Here's a review just in from a gentleman called Peter Gagen.

"Recently, at a local village gala in Droitwich Spa, I had the good fortune to meet Carmen Capuano. Carmen is a self publishing new author who was selling her books from her stall. Intrigued, I purchased a book - The Owner Volume one.
I was so taken. I have already read book two on my Kindle and could not resist contacting Carmen to get book three.
The Owner Volume one is the first in a Si-Fi series that starts an adventure that will keep you turning the pages. It's short chapters make for an easy enthralling read. You will want to know about what happens next. Believe me you won't want to put it down.
The story is set in a strange future and follows San and Loni as they move away from their comfortable lives in a 'kept' future. Lives that are very different from ours. It's alive with the discoveries they make, along the journey they take. The story will end with you wanting to know more and get the next in the series. It has me!
(you will have to read the book to understand what 'kept' means - no spoilers here!)"

Thank you so much Peter!

Fools rush in...

I have a final chapter to write for The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons and then I have to begin the editing process. I have talked about editing before and explained that I don't enjoy it as much as the actual composing of a story, although it is actually much easier.

However something else has cropped up. Whilst getting showered and dressed this morning some characters came into my head and refused to leave until they had made their point. No, I'm not mad and this is neither uncommon for me or for various other writers. But it can be an inconvenience.

I had planned to finish my current book and then move onto one which is about half finished, leaving me free to work on Volume VII of The Owners by around Feb 2015. However the characters who appeared this morning were desperate for their story to be told and it is an unusual one, I admit...

So now I have a dilemma - do I continue on as I had planned? Or do I finish The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons and move on to the new story?

I think I am going to have to think about that for a while.

In the meantime, happy reading!

AARGH!

I have spent the last two days TRYING to update this blog! I now have a review page and a BUY IT HERE section, although this will not format correctly at the moment due to an internal server problem with BlogSpot. So please bear with me and I will rectify it asap.




In the meantime, if you want to purchase my books you can use the VIEW AND BUY link listed under my pages.


Many thanks!

I'm surprised to see you in here!

Well a character has popped up in my new book that I didn't expect. Her name is Valerie and she is very like my late grandmother.


I didn't intend to base this character on my grandmother at all - in fact I had her down for a very different personality type altogether but every time she spoke or performed any action, I saw and heard my grandmother in my head.


Sometimes this happens and when it does I always go with the feeling. I think it happens for a reason but whatever that is, it is so deeply buried in my subconscious, I cannot get to it.


So it looks like Valerie will be a larger character than I had originally anticipated. Just like my grandmother, she cannot let a good gossip pass her by.


Lets hope she is just as wise and just as endearing!

Scheduled Book Signing and Talks for the next few weeks.


You will find me in the following places over the next few weeks.


March 25th Bleakhouse Library.
March 26th Dudley Library.
April 4th Bleakhouse Library [school event]
April 23rd daytime Droitwich Library
April 23rd evening Bromsgrove Library
April 25th Halesowen Library event.


I will be talking about my popular series The Owners and selling signed copies.


I will also be revealing insights into my newest book which is still in progress, entitled Split Decision.


Please contact the individual relevant library for times and directions.


I hope to see you there.


Carmen.

I SALUTE YOU!

Good morning! May I help you?


For the last two days I have been helping out in the office of a friend as the company's secretary has gone off on holiday [ a cruise I believe - lucky lady!]


And what a lark I have had...I got dressed up  in proper office attire, styled my hair and applied both perfume and makeup. I honestly looked like a different person - the kids almost didn't recognise me when I walked through the door!


But it's made me realise something. As a mom who is home all day writing, my kids NEVER have to fend for themselves. They don't put their dirty plates in the sink, they don't help out with chores and they wouldn't even be able to make a slice of toast for themselves if they had to.


Therefore these last two days have been an eye-opener for us all. Because I had to leave home before the kids, my eldest had to lock up and then let them all back in again at the end of the day. The kids learned to wait for their tea and accept that I was truly going as fast as I could.


Most importantly of all, in my opinion, they saw what other kids lives are like - and so did I. The constant organising at the start and end of the day to ensure that the house and its occupants ran smoothly whilst I was out working...and the sense of having to pull together to achieve the best end result for all.


The lists of instructions to make sure the lights were off, the doors locked etc...


The walking of dogs at 7am so that they were not neglected....


The cooking of the evening meal in high heels and a tight skirt because the kids would have expired if I had taken five minutes out to change...


These were all things that were strange for me and yet familiar to many other women worldwide I am sure.


So Ladies [and Gentlemen as I am aware some of you men hold down this demanding home/work balance] I take my hat off to you!


For all the times you went without milk in your morning coffee because to have used it meant there would be none for the kids cornflakes...


For the legions of you who slam the dinner in the oven, still wearing your business clothes of the day...


For those of you who perform a whirling dervish of spins with every activity, holding so many balls in the air at once that if they fell, the weight of them descending on you would crush you into the asphalt beneath your feet...


I salute you!


Because fun as this was, it was also exhausting and draining. So tomorrow I'll be back in my jeans and t-shirt and back to my beloved writing! See you there!


Carmen x

Update as promised!


The Owners
The Owners Volume IV should be appearing on Amazon at any moment and I thank you for your patience. It has been a long haul and although the writing of this particular volume progressed very nicely, there has been one hitch after another in getting it to press.


The Decision.
As you may remember, this was a story I began long, long ago [probably about 6 or seven years ago] and had to abandon for various reasons.


I came back to it recently with the intention of finishing it off and giving myself a break from The Owners series.


It wasn't hard to get back into the characters or to visualise where they were going and how they felt about it but what was almost impossible to do, was recreate the way in which I told the story.


You see I have changed! Yes this has become a big revelation to me. The chapters I wrote all those years ago have had to be changed, moulded to fit my newly emerged style.


It wasn't that they were badly written to begin with - indeed far from it but my writing is now stronger, more gritty with a hardened edge and I can only credit this to the success of The Owners.


Where once before I looked in from outside at the characters in The Decision, now I am submerged in the very core of them. Consequently they have more depth, feeling and colour than ever before.


At first I thought that I was imagining this, however even my proof readers have remarked upon it, so I realise that it must be true. I wonder if this means I have finally grown up. I suspect not. I think it merely means that I have achieved a level of introspection that I could or would not attain before...


I hope The Decision will be out in the summer. Until then I will keep you informed of developments.

A snippet from my latest book The decision.


This book is very different to The Owners series both in content and in writing style. In particular it will appeal to fans of Stephenie Meyer, as it has a strong love interest theme which blends and interacts with the plotline. Here is a little taster:-


“Oh!” I was unaccountably sad, as though he was leaving me already. I had no hold over him, no right to ask him to stay and yet I felt crushed at the thought that he was prepared to leave me at some future date.  


Funnily enough, I started this book years ago but had to abandon it to pursue something else. Only now that I have come back to it can I see so much more clearly where the story is going. It is hard hitting and reflects the world we live in today...not an easy thing to do in many ways.


I will keep you posted as to how it's getting on.


In the meantime I hope that The Owners Volume IV will be out in less than two weeks! Exciting times!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!


Many thanks to Droitwich Library for their invitation to conduct a book signing event during their Space Day on Saturday. And a heartfelt thank you to all the people who bought my book.

I had a fabulous time and met lots of really great people!

I'm coming to the close of Volume VI : Blood Sky and am feeling a little uneasy. Perhaps I should explain.

As you already know, Volumes I-III have already been released but Volumes IV -VI have been deliberately held back. This is because they were all so closely linked, so tied-in together, that I wanted to release them all at once...to give the reader the fullest experience of the journey the characters must undertake.

But that journey has now reached its final destination and this part of the epic tale that is The Owners, is done.  

I have birthed these characters, given life to them through my own blood, sweat and tears and now it is almost time to say goodbye to them and my heart quivers with fear and grief. I will miss them dearly - the sounds of their voices in my head, their easy way with one another and their solidarity in times of trouble. But most of all I will miss their willingness to share their story with me, the eagerness with which they jumped into every plot and how they filled every line with their vitality.

But it is time to bring forth the new blood...the characters who will strut their stuff in Volume VII and inhabit my thoughts and dreams as much as Jack, Georgia and all the others always have.

And of course, there, right at the end of the path, Little, Loni and San are waiting for me, waiting eagerly to come back and finish their part of the saga...and how can I deny them?

The Owners Volumes I-X

Nothing will ever be quite the same again!

WARNING!

Probably no writing today folks !

Got lots of housework and admin type things to occupy me instead but to be honest I' m kind of glad of the break. The chapter I wrote yesterday was so harrowing it almost carved out its number in my very soul.

This guy is a bad one - a real bad one and I hope to God that none of you ever meet the likes of him in real life.

The Owners Volumes I-VI read them if you dare!

Busy...

Busy, busy me!

I had a fab time at The Custard Factory on Saturday, chatting to sci-fi fans about my books and selling signed copies.

Now for those of you who aren't from Birmingham, I guess I need to explain that the site was formerly a custard factory [gee, really?] but is now a collection of very chic and stylish shops and meeting venues.

Not only did  meet new sci-fi fans but I also had a chat with some I had met previously when they bought books from me at other venues. It was great to catch up with these people and to hear back from them how they had enjoyed the books.

In just over a week I will be doing the same thing again, this time at the prestigious Women of the Year Luncheon Awards. http://www.womenoftheyear.org.uk/index.html

I'm especially thrilled about this because I was personally extended an invitation to attend by the organisers.

It's gonna be a good 'un folks!

I'll let you know how it goes :)

Like a black Jesus, Denzel appeared to be waiting to welcome his lambs back into the fold; to be offering redemption.

But deliverance from sin was not an option , nor was it Denzel’s to offer.

Taken from The Owners Volume VI: Blood Sky.

This is the volume where everything turns and twists around once more, where what you thought was happening is not what actually happens...

Humans are complex characters and that is something I have tried very hard to get across in my books. Sometimes you think you know the very soul of a person, only to be proved wrong at the worst possible time.

My poor characters are finding that truth out...I hope that they have the strength of character to endure what will come to pass.

Happy reading. 

The Owners, Volume VI : Blood Sky

Now that she was approaching the crux of the matter, she didn’t really know where to begin. Here where she was at with her own personal knowledge? Or further back so that they could all get the wider picture.

This volume is flying along and I am already on chapter 7.

Don't forget you can find me at the Andromeda One sci-fi convention at The Custard Factory on Saturday, along with a whole host of other authors.

I will be selling my books at a discounted rate for the occasion and will sign them for you too!

Have a great weekend, whatever you are getting up to!

Why Blood Sky is Blood Sky!

Well its 11am and I have just finished another chapter of The Owners, Volume VI. This one explained the title choice.

I still think it's strange how I write...how the words just come to me seemingly out of nowhere. But it works and I am grateful for that.

Sometimes I have to dash to find a little scrap of paper just to jot down a line a character has said in my head. When that happens [and it happens a lot] it is always meaningful and I always use the line.

I know that some authors work in the same way and others are more methodical in their approach, writing beginning, middle and end and sometimes not only a synopsis but a breakdown of each and every chapter before they begin. Each to their own is my motto, although I think I would get very bored if I had to write in that way.

Must dash...have to find another little bit of paper... :)

Chapter I almost done!!!

The Owners, Volume VI

Another little bit :-

He needed to gather his thoughts. And he needed to put time and distance between where they were now and where they had been. The temptation to turn back and deal with the situation was just too great. And so was the probability of failure. He had to hold fast to that.

First chapter of book 6!

The Owners, Volume VI : Blood Sky

Here is a little snippet of the brand new Chapter I

Perhaps he would never be the same again. Perhaps when he told his brother Noah and Dan and Aaron what he had seen and now knew to be true, none of them would ever be the same again.

He stumbled over the ground, eager to be back within the safe confines of his home, back in the bosom of his family. But he knew that even then this sickness in his soul would not be purged. Nor could he actually ever let it be. He had to hold fast to it, hold firm. He owed it to those poor, poor souls.

                        ****************

Ah ha...got you there, didn't I? You thought that just because I had started a new book, that I wouldn't also be moving on to Volume VI of the Owners.

Do you really think I have a choice? These characters bang around in my head, demanding a voice. There is only so long they can be ignored...

So don't worry I will keep you up to date on the saga.

Happy reading!

A new picture!!!

Here I am looking all authorish on the front page of a local Sandwell newspaper. I will fill you in on the details on my next blog post and also tell you about my recent trip to Scotland.

Now who said I wasn't the mistress of suspense...... ;)

 

 

 

 

All quiet on the western front.

Yes I have been a little quiet lately but bear with me...there are many projects on the back burner right  now but as soon as the kids have gone back to school, the heat will be turned RIGHT UP!

Volume V of the Owners cries out to be edited - I hear its calls in my sleep and Volume VI invades my every waking thought. These characters are desperate for their tales to be put down on paper and who am I to stand in their way?

The wait is almost over...The Owners, Volume IV is on its way to a Kindle near you! Make sure you are charged up and ready to go!

Ok, here is a review of my first book, warts and all.

One thing I will state openly is that book 1 did go to print with typos and I have been pulled up about this before...I am sorry about that and have endeavoured to learn from my mistakes and the reprinted versions which are now available should contain no typos. But the bit I am focusing on is where he says that for all that,
he loved it! So I guess I must be doing something right...

 So here it is.
...
I’ll start with this: on a technical level, this book is utterly horrendous. From the very beginning it is filled with misplaced commas, excessive exclamation marks and ropy formatting. Various words are capitalized which probably shouldn’t be, most notably “Pet” and “Eyon”. In general, this book gave me the impression of an author with much raw talent but with little care for the editing process.

And yet, for much of the time reading it, I absolutely loved it.

The book’s concept is certainly a novel one. In Alone, humanity is dominated a race of avian humanoids called eyons. The creatures frequently take in human children to live as pets and servants; Loni and San, the book’s protagonists, are two such pets. Their owners, like most other eyons, spend most of their lives hooked up to mysterious “work machines” and are consequently oblivious to the world around them. Loni, however, is different in that she spends most of her time with her owner’s hatchling, who she calls Little. When Little’s work machine arrive, the two flee in order to keep Little from becoming like the others. San, meanwhile, leaves without prompting in order to discover the truth behind humanity’s place in the world.

Chapters alternate between Loni’s and San’s perspectives, with the final chapter incorporating both points of view at once. Of the two, I must admit that I preferred Loni’s sections by a fairly long way. I could genuinely feel the bond between Loni and Little as I read about them, making them very easy to emphasize with. There is a real sense of progression in Loni’s chapters, as both she and Little learn about the world around them and vow to change it for the better. San’s chapters were hardly bad, but their events felt quite random at times and I didn’t feel that he developed as much as he could have done.

My only major criticism of this book is the ending, which leaves almost all of the book’s plot threads open and seems intended solely to set up a series. This is compounded by the fact that all other “Owners” books have been prequels so far, which leaves me to wonder if the author will ever go back to Loni, Little and San. I really hope that she does, as it would be a shame to end their tale where it currently is. Here’s hoping it happens.


Found on http://theparasiteguy.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/tpg-reviews-alone-by-carmen-capuano/