Visit with Timothy Carter

www.timothycarterworld.com

Today we're visiting with author Timothy Carter, whose YA novel EVIL? was released by Flux in August 2009, and whose upcoming release, THE CUPID WAR, will be released in 2011.



Book of Stuart, Chapter 1:10.

10 And, yea verily, Stuart did commit the Sin of Onan in the shower. And this was witnessed by his own brother who did cry out unto their mother. And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

11 And the townspeople rose up against him and all Onaners, calling upon one another to tear the youthful sinners limb from unclean limb. And there was much pants wetting.

12 And lo, Stuart did join forces with the demon, Fon Pyre, and together they did set forth to discover the cause of the town's trouble.

13 And, hark! A pair of fallen angels would plant seeds of hatred unto the townspeople. And on the seventh day, Stuart did vow to rip the fallen angels a new one and layeth upon them an epic smacketh-down.

More Than You Needed To Know About Timothy Carter

You don’t have to be crazy to be able to write. However, various studies have shown a direct link between creativity and/or artistic gifts and mood disorders.

No really. Various studies do show that. I know because I’ve read lots of articles on this that cited ‘various studies’ as their sources. So it must be true.

The point is, many very creative people also suffer from mood disorders. And I’m one of them.

Oh, don’t look so shocked. It’s not that big of a revelation. You can hardly toss a bottle of Prozac these days without hitting someone who needs it.

Besides, I’m the guy that wrote EVIL?, remember? No sane guy could’ve come up with that!

Seriously, though, I’m not actually crazy. Actually, assigning a label of ‘crazy’ to those with mood disorders only feeds into the negative stigma surrounding them. My bad. Let me dispel that stigma now.

I suffer from mild depression and social anxiety. I feel down a lot, and sometimes I struggle to find the energy to do things. I’m taking medication for it now; before that, I would get very anxious or upset for no reason. Sometimes I feel very badly about myself, and during those moods I find it impossible even to write.

However, while my mood disorder makes life more challenging for me, life is certainly not impossible. Most days you can’t even tell. I don’t do ‘crazy person’ things like shouting at people on the subway or voting republican. I‘m getting treatment, and have a loving and supportive group of family and friends.

So, why bring this up in my guest post? Shouldn’t I be talking about my writing habits and such? Well, for one thing, my ‘various studies’ say that mood disorders typically begin in adolescence, as mine did. I might be able to draw some attention to the topic of mental wellness, and help some people who might not yet realize what they are suffering from.

You see, although I’ve had depression and anxiety issues since I was a teenager, I wasn’t properly diagnosed until just a few years ago. Nobody knew or understood the full extent of the challenges I faced. I’m sure I would have done a lot better in high school if I’d received the treatment I needed back then. I’m hoping that others will fare better.

Also, mood disorders in general and depression in particular are topics included in my upcoming novel, THE CUPID WAR. Dark entities known as Suicides attack the living, causing depression in people and feeding on their negative emotions. Their enemies are the Cupids, who make people fall in love. My main character, Ricky Fallon, becomes a Cupid after his death, and learns that he’d been the victim of a Suicide during his life. He is assigned to a high school, where he must bring couples together while protecting them from Suicide attacks. I wanted to suggest a supernatural cause for mood disorders, the way I suggested in EVIL? that Fallen Angels were responsible for religious fanaticism. That way, I could turn depression into an enemy that can be fought and beaten.

I hope to do more novels in this universe. I like writing about the afterlife, and I haven’t seen all that many YA novels that deal with mood disorders. As with EVIL?, in which I tackled such topics as fanaticism, spirituality and masturbation, THE CUPID WAR is my attempt to explore the teen years in a different way. And, I hope, tell a really cool story. That’s always my ultimate goal.

**I had the chance to ask Timothy a few additional questions about his life and writing - enjoy!

If you could bring any character from one of your books to life, who would it be and why?

Father Reedy from EVIL?. The world needs more good priests like him.

Your own six-word memoir.

He drank a lot of tea.

Twitter your newest or upcoming release in 140 characters or less.

Ricky Fallon dies and becomes a Cupid, the afterlife beings who make people fall in love. They fight the Suicides, who feed on negative emotion. The book is called THE CUPID WAR, due next spring.

What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING by Douglas Adams. First book I read for the joy of reading.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An Astronaut. No, not a military guy. I just wanted to go into space. I also wanted to be a superhero. But come on, what kid didn’t?

Your favorite subject in high school – and your least favorite.

English classes were always my favourites. True, they did make books look dull by analyzing the crap out of each chapter, but we always did fun exercises.

My least favourite class (no surprise here) was Phys Ed. That’s where the bullies hung out, and the teacher encouraged them. Very glad when I dropped that class.

The one book everyone in the world should read.

GOOD OMENS, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

The book you wish you had written.

GOOD OMENS, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

Your five favorite reads from 2009 (books you read during the year; they do not have to have been published during 2009).

HOGFATHER, by Terry Pratchett
THE LONG WALK, by Richard Bachman
THE HEART OF VALOR, by Tanya Huff
MY GODAWFUL LIFE, by Sunny McCreary
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN, by Christopher Golden

The 2010 release you’re most looking forward to reading.

I’m not sure if there will be one this year, but if there is... the next Robert Rankin book. His stuff is fantastic! Oh, and the latest Terry Pratchett book in paperback. Can’t miss that.

If your mom wrote the author profile for the jacket of your next book, what would she write?

Tim is a very good author, and you really should read him. Now, if only he’d tidy his bedroom...

You have the chance to go back and change a scene from one of your previous releases. What book would you choose, what scene would you change, and how would you alter it?

Well, knowing what I know now... I’d rewrite ATTACK OF THE INTERGALACTIC SOUL HUNTERS. That was supposed to be the first book in a trilogy (at least), and it ends with the words To Be Continued... Except it never was continued; the publisher didn’t want the next book in the series. I’d change the book so it works as one book, without any hint at all of things to come. That way, I wouldn’t have to keep apologizing to people who ask me when book 2 is coming out.

Using the letters J L W (my initials!), create the title of your next bestseller. (For example, Jumping Love Walrus.)

Jumping Love Walrus? That sounds like some kind of STD! “I’m sorry, Mr. Smith, you’ve contracted Jumping Love Walrus. You really should have used protection. Now we’ll have to amputate those tusks.”

Sorry. Got a bit carried away, there. Okay, let me think... J L W...

Jerks Like Wally

Journey Left, Weston

Juvenile Losers’ Warning!

You’re going off your diet for one day and only eating food from restaurants. What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? (Include the restaurant each meal comes from.)

Breakfast would be a large tea and a cream cheese bagel from Tim Hortons. Lunch is a turkey sub from Subway. For supper... chicken wings! I’d go to Wild Wings and get two pounds of Bubba’s Backfire.

What is your ultimate vacation destination?

England. I just love getting back to jolly old England! I’d spend a lot of time in London, then go north to York or west to Blackpool just so I could ride on their trains. I’d also want to visit places I haven’t been to yet, like Liverpool or Manchester.

The world has suffered from a one-day only loss of power. You have no cell phone, computer, lights, or anything else that requires a computer, cell battery, or electricity. What do you spend the day doing?

I’d spend a lot of the day reading (when the sun’s out), and maybe play with my action figures (I just got some new Doctor Who ones!). Then at night my wife and I could... play cards.

If you weren’t an author, what job would you be doing?

Funny you should ask that. Being an author doesn’t pay nearly enough at the moment, so I have to have another job, and sometimes two other jobs. Currently I’m doing telephone surveys, plus I occasionally get temp assignments from various agencies. I’m still looking for the ideal day job, but I haven’t figured out what that is yet. If you have any suggestions, do let me know.

You get the chance to star in an upcoming film release. What movie would you star in for your acting debut? (If you can’t choose an upcoming film, you can choose a past release.)

Forget movies! I’d be the next Doctor on Doctor Who! That would be an amazing role to play. I love that character, and have for years! Of course, I like the Doctor because of his similarities to me: he sees things differently, he’s creative, he’s unique, and he doesn’t care at all what others think of him.

But your heart was really set on a movie, wasn’t it? Okay, let me think... there’s a new Tron movie coming out. That’d be a cool one to star in.

You’re invited to a White House function, and you have the chance to give a 10-minute speech to the President and everyone else attending. What do you speak about?

Depends on the President. If Bush were still in office, the entire ten minutes would be a rant about how badly he’s screwing the world. Now that Obama’s in office, I’d ask him to get on with this Change he spoke of so much during his campaign.

Your publisher has instructed you to write a new series based on an endangered species. What animal do you choose?

My first choice from that extensive list would have to be the African Wild Ass. Because I have the maturity level of a fifth-grader. Second choice would be the Achalas Four-eyed Frog, because I love frogs and a four-eyed one sounds cool.

A movie is being made of ONE of your books. Which book is it, and who will star as the main characters?

EPOCH would be the most likely candidate for the movie treatment. It’s got the right kind of story structure. Rupert Grint would have been perfect for Vincent, but now he’s too old. Kirstin Stewart might be okay as Chanteuse, but I’d rather get Dakota Fanning. Nod would have to be David Tennant!

The paranormal genre is big in teen/YA literature right now. Most bestsellers feature vampires, werewolves, faeries, angels, or the like as a main character. In your opinion, why are teens currently fascinated with all things paranormal?

As Joss Whedon showed the world with Buffy The Vampire Slayer, monsters make great metaphors. Vampires stand-in for misunderstood youth, werewolves represent the changes of puberty. Plus, I love it because it opens up worlds of imagination, and gives me a huge playground. Paranormal stuff is fun, plain and simple.

You’re writing a book where you can change one major historical event. Which event do you change? (For example, Abraham Lincoln wasn’t assassinated, or Japan never bombed Pearl Harbor.)

No thanks, I’ll leave the alternate history stories to Harry Turtledove.

Remember those “classics” that you were made to read in high school English class? What was your favorite, and which title should students never have to be subjected to reading?

Classics from English class... classics... you know, I know I ‘read’ some, but I can’t honestly remember any. Maybe it’s because they were analyzed chapter by chapter to the point where all the fun was squeezed out. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t mature enough yet to appreciate them. For example, I was way too young-minded to really get George Orwell’s ANIMAL FARM and 1984. And I’m sure that if I read it now, I’d really like WATERSHIP DOWN. Nobody should have to put up with Margaret Lawrence, though. THE DIVINERS was so boring!

Someone tells you that you’ll never publish another book that you write. Do you still keep writing?

Yes I do. Because I wouldn’t believe them. If I’d believed people like that, I never would have started writing!

A group of teens ask you the best way to become a published writer. How do you answer the question?

Read a lot. Learn the craft from those who’ve done it well. Find badly-written books. Learn the craft from those who haven’t done it well. Give yourself permission to write crap. Don’t get stuck rewriting a paragraph over and over until it is ‘perfect’. Great stories aren’t written, they’re rewritten. Editing can come later. Finally, love it, and have fun. If you’re not having fun, or you aren’t loving it, it will be really hard to navigate the pitfalls of this business. Let the finished product be enough, with publication as a nice bonus. There will be a lot of rejection. Accept it and move on.

**Thanks so much to Tim for visiting with us today! Be sure to check out his website listed above, or you can also find him at several other places online:

Blog 1
Blog 2
Facebook
Twitter
Biblical Proportions Review
Or email him directly at tim@timothycarterworld.com

Mr. Carter has kindly offered to send two lucky posters today a copy of EVIL?, so be sure to leave any comments or questions you have for him in the comments section!