Spotlight on Pet Trade Pet Trade was my first science fiction romance novella for the Pets in Space® anthologies. This book has a spiffy new cover design by the talented Amanda Kelsey at Razzle Dazzle Design. Therefore, in honor of its upcoming publication anniversary and its lovely cover, I’m shining a spotlight on Pet Trade….
Most of my blog posts talk about my books, or the thrilling life of an author, and occasionally cats. This is one of two personal essays on topics related to current events. The other talks about friends for life. This essay is in response to the casual, callous murder of a Black man by a…
This departs from my usual blog posts about my books, or the thrilling life of an author with cats. This is one of two personal essays related to current events that are profoundly affecting our world. In the other, I talk about racism and the need to be allies for life. This essay talks about…
Spotlight on Last Ship Off Polaris-G 🎉 I’m so thrilled with the shiny new cover for Last Ship Off Polaris-G (scroll down to see it!) that I’m shining a spotlight on this story and its origins. Last Ship starts my Central Galactic Concordance (CGC) scifi space opera romance series, but I didn’t write it first….
Revisiting World Domination: Revised Plans for 2020 This time of year, I usually look back at the grand plan I create in January and make minor adjustments. Funnily enough, while my World Domination Plan hoped no calamities would arise, it didn’t even contemplate the possibility of a global pandemic. How terribly unimaginative of me. So…
Creative Avoidance My general approach to life is to keep busy. It’s my way of staving off boredom and countering my DNA-deep slacker nature. On the continuum between “do it now” and “do it when you have to,” I’m in the “do it now” side. But not always. Despite my determination to do a particular…
Spotlight on IN GRAVES BELOW Today, I’m shining a spotlight on In Graves Below, the first standalone paranormal romance I ever wrote. May 3 is the book’s publication anniversary. The story came about because Amazon invited S.E. Smith (Susan) to participate in the Kindle Worlds program. Authors opened a story universe to other authors, and…
Lessons Learned in Pandemic Living Inspired by a list by my science fiction and paranormal romance author buddy, Susan Kay Quinn, these are my lessons learned while living in a pandemic. I would live in pajamas forevermore, except cats have needle-sharp claws. As I am averse to having my thighs turned into pincushions, I wear…
Happy Earth Day I’m extremely fond of the planet we live on, so here’s wishing everyone a Happy Earth Day, 22 April. This year, lots of events have moved online for social distancing reasons, but they look amazing. Environmental causes have some great slogans, and climate fiction has come great books. Clever Earth Day Slogans People…
Ghosts in the Books The other day, my cat saw a ghost in my bookcase. At least I assume that was the cause of the suddenly fluffy tail and startled look before he bolted. Just because I’m a skeptic and can’t see ghosts in the books doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Cats have far better…
Journalism in the Far Future In my space opera series, a free and independent press is one of the founding principles of the Central Galactic Concordance. In the far future, journalism has developed new methods, tools, and outlets. But the fundamental purpose is the same: to shine a bright light on the truth. The previous…
Character Naming Secrets A reader recently asked if I have any character naming secrets, and where I came up with the name of Mairwen Morganthur, the heroine of Overload Flux. I’ll tell you the same thing I told him, but first I must dispel the notion that there any secrets to naming characters. Just as…
3 Tips from Carol’s Cats for Living in Uncertain Times Hello. We’re Carol’s cats. We see that the Interesting Times Fairy has descended, rudely and uninvited, for an extended visit. It’s like the old saying, life is what happens when you make other plans. We felines feel your pain and want to help. Therefore, these…
The Age of Megafauna The concept for my Ice Age Shifters® paranormal romance series arose from my hobby of reading science articles. “What if,” I said to my muse, “some shifters were born as throwbacks to the earlier, larger versions of species?” My muse liked the idea, and the series was born. And lucky me,…
When Real Life Overtakes Fiction I write science fiction and fantasy, so I get to create imaginary things and events all the time. I also love reading about scientific advances, historical events, and fascinating people. They spark my muse, especially when they make me think, “Cool! What if….?”. However, sometimes this comes back to bite…
Get Carol Van Natta’s blog posts
automatically delivered to your email inbox
Sign up to get blog posts via email
This is to subscribe to Carol’s blog posts. If you want to sign up for Carol’s monthly newsletter, click here.