Carmen DeSousa

The Depot When Life and Death Cross Tracks A 13k-Word Mini-Mystery with a Paranormal Edge They say  The Depot  is haunted. But in all the years homicide detective Mark Waters has visited the old train station turned restaurant, he’s never seen proof.  Until now . As he investigates a supposed suicide by train, he learns secrets of a murder that took place eighty years ago may directly affect his case.  Prologue Edda should have known he’d deny her. Deny seeing her, deny being with her. Her friend had warned her, but she’d thought he was her chance to escape the life she’d been living. A chance to be someone. A chance at love. Ever since she’d moved out of her momma’s home, life had been difficult. She could barely even pay her way at the boarding house where she stayed. At nineteen, the only thing she had going for her was her looks and body, even though it’d been a challenge getting her size back down to fit the few clothes she owned. Wesley had

When a new attorney accepts a case of a woman accused of attempted homicide, he finds himself entwined in age-old secrets and a family who will stop at nothing to conceal them—even murder. If you’ve been following me, you’ll know it is tradition to share a first kiss from my novels. For reasons I won't disclose, our heroine is a little tipsy, but she still knows what she wants. If you haven’t and would prefer to read the full prologue first, along with the previous samples, click here . Excerpt : As he escorted Shelby onto the deck, he surveyed the night sky again. Only this time for its beauty, not to hide his sorrow. He loved being away from the city, even one as small as Ashville. The country was so dark that you could see every star. He returned his attention to the lovely woman in front of him, though. A wash of guilt spread over him for not protecting her. He should have seen that the woman had meant her harm. Shelby set her drink on the railing, wat

When I decided to write a second book in Nantahala, NC, I decided the first person I should tell is the star of the first book. If you haven’t read the first book, no worries, I’m not even going to call him by name. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to my favorite male protagonist, the kayak guide hottie—from Land of the Noonday Sun . Kayaker : Leaning back and narrowing those bright blue eyes below his dark brows, he asks, “So, why did you want to interview me, Carmen? You have male characters from all walks of life. Why me? Though, I think I have a sneaking suspicion why.” Carmen : “Well, I watched you grow up. I put you through one tragedy after another, gave you obstacles and weaknesses to overcome, and I thought you turned out wonderfully, with a few exceptions.” Kayaker : “Humph! That’s a nice way of putting it, but thank you for the friends and strength you provided along the way.” He leans forward and tilts his head. “What ex

Crisis of Identity Tess Copeland is an operator. Her motto? Necessity is the mother of a good a con. When Hurricane Irving slams into the Texas Gulf coast, Tess seizes the opportunity to escape her past by hijacking a dead woman’s life, but Shelby Coleman’s was the wrong identity to steal. And the cop that trails her? He’s a U.S. Marshall with the Fugitive Task Force for the northern district of Illinois. Tess left Chicago because the criminal justice system gave her no choice. Now she’s on the run from ghosts of misdeeds past—both hers and Shelby’s. Enter Trevor Smith, a pseudo-cowboy from Houston, Texas, with good looks, a quick tongue, and testosterone poisoning. Will Tess succumb to his questionable charms and become his damsel in distress? She doesn’t have to faint at his feet—she’s capable of handling just about anything. But will she choose to let Trevor be the man? When Tess kidnaps her niece, her life changes. She must make some hard decisions. Does she trust the

Okay, I know … another blog where I reveal I'm just a tad crazy, but then again, all artists have to be a little nuts to dream up the things we create. The funny thing is I’d been thinking about this yesterday, and this morning a Twitter friend sent me this great image. When I write, I fall in love. Not just with the male protagonist, all of my characters. Don’t go looking for that straitjacket yet. The difference is I know they are not real, but sometimes I wonder if my heart does. Yesterday, I had to do the obligatory running around: grocery shopping, gym, errands. You know, the stuff we put off until the last minute and then rush around to finish it. Anyway, while I was out, I couldn’t stop thinking about my current work in progress. To the point I actually felt the butterflies of anticipation in my stomach. You remember those. Hey, I’ve been married twenty-three years, but I still remember the anticipation of our first kiss. The ache to see my love every min

When a new attorney accepts a case of a woman accused of attempted homicide, he finds himself entwined in age-old secrets and a family who will stop at nothing to conceal them—even murder. Over the last few weeks, I shared peeks into my male and female protagonists’ psyche, giving you a glimpse at who they are. One of the other things I love is to share the outdoors. Here is just a snippet of nature and a sprinkling of the romance to come. If you haven’t and would prefer to read the full prologue first, click here . Excerpt : Tom walked out onto the deck adjacent the room and leaned against the railing. He stared out over Lake Nantahala. It was so peaceful this time of night, even the cicadas hadn’t emerged too early this year, filling the evening with their vociferous symphony. Instead, a few crickets and frogs provided a soft soundtrack almost lulling him asleep.  The sun had already made its descent behind the trees, but the sky still had remnants of pinks

LOVE ~ BETRAYAL ~ OBSESSION Can you deal with reality? Are you ready to go to the precipice? If so, you're ready for She Belongs to Me According to readers,  She Belongs to Me  is a sensual and gripping read that will have you falling in love and wondering who you can trust right up to the last page. Download Now: Amazon Amazon UK And the book romance doesn’t stop there… When you finish, I have three more romantic-suspense novels! Land of the Noonday Sun Entangled Dreams When Noonday Ends I characterize my stories as modern-day fairytales, as they overflow with romance, mystery, suspense, and of course, tragedy. After all, what would a fairytale be without a tragic event setting the stage? All of my novels are sensual, but not erotic, gripping but not graphic and will make you love, laugh, cry, gasp, and hope.   I love talking about all things books, so please connect with me via one of the links below: Twitter

Personally, I love prologues. They get you right into the action whether it was in the past or something exciting that is to come. But that’s exactly why most agents’ blogs I’ve read say not to use them. Paraphrasing…“If you need a prologue, then your story must not be strong enough…” Hmm … well, I like them, and I use them. But I’m curious what readers think, and I’d love you to weigh in. AND, if you have some great examples, please leave the title in the comment section. Now … here’s what I’ve noticed. Plenty of bestselling books have used them, even though they aren’t always called prologues . Same diff in my opinion. My biggest example is ‘Twilight’. If that little blurb wasn’t in the beginning, I don’t think I would have made it through the first chapter. How about movies? I don’t watch a lot. But I’ve started to notice how many have “prologues”. I also don’t have cable, but I have NetFlix, and hubby has just started watching ‘Breaking Bad’. Okay … I