Ad Astra 2012

Another fantastic convention has just passed, and as usual I'm in a state of mourning. Some of the happiest times for me over the last few years have been spent at cons, and this year's Ad Astra was one of the best.

That's not to say there were no problems; the con was held in a new hotel this year, a fact that brought its own unique issues. However, dealing with all those issues was, for me, part of the fun.

For instance, when I arrived Friday evening, I still wasn't entirely sure what my panel/reading schedule was. Unforeseen chaos had hit the programming team hard, reducing that team to only one very stressed but ultimately heroic person(under the circumstances, Adi, you did tremendously, and I'm sorry I never got to buy you that beer I'd promised). I had a reading that night with Gabrielle Harbowy, but our reading room (Salon 1) hadn't been assigned yet! Adi assigned us her own hotel room; Gabrielle and I read to our audience from the bed, making the reading informal yet fun. She read a devastatingly funny and clever story called Deserter(which anyone who has ever known a cat will appreciate) and I read from The Cupid War, and good times were had by all.

Saturday was my busiest day; five panels, mostly back-to-back, and the autograph session! My good friend Mike Bryant came to help me run my table; he had to spend several hours on his own that day while I was off being clever, including a three hour stint in the afternoon. He did remarkably, and I couldn't have done it without him.

Like my Friday night reading, most panels were held in hotel rooms(with the beds removed for extra space). This gave the panels a crowded bus/sardine-can feel, but it also made the experience more intimate. I did two panels dealing with the publishing industry, one panel on 2012 stories, and two panels that I'd been longing to be a part of for several years - Mental Health in Fandom, and the panel on writing for YA readers. Unlike in previous years, I never felt out of my depth or woefully unprepared.

That night Mike and I attended the Dragon Moon Press Launch for Leah Petersen's Fighting Gravity and Marie Bilodeau's Destiny's Fall. Marie is a friend I made at Ad Astra 2010; we've done several panels together over the last two years, including the 2012 panel this year. Time spent in her company is always a convention high point for me. I wasn't as familiar with Leah, which was hardly surprising; it was her first book, first book launch, and first reading! I think she acquitted herself with style, and I hope to get to know her over the next few cons.

The Chizine party was next, but by that point I was exhausted. I stayed for one poem reading and one beer before heading home for some much-needed sleep.

Sunday was mellow. I had one panel that afternoon(Sequels: How Do They Work?), then I was free to interact with friends and sell a couple more books before calling it a weekend. My table's location wasn't the greatest; seven of us were squirreled away in a corner next to the pool. The phrase we heard most that weekend was, "I didn't know there was anyone back here!" Nevertheless, I sold 16 books in total, gained some new fans(this shout-out's for you, Amanda!), and generally had a good time.

On Monday I faced the usual post-con blues. I miss everybody, and wish my life could be like this all of the time. I'm booked for next year, and I have Polaris to look forward to this summer. Long live the cons, I say! And long live Ad Astra.

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!