Destiny Calling!

Do you believe in fate, destiny, preordination? Or do you think its all hogwash, hokum of the worst kind?

I can't say that I believe everything happens for a reason but I do think that some things are pointers to the way ahead...

When the children go back to school I will immediately move onto two separate things. One is to write a novel that has been waiting a long time to be set down on the screen, and the other thing is to edit Ascension, so that the courageous Jess Stone can have her story presented to an audience.

And it was Jess and her tale which was on my mind this morning as I awoke. So imagine my surprise when I saw the name of my newest twitter follower...Alek Cole.

Alex Cole [ok so it is slightly different I grant you] is a key character in Ascension. He is the man whose motives are unknown.
Is the finger of fate pointing? Damn right it is...

Happy Reading!

As you know I don't often paste things that have external links but today I found myself thinking once more about this extraordinary image. For that reason I decided to post it here and now.

This made me cry. It is so beautiful and so infinitely sad... we are all of us in transition, every minute of every day. Only the ending is ever clear but its the middle bit that stumps me every time...

http://watchthis.net/live-painting-shows-stunning-transformation-of-a-woman-from-birth-to-old-age/#YqVq8rfcB3QU6JsJ.01

Happy Reading folks and have a spectacular All Hallows Eve and Bonfire Night.

This was my horoscope this morning:-




Today is the first day of the rest of your life. And so, of course, is tomorrow. As was yesterday. That's the thing about today. But here's what I can tell you about this particular today. It carries an astrological seal of approval that makes this particular truism exceptionally apt for all who share your sign. The Grand Cross formation of four heavenly bodies including Mars and Pluto in Cardinal signs makes this far more than any old ordinary 'first day of the rest of your life.' You will see what I mean by this soon enough! This week's Lunar Eclipse and 'Grand Cross' together is the most significant astrological influence for some time. Anything and everything positive can happen.


Sounds good doesn't it? Now perhaps I should tell you what I have been up to...


I am well into the first week of the Easter holidays and up until now the weather had been unseasonably warm.


As the weather has changed back to dull and gloomy, today I have been doing a fair bit of spring cleaning [I know- yuk!] and under piles of dirty clothing, bits of torn paper, broken toys and other paraphernalia I found a mouldy half-eaten ham sandwich in my nine year old's bedroom and various empty chocolate bar wrappers in my eleven year old's room. It was at that point I decided not to venture into the fourteen year old's room!


I have also been informed that if I don't get a new aerial within the next few weeks the big 60 inch tv will begin to fail due to lack of power from the aerial and pixilation problems.


I still can't work the new laptop and my guttering is growing a more profuse display of plants and flowers than the garden! The fence between myself and my neighbour is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and I have melted [yes melted] a corner of my kitchen cupboard by stupidly siting the toaster underneath it.


So if this is truly the first day of the rest of my life then God help me! Please, please, please can I turn back the clock to the old life?  ;)


Normal service will be resumed after the Easter hols when I can get back to editing Split Decision and writing my next up-and-coming novel.


Until then - Happy Reading!

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.

I am working now on my teen novel. It's very dark and reflects the world we live in today. There are times when it is funny and times when it is romantic but mostly its real. This is a book for the over 15's for a reason...


I also have a lot of exciting irons in the fire at the moment! Right now my lips are sealed but keep your eyes on this blog for when I am able to tell you what I hope will come through for me!


Until then - happy reading!


Carmen.

This will hopefully be the cover for The Owners, Volume IV: A New Epoch. Isn't is beautiful? It was specially created for me by the wonderfully talented Martin Darcy. Visit his Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/martin.darcy2?fref=ts.

"Let your spirit roam free and do what you heart knows is right - ignore those who oppose you and try to restrict you, for they are devoid of imagination." Carmen Capuano.

All Change.

You may already be aware that The Owners Volume IV : A New Epoch will soon be published and appearing on Amazon and all the usual places. Volumes V and VI are also written and currently being prepared for publication, however I am now taking a short break from the Owners series.


There are a few reasons for this. One is that writing a ten part series without a break is very draining, another is that there are a few other stories and characters who are clamouring for my attention  and the final reason is that demand for me to write other genres is very high.


So in order to acquiesce, I am now working on a number of other projects, one of which is now almost a quarter done. This particular story is a departure for me as it is more thriller than anything else and is aimed at 15+ because of both content and language.


As an author it's hard not to feel for your characters. You want them to have an easier time in life than the story allows and it is no different for the main character of this book. Natalie is just a young girl who makes one stupid mistake...


But as we all know, one mistake can be one mistake too many!


Anyway as this was only a quick blog catch up, I'll leave you with a snippet from today's writing.


Taken from The Decision.
 


        The kiss when it came was the sweetest thing I could ever have imagined. A light feathery touch of lips upon lips, it was a promise of strawberries and sunshine and a guy at my side to share it all with.

So sorry, I seem to have almost abandoned you dear readers but there has just been so much happening!

Tomorrow I am at The Kingfisher Shopping Centre in Redditch, signing copies of my books and chatting with readers.

It would be great to see you there but in the meantime here is a little bit I have just edited, taken from The Owners Volume 6.

“Little babies grow up Eve. It’s wrong and it’s immoral but it’s not the first time the human race has considered genocide and infanticide as a solution to what they perceive to be a problem,” Jack said sadly.

I will catch up with you next week and tell you all my news!

Until then - have a great weekend.

Carmen.

Did I actually tell you what my books were like? Somehow in all the madness, I'm not sure I ever really did. So here it is:-

The Owners series is a blend of Avatar and 2012 ... where dystopia meets utopia, with a tiny fraction of The Waking Dead thrown in for good measure.

Of course it's not really like any of the above in their entirety but it does have elements of them all. It is set in a world where the relationships between the characters are similar to those in Avatar - there is a mutual bond of love and respect, there is a life/world changing event which creates mayhem and upheaval as in 2012 and then there is the struggle for life after this event, hence The Walking Dead.

If you can't picture the blend of these three things, read The Owners...it will set your imagination on fire!


You are in for a real treat.

We're of to see the Wizard
the wonderful Wizard of Oz,
because, because, because, because,
because of the wonderful things he does!

Getting ready for my day of book signings at Avoncroft Museum. If you haven't already got my books [REALLY??? AND WHY NOT???] you have no idea what you are missing...

Scroll down and take a look at some of my reviews or even better yet, visit Amazon and read the reviews there.

Next week is a busy one again...is it ever any different I wonder? But I hope to be able to post a little just to keep you all in the loop.

There are also a variety of events planned but I don't have all the dates lined up yet. As soon as I do, I will post them here.

Have a great weekend folks! :)

Another review:-

 "Just wanted to follow up our conversation from yesterday and tell you how much I enjoyed the 1st book in The Owners series. It surprised me and kept me interested throughout. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. You are left desperately wanting to know how this bizarre owner/pet situation came to be... what the heck are the adult Eyons up to ....and how can the situation be resolved if at all!! Can't wait to read the next and find out more."

So what more can I say? If you haven't yet read The Owners series how are you going to be able to discuss it with friends?

Don't be left in the dark - get your copy today!

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!

Here is the very latest from The Owners Volume VI : Blood Sky

Perhaps because of the rapid beating of her heart and the icy fingers of dread which no doubt worked their way down her spine, her features seemed more defined, more entrancing.

Pity he would have to kill her in the end.

 

 

Karma! [I hope]

Yesterday, after enjoying a lovely day out in Birmingham city centre, I returned to the car park to find that my spare wheel had been stolen from my car.
 
As you know I have rather a bad temper but I do believe in fate and in Karma. So this is my Facebook status today.
 

To the bleep who stole my spare wheel from under my car yesterday, I have this to say..."May your luck, like my wheel, circle onwards into darkness, may your happiness spin always away from you and may you go round and round in life, never achieving your dreams!"

Now Karma - go get that swine! ;)

A reminder

Just to remind you about my book trailer videos.

Here is the very first one,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrCQumMKD0s

Read all about it!

This is a real picture. The people trapped here were rescued alive fortunately but things might have turned out very differently indeed.

The world is becoming just like I predicted....The Owners Volume II : Storm Clouds.

If you haven't yet read it, you are missing out.

A little bit of The Owners.

Working hard on The Owners Volume VI :Blood Sky.

Here is another little bit.

Nothing is right about this situation, Eli thought. Nothing is just. And whatever happens from this day forward, nothing will ever be completely right again. It would have been easy to have dismissed such thoughts as after effects of what had so recently happened with Sam and the indelibly printed images which sprung so readily to his mind now. But the knowledge burned in his heart. Some things once done could never be undone.

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.

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...... ;)