Almost Christmas!

Well Christmas is almost here, the trees are up and the kids are excited.  So maybe at this time of the year it is understandable that my thoughts have turned in the direction they have...but first let me explain a little.

I am not religious. I have friends who are deeply religious and others who are completely atheist. I am happy to let each be to their own. However, this current book is a very Dan Brown affair. I had known from the first that it was about religion, but hadn't counted on how intricate and twisting it would be, to call into question the very nature of our existence.

If you have attended one of my author talks, you will know that I seldom know how a plot will unfurl, so it came as rather a surprise. But I am enjoying each revelation!

Here is a little snippet where the local Preacher comes to a realisation.

“As for the help and the luck, well I guess that’s where I come in,” Isaac sighed. “Perhaps I could have been a happier man if I had never found out what I have discovered today, but that ignorance is now behind me. Yet I cannot walk into the future with the knowledge that I did nothing to help right a wrong, weighing heavily on my back…”

He slipped from his seat on the pew to a kneeling position on the floor. Facing his alter he made the sign of the cross and folded his hands in prayer.

      “Father I am but your servant. Your candle in a vast darkness that is of your making. I have no power to light the way ahead, nor to cast off the shadows which follow my every footstep. Yet I beg your help to aid these two good women in their search for what is right, for what is just; for what your will desires. Help me be strong so that I may in turn help them. Amen.”

Merry Christmas and Happy Reading x

Faster, faster, faster!

I can't believe the speed at which I am working on my newest book - believe it or not I am writing two chapters a day!

It is such a darkly twisting plot that the words are flowing out of me almost faster than I can commit them to the screen. Not much of it is printable here though, as I am aware that children and adults alike read my blog and this particular book is suitable for the over fifteens only.

Here however is a little snippet :-

“What’s happening to you is wrong,” my mother placed her hand on the wooden door but did not attempt to push it open. “Through us you might manage to make sure that the same thing doesn’t happen to another girl.”

 

I will post a list soon for venues where I will be conducting book signings and author talks.

 

Until then - Happy Reading!

Just me!

Here is an interview I did just before Split Decision was signed to a publisher.


Featured Interview With Carmen Capuano
 
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?



I was born in Glasgow but have lived in England since the age of eighteen. I have a wandering soul and would love to live in lots of different places but having children in school has tied me to one spot.


My ancestry is Italian and Spanish so maybe that’s where the wander-lust comes from.


Although I have many friends my days are rather solitary and I can always be found snuggled hobbit-like on the sofa with my trusty laptop on my knees, bashing away at yet another chapter and having conversations with my characters. It can be lonely being an author but it’s a job I adore.


At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?



I never really thought of myself that way growing up. I think it’s different now because children have more choice over their leisure time but when I was young [oh so long ago ;)] all we could really do was play out or read and I never was much of a fan of the Scottish weather so I spent lots of time indoors reading.


I only began to seriously write a few years ago but now I have so many book ideas that I shall have to live to at least 120 to get them all written!


I write Monday to Friday, term times, when the children are in school. I know other writers write in the evenings but I am whacked by then! To be honest I am a terrible typist but I persevere. I once tried to dictate my books to the computer but because of my Scottish dialect it came out as gobbledy-gook! So now I rely on spell check and proof-readers!


Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?



I like most genres but I love science fiction, especially post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels. I will read space operas too but only if they are very character driven.


As a child I loved Dickens and Shakespeare but nowadays I read Dean Koontz or Stephen King for pleasure. As for inspiration, I think I take a little bit from them all, crazy as that seems.


What’s important for me as an author is that my readers see the characters as I do, that they see their faults and frailties – their humanity and sometimes inhumanities. For me the story is only half the goal – I want the writing to be beautiful for its own sake, so I blend style with content.


Tell us a little about your latest book?



I have just completed a YA/crossover novel which is currently with my agent. I’ll let you know how that goes.


My most recently published book is The Owners, Volume IV: A New Epoch. It was an emotionally hard book to write, as has been the two volumes which follow on from it which are not yet published.


My characters had already been through so much and there I was pushing them into more conflict; even more dangerous situations. My stomach was churning with anxiety as I wrote every word of those books! And yet it was a thrilling ride!


The Owners is an unusual series in that it starts in the very distant future with ‘The Owners, Volume I: Alone’, where humans are kept as pets by creatures called Eyons. The explanation for how this situation arose is never fully given in Volume I, however Volume II starts in our very near future and gives more, tiny little clues which are picked up and elaborated on in Volume III so that the reader gets to play detective so to speak.


Everything is there – all the answers – they just need to be discovered and I think that is partly the appeal of the series. But more than anything else its the fact that it is a really good story which keeps my readers coming back for more.


Happy Reading.

News flash!

Just a quick post to say a big thank you to my publisher. Split Decision will be out next year, hopefully early in the year. Details to follow.
 
Oh and I have thoroughly gotten into my latest book, The Ascension of Sarah Mallory - watch this space for updates and snippets.

Here is a little bit:-

I steeled myself for a bout of reminiscing. Normally I was more than happy to talk about my gran or my dad with him, but right then I had more pressing things on my mind.

“She told me a story once. I didn’t really believe it at the time – your Gran was prone to a little embellishment if she thought it livened up a dull tale – but later, much later, I saw that it was true. Well most of it anyway.”

Despite my urgency to help Sarah my interest was piqued. “What was it about?” I asked.

“Well you see that’s the funny thing. Because it was about your Great-Grandma, Emily’s mother, but it was also about you.”

“Me?”

“Yes Jess, you.” There was a note of such sadness in his voice that I almost wished he would come out with something ludicrous, something that would mark one of his rapid slides into dementia and I would be able to dismiss everything.

What's new pussycat?

Excuse the title for this post but it was literally the first thing that popped into my head for some reason. Over the years I have realised that to question the things that pop into my head is a. pointless and b. a little too self-analytical. Indeed, often there turns out to be a strange serendipity going on which is not evident until much later...so now I try to go with the flow. 

Today I am beginning a new book. I am so excited! This is a story I started a couple of years ago but had to abandon due to the pressure of continuing with The Owners books. Since I plan to start back on The Owners next year, I thought this would be a perfect time to complete Ascension. [I might have to change its name as I believe there has been a film of the same name brought out since I started this book.]

This is a very different type of book [yet again] to anything I have written before. It is darker than The Owners but has that same feeling of hidden malevolence to it, that sense that all is not how it at first seems, and indeed it isn't! The story comes under more of a fantasy genre than anything else and is about a girl who questions the way her world is.

Without giving too much away, there are continuous twists and turns and plot revelations that I hope will make the reader stop and think. This one is set to be a deep book with dark forces running through it and pinches of gothic-style horror.

So far this year I seem to be challenging myself to see how many different genres I can write in. It was never a conscious decision, however since Jan 2014 I have completed a dark young adult book [Split Decision - now with my publisher], another cross-over book set very much in the real world [The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons] and a chick-lit book [The Plan] ! PHEW!

And did you see what I just did there? :) I slipped in my biggest piece of news!

I now have a traditional publishing deal for Split Decision [I haven't shown them the other books yet] and negotiations are underway.

Up until now I have been self-published but whilst this is great in some ways, it makes things a lot harder in others, so I am pleased that I now have other people to help me produce and publicise my books.

Anyway better get cracking, hadn't I, or there won't be any new story! Look out for excerpts from Ascension as soon as I get into the flow.

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

I try to write Monday to Friday. I don't always manage it but I try nonetheless. As Meatloaf says in his song, "some days it don't come easy, and some days it don't come hard..." Today I am fully in my flow.

Here is the paragraph I have just written:-

She walked briskly, not really seeing the scenery or noticing the people who passed her on the path, their polite hellos not denting her thoughts. For so long her life had been average – perhaps less than that even. It had been mundane. She had slept and risen, cooked and cleaned, worked and relaxed to the singular beat of a lethargic drum.

Now it seemed as if some fiend had snared the instrument and beat instead on it with manic glee, thrashing a new rhythm out with wild abandon, building to a crescendo, a symphony of notes cascading from on high and being propelled back upwards by the sheer force of the tempo.

And she was being hauled alongside it.

 

If you would like to know more about how and why I write, then why not come along to one of my author talks? I will be posting details of the next venue shortly. As always you can contact me on carmen.capuano@ymail.com if you would like to arrange a talk for a school or group you are involved with.

Until then - Happy Reading!

 

 

The Plan?

Today I am working on The Plan. It's turning out to be quite a tale and as usual there are elements contained within it that I never envisaged from the start.

It originated from a short story I wrote some years ago and may yet have a change in title before I am done but essentially its about a woman and her struggle to re-establish a life for herself after the demise of her marriage.

Here is a little excerpt where the main character ,Suzie, is forced to tell her children that their dad has just become engaged to someone else :-

“Well I wondered how you felt about it?” Forrest admitted, refusing to meet her eyes. “I mean he was your husband first.”

Yes and of course technically he still was, although she omitted to give them that piece of information. How did she feel? Betrayed? Relieved? Sad? Like one door had closed but another had opened?

To avoid the question for a moment she fetched a large bag of popcorn and tipped it into a bowl. Watching the bowl fill up she knew suddenly how she could explain herself.

“You see all this popcorn?” she placed the bowl on the table. “it all looks alike, doesn’t it?” she picked out two individual pieces. “But in fact every single bit is different to every other bit, the way it pops, the angles and particular shape it makes…so that finding two bits that can fit together is really hard. Sometimes you can jam them together and the salt grains or toffee will make them stick and other times it won't.”

She watched Ellie select two bits and push them together.

“Well people are like that too. Sometimes they can stick together and sometimes they can’t. Your dad and I just were the type that couldn’t…” something caught her eye and she dipped her hand into the bowl, plucking it out and curling her fist around it.

“And then sometimes - if you are really lucky  - you find this,” she uncurled her fingers to reveal two kernels of corn which had somehow in the popping process fused together.

 

I hope to be posting some exciting news soon.

 

Until then - Happy Reading!

This Sunday you will find me at the Bromsgrove Holiday Inn where I shall be talking to readers and selling signed copies of my books.

If you have already purchased one of my books from somewhere else you can still come along and have it personalised. And we can have a good old natter!

I will inform you of other events and author talks nearer the dates.

To change the topic slightly - no, I still can't tell you my big news. I have been receiving messages from all sorts of places, enquiring what the secret is but I'm afraid you will have to wait just a little longer...

What I will tell you though is that a wonderful idea came to me for a sequel to Split Decision. However since I am still finishing The Plan and have yet to edit The Boy Who rescues Pigeons, I can't see me getting to it until next year.

That said, next year since I was planning on writing The Owners Volume VII, editing The Trouble with Mellillia [children's tale], finishing Ascension and writing another book for which I have yet to find a name, its going to be a squeeze to fit it in. Then again, I always did love  a challenge... ;)

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.

Oh I have a secret...or maybe even two...and I can't tell...and it's killing me!

Now those of you who know me personally will know how bursting with news I can get and this is such a biggie for me! But at the moment I am sworn to secrecy, so you will just have to wait.

What I can tell you about is the four whole days of decorating I have just done - six hours a day for four days on one staircase. Yes you read that right - ONE staircase! That said, it is an incredibly long staircase with fiddly spindles all the way along and it didn't help that on the very first day I stuck my paintbrush into my giant coffee mug instead of the paint pot!

Still it could have been worse, I could have lifted the paint to my lips and poured it all down myself - I guess if I had done that I wouldn't be needing the Halloween makeup :)

Thanks also to everyone who sent me birthday wishes via Facebook. They were much appreciated.

Happy Halloween Reading x

What have I been up to? Funny you should ask that...

On Saturday I had a lovely night with fellow author and Bromsgrovian, the glamorous and very gorgeous Cat Weatherill. We consumed a bottle of wine and put all of mankind to rights [we didn't include womenkind as we think they are generally ok ;)] It's always a pleasure to catch up with this vibrant woman.

If you haven't yet read my interview with her, why not take a look now.

Last night I went Blues dancing. Yes you read that right...blues. As you know my latest book centres around my dance experiences [and a few others - ahem!] and I thought I ought to widen my experience.

Prior to arriving, I had thought that it would be simply a slower version of Ceroc and in a way it was. But it was also far more than this, with elements of Argentinian Tango and other Latin influences mixed in.

Unused to dancing so slowly and sensually, I struggled at first. But by the tenth dance or so I literally found my feet. [Yes they were at the ends of my legs - who knew ;) ]

What I mean by that is that I stopped fumbling along the dance floor looking like a zombie on a day out and started to 'feel' the dance. There is a slow beauty to Blues I see now, an elegance not unlike that of ballet, where the moves are so slow as to be almost entrancing...

So shall I go back? Yes I think so! And to the man who stood on my toe - you are forgiven, after all who could have known that my foot would be there, at the end of my leg? ;)

A very Happy Reading to you all.

Carmen.

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.

Now in between all this frantic running around [see previous post below] I am actually trying to get some writing done.

Here is a snippet I literally just committed to the white screen. It is taken from my chick-lit book which will be finished mid November. I know, I know! I told you that it would be finished by the end of October but in my defence I have been rather busy!

I hope you like it :-

“Is there a problem here?” Clipped tones preceded a woman of indeterminate age down a sweeping staircase to arrive in front of their little triangle. “Who are…” the woman began and then stopped abruptly, eyes widening slightly in surprise. The skin around her eyelids seemed unable to fully support the manoeuvre she was trying to make, Botox or perhaps surgery holding it as taut and unlined as a teenager’s. Instead her neck displayed a sudden rigidity, chords and sinews sticking up through the skin as if skewered there.

“You!” Julia expelled on a breath as if Indie had arisen from the dead.

“That should have been my line!” Indie said rancorously. “Seems to me like you stole it. Just like you stole my mother’s place in my father’s bed!”

 

Happy reading! x

Coming up...

Things have been frantic over the last couple of weeks...so much so that I find myself running from one place to another, one book signing or event to another so fast that I barely have time to catch breath...

Last night I was invited to a wonderful exclusive event. I really want to tell you all about it but I am awaiting photographs of the evening to be emailed to me. So until then my lips are sealed.

Please check back later to hear all about it!

It's all about the girl...

Last night I conducted an author talk and book signing for a lovely group of people. As a speaker it can be hard to gauge an audience - believe it or not some audiences can be hard work but last night was an exceptionally good one!

So it was that I arrived home full of good cheer and very contented.

Here is a comment from one of the ladies which was posted on The Book Club's Facebook page.

"So here are my preconceptions of the Book Club Birmingham - we would be sitting around tables with a copy of the book under discussion!!

"My word how wrong I was!! It was an inspiring refreshingly honest evening with the girlish Carmen Capuano (loved that quality) she took us into another world. Loved the evening feel vibrant & excited!!"

 

I particularly liked the fact that she referred to me as 'girlish'. Oh dear why does the phrase 'woman, vanity is thy name!' ring such a loud bell? ;)

 

Happy Reading!

Listening to that little voice...

I have a tendency to listen to my inner voice - it rarely fails me I find.

Today, instead of beginning the editing of The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons I have decided to work on The Plan which is already half finished. For some reason I am not yet ready to edit the first book nor am I ready to move onto the new story that popped into my head when I was in the shower the other day...the main character is not yet fleshed out enough by my sub-conscience to allow me to fully capture her essence. By working on something else, I will give her time and space to evolve, just like a caterpillar evolves into a beautiful butterfly.

So in the meantime here is the first paragraph I have written today :-

The dress wasn’t particularly comfortable to drive in; the beads dug into her bottom and back like little chips of diamonds. If I was to take this dress off now, I would look like I had been lying on a bed of nails, she thought. Little indentations all over my skin…

She pulled up at the house number Indie had said she lived at. It was a modest terrace in a reasonable area but watching Indie step out of the front door and close it behind herself was like watching Captain Picard of The Enterprise step out of a burger van – nothing about the picture fit.

 

 

I am often asked if my characters are like me. In this particular book there is no character that I could really fully identify with, they are all very different to me. But the situations they find themselves in - well some of those stem from my real life [but my lips are sealed as to which ones they are...]

 

Happy reading!

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!

Hot off the screen here is my latest interview http://bookseekeragency.com/2014/10/02/an-interview-with-carmen-capuano-author-of-split-decision/

And as always...Happy Reading!

Events.

Many thanks to the Stroke Club in Northfield for inviting me to conduct an author talk for their members. Everyone was warm and welcoming and it was an absolute honour to speak with them after the event and listen to their personal stories.

Next week on Thursday 9th October I will be at the Java Lounge in Birmingham, talking about my writing, reading excepts of my books and conducting a book signing. I would love to see you there.

Nearer the time I will let you know of further future events.

Until then, Happy Reading!

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!

Feed the birds!

People ask me all the time how I get my inspiration for stories. The truth is always much less exciting than what they probably think. Stories come to me like jokes come to comedians, I would imagine. They pop up in my head, sometimes fully fleshed out and sometimes requiring a little work to join the dots together. But the ones I choose to work on are the ones which have characters who are more than three-dimensional. In my head, these are living, breathing entities in their own right and in some ways I have no more control over them than an absent mother does of her children!

Therefore I didn't set out to write The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons for any other reason than it was a fantastic story idea and I  thought the characters had something powerful to say. But at the beginning I wasn't sure what that would be. Now I do!

This book has been a painful journey for me and one which has been more personal than perhaps many of my other books. You see I was the little girl who fed the birds and I guess at heart I still am her, in all her frailties and foibles.

Life and time moves us all in different directions and sometimes that is far away from where we really ought to be. Slowly I am finding my way back to my rightful place - and will there be pigeons there? You can bet on it.

So introspection over, here is today's snippet, hot off my laptop. 

Oh and to quote Mary Poppins, "Feed the birds, tuppence a bag..."

Brighteyes’s empty box nearly broke his heart and for a moment his mind played tricks on him, making him see what wasn’t there - the little bobbing head, the iridescent sheen of feathers, the bright inquisitive eyes.

His heart held on to the image, eager not to relinquish it to the reality of the empty room, his empty life…

He flung open the window. It was just starting to get dark outside although the hour was not late. No birds flew high in the sky or overhead but he sprinkled the contents of the bag across the outside of the ledge anyway. They would be there ready for the morning and that was for the best anyway.

He ran a hand across the crumbs, evening them out and breaking the bigger chunks into more manageable bite sized pieces. Maybe the pie would attract all different types and sizes of birds, maybe only the braver ones would alight there. Time would tell. But he knew that as long as they were willing to come, he would be willing to feed them.

 

For more snippets of this or other books, take a look at my previous blog posts.

Happy Reading!

This morning I met with my 'coffee ladies'. We discussed whether it was indeed possible to put your mind to doing something and achieving it even if it was beyond your intelligence level.

For me the jury is still out on the subject, however my character Lucas is finding that school work has a  new relevance for him now that he has a rescue pigeon in his care.

Here is today's snippet.

He had spent the Saturday morning doing his homework with Brighteyes watching him from the window sill. For maths he had work in fractions and decimal points to be done and he flew through the questions with ease, regardless of whether they were purely numerical or worded ones, reshaping them in his mind to have reference to the bird. Two and a half multiplied by 3.8 became two full adults and a baby bird requiring 3.8 mls of medicine each. Five and seven eighths divided by 2.9 became five adults and a teenage bird who had to share almost 3mls of water between them…suddenly everything had a relevance, a purpose that he understood.

Even his English homework had a significance now that it hadn’t had previously. In his freestyle assignment he chose to write an investigative report on how pigeons were maligned by society, vilified because of the erroneous belief that their faeces was harmful to humans. And to his surprise he loved every moment of the work.

 

Happy Reading!

I am coming towards the end of The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons. I really feel for my character Lucas - I have been in his situation and it is hard on the heart at times. Here is the excerpt from today's chapter :-

Lucas felt a stab of guilt. Was he neglecting Brighteyes? He really didn’t intend to leave the bird alone for so long but then again was it in its best interests to make it too tame either? What would happen once it was released to the wild if it was too used to human company?

He worried about the rights and wrongs of the situation as he peddled to the park. Brighteyes seemed to be getting better, growing stronger every day. And that was a good thing – no, actually that was a great thing! But she also seemed to be becoming more accustomed to him every day, a little less afraid, a little more accepting of his sudden movements, less startled when he spoke… and sometimes recently he had noticed that she seemed to be paying more attention to him, almost as if she considered him to be part of her flock…

He was honoured by the bird’s acceptance but he was also more than a little worried. Would she pine for him when she was back in the wild? Would she feel betrayed? Abandoned? Alone? And him – how would he feel having to give her up to fate, not ever knowing if she was alright?


They say that if you love something you should let it go...I think that will be a hard lesson for Lucas. Keep your fingers crossed for me and for him.

Until my next post - Happy Reading!

Scottish Independence... Scotland The Brave or United Britain?

On the question of Scottish independence... as someone who was born and raised in Scotland, I have been asked over and over by my friends how I would have voted if I still lived in there and also how I ultimately think the vote tomorrow will turn out.


So here it is. I think it will be a 'yes' vote and indeed that is what I would have voted if I still resided there. But please let me explain. I love England. I have lived here for over twenty years and consider it my home; indeed I have no desire to return to Scotland at all.


However it cannot be denied that the English have had something that has been long denied to the Scottish - a sense that they are masters of their own political destiny; purveyors of their own fate. 


From the moment that devolution took place I think the writing was on the wall that Scotland, having had a small taste of political independence would hanker after the whole hog...


And so it has come to this. Will it be a divided Britain? Not necessarily. The intertwining of nations that is modern Europe will ensure that should the vote be 'yes' there will not be closed borders reminiscent of 'cold-war' Russia. What there just might be is a raised morale in Scotland with the Scottish no longer feeling the underdogs to the English.


And if it is a mistake, as so many predict it will be? Then at least it will be Scotland's own mistake, made by themselves, about themselves.


Either way, the fate of a nation is in it's people's hands and I for one am watching with baited breath.


On a lighter note:- a van with the slogan "Wrekin Removals" passed me on the road today. Honestly, would you entrust your furniture to a company with such an unfortunate name?


Happy Reading.

The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons.

Sometimes I wonder what you glean from all these little bits of storyline I post. Do you try to piece the story together? Does it whet your appetite for more? Does it give you an indication of how the characters are progressing? Feel free to write in and share your thoughts.

Here is the bit I have just written ten minutes ago:-

 

Lucas thought for a moment. The scene all around him was so beautiful, the few boats on the water quaintly painted with flowers and names embellished in flowing script. Here and there a few ducks swam serenely on top of the water, or dived momentarily beneath the still, glassy surface, their movements causing little ripples all around; ripples which grew wider and wider before fading to nothing once more.

Across from the towpath were fields of the lushest green grass where cows grazed sedately and gazed at him as if he were the oddest looking thing they had ever seen. Set against a blue sky which held only a hint of the darkness which would later descend, it was a surreal scene and he felt as if he were not witnessing it for real, through his own eyes but instead through the medium of oil on canvas.

It was somehow too perfect to be real.

 

 

Poor, poor Lucas is trapped in a situation that is not of his making. I hope he finds his way out!

 

Happy Reading x

Hot off my laptop screen here is today's excerpt from the chapter I am currently writing:-

Molly snorted. “I never said it would make you more popular, what I said was that I could help you be more normal.” She waved her hands in the air as if needing their help to explain her point. “I can’t make people like you Lucas, though I can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t once they get to know you. Under all that moodiness and stuff I mean.”

“Gee thanks!”

She laughed again. “Don’t take everything so personally,” she said.

“I’m sorry but you have spent the entire conversation insulting me and I’m not supposed to take it personally?” she really did take the biscuit, he thought.

“Exactly! It’s just a seeing thing, a whatdoyoumacaall it, a thingy…”

Lucas thought hard. The conversation was going off track and he was losing the thread rapidly.

“When you watch something and you see it!” she was getting annoyed with herself that she couldn’t remember the word.

“An observation?” he supplied.

“That’s it! That’s the thing I meant – an obstication! That’s what it was!” she was almost skipping with excitement now.

“Observation,” he supplied again.

“Whatever,” she waved the word off with her hands. “The point is that you have to let them get to know you before they can like you.”

 

 

Molly is turning out to be a more central character than I had anticipated but from the moment she bounced into the story I knew she had some important things to say...I wonder what she will do next?

 

Happy Reading!

Up and coming events!

When I get a spare moment I will give you a more extensive list of my forthcoming events. Bookings are still being taken for the few remaining slots this year, however I am also now confirming dates for 2015 author talks and signing events.

If you would like to schedule one with me you can contact me at carmencapuano@ymail.com to request details and to book.

In the meantime, here is one of my events you might like to attend. http://eventful.com/events/book-club-presents-carmen-capuano-/E0-001-074855726-1

Here is what has been written about the books :-

THE BOOK CLUB IS BACK!
We are kicking off a new chapter and a new season with sci-fi/fantasy author Carmen Cupuano. Self-published, self accomplished Capuano has created a new world for the sci-fi/fantasy genre in a set of books set in an post-apocalyptic world... but let's not give too much away.
We invite you to join us and hear more about Carmen, her illustrious books, why she writes in her genre and the chance to grab yourself a few signed copies.

Volumes 1&2 by Carmen Capuano

THE Owners is the debut series by Bromsgrove author Carmen Capuano the first two volumes of which are Alone and Storm Clouds (Fast Print Publishing - Paperback £10.99 and £8.99)

Aimed at teenagers and young adults, as well as a mature audience, this science fiction fantasy imagines that humans are kept as pets, originally unknown to them, and then flickers of consciousness about their situation emerge . . .

Borrowing elements from Andrew Nichol's The Truman Show and Thomas More's Utopia, Capuano develops a good idea well with scope for several more instalments. The time, location, and place are uncertain, but the thematic ambition is bold, an exploration of what humanity is, and as the plot unfolds, what it is not, in a 21st century morality tale.

Pet humans are kept by the Eyons, in a playful twist on the late 20th century Tamagotchi toy craze in which young children rushed to buy the Japanese hand held computer virtual pet, and nurture it.

The second volume, Storm Clouds is self-contained and opens with cataclysmic storms threatening to engulf the West Coast of America, leaving twelve year old Dan Ryan no choice but to be evacuated to New York and into the care of his Uncle Jack.

Both volumes are pacy, easy reads, with a fast developing plot that addresses moral questions without being overtly moralising. Storm Clouds has the more conventional narrative, Alone is the more thought provoking with an alien language which borrows from Orwell's 1984.

The familiar terrestrial setting of America is a more secure setting for the author although having Jack Ryan as a significant protagonist, a name popularised by Tom Clancy in his spy series,+ may be a little distracting Stateside.

As a writing debut it is a strong start, and volume three should be following soon. Capuano feels that there is the potential to add several more to the series , and I think she is right. Young readers will be attracted to the page turning storytelling, whilst older readers will enjoy the time honoured philosophical and moral dimension which the author revels in tackling.

The Owners series is available from Amazon, published by Fast print Publishing, signed copies are available direct from the author at: carmen.capuano@ymail.com

Happy Reading!

Here is the latest snippet from The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons.
 
Lucas is growing closer to his rescue every day. But the bird is growing stronger and soon he will have to face that bittersweet moment all rescuers do - he will have to let the bird go back to the wild.
 
I know fellow resucers will all know that feeling well, the hope and the dread mixed together, it is a heavy feeling in your heart, like treacle seeping through it. Here Lucas is just beginning to feel it :-

 
The pigeon was coming along well and every day took more of an interest in the world outside the window. She would turn her head to watch other birds fly past but now, instead of trying to press herself through the glass as she had done the first morning he had placed her there, she would watch for a while and then turn to him as if to say, ‘that will be me one day, won’t it? You will set me free, won’t you?’


He always replied verbally to her look. “Yes Brighteyes, that will be you too one day.” His mouth said the words even as his heart tried to retract them. He could no longer imagine being in his room without his little feathered friend to keep him company. The pigeon was growing more and more comfortable with him every day and there was a feeling of teamwork between them, as if it was actively helping in its own rehabilitation
 
This book is now about 2/3 complete. I will let you know how I get on. In the meantime if you want to look at my other work just scroll down or click on one of the links.


And as ever - Happy Reading!

A new interview!

Click onto the section on the right hand side of this page to read about my latest interview with storyteller and author, Cat Weatherill.


Cat has travelled around the world, honing and displaying her craft and it was a real pleasure to interview her.


Next week I will be working hard to bring you the latest snippets of my chapters and keeping you generally up to date with my progress.


Until then - Happy Reading!

Moving on!

Hip-hip-hooray! Back to writing today! [It even rhymes! :)] Here is a snippet from today's chapter.

“Well Lucas, I am no vet. But I am a scientist first and foremost. Have you ever heard of something called Chaos Theory?”

“No.” Lucas hoped that the conversation wasn’t descending into one of Mr Levy’s lectures about scientific principles.

“Well Chaos Theory is a particular field of study in mathematics which has implications in the scientific world. Perhaps you have heard of The Butterfly Effect?”

Lucas shook his head.

The teacher looked crestfallen. “It’s of no matter. But the Chaos Theory teaches us to always expect the unexpected and that one small, insignificant change can, over time and space lead to a monumental shift in circumstances somewhere else.”

“I’m sorry Mr Levy but I don’t think I’m following you,” Lucas sighed.

“Your racing pigeon…”

Lucas interrupted to stave off further confusion. “It’s not a racing pigeon. It’s a normal one I found in the street. It had been injured by a car I think.”

The teacher clapped his hands delightedly. “How wonderful! How perfectly wonderful Lucas for this serves to explain the theory even better!”

Lucas didn’t see how that was possible but he kept his mouth shut.

“Let’s assume that the bird would have died were it not for your intervention. That after all would have been the most likely outcome. But now you have intervened. The bird may die or it may not but ripples have been formed by your actions – ripples that might have far reaching consequences!”

Lucas still didn’t know how this helped him in any way. “But what do I do?”

That’s the whole point. You do nothing now other than carry on looking after the bird – whatever happens next is down to Chaos Theory – or fate if you would like to call it that!”

Lucas backed out of the room leaving the chortling teacher behind. No-one could help him and no-one but him could help the bird. He really was alone against the world.


It's incredible the things I have to research in order to write...one day if I'm lucky I might just get clever!


Until then - Happy Reading!