scottwmcarter

On Saturday, I went to the coast for a “Writing Technology Day” with a bunch of professional writers, where I spent the majority of it helping friends with things like using Wordpress and putting stories up on Kindle. It was also an opportunity for me to brainstorm and bounce ideas off some sharp minds about what it means to be a writer in the digital age. It was fun, and it was one of those rare times when my day job (I’m an Instructional Technologist for a university, where I’m chiefly responsible for supporting the online classes) intersected with my writing life.

One of the things I got to thinking about was how online a writer should be. Here’s a little scale I created so that writers can see where they fall in the continuum . . . [Read the rest and see where you fall on the chart.]

cdgred_umbrella

As winter approaches (it dropped below 70 this week in Miami….brrr), I thought I’d remind us all of warm, sunny days by featuring some of my favorite beach spots.

1) Miami Beach, Florida – This is my local beach so I usually overlook it, but it is truly one of the best in the world. It has a nightlife like no other (South Beach is world famous) and yet there are also family beaches where you can hang out with the kids and not get judged if you aren’t model skinny.

2) Positano, Italy– This beach was completely unlike other beaches I’ve visited. The “sand” was really tiny black pebbles and the water was cold…really cold even in July. The views from above as you walk down to the sea and the view of the city clinging to the side of the mountain are absolutely gorgeous. These pics are from our trip two years ago.

3) Paradise Island, Bahamas – I love this place! The water in the Bahamas is just amazing! It is a transparent blue-green that almost seems CGI enhanced. It has colossal resorts (Atlantis) and quiet getaways.

4) Kauai, Hawaii – It’s Hawaii so need I elaborate? I haven’t been there in a very long time, but I fell in love with the natural beauty of this island and its beaches. Beautiful.


5) Panama City Beach – this is the beach of my childhood. There is no place on earth that I have seen that has pure-white, flour-like sand like this area of the Florida Panhandle.

6) Carmel, California– Here you have a rolling hill of sand that meets the cold Pacific Ocean. There is a certain elegance and poetic beauty to this place.


7) San Sebastian, Spain– A beautiful city with wonderful people. The beach is just an extra bonus.

jberkj

From Publisher's Marketplace/Deals/Film Rights: ... Kody Keplinger's THE DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend), pitched as reminiscent of Juno and She's Come Undone, in which a cynical and witty "DUFF" decides the intrigue of casual sex with a gorgeous-but-jerkoff player is more alluring than facing her own issues with self-esteem...until it all goes wrong when they realize they're falling in love, to Vast Entertainment, in a pre-empt, with McG (CHARLIE'S ANGELS, TERMINATOR: SALVATION) attached to direct...

writerchick6

Sizzlin' movie heartthrobs are totally easy to name, but my first boy crushes were on cartoon hotties. That's right—Tom Cruise, you have nothing on Handy Smurf. As an adult, I can still see the appeal of these animated cuties (maybe it helps that they're made to look like the actors voicing them too) so I thought I would submit a run down of the ten best-looking non-real boys I've sweated.

1. Handy Smurf

Hefty Smurf might have been the obvious choice, but I'm not the kind of girl that falls for the weight-lifting, muscle-building type. Handy got his toned physique through hard manual labor, working on those smurfy houses in rain, snow, Gargamel-induced weather, or shine. And that pencil behind his ear and tongue sticking out the side of his mouth as he calculated the smurfiest way to solve a problem—adorable!

2. Aladdin

I have always loved the class clown, and this dark and handsome charmer would have been perfect crush material. On top of that, he was super resourceful (those acrobatic moves to get food are so praiseworthy) and didn't let others' opinions of him (like when people called him “Street Rat”) get him down. Finally, he had the confidence and perseverance to go after Jasmine. Oh, and almost forgot, he had a magic carpet! What's better than that? 

 

3. Prince Eric

Thump-thump, thump-thump. I still get dreamy thinking of Prince Eric and what might have been had Ariel not gotten her voice back.... I was in seventh grade when a friend had a sleepover to watch The Little Mermaid. I swear all the girls swooned at the sight of Prince Eric. That sense of humor, the dark hair, the romantic boat ride. And, he was voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes who I still love.

4. Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks

I know, I know. This one is a bit crazy. I mean he's not even a human—cartoon or otherwise. But, Alvin was so spunky. He was egotistical too but you had to admire his dedication to the band. And you gotta love a boy (or chipmunk) who can wear a dress and still look cuddly and adorable.

5. Brainy Smurf

He was an annoying know-it-all, but I was going through my nerd lover stage. I was eight and wanted the boy with glasses in the top reading group. Forget about the guy who could capture the flag. I wanted the glasses-wearing cutie who got pulled out of class for the academically talented program. Brainy reminded me of him (but my guy wasn't blue and a little less of a smartypants).

6. Eric (from Dungeons and Dragons)

Eric was my first bad boy crush. He was moody and quickly angered but just when you thought you had him figured out, he'd save you from the monsters. Then, he'd brush it off because being nice wasn't cool. I liked his hair too—black, neatly cut, a little long at the top—and was always drawn in to his adventures. Last, he had a pet unicorn. What girl doesn't love a guy who is loyal to his pets?

7. Lion-O

At first glance, you may think Lion-O was another muscle man. But, oh no, dear readers, he was more than that. Part man, part lion, this leader of the Thundercats was put in charge before he was ready and had to use his skill to overcome struggles. So, brains AND beauty. Plus, he had that sword that summoned the rest of his lair and projected the awesome lion signal. Thunder, thunder, THUNDERCATS!

8. Prince Adam/He-man

I just realized this is my only blonde dude on the list. He was the full package too. We have Adam who had the looks but was not overtly hot like He-Man. He had also been entrusted with the biggest secret of Grayskull, but he managed to look relaxed, lazy even—all the while knowing that saving the universe was all on him. Then, there was He-Man. The guy was brawn, strength, rode an awesome tiger, fought evil. Wanting him was easy. His desire to fight the bad guys with brains rather than fists was admirable as well. Sure, when he had to, he'd smack a guy but it wasn't his first choice. Usually, he just threw them out of his way. And the way he handled that sword...uh huh, he had the power.

9. Rio Pacheco (Jem's boyfriend from Jem and the Holograms)

It takes a special guy to put up with a woman who lives a double life. Ok, he never realized Jem and Jerrica were the same person, but still. Furthermore, while he may have crushed on Jem, he knew Jerrica was his true love. In addition to his dark hair and hunkiness, Rio had no trouble hanging back from the spotlight and being a road manager and engineer. A guy who is all for women empowerment? Totally sexy!

10. Iceman/Bobby Drake

Bobby Drake was my kind of dude. The dark locks, of course (um, I guess I have an obvious type, huh?) and toned bod, but I was more drawn to his sense of humor. Bobby was a laid back prankster who didn't take life too seriously. I guess he didn't have to since—whoosh—he could turn into ice when things got tough. Which brings me to his alter ego. I hate the cold, but since I could enjoy him from the comfort of my warm living room, I loved watching Iceman escape on his homemade ice ramps. Plus, ladies, this boy was transparent so no more trying to figure out what your dude was REALLY thinking. Now, THAT'S attractive!

scottwmcarter

Name: Scott William Carter

'10 Book Title: THE LAST GREAT GETAWAY OF THE WATER BALLOON BOYS

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's

Favorite Bit of Writing Advice: Treat every reader as if they're the only one you have.

Favorite and least favorite part of writing:
Favorite: When the words are flowing, there's nothing else in the world I'd rather be doing.
Least Favorite: Trying to figure out what's wrong on the days when the words aren't flowing.

Outline or Let it fly?: It totally depends on the project. Although I've only sold one book, I've written 6 and somewhere around 100 short stories (of which I've sold about 40). Every project is different. Some I've started with a title or maybe a first line, while others have been pretty fleshed out in my mind before I typed word one. The more I write, though, the more I seem to like to have a "skeleton" of a story in my mind -- this isn't the same thing as plot, more of a sense of the story -- and then flesh out the rest of the body as I go along.

5 things about me
1. I won my elementary school's Lego building contest in third grade.

2. I started a used bookstore, ran it for three years, and sold it for a profit.

3. I've been married 13 years and I've got two beautiful children.
4. The California Redwoods are my favorite place on Earth.
5. I have an unnatural level of affection for Altoids.

THE LAST GREAT GETAWAY OF THE WATER BALLOON BOYS Synopsis:
Life spins on a wheel. The choices you make in the heat of the moment, during times of crisis, can forever alter the rest of your life. In THE LAST GREAT GETAWAY OF THE WATER BALLOON BOYS, two teenagers make the choice to steal their principal’s ‘67 Mustang and end up on a life-changing road trip. 

The trip starts as a lark, to give Charlie Hill’s absent father a portrait Charlie drew, but it evolves into much more — an edgy coming-of-age tale where shy, sixteen-year-old Charlie and his more experienced friend, Jake Tucker, deal with issues like suicide, sex, drugs, and the meaning of friendship . . . before a crisis a thousand miles from home forces Charlie to make the ultimate choice of his life.