Carmen DeSousa

First of all, let me preface this post by saying I'm not complaining, and by no means do I expect anyone to feel sorry for me. Prior to publishing my first book, I'd written four novels and had two on the way. The reason, all I did was write. I'd just walked away from a fourteen-year career, both of my kids were still in school, and hubby worked a full-time, drive-to-work-five-days-a-week job. Money was tight without my income, so even if I wanted to do something, there wasn't much I could do. Fast forward six years, both of my sons are out of the house, the oldest just graduated from UCF, the youngest moved in with his cousins and plans to start UCF next fall, and hubby has a new position in his job that transported us to Pittsburgh, PA. I'm officially an empty-nester. I don't have to drive my sons to school, pick them up, drive them back to school for football practice or drama practice. I don't have to make big meals and clean up after ...

No matter what you do in life, a third of the people will love you, a third will hate you, and the rest will be indifferent. Get over it and Write On! Yes, I'm talking to myself. If you're listening, GREAT! It's good advice! Is it easy advice? Heck No! For some reason, even though that percentage is rather low on my books--the percentage of people who hate my books runs about 4.6%--it still hurts.  Note: I only averaged the 'firsts' in my books, the books I actively promote. Because if I go to the second, third, and fourth books in my series, those numbers drop drastically. Obviously, if readers don't like my first book, they don't go on to the rest of my books in a series, so those books receive little to zero one-star reviews. So...if the number of one-star reviews we receive is less than five percent--Thank God ALL of the 33 1/3% of the haters don't write reviews--why do we get so depressed when we receive a one-star review...

Thankfully, when I decided to start my career as a full-time author, I had a few things working for me. First, I'd spent years in sales and marketing, so I knew the importance of building a brand. Eighteen months before I published my first book, I'd already started all my social pages, connected with many like-minded authors, and of course, met other avid-readers who shared my love of reading.  Second, through my ventures, I also met a publisher, which certainly made it easy for me, since I had someone who knew all the ropes when it came to publishing. But, I still needed sales, and let's face it ... even though I met a lot of great people, that would only take my career so far. I needed to meet the masses.  So, I set out with a plan to meet the avid-reading community. That's not as easy as it sounds. Honestly, as I look back, I can tell you the number one way I met readers was through Amazon's Kindle Select program. By offering my firs...

In 1934, the body of a beautiful, but poor young woman was found alongside a riverbank near The Depot. Beaten to a pulp, only recognizable by a tattoo on her ankle, and yet, days after the discovery, the story all but disappears.  Eighty years later, locals claim The Depot is haunted. But in all the years homicide detective Mark Waters has visited the ancient train station turned restaurant, he's never seen proof. Until now.  As he sifts through evidence of a supposed suicide by train, he learns the murder that took place eighty years ago may directly affect his case.  Six months after the strange occurrences at The Depot, there's another murder. This time, The Library holds secrets of several murders, and the dead won't rest until the murderer checks out too. For more info or to download, visit: Amazon US Amazon Worldwide For you ghost hunters... While The Depot and The Library story is fictional, there is a ghost story. To learn more, visit ...

Three FREE eBooks? Why not? Think of it as me buying you a cup of coffee. So we can become better acquainted. If we enjoy each other's company, maybe you'll come back for more. And if you do, I assure you, I'll always keep my prices low--less than a latte seems fair--so you can afford to keep coming back and hanging out with me and my characters again and again. As always, thank you for your support! Carmen FREE Romantic Suspense! A tightly woven tale of love, possession, and secrets: When Jordan Monroe finds his wife unconscious, clinging to life, he must uncover the mystery of her past before it comes back to claim them both. Amazon  Add the Audio for $1.99! iTunes Barnes & Noble Kobo FREE Romantic Suspense with a Paranormal Edge! For four thousand years, creatus have concealed themselves from the humans who hunted them almost to extinction. Unwittingly, one creatus will endanger them all... Amazon iTunes Barnes & Noble Kobo ...

No wonder readers--people in general ... MEN--get confused. Marvelous deeds? Imaginary setting? Tales? Fantastic or supernatural events? Baseless? Made-up story? Full of exaggeration? Fanciful? Come on!!! That's not what romance is! I'd like to think that I'm living a romance because my husband does romantic things. When he surprises me with a mini-vacation, sends me cute little text messages, gives me sweet gifts, cleans the house before I get home, kisses me sweetly when I don't expect it... That's romantic, so doesn't it make sense that we're living in a romance story. Let's take a look at the words that define love: Profoundly tender Passionate affection Personal attachment Deep affection Sexual passion Desire So why do we define books as contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, romantic comedy, romantic mystery, and romantic thriller.  For the record, I wish th...