Author Archives: Carmen Desousa

About Carmen Desousa

Most of Carmen's novels share her favorite hobbies, mostly, anything to do with the great outdoors. She's hiked, kayaked, and dined across the US, so she could bring her stories to life. Other than locations you can feel, Carmen concentrates on the human factor. Her protagonists face real issues — and antagonists. She attempts to help her characters find a way out of their situations and find their happily ever after. Because, let's face it, isn't that what everyone wants … to find their happily ever after? Visit Carmen's website to learn more about what she writes:

🎁 Free Books are like Big Macs! Find out how they compare. #ChristmasInJuly #FreeBook @Author_Carmen

Posted on by — 3 Comments ↓

As I wrote that line, not only was I reminded of Joe Fox’s comment in You’ve Got Mail about vats of olive oil, but I also realized — and this is fitting to the post — not everyone likes Big Macs. Me, eh … not really, I’d rather have a black-bean burger. But I LOVE McDonald’s french fries and coffee. I digress … 

The M in McDonald’s is probably the most commonly known trademark throughout the world, and yet, McDonald’s advertises…

EVERYWHERE! Radio, TV, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, your mailbox… 

Yes, even though there’s a good chance that you’ll go to McDonald’s in the near future — umm … for coffee — they still pay millions of dollars to bring you into their lair. And one of their most popular draws is the freebie or discount, often called a “loss leader.”

Yes, that lure of a free or bargain sandwich is what gets you in the door. Sure, you could just order the Big Mac, but oh, those fries smell so good, and then you’ll want a nice refreshing soda — Diet Coke, of course — to wash it all down. Yep! They gotcha! They know if you come in for the free sandwich, more than likely, you’ll go away with more, and there’s a good chance, you’ll bring a friend or two.

Well, that’s what a free or $0.99 eBook is like. Like the Big Mac, authors offer you a bestseller at FREE or $0.99, hoping you’ll order a follow-up novel, and maybe even a third. 

I’m not particularly fond of cliffhangers… I always like to end the current situation, and then dangle another situation in front of the reader. But even a cliffhanger is like a Big Mac. Sure, you could just have water, but authors hope that once you finish the book, your mouth is watering for something more. Water … love it. But some things, like burgers and pizza, just taste better with Coke. Wasn’t that a campaign, too? 

I always offer a snack. It just seems like a nice way for us to meet. If your mouth doesn’t water for another course, that’s okay. I just hope you enjoy a little escapism on me.

In celebration of Christmas in July, I’m giving away Chicago Hope, a single women’s fiction with a hint of romance, on Amazon.com! Want more? I always offer a few treats on my website, www.CarmenDeSousaBooks.com/Free

Until next time, happy reading, friends!

Carmen DeSousa

Thank you for reading my musings. Remember these are just my opinions and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section, and I promise you I will answer.

Writing Short Stories by @Author_Carmen DeSousa

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

I’m a fan of Wikipedia for general research for my books and short stories, not quotable text. It’s a great place to start, as it usually has a great compilation of information from other sources. Often, when I Google a question, Wikipedia is the first page to pop up. So I tend to begin my search on the most “clicked on” page, and then I dig deeper based on my findings. In the case of my mysteries, especially where the cause of death and ways to die are an essential part of the story, I seek out scientific journals and experts in that specific field. There, that’s my disclosure. On to my blog post. 🙂

Writing Short Stories

Recently, I had a quick question on the popularity of short stories. I agreed with Wikipedia until I read … “Sometimes, authors who do not have the time or money to write a novella or novel decide to write short stories instead…” — Wikipedia

Say, WHAT???

Umm … wrong! How on earth does a short story cost less? Most authors spend the same dollar amount on their cover, and it doesn’t cost anything to upload it to Amazon. Time … maybe … but even that seems silly, as authors who write short stories, usually write many of them. I think authors write short stories because they enjoy writing short stories, especially in between large projects or while waiting for their editor or publisher to finish reading their current project.

“Short stories date back to oral storytelling traditions which originally produced epics such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey circa 7thor 8thcentury” — Wikipedia, again (I didn’t see the need to research further.)

The Power of the Short Story

Charles Dickens and Washington Irving — who were famous for novels and biographies — wrote short stories and, of course, Edgar Allan Poe argued that a literary work should be short enough for a reader to finish in one sitting. And yet, when I went looking for advertising, I found it almost impossible to find a website that was willing to promote my short stories … even if I were willing to pay the same amount as I would to advertise a full novel. I also noticed many publishers refuse to publish short stories, which as far as money goes, I can understand that. They would have to shell out money for a cover for little return.

And now for the craziest thought, considering what Wikipedia said about money. I wrote my short stories, knowing I was going to give them away. Yep. I wrote my first short, The Pit Stop (This Stop Could be Life or Death), as an exercise in “pantsing” versus “plotting” and to have fun with my readers, which a lot of them happened to be authors. I wrote five hundred words a week on my website, and then asked readers where we should go next. When I finished, I informed them I’d publish it and pay tribute to my top contributors.

But then something happened! My lovely readers demanded more — I love it when that happens. Per readers’ requests, I wrote The Depot (When Life and Death Cross Tracks). And then, based on those two short stories — again per readers’ demands — I wrote a follow-up novel, The Library (Where Life Checks Out).

And with no awesome book advertising, but because of word of mouth from some great readers, The Pit Stop and The Depot hit #1 in Mystery Short Stories and spent plenty of time in the top 100 in the last few years. When I received my rights back from my publisher, I had to re-upload them. Again they the hit #1 and #2 spots! The Pit Stop is still available as a free download, but I decided to include The Depot with it AND its follow-up novel, The Library, so readers wouldn’t happenstance on The Library and miss the set up.

My Thoughts on Short Stories

An average movie is one and a half to two hours long, and yet, it can still convey a full life — from birth to death — of a character. We can solve a ten-year-old murder mystery, or view a first date as it matures into marriage and kids. So why wouldn’t I like a quick escape when I’m sitting at the DMV, waiting in the doctor’s office, or a hundred other places where we waste hours of our time? The answer is: I do like that. In fact, I love it! I’ve read many short stories on car trips across the state, flights, and waiting while my car gets serviced.

Short stories are a great way to meet an author without a long-term commitment or a nice release when you need just a little escape before going to bed, since there’s no risk of staying up too late to finish the story, as most short stories take less than an hour to read.

Well, that’s it. Just my thoughts on why I write and read short stories. And so you know, I would never think to compare myself to the “greats” I mentioned above; they were just my point that short stories can be great and are an art. I have a long way to go, but my short stories do have hundreds of reviews averaging four-plus stars. So if you want to try one on for size, you can download The Pit Stop (This Stop Could be Life or Death) and The Depot (When Life and Death Cross Tracks) absolutely FREE from your favorite retailer. I hope you enjoy the quick escape from reality!

American Haunts by Carmen DeSousa

Kindle ● Series ● Play ● iBooks ● Nook ● Kobo ● Audible

Thank you for reading my musings. Remember, these are just my opinions and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I promise you, I will answer. If you’re curious about what I write, please visit one of my author pages. I offer lots of information about my novels and short stories. And hey, I’ll even give you a couple free full-length novels just for stopping by.

Website ● Amazon Author Page ● BookBub Alerts

As always, happy reading, friends,

Carmen DeSousa

 

I had to stop writing when I broke down over a character dying, and I’m the psycho who killed him. — @Author_Carmen DeSousa #Writing #Reading

Posted on by — 7 Comments ↓

When I begin writing a new novel, I generally have no idea where I’m going. My typical start of a story is usually the main character—whether it’s the male protagonist or the female protagonist—and whatever issue they are facing.

From there, I just ask myself questions:

  • Why are they having this problem?
  • Who or what is directly influencing this issue?
  • How will they solve this affliction, ailment, or get rid of the antagonist?
  • And lastly, who will help them through it?

The great thing is, just like the reader, I never know exactly what my characters will do. Sure, I know I want a happily ever after, but I also know that not every character will get a happily ever after when I’m finished writing. And the detours they make along the way sometimes even surprise me. Why? Because I allow my story to progress naturally.

I typically write two thousand words a day, and then every night I read the last few chapters to make sure the story flows, marking any areas that need addressing, and then go to sleep, allowing the characters to come alive in my dreams. And ohhh how they do. It’s not unusual for hubby to see me typing on my iPhone’s notepad in the middle of the night. Often it’ll just be a great line or a missing link I was in search of.

When I finally finish writing the novel, I take an entire day and read from beginning to end, making sure the story flows and that there are no holes or contradictions.

Writing is easy, right?   

I’ve read this story almost thirty times at this juncture. How can it surprise me, how can it make me cry? And yet, here I am, sitting on the sofa, my afghan curled around me, and I’m bawling over something that happened. Hubby, who has been sitting quietly by his computer—because he knows it’s read-through day—whips his chair around to face me and asks, “Are you okay?”

I swipe away my tears and answer, “Yes, I just can’t believe that happened.”

“Wait. I thought you were reading your book?” he asks.

“I am,” I answer. “But it still makes me cry.”

He shakes his head and goes back to typing his nonfiction.

One of my favorite quotes is by Robert Frost: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”

Well, I’m always surprised, and I always cry when something happens to my characters.

If you enjoy stories that blend happy and sad, romantic and suspenseful, click the link for your favorite retailer below and grab one of my free books. If you’ve read all my books, make sure you pre-order my new release, Erik’s Revelation, at the $0.99 introductory price, so you’ll know why I was crying!

Erik's Revelation

Until next time, happy reading!

Carmen DeSousa

Learn more about Carmen on her website: www.CarmenDeSousaBooks.com.

Or visit one of her author pages to grab one of her bestsellers!

Kindle ● Play ● iBooks ● Nook ● Kobo ● Audible

Write What You Know by @Author_Carmen DeSousa

Posted on by — 5 Comments ↓

A professor once told me that all first-time authors write their autobiography, even if tagged fiction. While I don’t believe that’s completely true, after all, some first-time authors write about vampires and shape shifters, I do think there’s a modicum of truth to that statement. In other words, even if an author writes a work of fiction, there are usually many elements of the story that are factual, and I’d venture to guess that, at minimum, authors probably pattern characters after people whom they know. When my college professor suggested to, “Write what you know,” — a quote often attributed to Mark Twain, but some say it is much older — I wasn’t certain if I really wanted to do that. After all, who would believe me?

A few subjects I know about:

Child abuse
Sexual abuse
Drug abuse
Alcohol abuse
Abandonment
Rape
Suicide
Depression
Belief in God
The power to overcome adversity…
Love at first sight
Stalkers
Crime
Tragedies
Police
A new family
Happily ever after

Hey, I moved out on my own at the age of seventeen, and I’m married to a retired police detective, so I’ve seen a lot. The problem is … will anyone believe or want to read about “what you know?” Well, I guess that depends. If you put it into a story, add a little, as Hollywood refers to it: Based on a true story, but dramatic elements have been added for the sake of artistic expression, then, yeah, some people will believe and/or want to read because more than likely they can identify with a character and/or a situation. And while they can enjoy an escape into a fictional story, they may take something from it.

The funny thing is most of the stories throughout history are based on a couple of those “unbelievable” elements I listed above. Although they may not all be in the same story, “love at first sight,” “family tragedy,” and/or “an unbelievable or vicious crime” are often the basis of a work of literary fiction. Fairy tales did it. Suspense-thrillers do it. It’s a great start!

So if you don’t believe one or more of the elements of a story, does that make it “unbelievable” or a “bad” story? One of the most popular themes is “love at first sight,” which often gets a bad rap by reviewers. You may not believe in “love at first sight,” but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, and many readers love it. In fact, even movies that aren’t tagged as “love at first site,” usually have a hero and heroine thrust into an incredibly unbelievable situation, and are all of a sudden willing to die for each other. Of course, there are many classics like that, too: Romeo and Juliet, all the fairy tales, even The Godfather … ooh, I bet you forgot about that one. Remember when Michael Corleone is walking through the picturesque countryside in Sicily and he spots the beautiful Apollonia… See, even graphic thrillers do it!

Well, as I mentioned in the above list, these are all the things I write about. Why? Because it’s what I know. So, let me share a tidbit of information with the unbelievers of the world who don’t think “love at first sight” exists…

I’ve experienced a lot of tragedy in my life, but I got lucky in love! After my first date with my husband, I called my grandmother and told her I’d just met the man I was going to marry. Thirteen days later, he asked me to marry him. Thirty days later, we got married, and we’ve been married for thirty-one years.

Yes, I believe in “love at first sight,” yes, I write tales filled with tragedy, mystery, suspense, hope and, above all, romance, because I’m living one. I’ll leave the rest of “what I know” situations that I write about in my books up to your imagination, and let you try to figure out what’s real or made up. 🙂

Until next time, happy reading and imagining!

Carmen

If you would like to read a little more about what I write, follow the links below to download one of my FREE bestsellers. I also have two $0.99 deals this week only! My stories are available in print, eBook, and audio formats at your favorite retailer.