Jeffrey A. Carver Papers

Jeffrey A. Carver (1949-) is the author of numerous science fiction novels, including the ongoing series The Chaos Chronicles and his popular collected novels set in the Star Rigger Universe. Eternity’s End, a Star Rigger novel, was a finalist for the Nebula Award. He has also written a number of stand-alone novels, including The Infinity Link, The Rapture Effect, and—for a change of pace—Battlestar Galactica, the official novelization of the critically acclaimed television miniseries produced by the SyFy Channel. His short stories—originally published in venues as diverse as Galaxy, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Age, have been gathered into e-book collections. Much of his work explores the borderland between hard science fiction and space opera. His greatest interest remains character, story, and a healthy sense of wonder.

As the publishing landscape shifted with the advent of ebooks and quality self-publishing, he began releasing his backlist in e-book format around 2008. For a time, he was a member of Book View Café, an author collective that promoted independent publishing by previously traditionally published authors. His first indie-published original books, The Reefs of Time and Crucible of Time, came out in 2019 under his own Starstream Publications imprint.

In 2022, Carver received the Helicon Awards’ Frank Herbert Lifetime Achievement Award for writing science fiction.

Carver has taught writing in a variety of settings, from educational television to conferences for young writers at Bread Loaf, Vermont and elsewhere, to the Odyssey Writing Workshops, to MIT, to his own workshops. His guide for aspiring authors of all ages, inspired by his TV series, is freely available at www.writesf.com. His website and blog, Pushing a Snake Up a Hill, can be found at www.starrigger.net. His books are widely available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats.

He is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Authors Guild, and Novelists, Inc.

Carver grew up in Huron, Ohio. He loved science fiction from an early age, devouring the Tom Swift, Jr. series of young adult books, as well as the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet series. He wrote his first story in sixth grade (collaborating with his best friend Mike), entitled “The Mysterious Midnight Ride.” At Huron High School, he further developed his twin loves of SF and science, while being a medal-winning wrestler and playing clarinet in the school band.

At Brown University (Class of 1971), Carver let go of his aspirations to become a scientist and focused on writing instead. He also took up scuba diving. In an attempt to combine his love of writing and exploring under the sea, he received a Master's of Marine Affairs degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1974. That proved to be a short diversion from his efforts to become a published science fiction writer. His first sale was to Fiction magazine in the early 1970s, followed by a sale to Galaxy, and a contract to write his first novel. Over the years, he worked many kinds of part-time jobs while writing.

He has been married to Allysen Palmer, a TV producer and technical editor, since 1986. He has now lived for many years with his family in the Boston area. His older brother Charles S. Carver (1947-2019) was a noted social psychologist, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, and prolific academic author at the University of Miami in Florida.