Carmen DeSousa

How do I keep myself and family from going insane during my up-and-down emotions, especially over a family get-together or major life events? How do I use my own personal strengths and weakness to my advantage? I write during and about them. I keep a running notepad on 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. A fter all, how do you write about a character's tragic death when you just spent a great day with friends and family over a holiday weekend. 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 tr...

Christine asked : We all had a super scary villain we were afraid of (Jason, Freddy, etc.)  Who was your super scary villain and describe how you would successfully escape from them. I answered: You know … without getting too dark, can I just say that those types of villains never scared me, but I’ve feared real monsters. My advice to deal with real monsters is to always speak up, never feel as though they have power over you, and then, kill them off in a book. *** Pretty much all of us had an English teacher who tried to convince us to journal. Those of us who loved to read usually jumped at this, envisioning that one day, we might be a writer too. Although our teachers had good intentions with journaling--teaching us to write--those teachers who insisted, not because the state mandated, knew the real reason why we should learn to write. Journaling wasn't just so we could write down stories that one day we'd publish. Teachers in the know told us to keep a jo...

For four thousand years, creatus have concealed themselves from the humans who hunted them almost to extinction.  Now, one rogue creatus faction wants the world to know they exist. This is just an excerpt. If you'd like to read the first three chapters of the first book in the series, you can read it  here .  I left out the names from this week's sample, so as not to have spoilers. Also, last week was a little intense, so I went with something lighter to remind you that the Creatus Series is paranormal romance. J He rubbed the back of his neck. “Woman, I’m trying to take over the world here. Or haven’t you noticed?” She laughed. It was hard to stay angry with him. “Is that all? Don’t all supervillains have a woman in their lair, their only weakness?” He pursed his lips, seemingly trying not to smile. “Some are smart enough to stick with cats.” “Meow.” He sighed and turned the SUV, then pushed the stereo back on, turning it up. She...

Okay, so if you’re a reader, you might not be laughing, but if you’re an author, I know you must understand this. Without a doubt, I can knock out a first draft of a 70k-word novel in two months. On any given ‘writing’ day, I can type two to three thousand words, and I work five days a week. No … that doesn’t mean my manuscript is ready to publish. Far from it! Editing takes another month. Then there’s the beta readers’ feedback, cover design, marketing decisions… Overall, though, most full-time authors can publish a novel every quarter, if they really want to, if they have an idea. Unless … and here’s the hard part. We have to actually be able to have those productive ‘writing’ days mentioned above. Sadly, I spend so much of my day ‘thinking’ about writing, that I don’t actually write. Yes, part of my day is spent chatting with readers—I love that—and then I do have to spend some time marketing my book. I also run a couple book blogs where I promote up to six book...

For four thousand years, creatus have concealed themselves from the humans who hunted them almost to extinction.  Now, one rogue creatus faction wants the world to know they exist. This is just a sample. If you'd like to read the first three chapters of the first book in the series, you can read it  here . As always, I left out the names, so there aren't any spoilers. Get ready ... the rogue creatus are on the move!   Though she could have overpowered him, she let the human man drag her down the street, but figured she should put up a small fight, so she’d find out what his real intentions were. “Hey, wait. I have a ride.” He looked back at her and grinned. Not the friendly smile he’d flashed earlier, but a pompous lifting of one cheek along with a nod of his head as if he knew she were lying. “You said you took the ‘T’.” Right. She had told him that. “I’m good. I don’t need a ride.” “The ‘T’ isn’t safe this time of night. I’ll driv...

Cure for Tragedy—Hope: the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. No Hope = No Happily Ever After This is what I feel ... this is what I write. Remember the phrase, “Life sucks and then you die.” What a horrible slogan that was, and yet, I saw it everywhere ... slapped onto bumpers, pressed onto t-shirts .  If I thought that way, I never would have made it through high school, but that’s another subject. The fact is...we all need hope. Whether it’s in a bottle--message, not alcohol--a book, a person, an idea, it doesn’t matter. We all need hope; it’s what helps us get through this life. Because let’s face it, sometimes life does suck. I do put my hope in God, but I too have been where my protagonists--in some cases--have been. I’ve felt hopeless and wondered if I could ever trust in a person again. But I did, and I’m glad I took the chance and held out for hope of a better tomorrow. So when and if you read my s...