Welcome back, Arrowheads! Today I’ll be introducing you to one of the main characters in Can’t Beat the Heart of a Carolina Girl, Carter Pickett!

Carter Pickett

First and foremost, I apologize for not giving Carter a middle name. It’s not that I was lazy (well, maybe I was), but I’m extremely particular about naming my characters, and I’ve already found the absolute perfect middle name for Carter… reserved for my future son if God allows me to have children once I’m married.

So yeah, I’m taking the Nicholas Sparks risk of wanting to name my kids after my characters. But, whatever. At least Carter Pickett is a good influence!

Carter Pickett, like Riley Houston, is a  reformed nerd. Well, just in his outward appearance. In middle school, Carter was shorter than the other guys in his grade, and was often bullied because he wasn’t good at sports. He had always felt insecure, until he met a girl at his best friend Trent’s birthday party during the 6th grade. This event inspired him pursue confidence in himself, which leads us to the beginning of the novel.

Carter’s is a major fan of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, often re-reading them in class and binge-watching the movies with Trent. He also enjoys riding four-wheelers (ATVs) with his dad down the path near his house. Being a quintessential southern boy, Carter takes part in Agriculture and Shop classes at Linwood Whaley High, where he is one of the top-ten students in the freshman class.

Due to his history of being the butt of the joke in middle school, Carter is socially awkward and has a self-deprecating sense of humor. In my mind, he’s most akin to Gordo from Lizzie McGuire, and this is why he’s always been my favorite character from my debut novel.

Thanks for reading, and check back here on Friday for another Flash Fiction piece!

-Allyson 😀