Carter was born in Minnesota and raised in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Before becoming a professional writer, Carter owned a book store, worked as a ski instructor, and computer trainer. He decided to become a full-time writer after working four nights picking beets off a conveyor belt at a cannery.

Carter attended the University of Oregon, graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor's of Arts in English. He is married and is a father of two children, a daughter and a son.

Novels

• The Last Great Getaway of the Water Balloon Boys (2010) ISBN 1-4169-7156-4

Collections

• The Dinosaur Diaries and Other Tales Across Space and Time (2010) ISBN 1-6045-9934-0
• A Web of Black Widows (2010) ISBN 1-8486-3037-9

Anthologized short stories

• "Liberators", Analog Science Fiction and Fact (2004) Vol. 124, No. 4.
• "A Christmas in Amber", Analog Science Fiction and Fact (2005) Vol. 125, No. 12.
• "Father Hagerman's Dog", Analog Science Fiction and Fact (2007) Vol. 127, No 6.
• "The Bear Who Sang Opera", Analog Science Fiction and Fact (2009) Vol. 129, No. 7 & 8.
• "The Android Who Became a Human Who Became an Android", Analog Science Fiction and Fact (2010) Vol. 130, No. 7 & 8.