Author: Scott William Carter

Recalibrating the Cartoon Strip (Changing to a Once-a-Week Schedule, Pausing Patreon . . . for Now)

It feels a bit strange writing this post, just a week after posting about reaching my 50th comic strip with Run of the House, but, alas, reality has intervened as it sometimes does. While I love producing the strip, and plan to continue doing it, I now have a much better idea of how much time it takes — which means how much time it’s also taking from other things. Unfortunately, while I thought I could maintain the balance of writing/university work/family/cartooning without anything really suffering, it turns out there really are only 24 hours in a day, and something had to give. Lately, that turned out to be the writing, as much as I tried to deny it to myself. My weekly word counts don’t lie, since I’ve always been a big believer in tracking them so I’m honest with myself about my productivity, and they’re down considerably in the last few months. 

And since I have two kids going to college before long, and the writing is (ahem) quite a bit more profitable (and equally enjoyable), I’ve got to continue to prioritize it.  I knew when I was starting to use my morning writing time for the cartoon strip that I was going to have to make some hard decisions . . . So I’m dropping back to a once-a-week, Wednesday publishing schedule for Run of the House, starting next week (August 28).

But I’m not quitting! If anything, I’m more motivated than ever to get better as an artist and cartoonist, just as I’m equally motivated to get better as a writer. I’ve learned a ton about cartooning the last few months, both the craft and the business side of things, and I have some ideas on how to evolve the strip in the months ahead and how to keep getting better overall. This really is primarily about time. Well, yes, paying college tuition, too, but primarily time.

Finally, I’ve paused the Patreon donations. It doesn’t feel right to take your contributions when I’ve cut my publication schedule. I was tempted to just close my account for now, which I may still do, but then I saw that Patreon has a “pause” alternative that preserves some options for me. They’ve changed their membership plans since I started, so if I completely close it I’m forced onto the new plan. 

So, to recap: Going forward, you’ll be able to read all the weekly strips over at http://wwwRunofthehouse.net, and you won’t be charged by Patreon if you were one of my early backers. Thanks again for your support!

50th Comic!

My cartoon strip, Run of the House, reached a neat milestone today. I published my 50th comic!

R0050

If you’d like to read the other 49, you can see them all at www.runofthehouse.net. So far I’ve kept to my M/W/F schedule without fail since starting the strip back in April. My goal has been to just keep working on getting better, and I’ve been encouraged how much the strip has already evolved. I see definite improvement, which is gratifying. That’s what it’s all about to me, folks, whether it’s writing, cartooning, or anything else: it’s about just working at the craft and getting better. The rest is gravy. While it’s been challenging finding the time to do this with the writing, the family, the day job, and everything else, I’ve been having a lot of fun with it.

And while I know some of my most dedicated readers of my “regular” writing would probably prefer I stick to books, the balance has been very, very good for me. It’s actually reinvigorated my creativity and brought new perspective to the writing side of things, too. In other words, I think it’s making me a better writer.

And I’d love your help! If you want to support me on this journey, plus get the comic a week early, access to the backstage blog where I share insights and behind-the-scenes stuff, and other extras, consider chipping in $1-$3/month over at my Patreon page. I’d really appreciate it!

 

New Book Published: Bury the Dead in Driftwood (a Garrison Gage Mystery)

After far too long a wait, the sixth Garrison Gage book, Bury the Dead in Driftwood, is now out in the world! For those of you who want to get right to reading, more information about the book is below, including links to various retailers.

A two year gap between books may be nothing for the likes of George R.R. Martin, but I’ll try not to make my Gage fans wait that long if I can help it. In fact, it was such great fun catching up with Gage and his friends that I’m launching right into the next Gage book. I can’t promise you when I’ll finish it, of course, but there’s a good bet it won’t be two years.

burythedead_ebookcover_081219Bury the Dead in Driftwood
A Garrison Gage Mystery

They find her buried in driftwood.

Harriet Abel never shows up for her appointment. Irritating as hell? Sure. It’s hard enough to work as a private investigator without potential clients standing you up.

Of course, it’s difficult to show up when you’re dead.

A revered community figure in the Oregon coast town of Barnacle Bluffs, the teacher extraordinaire never gets a chance to explain why she wants to hire Garrison Gage before her body turns up in a sandy grave. Seldom deterred by the lack of a client, Gage barrels forward intent on discovering the woman’s killer. Unfortunately, the professional curmudgeon stirs up a lot more trouble than he expects, putting innocent people in imminent danger.

In the past, Gage always triumphed over whatever dark forces stood in his way, but this time he may have gone too far — and he won’t be the only one paying the price.

[Learn more.]

Ebook:
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play
Paperback:
Amazon | B&N | Indiebound
Audio:
Audible | iTunes | Amazon

(Links to other retailers posted when available.)

Summer 2019 Update: New Gage Book Coming, Cartooning Stuff, and Other Sundry News

tempcover1_forweb

Good news for my Garrison Gage fans! Bury the Dead in Driftwood, the sixth book featuring the curmudgeonly private investigator living in Barnacle Bluffs, Oregon, is now with the copy editor and should be available for purchase in the next few weeks. Be sure to sign up for my author newsletter if you want to be among the first to know when the novel is actually out. That’s the cover up there (it still might get tweaked a little, though we’re feeling pretty good about it at this point), and the book description will be coming soon.

It was great to revisit my old friend Gage and the extended cast that inhabits his moody Oregon coastal town, and I’m hoping my readers will feel the same. I appreciate everyone’s patience! Two years was a long time to go between Garrison Gage mysteries, but, well, what can I say? While I know there are plenty of you who’d prefer that I just write Gage books and nothing else, I’m just not wired that way. I also had a big book that went sideways on me and needed to be put aside for a while. It happens. What I can say, however, is that I’ve been making a lot of little changes, both to my habits and my mental approach, that should add up to a lot more books and stories coming from me in the months and years ahead. We’ll see. I’m having a lot of fun and that’s the main thing.  More than ever, the real joy I get from my creative work is the pursuit of excellence. Money and fans are certainly nice and appreciated (oh boy are they!), but the less central they are to my motivation the happier and more productive I am as an artist.

R0036

R0037

R0045

Speaking of fun, I’m also having a blast with the Run of the House comic strip. (Three recent ones are pictured above.) I completed my 50th strip the other day. While I’m posting most of them in various social media channels (Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, etc.), the best way to  see them is at www.runofthehosue.net, posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. While the strip is free, if you want to show your appreciation, a $1/month at Patreon is certainly appreciated.  By becoming a patron, you’ll also get lots of extras. Every little bit helps.

Other news? We had a fun trip to Florence, Oregon a few weeks back, staying in a lake house and having a blast. Kayaking, ping pong, hanging out in the hot tub, even a couple dune buggy rides — it was a great retreat. Overall, weather has been quite pleasant this summer, both in the Willamette Valley and on the Oregon coast, and I feel almost guilty saying so, since I know that’s not the case elsewhere. Oh, and if you’re somebody who wants to lose 41d7cBwU1pLweight, or simply get healthier overall, I highly recommend reading Jason’s Fung’s book The Obesity Code. My weight had been creeping up over the years — nothing egregious, but like most people, it was just trending in the wrong direction — and I’d finally decided I’d had enough and I needed to cast a wider net on my understanding of the issue. Of all the books I’ve read on diet and nutrition, Fung’s book finally filled in the missing pieces for me. My biggest takeaway from it? That when and how often we eat is just as important as what and how much. It makes complete sense from an evolutionary point of view, too. Read the book for more information. It’s heavy on the evidence side, which I love, but you can certainly skim some of the more data-intense parts of the book and still come away with a much-improved understanding of human physiology. A lot of it is simply reinforcement of what we already know (cutting down sugar, refined carbohydrates, and eating more whole foods, plus moderate exercise, is a recipe for better health), but if you read this book you will understand why 98% of all diets fail — and what you can do to prevent that failure from happening to you.