A.G. Carpenter's Blog, page 7

Busy (10.22.14)

There's been a long silence here. Between this time last month and now, there's been a lot of real life chaos that has made updating the blog a minor priority.

Good news: Things are finally settling down somewhat. 
And, I'm nearly finished with the Super-Secret Project I've been working on. This means I'll have finished two new books this year and I'm set to start a third in November. (Space Opera of appropriately epic proportions and emotional complexity that I'm still trying to wrap my h...

Packing (9.23.14)

Today I started digging into the packing up of All The Things. (There was a little panic involved. Because reasons. Actually, because there are only seven days left in the month and any negotiation about our current living situation has been curtailed.)


Some of the things I started packing was my small collection of books. And looking at the things I have held onto made me think about what an impact those books have had on me. Books that make me sigh or smile or ache when I find them in the bi...

Nerves (9.21.14)

I have an old neck injury that sometimes causes problems. What with RL stress this year, it's been flaring up with a vengeance. The past few weeks I've had pinched-nerve headaches every day. (Not always all day, but for several hours out of every day and some days the pain never stopped.) This morning it got really bad - nausea, tingling on the left side of my face, sparkles in my vision - it wasn't fun. Fortunately, because I know more or less where the problem is, I was able to do some care...

Newly Available! (9.15.14)

Things have been busy around here. I've been working on two different projects for the other pen name and gearing up to start releasing my previously published work in ebook format.


The Collections Agent is available now from Kobo. (You can also purchase it from Inktera, iBooks or Nook.com. Or read it via Scribd.) If you like it (or if you hate it) you can always rate it or leave a review over at Goodreads.

In the Cool of the Day will be available tomorrow from Kobo. (It will also be available...

Stories (Writing Update 8.14.14)

So, there is always a lot of horrible news to be found in the world on any given day, but sometimes it feels like there is an extra helping of suckage in very short order. It is on those days that I feel most helpless and worthless. It is on those days the I wonder at the value of telling stories.


But today, while feeling heartsick about the recent loss of people who inspired others (both famous and unknown) and the horrible and senseless violence being perpetrated in my own country and in oth...

Depression, Lies (and Addiction*)

Yesterday evening I heard that Robin Williams was dead, reportedly from a successful suicide attempt. A lot of other people had heard too and my Twitter feed was full of comments and expressions of sympathy. Many people said many wise things, but one stuck with me. It said: Depression lies.

I have been fortunate. In the 35 years I've been alive, I've only had serious depression three times.
First, my last semester of my sophomore year in college.
Second, my last semester of my senior year in col...

Growth (Writing Update 8.7.14)

When I learned that Eggplant was going to close down and my little SF Western novella was coming back to me, I did what any author would. I emailed my agent and said "Help! Now what?" and flailed a bit.


I was really hoping he would get back to me with "Of course we can find a new home for this." Instead his response boiled down to "Egh. This needs some work." So, I figured I'd put it on the shelf for a bit and let it simmer. Maybe there would be new subplots I could work into the already tight...

Drive (Writing Update 8.5.14)

Back in February (having just finished up the last few tweaks on The Steampunk Novel), I picked up the first thousand words or so of a short story I'd started the year before. It was the sequel to a story that was scheduled to come out from Crowded Magazine in May, and I figured it was as good a time as any to work on the next part of the adventure.


My real life was hectic. I mean, more so than usual. Mid-February our water got shut off and stayed off for seven weeks. Even once the water was...

Setbacks

Writing a book is a challenge and a labor of love. Even for the more practically minded, with an overall goal of making a career of this, not just jotting down words as a hobby, there is a piece of us that goes into every story.

There are few things more satisfying than finding a home for a story. (Except for cake. Cake is always good.) It's confirmation that the work you put into it wasn't a waste. It's affirmation that these characters who speak to you also speak to others. It's validation o...

Revisions (Writing Update 7.13.14)

Just a quick note today. (And many apologies for the radio silence. We're in the midst of a rapid-and-unexpected move so the peripheral stuff is going to be a little hit or miss for the next few months.)

On Wednesday (July 16th) I have a guest blog over at Enchanted Spark. You may remember Melinda Moore guested over here a couple of months ago and is graciously hosting me as well. You should be sure to check it out - I talk about writing Brass Stars and dealing with hard characters.

It seems th...