What I read and write...

A reader and writer since I could hold a pen and paper, it was only natural I would eventually start writing for others, and of course, be a large advocate for independent writers.

My taste in reading includes everything from sweet and silly, to sensual and thrilling. The only thing I will not read is anything extremely graphic in nature, whether it is in the form of a physical attack or sexual in nature. I have a great imagination—that’s why I read— so I don’t need every detail spelled out for me.

And my writing is pretty much the same… There are few topics that I am not willing to take on as an author. Though it may be a tad misleading—especially to potential male readers—I write what I call modern-day fairytales. Think about itthose fairytales we read as a child were anything but mild. What we call a fairytale usually started off as an abused or tragedy-stricken child.

Well, I take that concept and what many people deal with in real, modern-day life and attempt to help my protagonist find a way out of their tragedies and find their happily-ever-after. Because let’s face it, isn’t that what we are all trying to do—find our happily-ever-after? 



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, and I'll even give you a free book, just for stopping by!




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.


13 comments:

  1. Thank you for all your comments, Amanda. I hope you enjoy. I will tell you this, though. You can definitely read 'When Noonday Ends' on its own, but...you will not enjoy the mystery in 'Land of the Noonday Sun' second, which you find out in the first chapter. 'She Belongs to Me' and 'Split Decisions' are the same way. Stand-alones, but you won't enjoy first, second. LOL! That's a little convoluted, I know. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you'll enjoy my stories as much as Maureen's, since we both write romantic suspense. 'The Depot' is free and it only takes one hour to read, and 'She Belongs to Me' is only .99 cents and it's a full 100k-word novel. Have a great evening. :)

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  2. Hello Ms. DeSousa, I just finshed reading "She Belongs to Me" and I have got to ask you, perhaps it is a silly question but wow, what have you got against tall women?

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    1. LOL! I swear I have nothing against tall women. In fact, my protagonists in 'Entangled Dreams' and 'When Noonday Ends' happen to be very tall. The conversation between Jordan and Jaynee about her being short was based on the first conversation I had with my husband. My husband is six foot and I am--no surprise--the 5'3 girl with a Portuguese heritage. I thought it was endearing how my country boy always held open doors and pulled out chairs and assisted me into his vehicle, so I wanted to share that with readers. He also asked me to marry him 13 days after our first date, we married less than 30 days later, and we've been married 24 years. Yes, I believe in 'love at first sight' too. You can decide for yourself what else is real in the story. Cheers! :)

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  3. Your story is very sweet!. Thank you for your reply. I do believe love can happen fast and unexpectedly. I too married quickly and though I have only been married 6 years, I feel that I have known my husband forever. My question was silly, so sorry about that :o(. As you can imagine, I am tall and am married to a man who has lovely gentlemanly qualities that made me fall head over 3 inch heels (no higher) in love with him! lol

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    1. LOL! Not silly, but I have to say it was the first time I heard that question. I'll have to go back and read what I wrote. It's been a couple of years.

      Funny story... My father was only 5'6. His first wife was almost 6', second--my mother--5'7, and his 3, 4, 5, and 6th were all taller. Yes, he married a lot! Thankfully, I only received his short genes. I got my staying power in marriage from my grandmother who raised me. And...I am tall inside (LOL) and my two best friends are really tall 5'10. See...I just don't like my 'shortness'. :)

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  4. I liked "She Belongs to Me", it was a sweet book to read and I liked the mystery part. The only issue that I had was the description part but it might be my own issue. I like when an author describes their characters in a somewhat clear way. When they leave something to the imagination because it helps me get into the book more and sort of picture myself as the female lead. For example, if you think about height, it is kind of relative. Instead of describing the exact height of a character, one can say that she has "long legs" or "curvy body" is "petite" etc, these terms means different things to diffieren people, short people can have long legs, petite can mean short or it can mean a thin woman, curvy can mean thin and shapely, average and shapley, fat and shapely...you get the idea, it helps your female readers feel part of the book. So that regarding character descriptions, especially those of the females, I think perhaps it is best not to give an exact description but to instead use vague terms that might seem clear to the reader but are in fact vague, this way, any reader can somehow picture herself as the female lead. xo

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    1. Good point! I think I do that with my non-detective leads...like Entangled Dreams. With my detective stories, the main character will usually describe with more detail, as they are accustomed to sizing people up. But...I will definitely remember that with my next book. Thank you for the feedback. I always love hearing readers' thoughts. As long as they are constructive, of course. LOL! I think some people forget there's a person behind the book, not a corporation. Have a wonderful weekend! :)

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  5. Hello! Love your site...and your article. Shared on social media.

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    1. Thank you so much, Linda. That was very sweet. :)

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  6. Hi Carmen, our book club at the Demopolis Public Library is reading your book The Library: Where Life Checks Out. We are meeting on Thursday, June 19 at 1 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. (central time) Would you be available for a phone or Skype interview? Thanks! Morgan

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    1. Hi, Morgan! Thank you. I'm honored that you would choose my book over the millions available. I'm sure my title helped a bit, though. I'm sending you a message on your Facebook page. If that doesn't work, you can find a 'contact me' tab on the lower right-hand sidebar of this site.

      Thank you again for the honor.

      Carmen

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  7. Hi Carmen, I just read your 'She belongs to me'. Great read. I myself have 3 books in the works. MY 1st manuscript is almost ready to send for editing. I have always wanted to write since I was in my 20's, but never had the chance to do so. Now I am retired @62 & I can do this. I live in New Port Richey & if you are still in Palm Harbor, then we are almost neighbors. If you could pass anything along to me that would benefit my writing, I would be grateful. Thank you for coming into my reading & writing world. Linda

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    1. Nice to meet you, Linda. And thank you for the lovely words. I'm so glad you enjoyed She Belongs to Me. I am always willing to offer any of my...errr...ummm...wisdom, as little as it might be, about writing, publishing, and marketing books.

      Here are the best ways to chat with me:

      First, if you look at the very top of this site, the tab 'Writing, Marketing, and Life', you might find some helpful topics. Every time someone asks me a question, if I haven't written about it, I usually will write a blog post about it.

      Next, if you look to the right...up just a few spaces on the sidebar, you'll see a contact me. That sends your message directly to my private email.

      And finally, at the very top of the page, you'll see social buttons for Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus... Rarely does a day pass that I'm not chatting about books in some way or another. LOL! Seriously, it's almost all I do.

      Thank you for stopping by. I look forward to chatting with you.

      :)

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