Beth Carpenter Books

As I’ve practiced the craft of writing, I’ve read a lot about creating characters. They say your main characters should be compelling. They should have positive traits, but also flaws. They should be well-rounded, with individual quirks and personality traits. They should make the reader care.   Many years ago, I had a dog named Barney. I learned about him from a newspaper ad. Someone had found him running loose but couldn’t keep him, so she took him to a shelter, paid to sponsor him, and ran an ad to find him a home. The fact that he was running loose when she found him should have been a clue, but I missed it. I adopted him.  He wasn’t a beautiful dog. That blurry snapshot above flatters him. He generally looked as though someone had crossed Toto from The Wizard of Oz with Stripe from Gremlins . Barney had wiry hair that tended to stick up randomly and didn’t encourage the petting he loved. He was smart and affectionate, but he wasn't trouble-free. He lived ...

Thanks to everyone who voted and commented on possible covers for After the Fireweed . The mountains were the overwhelming favorite. (Sorry moose.) I know a lot of romance readers prefer people on a cover. I tend to lean the other way. I like to imagine the characters based on the description in the book, rather than the cover.  So I've been playing with the mountain scene a little, trying to make it a little dreamier and more romantic. What do you think? Does darkening the background make it more romantic? Or just fog up the view?  16% of vote 75% of vote

Have you ever noticed what a huge role jealousy plays in fairy tales? In Cinderella , our heroine has to stay home and clean out fireplaces because her stepsisters and their mother are jealous of her. In Snow White , we have an evil queen, jealous of her stepdaughter’s youth, beauty, and sweet disposition. Even Sleeping Beauty begins at the baby’s christening, at which fairies are invited to be her godmothers, but another fairy who was left out is jealous and curses the baby instead.*   Jealousy is a classic motivation in stories, especially murder mysteries and thrillers. Shakespeare called it "the green-eyed monster." It also pops up a lot in the romance genre, but I sometimes find it troubling. It’s often used as a signal to alert the main characters they’re starting to think of the other as more than a friend, but it can easily cross the line into creepy. Have you ever read about a heroine who interprets the hero's jealous behavior as proof of love, while your i...

A first draft is all about the big picture. Who are these people? What happens to them? Why should I care? If done right, it paints a sweeping picture of the story.   Draft two adds more layers to the story and makes it come alive. And to do that, we need details. Last October, I decided to cheer myself up by dedicating a week to noticing the beauty around me by photographing  one beautiful thing every day. An interesting finding from this project was that it isn't usually the huge, expansive views that make me smile. It's the little things. A plant growing bravely out of a depression in a rock.                                                                                                            ...

Anticipation    -   Why don’t we celebrate Christmas all year long? One of my kids asked me that once in January when the bloom was off the new toys. I told him it wouldn’t be special if we did it every day. Anticipation is part of the reason Christmas is so much fun. I think the same is true of gardening. In early February, I found this cranesbill in full bloom in London. In Alaska, mine won’t be blooming until June. The picture below was taken in July. The cranesbill are in the lower left. I planted tulips under a deep mulch on the north side of the house once, and they actually bloomed on the Fourth of July.                                                   I don’t know if I appreciate flowers more than a Londoner, but I suspect I get more excited about them. If I hadn’t waited all winter...

Yesterday was Mother's Day. With my broken leg I'm basically home-bound, so it wasn't terribly exciting, but I had a good day. I had a long talk with my own mother, who will turn 90 this year. My kids spoiled me with flowers, chocolate, and books -- my three favorite luxuries. My husband took good care of me and made me tea.  Bottom line - it's good to be loved. I'm thankful.

You may remember my experiment in early March with setting out lettuce and Brussels sprout seedlings early to see what happened. It failed. As often happens, the hazard was unforeseen. I planted them in a fenced garden lined with welded wire to keep the deer and rabbits out. I mulched to give some protection from frost and weed competition.  But I forgot to look up. After spending the winter foraging on dried seeds and plants, the birds were hungry for fresh salad. Those tender green shoots lasted no time at all. The good news is that as soon as I set out the seedlings, I started another set indoors and they’re ready to be set out, this time under netting. The bad news is my broken leg isn’t going anywhere near that garden, but judging by the tomato plants he brought home yesterday, my hubby is catching spring fever, so he’ll be doing all the planting this time. And my leg should be better by time for harvest. Hope everything is greening up and growing for you this s...