Carmen DeSousa

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...

In the past three years, I've done what I never thought was possible. I've published fourteen books, and I've been so close to Nicholas Sparks on the bestseller list that I could shake his hand ... even  while the book I sat next to was in the theatres. I make enough money to eat and put a roof over my head. I absolutely LOVE playing on social media, chatting with my friends, meeting new ones. I now have a great team of editors and beta readers. My previous life I was in sales and marketing, so I know how to launch a book and make it a bestseller the day it releases... So, why would I want an agent? That question wasn't really rhetorical. It's a real question, because I do want an agent! Prior to publishing my first book, I spent every spare minute of my time writing or socializing on social media. See, I knew that even though I wasn't a published author, I needed to build my brand. I had my first cover designed before I even submitt...

I don't believe in Writer's Block! Why? Because it's no different than walking away from a jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes your brain just needs to reboot. As a teenager, my grandmother and I would spend hours working on the puzzles. Sometimes we'd sit too long, the tiny pieces blurring before our eyes. Then, we'd finally realize we needed to walk away. Get something to eat. Watch one of her soap operas. Funny thing is... The moment we sat back down, our eyes would immediately land on the elusive piece that would lead to more pieces. Writing is similar, as in, sometimes we need to step back. Do something else. My suggestions: Work on the book description. Write a character interview. Work on another book. Or my favorite, READ! I read two to three books a week, even when I'm writing. Not only does it provide an escape from everyday life, it gives my brain a chance to reboot. In no time, my characters will scream out to me to pay attention to t...

As always, I like to remind the folks who are reading this blog that first and foremost, I am a reader, then a writer. I read anywhere from one to three books a week, even when I'm writing. And considering the fact that I write only one to three books a year, I believe that means I have more clout as a reader than a writer. My opinion, of course. And ...  I do understand that not everyone likes what I like. But that's okay. I never forget that. My posts are just my opinions. Also, since I also market books for a living, usually sharing one to six books daily, I read a lot of reviews. So, with that disclosure, onto today's discussion about reading and/or writing. Today I want to talk about the unbelievable story and happily-ever-after comments in reviews. One of my least favorite comments in a review is that the story was unbelievable. I guess when a reader says that, I'd just like a little more clarification. What was unbelievable? The fact tha...

My idea of a cliffhanger... ;) Rarely will I comment on a review on Amazon or Goodreads, simply because authors are warned not to. However, every once and a while, if the reviewer's comment sounds lucid and respectful, I'll speak into their comment, just because I am selling a product, and I feel I should be willing to stand behind it, which I am! One such case was about cliffhangers. First of all, let me be the first to assure my avid-reading friends that I HATE cliffhangers! And I don't write them.  But, in one of my books, I decided to warn readers that because the book was a prequel, it does have a cliffhanger-like ending, but in my opinion, it really doesn't. I'll explain that in a few seconds. My beta readers suggested that I remove the disclosure, that after reading the story, I didn't need to apologize for the way the book ended, because it was a perfect ending. Well, I didn't listen. I kept the disclosure in the first part of the b...

I'm sure this has been done before, but when the idea hit me, I didn't even look to see what other authors' rules might be, since these are my rules, and I think they make sense. I'm reminded of some of these common courtesies every time I log on to Twitter and someone who hasn't even taken the time to follow me back sends me a direct message to buy their book. Or, if I haven't even met them, sends me an @ message demanding I check out their book . So ... here're a few rules of Write Club you might enjoy passing along. The first rule of Write Club is: You talk about Write Club: with your muse, with your beta readers, with everyone you meet if you're talking about the love of writing and reading.  The second rule of Write Club is: You do not talk about Write Club only to say: check out my book, buy my book, you just followed me on Twitter, so go read my book.  The third rule of Write Club: Someone yells stop, goes limp, taps out, th...