A good edit is something every writer should be so lucky to go through.

Nevertheless, I'm glad to have it done. I'm hopeful that I'll have cover art to post before too long.

Cupid War Rewrites Begin

The notes for The Cupid War have arrived. Not as bad as I'd feared, and I'm not surprised by that one bit. To quote Mark Twain, "I've faced many disasters in my life, some of which actually happened!" Or words to that effect.

Nevertheless, I have a lot of work ahead of me. I need to put in more visual details, something I'm not very good at. I admit it - I'm all about the story and the action, with no time for the nitty gritty details. Readers, however, like and need those details. It is definitely something about my style I need to improve.

Then there are the things that seem obvious to me but are not so obvious to others. It can be interesting, learning of other people's ideas about what they think I've written. For example, I once wrote a short story about a naughty boy who discovers Santa Claus is a monster who steals youth from children in exchange for presents. The Santa creature captures the boy and takes him to the North Pole, where naughty kids are forced to work like slaves. A popular Canadian speculative fiction magazine rejected the story because they didn't think the Devil would want to punish naughty boys. Wouldn't he want to encourage them? I don't know where they got the idea that my Santa beast was Satan, but that was how they chose to interpret the story.

That was a case of an editor jumping to the wrong conclusion. Based on the notes I've looked at for The Cupid War, however, it's clear that I'm the one at fault. There were a few instances where I was sure the reader would get what I was going for, but my editor didn't. Those items will have to be fixed.

I have about a month to patch up the book. Wish me luck and success, readers!

Rewrite Blues

It's rewrite time again. At least, it will be when the guys at Flux send me their notes. Seems they had a computer crash and lost those notes, and they have to re-type them. Happens to the best of us.

But when I do get those notes, it will be time to do a new draft of The Cupid War, my next novel. I'm always a little anxious about this process, but I understand it is a chance for me to get valuable feedback. I do goof up sometimes (no really, I do), and I welcome the chance to make the book better.

There are times, however, when rewrites can be a daunting process. I still have yet to type up the last chapter of A Walk-In To Remember, the last manuscript I finished. I can't bear to think of revising that one. I've also been putting off a revision of Kids Who Know, one of my recently-finished manuscripts, for half a year now. I'm sure it will be my best novel, and that scares me; what if I re-read it and find out it's crap?

That's not the only reason, of course, or even the main one. It's my mood disorder, an affliction that has put a real dent into my productivity this year. My motivation gets sucked out of me, and I find it very hard to get things done. I suffer from depression and anxiety, and have had less success this past year managing them than I have in previous years. I'll do a blog post all about that sometime soon.

None of this bodes well for my upcoming rewrite of The Cupid War. What if they want a really big change? Both Evil? and Epoch required a couple of chapters to be completely rewritten. What if I'm not up for a major plot overhaul?

Still, anxious though I may sound, I know I'll end up doing a good job. This is my fourth novel with Flux, so it's not like I haven't managed it before. Come spring, the best possible version of The Cupid War will hit the stands. I just have to get there.

And I will.

Dreaming In Books Review

And here's another review of Evil?!!! This one is from the blog Dreaming In Books, written by John Jacobson. Check out the review by clicking here.

I'm also doing an interview with John, so check back later to see that posted.

Yay!

Guest Blog & Interview With TRT Book Club

I did a guest blog for TRT Book Club, the book club of Teens Read Too.com. I also answered a whole bunch of interview questions in my own special way. Do check it out here !

I'm over a week late with this post, but I wanted to say a little something about Polaris 24, the scifi/fantasy convention I was at July 16-18. As with last year, it was a lot of fun. I did five panels, I sold books at my table, and I handed out promotional flyers for Evil?, Epoch, and my upcoming Cupid War. I also got involved in two geek-offs, where I competed against other genre experts on trivia questions about the Doctor Who universe, and the worlds created by Joss Whedon (Buffy, Firefly, etc). I have my friend Shira to thank for encouraging me to participate.

I only have one picture from the event:

That's me and my wife Violet standing with Captain Jack Harkness, from Torchwood. One of the highlights for me from this convention was the panel I requested and moderated: Torchwood: Children of Earth - One Year Later. If you haven't seen this fantastic miniseries, go find it right now! I'll wait.

No I won't. The panel took place between eleven and midnight on Saturday, but the room was packed! Everyone had something to say, and emotions were very high. And then Kai Owen turned up! He's the actor who plays Rhys on Torchwood, the husband to Gwen Cooper. He's a terrific guy with a heck of a sense of humour, and he added a great deal of insight to the panel.

As with last year, I felt a profound sadness when the weekend was over. I want more! MORE!

And I got more. I made a lot of new friends, most of whom I've found on Facebook. Not all of them, however - Nick Lowry, if you're reading this, I need help finding you!

Naturally, I can't wait for the next con.

Polaris Coming!

In one week's time I will be back at Polaris, another great Toronto-based Science Fiction convention. Last year I had tremendous success promoting Evil? and selling books, to say nothing of the grand time I had meeting fans and doing discussion panels. I look forward to having another excellent time, and hopefully get the word out about The Cupid War.

This year I've managed to snag five panels. I tried to get on to some writing panels, but the only ones I did get all have to do with the British TV series Torchwood and Harry Potter. Not a bad thing - Torchwood is a great show, after all - but I did hope to talk to people about the writing process. Curiously, they still haven't responded to my request to be an author guest. Seems I still have a way to go before the organizers treat me seriously.

A shame, because I love their conventions. I plan to keep going for many years to come.

Who's Honouring Me Now?

I can't help but steal a line from Stephen Colbert. The man is tremendously quotable!

I was delighted to get an email from the good people from Nerds Heart YA, who are currently doing a contest to draw attention to young adult literature. They wanted Evil? to be part of the contest, and who was I to say no? Do follow the link and check out the progress of the contest. And keep your fingers crossed for Evil?!

Nicole, the blogger at Linus' Blanket, is the one judging my book. She was kind enough to interview me for her blog, and asked some great questions. Follow the link to see my replies!

One of the replies to that interview really touched me. I'll reproduce it here:

Sandy
June 16, 2010 at 6:45 PM
This guy is FUN! I enjoy hearing from all kinds of authors, but this one seems to absolutely love what he is doing. That has to translate to his work. I’m so glad he is being recognized through this competition. Nice job and nice questions, Nicole!

She's right, I do it because I love it. Thanks, Sandy!

Shameless Self-Promotion At Anime North

This weekend I attended Anime North, a huge convention dedicated to Japanese animation spread out over four hotels near the airport. I'd been two years ago and had some success, and hoped to repeat that success this year.

Sadly, I wasn't able to rent a table, as they'd sold out. At least, that's what they told me. A not-so-thorough glance around the artist tables revealed quite a few empty ones that could have been mine. Perhaps there were a lot of last-minute no-shows. Anyway, I didn't really have enough books on hand to sell this year, so it wasn't too big of a deal.

I went armed with over a hundred flyers to hand out, and I handed out every one! I also spoke on four panels: Fandom Entitlement; Fan Fiction; Transformers; and Writing Basics. The first, Fandom Entitlement, was about how much fans can expect from creators, and vice versa. This was my only Friday night panel, and it took place at 11 at night. I was worried about getting home afterward, but luckily the bus routes kept running long enough. The panel was quite interesting, and I met the fine panelists who would be joining me for the Fan fiction one the next day.

My first panel on Saturday wasn't until 2 PM, but I got there for eleven anyway so I could spend some time handing out flyers and investigating the dealer's room. The dealer's room was located in the Toronto Convention Centre across the street from the Doubletree International Plaza hotel where most of the goings-on went on. And it wasn't just across the street - I think it was located in area F or something, which meant a ten-minute walk around the building to find the right place to go in. If it's one thing I wish Anime North could improve, it's to keep things closer together if not in the same building. I got myself a new toy and a couple of anniversary gifts for Violet (it's our 5-year anniversary in five days!), then went to Harvey's for lunch. The lineup was almost impossibly long, and yet I got to the counter in only five minutes. Kudos to the staff there!

Two of my three remaining panels went fine. The Fan Fiction panel was very interesting, and quite well attended. We discussed how some creators get really angry when they learn fans have written stories using their characters. As far as I'm concerned, I'd be delighted if someone wrote some Evil? or Epoch stories. It would mean the authors really loved the books! The next panel was the Transformers panel, and the first half was quite a bit of fun. Sadly I had to leave halfway through in order to get to the Writing Basics panel, located in another hotel a ten-minute walk away. Some swine in programming will have to answer for that! Writing Basics was moderately well attended, and gave me a chance to speak with authority on a subject about which I knew a great deal. I fear I may have become a bit negative toward the end, however, when we got into the all-importance of sales numbers and how marketing is left mostly in the hands of the authors. I do hope I managed to be inspiring during that panel. Am I becoming jaded already?

All in all it was a good if tiring experience. I might attend next year, but only if I can get a table next time.

My Next Novel!

I'm happy to report I have a new book in the works with Flux. I'd called it Cupidity, but was never very happy with that title. They renamed it The Cupid War, which I think does a much better job of describing the book. I've signed the contract, and the book is due sometime next spring.

Please watch this blog for further updates of The Cupid War!

Ad Astra 2010

Last weekend I attended Ad Astra, Toronto's convention for all things SF and Fantasy. As usual, I had a great time!

I was unable to attend last year, partly due to my financial situation. It was important for me to make it this year, and I'm very glad I did. I shared a table in the dealer's room with my friend Monica S. Kuebler, editor and publisher of Burning Effigy Press, who published my adult-themed sci-fi comedy Section K. Sales were adequate but not fantastic, but they paid for our weekend expenses. My wife, Violet, also attended, and helped us to run the table.

I spoke on four panels: Choosing A Format, which was about deciding if a story idea should be a novel, a story, a movie script, etc...; Fandom and Mental Health, examining the link between mood disorders and creativity; Who's Your Doctor, a panel on your favourite incarnation of Doctor Who; and Torchwood Children of Earth, One Year Later, a discussion of the brilliant miniseries that aired last summer. That last one was my suggestion, and I was the moderator. Unfortunately it wasn't very well attended, as we were on at the same time as the masquerade. We had a good discussion, however, and that's what counts.

I wasn't originally supposed to be on the Fandom and Mental Health panel; I asked them politely if I could join, and when one of the panelists didn't turn up I got my chance. Having a mood disorder of my own to deal with, the subject matter was very important to me.

This year I got to sign in the autograph area! That was a very big honour. I only stayed for half an hour, though - by that point I'd left Monica alone to watch the table for nearly five hours, and she was more than due for a break. I also did a reading on Sunday morning. Sadly, the room hadn't been cleaned out after a party the previous night, and my friends had to ask the maintenance staff very politely, five times, to please do the vacuuming after the reading, not during. I shared reading time with Kate Story, there to promote her first novel, Blasted. We had Violet and three of my friends in attendance, but that was it. Morning events on a Sunday morning at a convention are rarely well attended. We made the most of it, and kept our small but very dedicated audience well entertained.

I made new friends, some of whom I've friended on Facebook. I'm still hoping to get friended by Ian, Lisa and Cyn, the cool cats I ran into in the Tim Horton's on Friday. Are you guys out there? Do I have to start stalking you again, Cyn (inside joke)?

Violet and I also made friends with Bumblebee, as you can see from this photo.

Overall, the weekend was a lot of fun. I may not have made fantastic book sales, but I did promote myself and get myself out there, so to speak. When it comes to self-promotion, every little bit counts. I'm currently planning to attend Anime North in May, and Polaris in July.

Review from CCBC

My publicist at FLUX sent this to me a while back and I've only now gotten around to posting it. Evil? was reviewed in the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, Choices 2010, which is a publication of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The CCBC reviews around 3,000 titles for children and YA, and EVIL? Was selected for inclusion in this year’s publication. The review is below:



Another stellar review for my collection!

CM Profile & Teens Read Too Interview!

More fun Tim appearances have popped up on the Internet! Please check them out.

First, CM Magazine has posted a very in-depth profile on me on their site. Everything you ever wanted to know about me (and maybe a few things you didn't!) are on display there. All this came from a great interview I did with Dave Jenkinson last summer. Thanks, Dave!

And speaking of interviews, there's one posted up at TeensReadToo! It's shorter but no less thorough, getting to the heart of that which is me. Thanks go to Jennifer Wardrip for that one.

More happy reads! Very cool.

More Great News!

I received an email from my publicist at Flux yesterday with some exciting news. Check it out:

Evil? by Timothy Carter was named to ALA’s Rainbow Project 2010 list for GLBTQ Books for Children and Teens. Books on this list were found by the committee to be of exceptional quality and impact, and are highly recommended.

The Rainbow Project is a joint project of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table and the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association. The Rainbow Project presents an annual bibliography of quality books with significant and authentic GLBTQ content, which are recommended for people from birth through eighteen years of age.

The list can be seen here. Further details on the Rainbow Project can be found here:

Yay!

More EVIL? Reviews!

I'm finally catching up on my blogging. Time to post links to some new reviews!

First, there's this one from Sister's Library. I had tea with Mary-Esther Lee, a lovely woman who shares many of my tastes in books and movies. I liked her blog so much, I posted a link to it on the right side. Check it out!

Then there's this one at TeensReadToo.com, reviewed by Lauren Ashley.

Finally, there's this one from School Library Journal. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it. Not the most positive review I've ever had, but any attention is good for me. And it sure beats the review The Globe and Mail did for Epoch!

Enjoy! I know I did.