Scott William Carter's Blog, page 9

New Garrison Gage book published: A Shroud of Tattered Sails

The fourth Garrison Gage book, A Shroud of Tattered Sails, is now out in the world. I shared the cover and book description a month ago on this blog, so rather than repeat myself, I’ll just link to the book’s page, where you can follow the links to various retailers and also read the first chapter online if you are so inclined. While the paperback, Kindle, Nook, and Kobo versions are currently available, the iBooks version should be available within a week or so. A few people have asked about the audio book, and yes, I plan to have that produced as well, but it will be a few months yet. Check out the series page if you think you might have missed one of his adventures.

It was great fun returning to Gage’s world, and I feel so grateful that he’s picked up so many fans the last few years. After four books, it really does feel like visiting with family you don’t get to see all that often — the good kind of family, of course! Judging by some of the emails readers have sent me, it seems quite a few people feel the same way about him. It warms my heart, which, with the cold and rainy weather we’ve been having in Oregon lately, is definitely a good thing.

I’m knee deep into the third Myron Vale novel and hope to keep up the steady pace going into the new year. Oh, and Happy Holidays!

A Shroud of Tattered Sails – Cover and Description

That’s the cover for the upcoming Garrison Gage book, A Shroud of Tattered Sails, which is on target for a late December release. (Since I’m a pretty infrequent blogger, and only marginally better at social media, I always suggest signing up for my mailing list if you want to know right when my books are published.) You can click the image if you want to see a slightly bigger version. Might be a few last minute tweaks, but I’m pretty happy with it, so I doubt much will change. Here’s the book description, which will have to be enough to hold you until the book is out:

A beached sailboat. A missing man. A distraught woman staggering ashore. There to greet her—Garrison Gage, full-time curmudgeon and part-time private investigator, who quickly finds himself thrust into his familiar role of crusader for the desperate and downtrodden. The woman claims to have no memory, but is she lying?

When a body later washes ashore, the mystery deepens and the stakes ratchet up another notch. Dark money and even darker intentions. Violence both threatened and real. The woman may be at the heart of it all, or merely an innocent interloper who chose the wrong boat at the wrong time. Only Gage can discover the truth.

It was a lot of fun to return to Gage and his friends. They really are like family to me now, and I’ve been gratified that so many readers have felt the same. Hope to continue writing about his adventures for many years to come. Can’t promise to only write Gage books, of course, but I do hope to return to him at least once a year. Now that I’m back to getting two hours of writing in before I come to the university each day (rather than focusing that energy on graduate school, which I finished earlier this year), that should be quite doable while still allowing me to tackle other kinds of books.

Speaking of that, I’m already a couple chapters into the third Myron Vale book and having a blast.

 

Postcards from the Garage: Coos Bay, Oregon (and a bit of an update)

The shot above was taken during a little getaway I took with the family during the July 4th weekend a couple months back. We stayed in the Charleston part of town, over on the southwest side, and that picture was taken when we stopped to rest during a short hike of the South Slough Estuary — a beautiful area. In fact, our house was minutes from three state parks, including the spectacular Cape Arago. A great trip.

It was a fun summer, even if was a bit on the hot side (an early June heat wave set the tone for the rest of the season). The kids stayed busy as usual, with various camps and activities, though we did manage a nice trip to Seattle, riding the Amtrak up there and spending a week bumming around the city doing different things. Kids are now back in school, the university is in full swing with fall term, and after some ups and downs this year that I won’t go into here, I’m back to getting up early and getting two hours in with the writing before heading off to the university. It’s a great balance, as the morning hours feed my need for solitary creative time while the job at the university forces me to engage with the world in ways that serve a completely different part of my personality. Could I write more books if I spent all of my time doing it?  Maybe, but I may not write at all if my mental health takes a turn for the worse. It’s a mistake that I’ve seen a lot of writers make, assuming that just because they have more hours in the day that they’re actually going to produce a lot more quality material.

I’ve also drastically cut down how much time I was spending online. It’s amazing how well-informed you can be even with twenty minutes a day if you really cut out what’s extraneous. I’ve also become pretty convinced, partly by reading  Dennis Palumbo’s excellent book, Writing from the Inside Out, that consumption/production of information or entertainment is something of a binary state. What I mean is, just as there is huge value in feeding our minds with information, there is just as much value in shutting off the information flow and letting our creativity fill the vacuum. In other words, as strange as this sounds, reading more is not always better. Disengaging, and disconnecting, can have tremendous value to both our productivity and our peace of mind — not just for writers, or artists, but for all human beings.

Anyway, it’s certainly done wonders for my own creativity and productivity. It’s not a new idea for me (heck, the name of this blog is Plugged/Unplugged, exactly because I’ve always believed there’s value in being disconnected from the Digital Hive Mind), but it is an idea that’s become more woven into my daily life.

The next Garrison Gage book is about 80% done.  Hopefully I’ll be back with more news regarding the book before too long.

Update on the Mailing List Contest and Progress on the Next Gage Book

That shot is from a hike I took not too long ago on Hamilton Mountain, up in the Columbia Gorge area. A great day hike on a great day. Click the image for a larger version that does it a bit more justice.

For those of you who signed up for my mailing list before now, and are eligible for the contest, I will be sending out the prize-winning emails over the next week or so. I just download the list and will be doing some random drawings in the next few days. And if you haven’t signed up, please do so. I’ll be doing another round of prizes before too long, so it’s worth being on there.  I only email a handful of times a year and I will never share your email with others. Of course, the best reason is so you’re the first to know when my next book is released.

Speaking of that, I’m hard at work on the next Garrison Gage book (#4 for those of you counting at home), and my productivity is really ramping up, so the book is coming along nicely. With grad school in the rear view mirror, and the WR 450 course also finished (always hard to teach something for the first time, so I was working a lot of evenings and weekends), I have a bit more energy and time to devote to writing, and I intend to take full advantage of it. I usually get up early and write for two hours before coming into the university, but the work load finally reached a point where that was getting tough to do. As I’ve mentioned a number of times, I’m one of those rare writers that really does like his day job, more so each year as my career with the university has evolved, but on rare occasions the balance can get out of wack. I’ve got a better balance now.

It also shouldn’t be too long before I have a title and a cover to share for the next Gage book, but I’ll keep you all in suspense for now. That’s part of my job as a writer, you know. Keeping you in suspense.

1000 Email Subscribers Reached – Summer Mailing List Giveaways – Sign Up Today!

Just last week, my mailing list crossed over 1000 subscribers. It’s a neat milestone, and a nice reminder of how many new readers I’ve picked up lately. Thank you! To show my appreciation, I’ve decided to do some giveaways for my fans. If you sign up before Sunday, June 21 (the first day of summer), you’ll be eligible for all the following FREE prizes:

#1 . . . 3 people will receive one FREE ebook of the next Garrison Gage mystery at least twenty-four hours before it has been published, as well as a signed paperback edition of that book to be mailed a few weeks after publication to a United States address. Right now, this book is scheduled for a Fall 2015 release.

#2 . . . 5 people will receive a FREE signed trade paperback copy of one of my already published Garrison Gage books or one of my Myron Vale books, mailed at my expense within the United States, whichever book the winner chooses.

#3 . . . 20 people will receive coupon codes for FREE copies of the audio edition (via Audible.com) of all three Garrison Gage books

#4 . . . Everyone on my mailing list will receive a coupon code for 50% off the print edition for all the Garrison Gage books and all the Myron Vale books, good for one month. You can use it on one book or all of them. Shipping not included. That’s right. Everyone.

You can keep the prizes for yourself or give them to others. Remember, to be eligible all you have to do is sign up for my mailing list. Crazy? Well, I’ve had a good year as a writer, and this is the least I can do to show how grateful I am. Your email will never be shared with others, and I only email a handful of times a year.  All the prizes will be selected randomly. And no, I’m not running this giveaway on any of the popular contest sites.  This is just for my readers.

And if you’re on the list?  Don’t sweat it.  You’re already eligible.

I hope it’s worth five seconds of your time. Feel free to tell others, so long as you think they’d be interested in my books. Sign up here:

http://scottwilliamcarter.com/newsletter/new-releases/

The fine print:  No purchase necessary to enter or win. To be eligible for the giveaway, you must be on Scott William Carter’s email list before June 21, 2015. You must be over 18 years of age and, alas, a resident of the United States. (Blame Canadian and European laws, folks; I love my international readers.) Odds of winning any prize are approximately 1 in 1000, except for #4, which will be awarded to all people on the mailing list before June 21, 2015. Winners will be notified via email.

New Book Published: THE GHOST WHO SAID GOODBYE

I mentioned this book was coming in my last post (and I informed my mailing list a few days ago*), but I’m pleased to announce that The Ghost Who Said Goodbye is now available in both print and ebook.  A sharp-witted private investigator who has a hard time telling the living apart from the dead? Check. A serial killer with a paranormal twist that only our hero can stop? Check. Elvis as a hot dog vendor? Yep, it’s all here. If you enjoyed Ghost Detective, I’m hoping you like this one, too.  More information about the book below.  (There are a few retailers, like iBooks, that will be available soon.)

*If you haven’t signed up for my mailing list, you can do so here. There will be some contests coming up soon, some free giveaways for my fans, so it’s worth a couple seconds of your time. And I only email a few times a year.

The Ghost Who Said Goodbye

A Myron Vale Investigation

Ebook:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks (coming soon)

Paperback:

Amazon | B&N | Indiebound (coming soon)

Genre: Fiction | Mystery

Even the dead can die . . . the second in the riveting series about the private investigator who bridges both sides of the great divide.

Charles Manson. Ted Bundy. Jeffrey Dahmer. Known for their cunning and savagery. In the late eighties, another infamous serial killer sent seventeen innocent people to early graves. Then, suddenly, the murders in the panicked city of Portland, Oregon, stopped–and the Goodbye Killer got away.

Myron Vale remembers it well. Long before a fateful bullet cursed him with the ability to see ghosts, he was the young son of the city’s most esteemed detective. The case changed Hank Vale, haunting him with a single glimpse of the killer’s otherworldly face. He was never the same man again. Or the same father.

Now a new victim points to the Goodbye Killer’s return. And when the most powerful forces on the other side of the great divide approach Myron desperate for help, he uncovers a terrifying truth. It’s not just the living who should fear for their immortal souls … even the dead can die.

What They’re Saying About the Series

“The Sixth Sense meets Spenser For Hire in Scott William Carter’s magnificent Ghost Detective.”– Michael J. Totten, author of Taken

“Scott is one of those rare writers who can and does cross genres, and do it well. You never know what kind of story you’ll get from him, but you do know that it’ll be good.” – Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Hugo award-winning author of The Disappeared

“A sultry blonde walks into a detective’s office. Big deal, seen it a million times, right? Wrong! THE GHOST DETECTIVE ranks as one of the most ingenious departures from the norm I’ve seen in a long time … I’ve always enjoyed Scott William Carter’s work, but THE GHOST DETECTIVE takes my admiration to a whole new level. I loved this book. ” – David H. Hendrickson, author of  Cracking the Ice

“There is fantastic character development, snappy dialogue, and an interesting, intelligent plotline that kept me guessing up to the last page.”  -  Cheryl Stout, Amazon Top 1000 Reviewer

“Ghost Detective has it all — suspense, humor, compelling characters, and a depth of emotion that kept me turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning.” – Leslie Claire Walker, author of Skin and Bone

“It’s very rare that find a novel that’s funny and sarcastic and poignant and scary, all at the same time. In GHOST DETECTIVE, Scott William Carter pulls all four off with amazing aplomb … A gripping, wonderful read – and I definitely look forward to the next Myron Vale novel. Highly recommended.” -  Kathryn Cunningham, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer

“Don’t let the title trick you into false assumptions; Ghost Detective is an outstanding book, one that uses its paranormal premise not as a way into scares or even romance, but instead uses it to explore ideas about loss, death, and our pasts. It’s really well-crafted stuff, and I’m excited to see that Carter plans more books in this series; after this one, I’m eager to see what comes next for Myron.”  -  Josh Mauthe,  The Library Police Podcast

“Scott William Carter takes aim at smooth genre blend and scores a bulls-eye … Fantastic read.” – Nathan E. Meyer, author Aldwyn’s Academy

The Ghost Who Said Goodbye – Cover and Description

That’s the cover for The Ghost Who Said Goodbye, which is on track for an early April release.  There might be a few last minute tweaks, but I’m feeling very good about it.  I’ve gotten the book back from my intrepid copy editor and am making my final edits now.  As always, if you want to be the first to know, sign up for my e-mail newsletter.  I use it almost exclusively to let my readers know about new releases, so it’s doubtful you’ll get more than a handful of emails a year.  I also occasionally offer special editions, free books, and other deals through it, so it’s worth signing up.  And of course your email will never be shared with others.

For you Garrison Gage fans, yes, I’m now working on the fourth Gage book and really like how it’s shaping up.  Going’s a little slow right now, because I’m in one of the busiest stretches I’ve had in quite some time, but things will open up quite a bit in about a month.  I also had to make a trip back to Minnesota for my grandmother’s funeral, who died just shy of 98. She lived a long life and died fairly quickly at the end, so I saw this visit as a celebration of her life and a chance to reconnect with some cousins and other relatives I don’t get a chance to see often.

Rainy and gray here in Oregon, typical for March, though weather has been a bit schizophrenic this year.  The course I mentioned in my last post filled, which is great to see, and I think I’m putting together a very robust class.  Looking forward to it.

Here’s the full description of The Ghost Who Said Goodbye, the second Myron Vale investigation.  More soon.

Charles Manson. Ted Bundy. Jeffrey Dahmer. Known for their cunning and savagery. In the late eighties, another infamous serial killer sent seventeen innocent people to early graves. Then, suddenly, the murders in the panicked city of Portland, Oregon, stopped—and the Goodbye Killer got away.

Myron Vale remembers it well. Long before a fateful bullet cursed him with the ability to see ghosts, he was the young son of the city’s most esteemed detective. The case changed Hank Vale, haunting him with a single glimpse of the killer’s otherworldly face. He was never the same man again. Or the same father.

Now a new victim points to the Goodbye Killer’s return. And when the most powerful forces on the other side of the great divide approach Myron desperate for help, he uncovers a terrifying truth. It’s not just the living who should fear for their immortal souls … even the dead can die.

WR 450: Writing for Publication (Western Oregon University, Spring 2015)

About a year ago, the English department at Western Oregon University (the day job part of my life) approached me about possibly teaching a course on writing and publishing — steeped in the kind of practical, nuts and bolts stuff that someone needs to know to write for publication today. I’m pleased to announce that it’s finally come together, and I’ll be teaching the course this Spring term.  First, the actual course description:

WR 450:  Writing for Publication (4)

An advanced course on writing and publishing for a commercial audience. Half the course concentrates on the techniques and skills needed to write successful popular fiction; the other half concentrates on publishing, with equal emphasis on both traditional and self-publishing options. Topics include: scene and structure, creating compelling characters, developing a unique voice, manuscript submission, literary agents, copyediting, contracts, ebook creation, Print-on-Demand, movie options, and many other areas of interest. While the primary focus is on short stories and novels, arrangements can be made with the instructor for writers of non-fiction. This is a HYBRID course; students should expect to spend 2-3 hours each week online in addition to the Wednesday night classroom time.

Instructor:  Scott Carter
Date/Time:  Wednesdays, 4:30-7:20 (with one hour online)
Location:  Room TBD | WOU, in Monmouth, Oregon
Term Begins:  March 30, 2015


Cost:  WOU Tuition Rates
Register:  Web registration is here | For new students, call the Registrar’s Office at (503) 838-8327 | Opens at the end of Feb

 

I’ve designed it to be the kind of course I wished I had.  I took several good writing classes as an undergraduate (as well as more than a few bad ones), but none of them were really grounded in both the craft and the business, especially from a professional perspective.  When I attended the University of Oregon, I was fortunate to happen upon a remarkable weekly workshop run by Kristine Katherine Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith, which was not affiliated with the university at all and was frequented by many professional writers who lived in the area.  Attending that workshop on Tuesday nights for three years in the banquet room of greasy G. Wilikers Bar and Grill (long since closed) really helped show me what writing with a professional mindset is all about.  Not many writers are lucky enough to have that kind of workshop, though, so I’m hoping this class might, in some small way, serve the same purpose. This will be about clearing myths and setting people who are serious about writing on the right track.  

Who should take the course?  

People interested in writing for a commercial audience — in other words, writing as a professional endeavor.  What does it mean to write for a commercial audience?  Generally, it means writing for some combination of money, audience, or prestige.  Should you pursue a traditional publisher or self-publish?  Contracts?  Royalties and advances? Literary agents? What are the elements of great fiction, fiction that sells?  There are no prerequisites, but this is a 400 level course, so the expectation is that the student will have done some amount of writing before attending.  If unsure, however, email me via my contact page.

Spring registration at WOU opens at the end of February. If it goes well, I hope to teach it every year, but there are no guarantees.  If you’re interested, and you’re within driving distance of Monmouth, Oregon, I’d suggest taking it now.  I realize the tuition ain’t cheap, but this will be a lot more in depth than the teaching I’ve done in the past at conferences and workshops.

Winter Update: New Myron Vale book coming soon

Just a quick winter update on multiple fronts. That picture at the top is from a little weekend getaway that Heidi and I took to the Nye Beach area of Newport, Oregon. We stayed in the fantastic Slyvia Beach Hotel, where every room is themed after a different author. I took the picture on the beach below the Yaquina Lighthouse. It’s  actually my camera sticking together a couple of shots, but I still thought it came out well.  It’s pretty small on the blog, but you can click the image for a larger version. Bonus points for spotting the seagull.

Health in the Carter household has been up and down, as is often the case in the winter with all the viruses lurking about, but we soldier on. Most of our Saturdays lately have been taken up by the kids’ basketball games. I just finished The Ghost Who Said Goodbye, the second of the Myron Vale series. It’s scheduled to go to my intrepid copy editor in a few weeks, with an expected publication date of late March or early April. As things firm up, I’ll post more info — a cover, a book description, etc. And, of course, I encourage my readers to sign up for my mailing list. I always let my most dedicated fans know first when my books are available for purchase, and I seldom email otherwise.

And yes, I’ve already started the next Garrison Gage book. It’s early goings, but I’m feeling really good about it — always fun to return to Gage’s world. He’s practically like family now. I took a bit of time to build a “Gage Bible” for myself, an encyclopedia about the characters, Barnacle Bluffs, and other info I can now use as a reference. I’d been using scattered notes until now, but since I’m working on the fourth book, with plans for many more, I figured it was worth a little extra effort to put together a resource I can turn to a little more easily.

Speaking of Gage, I also took the time to hire another copy editor to go over The Gray and Guilty Sea one more time, and I’ve implemented those changes in both the ebook and print editions. There weren’t a lot of errors, but a few people still complained, so it was worth it to me to make one more pass — especially, as I said, because the series continues to do very well.  I appreciate all of your wonderful emails!  Thank you!  Making the The Gray and Guilty Sea free as an ebook was one of the smartest things I did.  It’s gone so well, in fact, that I decided to leave it free for at least a few more months.

Oh, and for you folks who live within driving distance of Western Oregon University (the day job part of my life) I’m teaching a course on writing and publishing this coming spring. I’ll have more about that in a week or two, so I’m just leaving this as a bit of a tease, but I plan to teach the kind of course I desperately wished I had as an undergraduate — full of all the practical, nuts and bolts things you need to know to write for a commercial audience today, including all kinds of stuff about the business side of being a writer. More on that soon.

I’ll leave this post with a shot from a recent hike I took with fellow writer Mike Totten on the Little North Santiam River Trail. We never get the kind of snow hitting the East coast right now, but it’s still been unseasonably warm winter — rainy, yes, very rainy, but not all that cold.

 

The Lovely Wicked Rain Audiobook Available

Been a bit buried with a few things lately, but I wanted to slip in a quick bit of news. For those of you who prefer your words in the spoken form, the third Garrison Gage book, The Lovely Wicked Rain, is now available for download at Audible.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes.  It also happens to be narrated by the fantastic Steven Roy Grimsley, who narrated the first two Gage books.  If your weather is anything like the weather we’re getting here in Oregon —cold, gray, and rainy— this book might be a fitting read.  

Available Here:

Audible | iTunes | Amazon