Volatility next exit. Using your Emotional Rollercoaster to your Advantage. #AmWriting #Blog

How do I keep myself and family from going insane during my up-and-down emotions, especially over holiday weekends?

How do I use my own personal strengths and weakness to my advantage?

I write during and about them. I keep a running notepad in my iPhone of my thoughts and feelings throughout normal events, such as eating out, grocery shopping, vacations, holidays with family, and children’s events. Anything that will make my characters more believable. But I also go one step further.

After all, how do you write about a loved-one's death when you just spent a great day celebrating your child's graduation. Sometimes I can. Occasionally, when all is perfect, the writing flows effortlessly, but other times it doesn't. So, if I am experiencing a particularly strong emotion, I'll seek out a scene that requires that sentiment, reread, and almost always edit accordingly.

When I am feeling down, I seek out a troublesome period in my protagonist’s life, be it past or present. My depression works toward my advantage because the words on the page reflect my inner turmoil. The reader will feel the character’s pain and be able to empathize. And a plus, after pouring out my frustrations--as though I've spoken to a good friend, who only listens--I usually feel better when the section is finished.

When I am happy, my joy spreads like wildfire, and so the reader will sense my excitement and therefore feel the happiness my characters are experiencing.

Romantic...

Well, you get the idea. The reader should feel as though they are a part of the scene, as if they are either the main character or at minimum, a close friend.

Isn’t that what a great novel should accomplish? The reader should feel chills spread down their arms and butterflies in their stomach at the idea of a first kiss, their pulse should race as if they are prey in a game of cat and mouse, and when appropriate, they should even shed a tear.

So if you're like me and fret when all the family is around, don't get upset. Sneak away and jot down what your mother did to upset you. Use it! :) 

And if you need an escape, download my sensual and gripping romantic-suspense bestseller, She Belongs to Me, while it's only .99 cents. That way you can sneak away into another world.

For full description or to download, visit:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

iTunes

Until next time, happy reading!

Carmen DeSousa

I love talking about all things books, so please connect with me via one of the links below.

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Image credit: lightwise / 123RF Stock Photo

You won’t find any weak shells of men. They may need guidance, but they don’t need tamed.

My main male character in my first novel, Jordan, has taken a lot of flak. As has my second novel’s protagonist, Chad, and my third book’s leading man, Cameron, as will my fourth hero, Tom Turner, probably as well. And yet, 96% of the readers still love them.

Why?

Because I don’t write the typical male lead. You won’t find any weak shells of men here. My male protagonists may need guidance, but they don’t need tamed.

The common theme in many romantic-suspense novels is “the ‘bad boy’ whom the woman needs to tame”. Well, I won’t claim that my leading men are ‘good boys’, but I refuse to tame them.

Don’t get me wrong; they still change. Because they want to be better. Because the prospect of finding true love compels them. They are tough guys with imperfect pasts who are willing to do anything to be the men my female protagonists need. In every situation, they are willing to give up everything, even their own lives, to save the women they no longer can live without.

Some say controlling.

Again, I don’t see that. All my characters are products of the lives they’ve lived, the careers they work, and the experiences they’ve lived through. I think that in order to make a character believable, you have to be able to slip into their soul, which requires a lot of research.

When my main character is a police detective, you can be certain he’ll act like one. Often that means he’s accustomed to taking charge of a situation.

If he’s been through medical school, he’ll talk like it and be able to perform procedures.

If he’s an attorney, he’ll know the law and the repercussions of breaking it.

Rest assured, though, my women don’t roll over and play dead either. But…don’t be surprised if they are content to have a man willing to be a man. So there you have it. If you want a man who’s not afraid of taking the lead, you’re ready to read my romantic-suspense novels. I hope you like them.

To start you off, my first romantic-suspense bestseller with over a hundred reviews in the US and UK averaging 4.3 stars is only .99 cents. From there, all my novels are ‘less than a latte’, so you can afford to download and READ UP!

She Belongs to Me

.99 cents at Amazon B&N iTunes

Land of the Noonday Sun

$3.99 at Amazon B&N iTunes

Entangled Dreams

$3.99 at Amazon B&N iTunes

When Noonday Ends

$3.99 at Amazon B&N iTunes

Split Decisions

Coming Soon

Until next time, happy reading, friends!

Carmen

I love talking about all things books, so please connect with me via one of the links below.

Twitter

Facebook

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Image credit: animagistr / 123RF Stock Photo

"I wake up feeling dismal and empty." Sneak Peek at SPLIT DECISIONS ~ New Release Coming Soon!

This is an excerpt for a follow up novel to the romantic-suspense bestseller, She Belongs to Me. Though there aren’t really any spoilers, you can bypass this sample and read more about the first book here.

If you missed the first excerpts and want to catch up, click here first. There’s a link that will bring you right back. For the next few weeks, you are going to get longer samples, as I want to get you through the first chapter by the time it publishes. So, make sure you catch up because the next few weeks are going to be a roller coaster of emotions to prepare you for the ‘shocker’ at the end of the first chapter.

Excerpt:

Jaynee ordered pizza, and they picked it up on the way home after a day of hiking. It was too far to leave once they returned to the house. They lived in Stanfield, North Carolina a small town forty-five minutes southeast of Charlotte.

After dinner, Jordan collapsed on the couch, turning on a political analyst he’d recorded. Jaynee sauntered over to the sofa, allowing him to pull her down as he stretched the full length of one side of their sectional. She tucked her head under his chin, hungry to feel the warmth and comfort of his arms. “I don’t want to watch TV.”

He twirled her hair around his fingers. “What would you like to do?”

“Well, I’d like to go to bed, but we have to discuss Johanna.”

“Can’t we go to bed then talk afterward,” he said in his seductive southern drawl.

She couldn’t resist the giggle that escaped. “Somehow I don’t think that will work.” Jordan wasn’t good about staying focused when his mind was on other things.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Let’s go.” Flicking off the TV, he sat her upright. He stood up then extended his hand. As long as they’d been together, it still sent a flutter through her when he offered his hand and led her upstairs. After kissing the kids goodnight and listening to their prayers, they readied for bed at their individual sinks.

Jordan caught Jaynee as she rounded the corner, folding her into his arms. He kissed her on the lips, then pulled back to look at her face. “Before we talk about Johanna, tell me what’s going on with you.”

“What do you mean?”

He huffed lightly, shaking his head. “You’re sad, I can feel it. I just want to know why.”

“I’m not sad.” How did he do that?

“Well, maybe you’re not sad, but you’re not happy.”

Shrugging out from under his arms, she crawled up on the bed and scooted to the headboard. Anytime they had large discussions, this was their MO. Jordan’s eyes were guarded as he pulled in beside her. He held his back ramrod straight, ready for impact.

Everything else took a back burner at his distressed expression. “Jordan, what’s wrong?”

Clinching his jaw, he ran his hand through his hair. “I haven’t seen you like this. Just talk to me, okay?”

Jaynee inhaled a deep breath, not sure how to begin. He was apparently thinking something awful, as if she wanted to leave him. It made her want to make him admit it, but she decided not to upset him more. How should she start? Not with the, you-know-I-love-you speech, that wouldn’t go over well. He would read too much into it. She had to structure her words perfectly.

“Jaynee,” he implored. “I was a detective, remember?”

How could she forget? He’d been shot at, at least three times that she knew of. Thank goodness he’d finally quit. But, once a cop, always a cop.

“Jordan, I swear nothing is wrong.” She bit her bottom lip, not certain how much she should reveal. “I guess you’re right, though; I am melancholy. I wake up feeling dismal and empty.” The last word came out in a whisper; she hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself either. “But not when I’m with you. Only when I’m alone.”

“But you were like that this morning?”

She gulped and gazed down at her lap. “Yes.”

He nudged her chin up. “And I was here.”

“It’s not you; I love you. I swear it’s not you.”

He nodded, but she could see he wouldn’t accept it. Jaynee scooted up on her knees in front of him. The last thing she needed was for him to doubt their relationship. Taking his head between her hands, she stared into his eyes. His gaze dropped, unwilling to maintain eye contact. He was so tough, and yet he could be so breakable. She would never let happen what had happened almost thirteen years ago. His lack of confidence had almost destroyed them. He’d actually told her to leave if that was what she’d wanted. It wasn’t what she wanted, not then, not ever.

Split Decisions will be available this spring! So if you haven’t read She Belongs to Me, read on.

According to readers, the first novel, She Belongs to Me, is a sensual and gripping read that will have you falling in love and wondering if you can trust anyone right up to the last page, and for a limited time, you can download for only .99 cents!

For more information or to download, follow your favorite link:

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

Until next time, happy reading!

Carmen DeSousa

I love talking about all things books, so please connect with me via one of the links below.

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Do you REVIEW? Doesn't have to be long. Readers-and authors-just want to know if you liked.

As an author, I know I can't please everyone. I've given up on thinking that I can a long time ago. What I now concentrate on are the good things. Don't get me wrong, I love critical reviews, as long as the reviewer writes to inform and assist, not attack an author.

I've taken to heart my critical reviews and make certain I don't make the same mistakes twice. I don’t use an editor, so sometimes things get overlooked. Heck, errors slip by in New York Times Bestsellers. Don’t believe me... Look at your copy of Twilight—I know you have a copy…LOL!—there’s a mistake in the first chapter.

"The room was familiar; it had been belonged to me since I was born."

This was an easy slip; she’d obviously been tossing between, “it had belonged to me” or “it had been mine”. BUT…it didn’t affect my review. I liked the story. Though juvenile in some respects, it was original and romantic. But, I also didn’t discount the book because I thought it was juvenile; after all, it’s a young adult, so that wouldn’t be fair. And yet, I see reviewers do that. 

What really gets me are the attacks against the characters. If a reader doesn’t like a book, that is fine. It is their opinion, and they have every right to review as they wish. BUT…giving away spoilers and criticizing the writer because of the characters doesn’t seem right to me. I was reading reviews of Safe Harbor by Nicholas Sparks the other day, and some of the vicious comments appalled me. One reader claimed that the villain wasn’t scary, basically criticized the heroine for escaping an abusive marriage. Then she went on to say she reads Sparks’ books when she needs a good laugh. Really? Does she have nothing better to do with her life? Why would you continue to read an author you don't like?

Now, can I finish this post by saying thank you to the readers who write honest and heartfelt reviews? I don’t just mean the five-star reviews. I’m talking about any reader who takes the time to write an honest review without attacking and/or writing spoilers.

And if you loved a book, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take the time to review. Sadly, people are quick to attack, but not as hurried to commend. I get emails, blog comments, Twitter, and Facebook replies all the time about how much a reader loved my book, but they don’t write a review.

Please don’t be afraid because you don’t like to write. Readers—and authors—just want to know you liked or didn’t like. We don’t need a long synopsis. Just a sentence or two is wonderful in my opinion. :)

And lastly, if you as the reader/author love a review, please make certain you thank the reviewer for taking the time, by clicking ‘Yes’ if the review was helpful.

Thank you, readers, for taking the time!

Until next time, happy reading, friends!

Carmen

If you would like to read a little more about what I write, follow the links below. My stories are available in print and eBook formats at your favorite retailer. You can download my mini-mysteries with a paranormal edge absolutely FREE or start with my romantic-suspense bestseller She Belongs to Me for only .99 cents. From there, all my stories are priced 'less than a latte', so READ UP and enjoy!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iTunes

Amazon UK

I love talking about all things books, so please connect with me via one of the links below.

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

#NewRelease: RECLAIM MY HEART by bestselling author @DonnaFaz #ContemporaryRomance #Drama

Sixteen years ago, Tyne Whitlock cut all ties to her past and left town under the shameful shadow of a teenage pregnancy. Now her fifteen-year-old son is in trouble with the law and she is desperate for help. But reaching out to high-powered attorney Lucas Silver Hawk will tear open the heart-wrenching past in ways Tyne never imagined.

Forced to return to the Delaware Indian community where Lucas was raised, Tyne and Lucas are tempted by the heated passion that consumed them as teens. Tyne rediscovers all the reasons she found this man irresistible, but there are scandalous secrets waiting to be revealed, disgraceful choices made in the past that cannot be denied. Love is a powerful force that could heal them both—if the truth doesn't rip them apart.

Donna Fasano is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, and a Golden Heart finalist. Her books have sold over 3.6 million copies worldwide and have been published in nearly two dozen languages. In her newest story, “You'll love the twists and turns in this fabulous romance by the queen of romances.”

Download Reclaim My Heart:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Thanks for stopping by, please visit my bio for more information about what I write and what I like to read and share. 

Until next time, happy reading!

Carmen DeSousa

Write what you know, even if some readers don't believe you. #AmWriting #MyWana #Blog

 

A writer once told me that all first-time authors write their autobiography, even if tagged fiction. While I don’t believe that’s completely true, after all, some first-time authors write about vampires and shape shifters, I do think there’s a modicum of truth to that statement. In other words, even if an author writes a work of fiction, there are usually many elements of the story that are factual, and I’d venture to guess that at minimum, a new author will probably pattern characters after people they know.

When my professor suggested to “Write what you know.” —a quote often attributed to Mark Twain, but some say it is much older—I wasn’t certain if I really wanted to do it. After all, who would believe me?

Here are a few subjects I know:

Child abuse

Sexual abuse

Drug abuse

Alcohol abuse

Abandonment

Rape

Suicide

Depression

Belief in God

The power to over come

Love at first sight

Stalkers

Crime

Tragedies

Police

A new family

Happily ever after

Hey, I'm married to a cop; I've seen a lot. The problem is…does anyone want to read that? Well, I guess that depends. If you put it into a story, add a little as Hollywood refers to it: Based on a true story, but dramatic elements have been added for the sake of artistic expression. Then, yeah, some people will believe because more than likely they can identify with a character and/or a situation. And while they can enjoy an escape into a fictional story, they may take something from it.

The funny thing is most of the stories throughout history are based on a couple of key elements. Though they may not all be in the same story, ‘love at first sight’, ‘family tragedy’, or ‘a vicious crime’ are often the basis of a work of literary fiction. Fairy tales did it, suspense-thrillers do it, it’s a great start.

So if you don’t believe one or more elements of a story, does that make it a bad story? You may not believe in ‘love at first sight’, but readers love it. In fact, even movies that aren’t tagged as ‘love at first site’, usually have a hero and heroine thrust into an incredibly unbelievable situation, and they are all of the sudden willing to die for each other. Of course, there are many classics, Romeo and Juliet, ‘all the fairy tales’, even the The Godfather.

Well, as I mentioned in the above list, these are all the things I write about. Why? Because it’s what I know.

So, let me share one tidbit of information with the unbelievers of the world: I called my grandmother after my first date with my husband and told her I’d just met the man I was going to marry. Thirteen days later, he asked me to marry him. Thirty days later, we married, and we’ve been married twenty-three years.

Yes, I believe in 'love at first sight', yes, I write modern-day fairy tales filled with tragedy, mystery, suspense, hope, and above all, romance, because I’m living one. I’ll leave the rest of ‘what I know’ to your imagination.

If you would like to read a little more about what I write, follow the links below. My stories are available in print and eBook formats at your favorite retailer. You can download my mini-mysteries with a paranormal edge absolutely FREE or start with my romantic-suspense bestseller She Belongs to Me for only .99 cents. From there, all my stories are priced 'less than a latte', so READ UP and enjoy!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iTunes

Amazon UK

Until next time, happy reading, friends!

Carmen

I love talking about all things books, so please connect with me via one of the links below.

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Meet Zack, not your everyday hero, he's more. JADED by @MJKaneBooks #ContemporaryRomance

In-between writing projects, M.J. Kane decided to revisit one of her favorite male characters, Zachariah Givens. She tells us that no matter how much you think you know your characters, they still find a way to surprise you. Let's eavesdrop on their conversation, shall we? :) 

Character Interview with Zack and M.J.

“Hi, Zack, long time no see.  Pull up a chair. How are you?”

Zack sits down on the sofa next to me and pulls his ankle up onto his knee. “I’m hanging in there.  How about you?”

“Busy! But this is about you. First of all, I have to say you were a pleasure and a challenge to write.”

“A challenge?” He laughs and shakes his head. “Why?”

“Because you are not the typical romance hero. You’re not an overly Alpha Male and you don’t run around boasting about your conquests. You also don’t go running after the girl. You’ve got some complicated issues that make you very interesting, though.”

“I’m not sure how to take that…”

“No offense intended, believe me. Personally, I think it’s refreshing to meet a man who’s got challenges in his life. Whenever your passionate side takes over, that quiet control that you have, it’s the most attractive thing about you. You’re more than just eye candy. And what woman doesn’t love a man who’s more than just good looking?”

Zachariah chuckles and his cheeks boast a faint pink. “Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome. I’ve talked to readers who have read your story and they say one of the things they appreciate about you most is your relationship with your mother. A woman likes to think that if you care about your mother, you will care about her.”

Zachariah smiles. “I don’t know where I’d be without her, especially after losing my dad. My mother sacrificed a lot for me to become the man I am today. I will be grateful for that forever.”

“I have to give it to Ms. Belinda, she taught you well when it comes to how to treat a woman.”

“Respect, honor, cherish, and appreciate,” he recites while ticking off his fingers. “Things a lot of men in my generation tend to forget. I guess that makes me old school, huh?”

“Believe me, no matter what we say or how independent we get, we appreciate it.”

Zachariah tilts his head, questioningly. “So being a hopeless romantic isn’t sappy to you?”

I shake my head. “No, not when it’s coming from the right man.”

He tilts his head back and laughs. “If only it were easy to find the right woman. You know I once thought I’d found her…that perfect woman. It’s funny how life’s challenges can bring out the true character of someone. And the strange thing is, even though I knew how she was, to a degree, I never thought she’d hurt me the way she did.”

I watch as his eyes drift down to his hands, a look of hurt flashing over his face before he slips back to his calm demeanor. “Zack, do you think it’s possible for a man to be so hurt by a woman that he refuses to fall in love again?”

He huffs. “And become jaded…yeah, it’s possible. My story is proof. ”

“So when you met Yasmine, what were your first thoughts?”

He doesn’t hesitate to respond. “Beautiful…conceited…complicated…hot as hell….not worth the time, and out of my league.”

“And yet you were still attracted to her.”

“Like a magnet. It’s hard to explain.”

“But instead of trying to date her, you became her friend?”

A small smile spreads, lighting up his hazel eyes as if he has a secret. “Yeah, I did. Yasmine is a good person. It’s a shame nobody sees it.”

“Do you ever regret becoming her friend?”

His smile fades. “That’s hard to answer because Yasmine is so complicated, MJ.” He stares up at me. “Why do women keep secrets? I can’t help but feel she’s hiding something from me, but I don’t know what it is. Honesty is all I want in a relationship, but it seems I’m asking for too much. Do you keep secrets?

My stare is blank. “Am I supposed to answer that?”

Zachariah smirks and lifts an eyebrow, waiting for my reply.

“I’m a woman, Zack, as you said, we all keep secrets. Would Yasmine’s secret make you change the way you feel about her?”

He hesitates. “I guess we’ll have to find out…”

I have read both of M.J. Kane’s wonderful contemporary romances, and let me tell you, she has a great way of interspersing a fiction story with the perfect amount of reality that you get caught up with the characters as if you know them. The Butterfly Memoirs are about overcoming challenges, trusting in love and friendship, and having the confidence that even if you’re different, you deserve your ‘happily ever after’.

You will meet Zack—our guest from the interview—at the end of Book One of The Butterfly Memoirs and he is the lead character in Book Two. You can learn more about the series by clicking the links below.

Book One – A Heart Not Easily Broken

Book Two – Jaded

Thanks for stopping by, please visit my bio for more information about what I write and what I like to read and share. 

Until next time, happy reading!

Carmen DeSousa