Apologies

Dear readers, I apologise for being absent from the blog for some weeks. I was working towards divulging some exciting news to you, when my personal life became more of a focus for me, due to circumstances. 

This will be the case for some weeks to come, unfortunately. 

I am still working, still editing and writing the stories you love so much, and planning to get them out asap, but my attention is slightly divided at the moment. 

Please bear with me through this difficult time, and just re-read one of my other books for now - I promise I'll be back soon. 


Lots of  love, Carmen. 

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!

Who doesn't like cake?

Come for "Cake with Carmen", a special afternoon of discussing plots and how I write. - Central Library, West Bromwich, 1.30, Thursday March 30th.

I hope to see you there.

Cancelled!

I'm afraid I won't be at the Hive tonight, as I've had to cancel due to some frightening events which have taken place in my house.

Rest assured there will be many other things and people there to entertain you, and you will still have a wonderful time without me.

If you were hoping to purchase a signed copy of one of my books tonight, I do apologise. Please email me on Carmen.capuano@ymail.com and I'll see what I can do.

Happy Reading.

It's been a while...

It seems like a long time since I sat down to write a blog post. I have been busy working on my latest book [there are only a few chapters left to write], decorating the new house and doing all the other things the summer holidays threw at me.

Added to that, I have attended yet another funeral, making it three this year alone. Let's hope it will be the last for a very, very long time!

I am increasingly excited about Ascension, which is due for release next Jan/Feb. My publisher keeps getting excited about what a powerful story it is - she doesn't need to keep telling me, I remember the excitement of writing it.

Similarly, the one I am finishing off is equally gripping. Different to Ascension, it has that same sense of time slipping away from the characters, who have to make sense of their situation.

The female lead, Tudie, is strong and her wisdom belies her nineteen years. I think she is a little bit like how I was back in the day and I have to say, approaching a landmark birthday, I envy her strength and indomitable nature.

Anyway enough warbling on... here's the snippet you want.

We are suddenly both awkward with one another. I refuse to meet his gaze. Instead I look for Grey.

He’s just behind me. A young woman stands next to him, and from the way she gazes up at him, I can tell what’s in her heart.

Her face is open, at once scared and yet strangely expectant, as if she has waited her whole life for this one moment. With her gaze so focused on him, it is still me who Grey turns towards and without him saying a single word, I know everything there is to know in that one glance. I can only wonder if he can read my eyes and expression as well as I can his.

Happy Reading - and don't forget to check out my Owners series and my thriller Split Decision.

Thank you!

Yesterday I did a talk for Olton Creative Writers at Olton Library. What a wonderfully well-read and creative group of people!

Often those who have an interest in the arts can be a little imperious [stating the phrase with implied inverted commas and capital letters, or fingers held aloft in the air], so it was refreshing to meet such talented and down-to-earth people.

I hope they thoroughly enjoy my books.

YES ANOTHER NEWS FLASH!

This week the Bromsgrove Standard are beginning the serialisation of one of my novels so please do look out for that - I am so excited!

In addition to this great news, I have been officially commissioned to write the beginning of a short story to form the basis of a writing competition. The entries will then be judged in two categories 7-11 years and 12-16 years. For more information about entering this,please contact Bleakhouse Library on 0121 422 2798.

More exciting news to follow...

COMING EVENTS

Hi all.

I have been asked on numerous occasions to add an events page to the blog. I haven't done this in the past, as many of my speaking events were closed to the public, such as the recent talk I gave for the clients/ associates of Suttons and Robertsons.

However, since this year I am also involved in many events which are open to the public, I have set up an events page which you will now find listed under the PAGES section to the right of this main part of the blog.

For your convenience, I have also this time listed it here :-

EVENTS

Here is a list of my coming events.

There are more than I have listed but these are 'closed events' where unless you are a member you cannot attend. For this reason I have not included these here.

Where possible I have included the details of the relevant person to contact should you wish to attend.

6th March  I will be attending a networking event where copies of my books are included in the raffle prize. Please contact Gem Media for tickets. UPDATE - NOW SOLD OUT.

19th March I will be at The Hive in Worcester, taking part in their Space Day, exhibiting my books and signing copies 5-8pm. For more details see http://www.thehiveworcester.org/family-events.html

20th March I will be at the Literary Festival in Bleakhouse Library, giving a short talk on my books and signing copies. Please contact Ian Grey on 0121 422 2798 for details.

21st March I will be found in Droitwich Library for the Space Day Extravaganza. This will be a brilliant event and an opportunity to learn about space and rockets and everything astronomical. I will be propping up a table laden with my books - come talk to me. This is an open event so you can just come along.

17th April I am presenting trophies to the winners of the Book Quiz at Bleakhouse Library. Please contact the library on 0121 422 2798 if you wish to attend.

TBA I will be conducting a talk and book signing at Lord Morton's Tea Rooms. Details will be posted when date is confirmed.

September I will be at the Salt Festival in Droitwich

24th & 25th October I will be giving a talk and signing books at the brand new Lickey Poetry Festival. Details to follow on how to gain admission.

Prisons and libraries.

Prisons and libraries - you may wonder what these two have in common, other than that you could say that one incarcerates people in cells and the other confines books to shelves. Well there is that - but there are other links too, such as the ban on books within prisons.


The reason I am blogging about this is two-fold:- firstly I am an author and therefore it is relevant to my trade and secondly, I have recently been asked to contribute to the people who seek to override this ruling.


If you have been reading this blog for some time you will be aware that I don't often sit on the fence. So here are my thoughts on the subject.


I believe that prison should be a deterrent against crime, that fear of going to prison should be so ingrained in society that most people will think twice before perpetrating a crime. However recently we have all come to view prisons as at times providing a better standard of living than the sometimes hard-up working people can do for themselves. Who hasn't heard of the recreation rooms and gyms and so forth that some prisons have within their walls? Is this fair or right? I think not!


Not that I am advocating a return to dark and dingy cells with slop on a plate but there does have to be some sense of punishment. Because when the idea of prison as a deterrent fails [as it always will with some individuals] then the reality of the prison environment has to deliver on its promise. A life sentence should mean exactly that and in my opinion all paedophiles, rapists and the like should automatically receive this.  


But even the 'lesser' criminals should get it a little tougher inside. It's all very well to say that a burglar hasn't killed anyone but the devastation they leave in their wake can often shatter lives and especially in the case of vulnerable victims, destroy their confidence for the rest of their lives.


So no there should not be luxuries on hand for these men and women...what there should be is proper facilities to allow them to rehabilitate. And by that I mean WORK. Teach them a trade, a skill which they can start a new life with when they come out. Something like gardening or bricklaying that is practical.


But banning books? Well that's a tricky one. The best books can be illuminating, they can set the imagination on fire and they can bring their characters to life. They can engender in their readers feelings of empathy and a deeper understanding of their own and others' humanity. Good books can make you question things, make you strive to understand something and even stir a desire to be a better person...


But not all books are like that. Some are salacious, sleezy and/or show women and children to be merely objects of desire that are both disposable and worthless. These books degrade us both as a society and individually.


Other books whilst not quite so bad are filled with gratuitous violence, sex or bad language. These whilst perfectly fine [if you REALLY have to] for the general public are not suitable for those in prison.


Believe me I am not a modern-day Mary Whitehouse but please lets have a bit of common sense here! Give the prisoners the uplifting, moral and thought-provoking books by all means. They can do no harm and may even do some good. But keep the other books away.


So now you are wondering what I am going to do about my own books and the request for them aren't you? Hmmm that's a good question. Why don't you read my books and get back to me with your opinion? :)


Happy Reading,


Carmen.

I hope you like the new look to my blog...I have spent ages creating several different pages and loading things onto them. Please take a moment to check them out!


What I haven't yet done is create an EVENTS page to list where you will see me popping up for author talks and book signings, so I guess my work is not yet done!


In the meantime I will tell you this - I have lots of events planned over the next six months but still have room for a couple more, so if you are a book club organiser, school teacher or librarian, feel free to message me on Carmen.capuano@ymail.com for further details.


Until my next post...


Happy Reading!

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.

GLAD TIDINGS!


Good news! Volume IV is now showing as available on Amazon as an ebook [the paperbacks apparently take up to a month to show up - I have no idea why] and is priced at £2.00.


My other good news is that sales figures have just come in for Volume II and Volume III. Sales show that people who have bought and read Vol I are coming back for the follow on volumes, so happy reading all round!


As a writer its so lovely to know that you are enjoying the tales, journeying through the intertwined lives of the characters and empathising with them.


I think that is the real beauty of a good read...we all want to get lost in it but we want to find ourselves through it too and I hope that my stories provide at least some measure of that.


I will be at the wonderful Bleakhouse Library, [0121 422 2798]West Midlands, giving a talk on writing and my books on March 25th. The staff at the library are also taking pre-orders of signed copies of Volume III and will be happy to take your booking.


I visited this library about eighteen months ago when my first novel was published and the staff and customers are an exceptionally friendly bunch so do pop along.


I look forward to meeting you.

Now it's not that I am ignoring you or have abandoned you...but have you had the feeling since New Year as I have, that time is just running away with you? Or is that just me?


Normally I find January such a slow month - things seem to slow to a crawl and nothing much happens. But this January has been very different in many ways and I can't help but wonder why.


Granted I have been incredibly busy. I have pushed Volume IV: A New Epoch into publication and am fast forwarding Volumes V and VI into print and I am also working on two brand new stories, one for ten year olds and one for teens, as well as other books in the pipeline.


Perhaps another reason is that I have been taking a multitude of bookings for school creative writing sessions, library talks and other such events [I will blog a list of these soon].


Added to that, I have decided to stay put in my house for a while, rather than sell up and so have organised a complete change, from the curtains around the house to new furniture...no mean feat let me tell you when you are battling with three children and two dogs just to keep your head above water on a daily basis. 


But I must tell you about my most recent stupid situation. You know my habit of getting lost whenever I go somewhere unfamiliar...


I went to view a house recently. I looked up the directions on google maps and laboriously copied them down [yes I know you can print them out but that involved turning the printer on, waiting ages for it to ready itself, only to discover I had no black ink, paper or something else!] and set off.


What I had failed to realise was that there were two identically names streets within a reasonably short proximity [4 miles apart] and I had looked up the wrong one!


Only on arrival at the wrong place did I realise my mistake and had to then set about finding the other street. As usual I reverted to asking residents for directions. The first man  pulled up to was visiting the area. I drove on.


The second man I pulled up to [for some reason there were no women around like some strange post-apocalyptic land where only the men had survived! -As if - sorry men!!] turned out to be profoundly deaf and mimed back to me that he didn't have a clue what I was on about!


Now since he was sanding at the edge of what I presumed to be his property, with apparently not a care in the world, I had to wonder what he was up to other than hijacking the time of lost strangers.
I apologised profusely as if his deafness was my fault and left in a flurry, probably leaving him even more mystified as to what the harried middle-aged woman was on about.


The third and final man I approached was more helpful.
"My wife was born there," he said with a touch of infinite sadness which made me think that the recollection was painful to him.
"I'm so sorry. Is she dead?" I responded with appropriate sympathy.
"No, she's in Tenerife!" he replied.


He gave me directions and I followed them to the letter only to find myself up a cull-de-sac and lost once more. Luckily he had only gone slightly wrong and the street I was looking for was the next one. Sad to say that after all that, the house was not what I was looking for at all!


So if you are standing on a street corner and a harried looking woman pulls up to you, please be kind, it just might be me!


x

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!

Aeons and Eyons!

Just had a funny moment...was checking my emails with "Four in a Bed" on in the background on my enormous new tv, when one of the contestants on it said, "it will take aeons for her to..."

And you KNOW what I thought...! I thought MY EYONS are on the tv lol!!!

A moment of madness or presentiment? I know which one I believe it was!

I'm so sorry that I have somewhat abandoned you these last couple of weeks but I have been so incredibly busy editing volumes IV-VI.

But should you wish to get a signed copy of my books you will find me in the Kingfisher Centre on 7th Dec.

Then on the 14th I will be in WHSmith in Birmingham, doing it all over again.

I will also be making appearances in Thimblemill Library and Bleakhouse Library very soon, as well as some local schools.

So if you miss me in one place, you can be sure to catch up with me in another...

Have a great weekend folks and remember that the Eyons are coming to a bookstore near you...

;)