Matilda - The Owners, Volume VII: Hunter's Moon

A little peek at Matilda...

Careful you don't look too long though, for she is a feisty one!


Excerpt from The Owners, Volume VII: Hunter's Moon.

Matilda awoke before the others. Taylor lay beside her, his face partially obscured by the arm he had thrown over his eyes to block out the rising sun. Part of her longed to move his arm and gaze at the face she had known so long and so well but her resolve would not let her do so. She had taken on the role as leader of this hunting party and if it killed her, she would neither ask for his support nor subordinate herself to him. 

She owed it to their people to be strong and more than that, she owed it to the little child, Verity, who might already be dead.

Did I cling to her because I have no children of my own? It was a fair question and one she wasn’t entirely sure she could answer. Would I have felt differently if I had had a brood of my own children, clinging to my shirttails like all the other women? she wondered. Either way, does it really matter? Things were how they were, after all. She rose quietly, moving with a catlike grace, unwilling to wake the others until she was no longer sharing a space with Taylor.

On her feet, she circled the group. Everyone slept deeply and she was surprised into a revelation as she bent to shake them awake, one at a time.

“We could have been attacked and killed in our sleep, slaughtered without us even knowing we were in danger,” she said, once she had their full attention.

Taylor sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Well we weren’t. And I think that’s a little unlikely…”

Matilda didn’t give him time to finish. “Why not? You think that monster is afraid of us? After he snatched a little child right out from under our noses and left without even a scratch? Oh yes, he must be very afraid!” She heard the sarcasm in her own voice but was unable to reign it in.

She saw Taylor’s eyes widen in surprise and she instinctively knew it was not from either her words or her tone of voice but the way the criticism was directed straight at him.

“He was too high too fast for the arrows to reach,” he said simply.

“I know,” she agreed, hoping that he understood her frustration. They had been speaking as if there were only the two of them in the conversation, only the two of them standing there, with nothing and no-one else around for miles. Now she turned so that her words addressed them all, equally.

“From now on, we post a guard. If we do somehow manage to find him, the battle has to be on our terms, at a time and place of our choosing, not his.”

She was right, and they all knew it. Enough had been said, there was no point in pressing the issue. She bent and began to pack up their meagre camp.

If you would like to find out more, then follow the link on the right to find the first volumes in this epic tale

Happy Reading!

An Exciting New Book

Oh it's a good start to the day...

I have just started to write a story that's been rattling around my brain for about three years. It's going to be a dark one!

Here's the very first paragraph:-

I sit on the hospital bed and wait for them to come for me. The smell of disinfectant is overpowering. It’s too clean, too sterile, as if it intends to wipe out every living thing from the face of the earth. Perhaps it should start with me.

There’s nothing here to look at except the other patients. I try to avoid looking at them, not because it’s rude to stare, but because I don’t want their attention returned to me.

Happy Reading!

What a week!

Having officially taken over my duties as Copy Editor of GEM magazine on Monday, there followed a whole week of functions and events I was required to take part in.

So I have spent the entire week in the style of a Gadabout, of a Woman Around Town. To be honest it was mostly work, getting to know my fellow workers at GEM magazine, making contacts, meeting the people who are the city's movers and shakers, but that's not to say I didn't have fun too. In fact there was almost a common theme to the events...there was a drawing together of the past and the future in a way that made me really reflect.

The events began with an invitation  to attend  The Walk of Heroes and Walk of Stars hosted by Westside BID [Business Improvement District]. Moving speeches delivered by The Mayor of Birmingham and Professor Carl Chinn, commemorated four soldiers from the Birmingham area who had stepped beyond the bravery shown by every member of our armed forces, to something truly unique, displaying a valour in the midst of battle that went above and beyond the call of duty.

The soldiers had served in wars as varied as the Anglo-Zulu War and World War I and yet there was a commonality to their valour, a desire to help others at the sake of their own lives. I can only imagine the terror of their individual situations and I hope that the world does not keep having to sacrifice such brave and noble individuals to the folly of battle!

But there was a lighter side too, with the presentation by Jasper Carrott of a granite star for actor Ian Lavender,  for his accomplishments on screen during his illustrious career.  I laughed alongside Jasper and Ian as they talked about Mr Lavender's recollections of his childhood in Birmingham. Both men were funny, witty and erudite and displayed manners which have been all but lost in the mists of time. So just in case you missed it before, here is my picture with Jasper [who I have to say, didn't look a day over fifty!].

 





My next function to attend was the Super Sonic car event, hosted by business accountancy firm Moore Stephens. Here I met Richard Noble and learned about the World Land Speed Record, looking at vintage films of previous attempts and successes.

Now I have to admit to being ignorant about all things motorised... but I was fascinated! The idea that a car can go from 0 to 1000 mph in less than a minute - well that takes your breath away, doesn't it?

I was almost thinking that if they could just make one with enough room for me, my kids, dogs and luggage then the annual trip to Glasgow wouldn't be so bad after all... Joking aside, this project may seem impractical when you look at our roads and current driving conditions, but what is going on here is the forerunner of future transport. Richard and his team are not pushing the boundaries of what is possible, they are breaking them into splinters, smashing them to smithereens and rebuilding them in their own image.

The project is not only about revolutionising future transport, it is about revolutionising our economy and our education system and our future workers, for without engineers of the future, no further progress will be made! That's why Richard's team is working closely with schools, to encourage young people into this field.

My next two events were more social. Praza on the Hagley Road is divine, take it from me. I had never been there before, so was a little unprepared for the gorgeous food [I actually had seconds!] and the great atmosphere. As I was driving, I can't attest to the cocktails but the people around me were all 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over them, so I assume they were as exquisite as the food.

And the Burlington - goodness me how I love this building and its staff. I was treated to an indoor barbeque, with little mini burgers and mouth-watering salads and desserts and games on the 'lawn'. This time I took the train and thoroughly enjoyed myself!

But lest you think its all play and no work, I must tell you that I spent the whole of Saturday hacking down the triffids in my new garden. My legs, hands and arms are sliced up like I have been in battle with the alien from Predator and the garden looks worse if that's even possible, with huge piles of cut vegetation that I have no idea how I am going to dispose of!

So for now, folks that's it! Don't forget Split Decision launches on the 4th of July and you can still help Thunderclap it [see previous post]. More to follow on the paperback launch.

N.B. The tickets for my first talk at Lord Morton's Tea Rooms are now sold out, but a further date has been agreed.

Happy Reading!

Carmen.

I hear thunder!

If you would like to support my Thunderclap campaign, then just click on this link and when prompted, share to your Facebook or Twitter. It costs nothing and you can keep the message private.

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/28256-launch-of-ya-split-decision

Many thanks,

Carmen. x

Faster than the speed of ...

Today I have been cordially invited to view a super sonic car, courtesy of my post as columnist and copy editor at GEM magazine. But I have to wonder exactly what they will think when I drive up in my Postman Pat van?

You see I'm not really one for ostentation, unless it fits the occasion and mostly I am sitting in jeans writing or charging through fields with my dogs and/or kids. Therefore the idea of me and a super sonic car is rather hilarious, due to my own driving abilities and lifestyle.

That said, as a science fiction/fantasy writer, the car appeals in a variety of ways. I mean, what couldn't you do with a super sonic car at your command... goodness me, I feel another book coming on. ;)

Keep your eyes peeled for my post on the lovely Jasper Carrott and Ian Lavender and the connection between the two.

Happy Reading!

Volume VII: Hunter's Moon

This weekend I finished the seventh volume of the Owners series. I am both sad and elated.


For a very long time I have suspected that it was not going to  be a particularly good ending for some of the main characters and I was right. In real life sometimes there are events which change everything or which alter how things are perceived...so it is with my characters and books. Regardless of how badly I wanted them to be ok, writing in an all-encompassing happy ending would have been both unrealistic and tacky. And they deserve better treatment than that.


Like all of my characters I will miss them dearly but they will remain in my heart. However with the finishing of this volume comes a little joy, for Volume VIII will see the story returning to one of the very first characters to show how things became how they were. It will be lovely to deal with already known and loved characters - its rather like meeting up with an old friend in a warm pub on a stormy night - exciting, long-anticpated and more than a little curious. Are you wondering which character? Well I'm afraid I won't be revealing that just yet, so hunker down for the wait.

In the meantime, there are lots of other things happening. I have been working hard on my editing job and am very busy attending functions on the magazine's behalf. I have also been busy organising the launch of Split Decision which will be out next month [date to be announced].

Meanwhile my new house is coming along nicely and I have now chosen a new fire to go where the old one was. It's a super, duper thing! In fact I think the whole house will look quite good when its finished [courtesy of my fab builder - details to follow on how to book him later].

So if you see a smiling but frantic looking woman buzzing around in an old battered light blue Citroen Berlingo,  not knowing where she is going or what she is doing, give her a wave, 'cos it will be me!


Happy Reading!

The wait is over!

I have kept you in suspense for long enough. I know. Actually I never intended to keep you in suspense at all, but several things needed to be done in the right order and this was just one of them.

Last week I was called into a meeting with the lovely owner of GEM magazine. I had thought that perhaps I was going to be asked to write an article about something, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect her to offer me the posts of columnist and Copy Editor to the magazine!

I was literally stunned into a moment of silence and believe me that doesn't happen a lot. If ever!

So there it was, the offer of a lifetime. And what do you think my response was? I was almost dancing on the table with excitement, especially when I was given full autonomy over what I chose to write about. Now my first column is written and the first articles I have to edit, are sitting in my inbox.

I am like a nervous fourteen-year-old all over again... excited, apprehensive, eager and terrified at what the big bad world might throw at me, whilst at the same time eagerly donning my heels and throwing back my head with abandon, ready for the ride of a lifetime.

What will they think of me, the GEM readers? Will they like my quirky style, my references to what's happening in my life, the little bits about whatever book I am writing? I hope so!

If you would like to find out more about GEM magazine, here is the link. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

http://www.gemmedia.co.uk


Happy Reading!

What do you think of when you hear the words 'Pawn Broker'? What image comes to mind?

Is it of a cramped little shop, its walls lined with unpainted wooden shelves and festooned with cobwebbed and tarnished trinkets? Where the age-darkened oak lends itself to the gloom, festering a  suffocating essence of decay which permeates the air, tainting the atmosphere with a sense of desperation and dreams long-dead until it is too oppressive to bear; an opaque varnish laden with its own particular burden of hopelessness and doom?

And of the proprietor? What images come to mind there?

Is it a bent over, huddled figure, spectacles perched on the very tip of his nose like some sort of modern-day Ebeneezer Scrooge? In your imagination does he run a finger up the bridge of his nose, settling those glasses before offering a toothless grin to the unwary customer? Shining some bauble on his tattered coat, fingering it with grimy hands and offering a pittance as the owner of the item is forced reluctantly to part with it in exchange for just enough money to purchase a stale crust of bread?

Up until this weekend that had certainly been my perception of pawnbrokers and their trade. But just how wrong I was became apparent this weekend when I was invited to Suttons and Robertsons' exclusive pre-Christmas event at their Birmingham branch.

Suttons and Robertsons style themselves as 'Pawnbrokers of Distinction' and on stepping through their doorway I had to agree with them. The interior of the shop resembles a collector's private viewing room more than it does an actual shop. Here there are no crowded displays where gaudy rings jostle with garish bangles or where brassy necklaces drape ten to a pad over faux-leather cushions.

No indeed! Suttons and Robersons are the real deal! Here glittering diamond necklaces that might once have adorned the neck of a Russian Tsarina are afforded the space and presentation they deserve. Dazzling bracelets which shine brighter than a thousand stars are showcased in refined dignity and exquisitely crafted rings are displayed individually, affording the eye and brain just enough time to wonder at the beauty of each piece before moving ceaselessly on, each remarkable item more stunning than the one before.

Each and every article in their store is not just a piece of jewellery, it is a work of art, a thing of beauty to behold. And each has its own story to tell. Because this is no ordinary shop and these are no ordinary pawnbrokers.

Once you step across their threshold it is almost as if you have entered another world. Chic modern décor and minimalistic furnishings lead the eye to the few display cabinets on show and there is a real feeling of understated grandeur, as if the quality and value of the items speak for themselves and need no further ostentation. And yet every cabinet is a masterpiece in itself, glistening with sumptuous gems and intricate gold, fashioned into flattering and unique designs.  

But it is seldom just a place which makes such an impression, its the people who work there too, for these are the life-blood of any business. Suttons and Robertsons' staff are the best in their business,  knowledgeable and business-like with a warmth of attitude which shines through. They are nothing like the bespectacled aforementioned figment of my imagination but neither are they stiff and unapproachable. What they do have is an almost mystical quality in that they can gauge the finer points of every stone within its setting, its precise worth and its world-wide exclusivity.

Because that was the thing that struck me most about my visit - how exclusive everything was, from my invitation to attend, right down to the private viewing rooms where 'pledges' as anything taken in exchange for money is called, is valued and accepted.
Looking a little like a private banking room I could only imagine what gems have in time flitted across the counters there.

I was a little humbled by the natural beauty that was on show, diamonds that had been formed by nature over millennia and crafted by skilled hands...and to be completely honest I wondered why I had been extended the invitation. All was to become clear when I asked my next question - who uses such upmarket pawnbrokers?

The answer was as simple as it was profound. Anyone it seems can use the service if they have something suitable to serve as a pledge.
The item brought in to be pawned ALWAYS remains the property of the client! So even if they do not come back to claim it at the end of the term, it remains in effect theirs, so much so, that when the item is sold at auction, if it then makes a profit over the amount of the original loan and interest value, Suttons and Robertsons send a letter to the client, informing them of this and request that they come in to collect the surplus value.

Many clients are well known stars of stage and screen and/or household names. They are neither down at the heel nor shady, they are simply utilising their assets in a whole different way, sparing themselves the time which they would otherwise have to spend liquidising assets and redistributing them, to cover a short-term period. Because that's the true beauty of the pawnbroker I discovered - no credit checks, no expansive forms to be filled in triplicate, no need for collateral other than the item on offer. Less fuss, less hassle.

And then, when the term is over, or sooner if the client wishes as items can be returned at any time within the set term, the client merely repays the loan plus interest and their item is back in  their possession with no need to be switching funds from one Swiss bank account to the other.

So now that I have got to here you are wondering where I come into this picture aren't you. Well here it is - are you ready?

Suttons and Robertsons are planning a social event for their extensive client base and they have asked that I provide an author talk and book signing at the event! Of course I immediately said yes...now I'm wondering if I should have held out for a diamond tiara to wear during the evening ;)
And all that talk of Swiss bank accounts has made me think of a little holiday chateau in the French Alps for a week or two. If only I had the money...oh now there's a thought! Did anyone see where I put that old engagement ring of mine? ;)


Happy reading folks!


Suttons and Robertson also buy, mend and value jewellery. For more on their services  see
https://www.suttonsandrobertsons.com/Index.aspx

Last night by exclusive invitation courtesy of Gem Media who were promoting the event, I attended the launch party of the Belle Vue Bar and grill on Icknield Port Road, Birmingham.

The wine was smooth and the conversation more so. I spoke to numerous interesting people including the four times World Kick Boxing Champion, 'Kash The Flash' and the esteemed Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Shafique Shah.

The atmosphere in the chic modern bar was absolutely electric! Laughter and excited conversation flitted over the soft music as the sumptuous food just kept on coming forth from the open kitchens; huge steaming plates of fiery samosas, spring rolls and succulent chicken curries to name but a few. The air was redolent with the smells of exotic foreign destinations and tinkled with the sound of wine and champagne glasses being refilled. 

But me of course being me there was [as ever] a humorous situation yet to unfold.

A very glamorous Asian lady had placed herself close to me. Chatting in different groups we had yet to actually speak to one another. But when a young attractive man approached me and began to converse, this lady sidled over and asked "Is this your husband?"

Rather flattered that she could even think this could be the case [the man was at least fifteen years younger than me] I simply said that no, he wasn't. The lady moved back to her original position, flanking my right side within her 'own' group.

The man went off to mingle elsewhere and another man came over to discuss life, jobs and the event we were attending.

"Is this your husband?" a little voice at the side of me enquired. Yet again I said that no, the man was not my spouse. She nodded and left me to it.

Guess what? I ended that conversation, only for another man to come over. This time I talked about being an author and how I loved my job as he listened politely.

And I was almost ready for her when the comment came. Almost but not quite. "So is this your husband?" she asked. At that point,  giggling stupidly, I had to admit that I don't have a husband. [God only knows what the poor man talking to me at the time made of THAT comment - suffice it to say he wandered off pretty quickly!]

She nodded [rather sympathetically I thought] and moved back to her own position once more.

Finally another man came to talk. He was a doctor, an anaesthetist to be precise and we had an interesting discussion about medicine and patients' perceptions of operations due to programmes such as Holby City and Casualty.

Something about his body language clicked in my head and I knew he was married to the lady on my left. So stifling the laughter which threatened to bubble up and overwhelm me I said to her. "Is this your husband?"

And do you know what she did? To her credit she beamed me the brightest smile I have seen in a long time. So maybe for some, marriage works. Maybe I'll get to find out about that one day. Maybe I'll even be back at the Belle Vue and will see that same lovely lady and I will say, "look, finally THIS is my husband!"

In the meantime - Happy Reading.

Pictures will be posted as soon as I am able.

For more information about what Gem Media can do for you contact events@gemmedia.co.uk


Special thanks to http://www.gemmedia.co.uk and

The Belle Vue Bar and Grill. Chic, modern, friendly and with free parking.

This is a really quick post as I am on my way out - no not to an author talk or book signing but a proper night out with friends! I have almost forgotten what that's like!

Anyway thank you very much to Amazon who are currently sponsoring advertising across the internet of my books - as the Australians would say 'good on you mate!'

In addition to this, I have been invited to the launch party of The Belle Vue in Edgbaston, courtesy of Gem Media. I am really looking forward to this event! I might even dust off a fancy dress :)

Until then, happy reading!