His book, Up Country, is set in Milwaukee and northern Wisconsin and is a frequently read favorite by teens who feel an overwhelming need to escape their lives. Between a Rock and a Hard Place is a gritty outdoors novel. Love, Football, and Other Contact Sports is Carter's newest book, released in 2006 to great reviews for its accurate portrayal of high school life.

Mr. Carter lives in Marshfield, WI, with his wife, photographer Carol Carter, and their two children.