Beth Carpenter Books

Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. It's 10am, and I'm seeing pink hints of dawn over the mountains. The sun will set at 3:41 today. This time of year it's cold and dark. Thank goodness for Christmas lights, that add sparkle to the season. Even a single candle brings warmth and light to the darkness. What a perfect season to celebrate the birth of the Light of the World, a candle in the dark. Merry Christmas to you, and may 2018 be a year of love and light for you and yours.

Put up tree  Send cards  Shop Wrap Contribute to charity Bake Clean Decorate Hang lights  Community project Celebrate advent  Attend parties Entertain  Etc. I love Christmas, and in all honesty, I love the preparations, too. It's just that sometime, in the middle of all the activity and bustle, I forget what I'm preparing for.  Christmas So that's my resolution for December. To keep the JOY in Christmas. I hope your Christmas preparations are joyful as well. 

Ebook released Dec. 1st, Paperback on Dec. 5th A Gift for Santa  is here, and I'm thrilled with these great advance reviews on the Prism Book Tour last week.  I loved the Alaskan setting in this book, especially at a reindeer farm!  -  Heidi Reads It is a Hallmark Channel worthy story of love and family and Christmas.  -  Reading is my Superpower The love and history in this book is complicated but is absolutely outstanding. If you want a book that you absolutely can not put down, this book is for you!  - Inside the Mind of an Avid Reader The characters are very individual and endearing. The scenes "play out" in a way one can feel he/she is experiencing the beauty and intrigue of Alaska.  - Rockin Book Reviews You can see a summary of the whole tour, along with links to the original articles at  Prism Book Tours. A Gift for Santa  isn't sold in stores, but it's available in paperback or ebook at most online bookstores, or you...

Reindeer time! My favorite Christmas movie growing up was Rudolf, the Red-nosed Reindeer, so when I got ready to write a Christmas story, it was only natural it would take place on a reindeer farm in Alaska .  To write the story, I had to learn all about reindeer, both real and fictional. That involved, among other things, a visit to a reindeer farm in Palmer, Alaska . Here I am, deep in research. Ryan, the boy in the story, visits the reindeer farm where he feeds the goats, pigs, and rabbits, visits the chickens, and finally gets to lead around a real reindeer. Afterward he gets hot chocolate and a peanut butter reindeer sandwich like this one. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/235818/reindeer-sandwiches/ This didn't make the story, but I can picture Ryan and Marissa collaborating to make a few of these adorable reindeer ornaments for the tree on the farm. To celebrate the upcoming launch of A Gift for Santa, there's a book tour going on all week, a...

Reindeer Games! The book tour starts today, and the theme is reindeer. You'll find excerpts, reindeer posts, reviews, and interviews. Plus there's a great giveaway: a handcrafted quilted reindeer tote bag big enough for all Santa's toys, a copy of The Alaskan Catch, and fun reindeer goodies.  All the stops are listed below. Hope to see you there! Tour Schedule November 27th: Launch Paulette's Papers Hearts & Scribbles Heidi Reads... A Night's Dream of Books November 28th: Celluloid Diaries Book Lover in Florida Reading Is My SuperPower Nicole's Book Musings November 29th: It's All About the Romance underneath the covers Inside the Mind of an Avid Reader Teatime and Books November 30th: Brooke Blogs The Bookworm Chronicles Deal Sharing Aunt December 1st: Mello & June, It's a Book Thang! I Am A Reader Janices Book Reviews Rockin' Book Reviews December 2nd:  Grand Final...

Heartwarming authors are throwing a party, and you're invited! Confession: I'm not much of a party animal. Honestly, I'm more comfortable curled up with a book and a cup of tea than celebrating with a roomful of people. On top of that, this is my very first time hosting a Facebook party, so I'm a little nervous.  But all the Heartwarming fans I've ever met are both kind and friendly, so I make a mistake or two, I'm sure they'll forgive me. With all those writers and readers, the conversation is sure to be fun. And I've got some great prizes to give away, like this winter scene apron and pretty reindeer ornament. The other writers are offering prizes as well.  I'm 99.9% sure it's going to be a fabulous party. Hope you can make it. If you haven't yet saved the date on Facebook, you can find the event details and indicate your interest  HERE.  The party is on Nov. 29th and I'll be posting at 1:55pm Eastern Time. (That's 9:55...

My daughter and I had a great time throwing pots yesterday. There’s something special about starting with nothing but a lump of clay, and using only the wheel and my hands, turning it into a useful and attractive vessel. That’s why I enjoy writing. It starts with nothing but an idea, but like the pot, gentle pressure and manipulation turn the idea into a story. One of the wonderful things about potting is that if the pot isn’t coming out just right, the potter can push the clay back down and try again. Stories are the same. The shape often needs to be pushed or pulled or sometimes completely rebuilt, and that’s okay. It’s all part of the creative process. I think people have an inborn need to create. Creativity, to me, is to take something and transform it into something new, something better. To turn raw ingredients into delicious meals. To turn balls of yarn into warm hats. To fix a broken lamp and turn it into a bedside reading light. People create in different ways. ...

We haven't yet had a frost, which means we still have some vegetables growing in our garden, including a dense zucchini plant. Believe it or not, that plant managed to hide one of the squash under its leaves until it was almost the size of a baseball bat. By the time we picked it, it was far too woody to eat. But before I consigned it to the compost pile, I had a thought. It's almost Halloween. I've read that the original jack-o-lanterns were carved from turnips. So why not a zucchini? What do you think? Scary enough for the trick-or-treaters?  Maybe we should hand out zucchini on Halloween  instead of candy. Nah, that would be too scary. Zucchin-o-lantern

When it comes to food, I'm fond of classics. Don't get me wrong; I love to try new things, but sometimes I get annoyed when a restaurant or recipe messes up a perfect food just to be different. It's not as though I eat so many deviled eggs, for example, that I need blue cheese and jalepenos added for variety.  That may be why I'm always a little skeptical of oddly colored vegetables. While Indian corn makes a beautiful decoration, blue corn chips just don't seem right. I'm only a recent convert to white sweet corn. It tastes delicious, but it's not yellow. And now I've discovered black cherry tomatoes. I planted them more or less by accident. I wanted another cherry tomato plant, but the only ones available where I was shopping were black cherries. Well, it turns out a black cherry tomato is the sweetest tomato I've ever tasted. Much sweeter than regular cherry tomatoes. In fact, they're almost too sweet, but very good. They're also p...

Yesterday was an ordinary day. Went to church, did some chores. When the wind died down in the evening, my husband suggested a walk up on the mesa, our usual spot. We started along the path, enjoying the sunshine. I looked around, marveling as usual, over the incredible clarity of light here at the high altitudes of Arizona. And as usual, I got caught up in the scenery and almost tripped over a rock, so I resolved to watch the trail instead. And then we heard it: pounding footsteps. We looked up to see an Australian shepherd emerge from behind a tree. A few seconds later, his people followed, running up the trail toward us. And they were leading DONKEYS. That’s what we story people call an inciting incident. It’s when your characters are suddenly jolted out of the ordinary by some extraordinary event. Sometimes it’s huge: an earthquake, an inheritance. Sometimes it’s so small it hardly gets noticed, like a for sale sign going up on the house across the street. ...

Today would have been my Dad's birthday. I miss him. Growing up, I was a daddy's girl. My dad was a farmer, and he used to let me ride in his pickup with him. There was a light in the cab behind the seat, and he told me it was a nose light, that it would turn on if I pressed my nose to it. And sure enough, every time I did, the light came on. I was pretty sure he was teasing me, but I could never prove it. He brought a lot of fun and magic into my life. My dad told me stories and paid attention to me. His attitude taught me that I am important and worthy, and that I shouldn't settle for someone who doesn't respect me. Unlike some women, I was never particularly drawn to "bad boys" who didn't treat women well.  At the same time, he made it clear that to deserve respect, I needed to be respectful of others, and to be responsible for my actions. A good reputation was earned. Dad was a devoted reader, and he remembered what he read. He had a working...

We've relocated from Alaska to Arizona for the fall, just in time to enjoy some of the fruits of the garden we planted before we left. As always, there are some surprises, especially since whatever it was I used to write the names of the plants on the labels washed off, so not everything ended up exactly where I thought it would be. First of all, we have tomatoes. One of the tomato plants I set out in May was called black cherry. I had my doubts about black tomatoes, but I admit they are the sweetest tomatoes I've ever eaten. If you're not a tomato lover, you might try them sometime. They're almost fruit-like. We have others too, some lovely celebrities, and what I think are Romas but lost the label.  It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." -Lewis Grizzard We're also enjoying the summer squash, both zuchini and yellow straightneck. I love that squash, green chili, and cheese casserole, and zuchini s...

100-Word Flash Fiction She mutters something about an iron . I tell her nobody minds a few wrinkles.  “We need to go, ma’am.”  “Keep your britches on,” she snap s. A minute later here she comes, carrying this gi-normous coon cat, a fl ask , and a golf club. “I’m ready.” Naturally, I get both arms tenderized wrassling ‘em into the boat. Before I can un tie , this big ole snout rises out of the water. Old lady whacks it right between the eyes with her nine iron. She smoothes her dress. “We goin’ or what?”   I row, keeping a wary eye out. Who knew Texas had gator s?    Over on Janet Reid's blog, she often has flash fiction contests. She gives five words (the ones in bold) that must be used in the story of no more than 100 words. It's amazing how many different stories can be conjured using those five words, especially since the words can be inside another word or split in half. Anyway, this was my story from last week, so I thought I'd sha...

It's September. How did that happen? It seems like two or three weeks ago, it was the beginning of summer. Fuzzy little goslings were following their mothers across the lake. The Canadian violets were blooming.   Now, instead of violets, we have mushrooms. School buses are making the rounds. Those baby geese are as big as their parents now, and it won't be long before they're flying south for the winter. The Mayday tree that blooms so beautifully in May is covered with bird cherries, which I'm sure the waxwings will appreciate this winter.  Don't get me wrong; I love autumn, too. Crisp days and apple pies, colorful leaves, mums, and pumpkins. But today the sun is out, and it's time for one more trip to the farmer's market. One more walk around the lake. One last taste of summer. Which do you enjoy more, summer or fall?

Just 133 days until Christmas, and the cover is up for A GIFT FOR SANTA , the second Northern Lights Novel! I feel like it really captures the magic of Santa's reindeer and the love of a child. What do you think? This is Chris's story. He's the brother Dana came to Alaska to find in THE ALASKAN CATCH . Now his former fiancee is back in on her family's reindeer farm after ten years away. It may be winter, but things are heating up in Alaska. Here's the blurb: It's the season for giving…and starting over?  A reindeer farm without Santa wouldn't be Christmas in Marissa Gray's Alaskan hometown. Luckily Chris Allen's there to pinch-hit, although for Marissa, seeing her ex-fiancé again brings back memories of what might have been.  Ten years after their breakup, the feelings between the wildlife biologist and blue-eyed fisherman are stronger than ever. Only now there's a foster kid in the mix, as well as the shocking crime that cost M...

I'm so excited! Twenty book bloggers have signed up for the tour. There will be fun posts, excerpts, reviews, and an interview. Plus prizes. See the whole schedule at  Prism Book Tours.  Hope you can make it!

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The August Harlequin Heartwarming authors have teamed up for a mystery giveaway. Preorder/order any of these four books and then enter HERE (non-purchase entry also available). Books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble,and Harlequin.com in both paperback and ebook form, and as ebooks at   iTunes, Google Books, Kobo.  They're Harlequin Heartwarming stories, so you know you can count on complex, feel-good storylines with no sex and minimal swearing.  Don't wait too long. Giveaway ends August 15th. Enter now.

The Alaskan Catch goes on sale at online bookstores in August, but enter now on Goodreads and you just might win an early signed paperback copy. Goodreads Book Giveaway The Alaskan Catch by Beth Carpenter Giveaway ends July 17, 2017. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway And since we're talking giveaways, don't forget to sign up for my newsletter and get a free ebook, plus the latest news about upcoming books and lots of fun prizes. Your email address will never be shared, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Don't wait - the next issue goes out soon. Click here to subscribe UPDATE 7/18/17: The winners have been chosen! Books will go out this week. Congratulations and thanks for entering.

Thankful for freedom and independence today!

Anchorage for Free     Partly because I want to share my hometown with the world, and partly to motivate me to get out and enjoy it, I've decided to post a series of fun places to see in Anchorage for free. Today, I visited the Muldoon Market,held on Saturdays throughout the summer at Begich Middle School. This isn't the big Saturday market downtown, just a neighborhood market where vendors can sell their fresh farm produce and crafts.  The items aren't free, but the entertainment is. Today's singer had a wonderful voice. There's was a clown, a bubble fun area for the kids, and a table of free recipe cards and books. I dropped off a couple of books I'd finished reading, hoping someone who doesn't know about the Harlequin Heartwarming line will discover them and love them.  Summer just got here, so there were no carrots or fresh potatoes yet, but there were salad greens and starter plants for sale. Lots of fun crafts: crochet, ...