Jimmy Carter has been a Navy officer, peanut farmer, governor, president of the United States, founder of a nonprofit organization, Nobel Peace Prize winner and author of his own memoirs.

So what's the slacker been doing lately?

Seems Carter's resume isn't long enough. Now, he adds novelist to the list.

Carter has written an historical novel, titled The Hornet's Nest (Simon & Schuster, $27). No surprise, it takes place in the Deep South.

According to press material, the story centers on Ethan Pratt, a man who moves to Georgia in 1773 with his wife. He learns to deal with the new frontier with the help of neighbors Kindred Morris and his wife Mavis, as well as a young Indian he befriends. But as the Revolutionary War breaks out, Ethan and Kindred find themselves "in life-and-death combat against opposing forces."

From this summary, it sounds like Carter will be doing a little conflict-resolution in his story - surely a snap for a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

What may prove more challenging is selling the story as credible fiction. Lest anyone voice their doubts, Simon & Schuster offers a pre-emptive strike, likening the book to the classic The Last of the Mohicans.

To that, we say: The vote's not in yet.

Stay tuned. The book will be released in November.