David Carpenter’s family came originally from Connecticut to settle in Ontario in the mid-19th century. He was born and raised in the Canadian west but has made frequent returns to the home of his ancestors. Besides living in Canada, he has lived in Eugene, Oregon and Peterborough, New Hampshire; and he began his writing career in Austin, Texas. His wife, the artist Honor Kever, was born in Idaho and raised in Louisville, Cleveland and several other American cities. The two make frequent visits to hike in Arizona, North Carolina, Texas and other states. For an American, David’s wife Honor is rather Canadian; and for a Canadian, David Carpenter seems somewhat American. They have lived in Saskatchewan for all of their married life.

Where they now live was a deliberate choice. The top half of Carpenter’s province is a wildlife paradise of forest, lakes, eskers and rocks. Carpenter does much of his writing in a small cabin on Little Bear Lake in northeastern Saskatchewan. His father loved the out-of-doors and made sure that his boys got a good taste of it, so for all of his life, Carpenter has been an ardent outdoorsman and environmentalist. He began flyfishing and hunting when he was a boy.

Carpenter has published one book of poems, three books of nonfiction, three collections of short fiction and four novels. His last four books have garnered six literary awards, four in Canada and two in the United States. His latest book, A Hunter’s Confession, is an account of hunting history and culture in North America, complete with many hunting stories from his own experiences with bears, wolves, cougars, moose, deer and wildfowl.