Beth Carpenter Books

It’s that time of the year when my reading preferences, which tend toward to sentimental anyway, veer into what some would call sappy. I love a good Christmas story, with tears and laughter, redemption and happily ever after. Cold dark nights, a warm cup of tea, and a dog to curl up beside me on the couch make this the perfect time of the year to settle in for a read. Yes, traditionally, the dog would be at my feet, but Roxy insists if she's under my blanket, we'll both be warmer. There are a few stories I visit almost every year, like favorite relatives. First is the classic, Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol .  The ultimate story of redemption, Ebeneezer Scrooge becomes a new man overnight after seeing ghostly visitors. What may be my all time favorite, Winter Solstice  by Rosemunde Pilcher, is the story of a man who’s lost everything and the people, especially one amazing woman, who bring joy back into his life. Recently I finished a wonderful...

I wrapped my first Christmas present today, and I've already baked and frozen three kinds of cookies. I know, I know. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and I’m rushing the holiday, yadda, yadda, yadda. I sometimes say the same, but secretly inside, I’m a little kid who just can’t wait for Christmas.   So are some of the characters in my books. In  Family Planning   (which is on sale through Dec. 7th) ,  Donna has met the man of her dreams and moved to Flagstaff to start anew, only life gets in the way. The story starts and ends at Christmas. Here’s a little excerpt. “Christmas cookies?” Blake looked at her suspiciously. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?” “One of whom?”  “One of those Christmas people.” Donna started a pot of decaffeinated coffee. “You mean those annoying people who bake cookies and decorate everything in sight and wear ugly Christmas sweaters and go around singing carols for the whole month of December?” “Yes, those people.” “I’m ...

I’d like to write a Christmas short story – in fact, I’ve started it. I have the characters, and the setting, and the plot, even the main working scenes and an idea for the cover, and yet for some reason, the story just doesn’t want to go anywhere. I don’t know if it’s because there isn’t any snow yet, or if the characters aren’t inspiring, but I can’t seem to focus on them, to make them real in my mind, and I figure if I can’t get excited about them, a reader certainly won’t. In the meantime, the idea for another full-length story popped into my head this morning. I can picture the opening scene, picking blueberries on Powerline Pass near Anchorage on a rare sunny day in August. Of course, the only ones who love blueberries more than people are bears, and they’re not good at sharing. This story wants to be written.   So, I figure I’ll go with the muse and start the new story. I’ll take notes and plan the story, writing little scenes as I picture them. I’ll spend some ...