Carmen DeSousa

The Perfect Crime: A Story of Truth or Fantasy Events have accurately been recorded since the time of Alan’s death; they combine to reveal an intriguing story. Did he die naturally or was he helped in some way? Has a crime or two taken place? Some may think so. Maybe there is a conspiracy; if so how far it may extend is unclear. Nothing is quite as it should be. This unique book evolves from a simple account to a vast scandalous exposé, a true and topical account showing a fascinating view of human nature, society, and the establishment in the United Kingdom. Many questions are posed for the reader and evidence is laid bare as you take a journey of discovery. The story and writing style changes drastically as the twists and turns in the narrative expose themselves; ultimately it reaches a logical end, but that is not the end of the story. A sequel is already underway. Intrigued? Good! Download your copy now: Amazon US Amazon UK Or visit 5 Prince Pub for m...

BOGO means ‘Buy One Get One’, made famous by Payless Shoes, I believe. But as always, I like to live on the edge, so I’m going to take it one-step further, as well as reward my faithful readers. So I’m adding HOGO: 'Have One Get One' FREE. Split Decisions , the spin off to my romantic-suspense bestseller, She Belongs to Me , will be available in a couple of weeks. The only thing I want to know is what you liked about Book One. All you have to do is leave a comment in Raffle Copter and share via any of their options and you will be registered to win one of 25 copies of Split Decisions the day it releases. So, if you haven’t read She Belongs to Me , your BOGO is only .99 cents for a chance at a $3.99 eBook FREE  (That's a chance at two books for less than a buck) . You can read more and find a link to download your copy below. And my new term HOGO is for all my friends who already have a copy and want the next installment. Just skip to the Raffle Copter a...

 If you want to feel good about your day, ask a friend about hers. It may surprise you how good your life actually is. Remember that old task that if you put all your problems in a hat and passed them around the room, you'd probably want yours back. I believe this is true. As bad as things can get, it seems as though we are equipped to handle our own problems. Even though we feel the world is picking on us; if we look around, we can usually say, "Well, at least I'm not in her shoes." Face it, there are some pretty bad situations out there. A friend of mine has a daughter diagnosed with a form of cancer. When asked by others, “Why you?” She simply replies, “Why not me?” I've been through a lot in my life, but somehow it's worse when it's your child doing the suffering. I certainly hope I can be as strong as she is if anything happens in my life even remotely close to her ordeal. I don’t know that I could, but I take strength in the id...

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 read the full first chapter, click here .  Excerpt: “I’m serious.” She dipped below his lowered head so that she could see his face. “You promised not to ever do this again. How can you doubt for a second how much I love you? If you’re such a great detective, look into my eyes and see that I’m telling the truth.” He peered up then.  “I love you. I will always love you. I’m just a little depressed, but I don’t know why.” She paused, and then emphasized each word. “But-it’s-not-you. Please comprehend that and help me figure out what’s wrong.” His eyes widened at her appeal. He’d always wanted to take care of her, and she’d just made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. “Okay…just one question, and please be honest...

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. A fter 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, b...

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 liv...

Sometimes you want something so badly you are willing to abandon everything you've ever known--including yourself. 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 read the full first chapter, click here .  Excerpt: 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...

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 juveni...