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…
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…
Authors of Color Write SciFi Romances Opinions and Recommendations This is a companion to my post on Authors of Color Write Paranormal Romances. Because apparently it has to be stated that authors of color write scifi romances, too. I know, you’re shocked. 🙀 Not as shocked as I was when I overheard a conversation at…
Pets in Space is Back Again! 🚀 Woo-hoo! PETS IN SPACE® is back, and I’m one of the authors! And just look at the fantastic group of authors I’ll have the honor of working with in Pets in Space 5: S.E. Smith Michelle Diener Veronica Scott Pauline Baird Jones Laurie A. Green Carol Van Natta…
Shifter Romance Brings Legends and Myths to Life I believe humans are the storytelling animal. Important information is easier to remember if it has a story behind it, because stories give it context, emotion, and meaning. Of course, just like my dearly departed grandmother, we also have a tendency to rarely let the truth get…
Women In Science Day My trusty calendar tells me that Tuesday, 11 February, is International Girls and Women in Science Day. Hooray! I grew up with scientists and have worked with them a lot over the years. Science fascinates me, so it’s probably no surprise that I write science fiction. My Central Galactic Concordance space…
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.