Beth Carpenter Books

When you're at home, do you visit the local tourist attractions or does everyday life get in the way? I never seem to get around to enjoying all the things people come all the way to Alaska to see, but I'm trying to do better. Which is part of the reason why, after living in Anchorage for twenty-five years, I finally made a visit to the Reindeer Farm in Palmer, in the shadow of Pioneer Peak. The other reason is that I'm writing a Christmas story set at an Alaska reindeer farm, and I wanted to get a firsthand impression. Yes, that's a buffalo in the photo. There are more than just reindeer at the farm. Dolly, a plains bison, has lived her whole life there with reindeer, and probably doesn't even know she's a bison. She was born late and only grew to half the size of a normal bison, but she's had a good life on the farm. When we arrived, we were greeted by this lovely fellow who gave us a sniff and went back to chasing sunbeams. While we waited for our tou...

Ah, the dog days of summer.  Time to chill out, take it easy,     and enjoy the season while it lasts. Hope your summer (or winter if you're Down Under)  has been spectacular. 

A roar in the sounds in the distance. At first I don’t notice, but the dog barks frantically, convinced she’s the only thing standing between us and total destruction. I suspect the UPS truck, but the roar gets louder and with a smile, I recognize the familiar sound just the Blue Angels tear a hole in the sky above my house. It’s air show time again. I’m not a huge fan of crowds, loud noises, or giant machines so air shows aren’t a major draw for me. Luckily, I only live a mile or so from the base, so I get to watch the Blue Angels from the comfort of my deck as they practice their maneuvers. The only downside is they’re going so fast, I hardly have time to grab a camera before they’re gone. It’s a beautiful thing to watch those planes fly in perfect formation, like water ballet at 700 mph. As someone who could never learn to follow a dance partner, I’m in awe of pilots who are able to fly with such precision. I’m sure they have a natural talent for flying, but it’s the...

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.                                                                                                            ...