Well the films are in and the NOMINATIONS announced. Huge congratulations to all the nominees. We hope to see you at our event, Envisage International Film Festival.

But Envisage is so much more than just a film festival...

At Envisage we think it's a tragedy that many great films run the festival circuit then with nowhere else to go, are confined to sit forever on a shelf, gathering dust. 

That's why we are proud to be different. Starting in its debut year, Envisage brings you the first festival ever to celebrate previous winners and selected nominees from  its world renowned sister festivals, Stratford on Avon Film Festival and Birmingham Horror Film Festival. 

So where you see a block entitled Celebration of Film, you can find films which were nominations or winners in our previous festivals. Whereas blocks listed as Envisage Nominee screenings are part of the debut for Envisage International film Festival and are entered into Envisage's competition. 

TICKETS

PLEASE NOTE  AWARDS TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE AWARDS EVENT. 

A ticket for any block = £2.50

A ticket for the awards = £2.50

Day Pass (to include the awards and ALL blocks in any one day) = £5.00

Tickets are available at info@birminghamhorrorfilmfestival.com or you can pay by CASH OR CARD  on the door. 

A nice surprise!

 It's always so lovely to find a new review on Amazon. 

Most of my books only have a few reviews but every single one of them is genuine and not a paid-for service. 

So check out Invisible now. 

Stratford on Avon Film Festival

Have we got an event for you, coming up! 

Nestled right in the centre of historic Stratford-Upon-Avon is the Stratford on Avon Film Festival, and this year it's going to be bigger and better than ever. 

A ticket for a block of films is just £3.50 or you can immerse yourself in film for the whole day for just £12. 

Tickets to the awards event are priced at £22 per person and include a finger buffet and drink from the bar. Book your tickets here.

AWARD NOMINATION

I'm delighted to announce that this sweet little short has been nominated for an award by Midlands Movies. I loved creating and writing the story. 

My Name Is Climate...

I've lots of announcements to make in the coming weeks but first up...

I'm absolutely thrilled to be part of such an amazing and worthwhile organisation. More details coming soon.

About the release of The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons

 A lot of people have asked me why it's taken me so long to release The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons. The answer is simple and yet exceptionally emotionally complex. 

I wrote the book back in 2009 or thereabouts and edited it ready for publication. But I didn't publish it. I couldn't. I wasn't emotionally ready. But I am now. 

The story centres around Lucas Reverential Pertwee - an unusual boy in an unusual situation. Lucas finds and takes in an injured pigeon and in caring for and helping to heal the bird, he manages to emotionally heal himself. The character of Lucas is based upon me and my eldest child, Ryan. We are both raw, bleeding hearts when it comes to animals. 

But the core of the story is actually about my dad. Or rather my step-dad, Gerald McCammick. He took me in as his daughter when I was six and strove to provide a physically safe environment for me. I make the distinction here because ours was not always an easy relationship. Both of us were emotionally scarred by life and there are things that regardless of how hard you try, you never fully recover from. So we trundled along with the occasional drunken rage on his part and teenage truculent slamming of doors on mine. 

I'm not seeking to trivialise these moments. They were part of our lives. A big part. But they also never really shook the bedrock that our made-family was founded upon. We both knew we loved each other. 

Of course there is much more to this story than I've put down upon this page. But that is for another time. Or perhaps never. 

When I wrote the book I told my dad that I was dedicating it to him. He just smiled and said, "Oh aye, very good Carmen." But I know how much it meant to him. It didn't matter that I couldn't bring myself to publish it for so long. We both knew the dedication was forged in each line of text I'd written. Publishing the book wouldn't give it any more validation than it existing in the first place. And when my dad died a few years ago, it didn't matter that I still hadn't brought out the book. The time wasn't yet right. 

So what made the time right now? I don't honestly know, except that deep inside I recognised the change. I'm 56... and six. I'm still that little girl. I still rescue pigeons. 

The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons is available from June 1st, in time for ordering for Father's Day. Take a look at all my books here.

x

Coming very soon...

I'm thrilled to announce that The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons will be coming soon. Keep your eyes peeled!

Yup, crying again...

 Within the last two weeks I have watched two immensely enjoyable films which although very different, both left me in tears at the end. 

The first was I Am Woman, the story of Helen Reddy's rise to fame as a singer in the 60s and 70s. A completely flawless portrayal by actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey of a woman who was both vulnerable and full of gritty determination, was of course only part of the appeal. 

Cobham-Hervey was supported by a plethora of fabulous actors who seemed to live and breathe and totally embody the very real-life people who had surrounded Reddy during her lifetime. 

And that song! Was there ever a song that could be a better anthem for 50% of the population? I'd heard I Am Woman, growing up in the 70s in Glasgow, but never had I attached so much significance to the song. Before, it had rolled off my tongue as I sang along, attaching my own petty (and sometimes not so petty) problems to the lyrics... but watching the film, seeing Reddy's very real struggles in a world that did not even give women command of their own bodies, let alone destinies, I finally got the real sentiment of the song. Not the easy - we are all equal - but the more complex idea, that women had been equal all along, it was just that men had failed to notice. 

And so crying my eyes out, I finished watching the film and gave thanks to all those women, who for centuries have fought oppression, so that I - a woman - can sit here today and push out script after script, novel after novel and not be dismissed as 'just a woman'. 

Sadly, Helen Reddy died last September. Not through Covid but through complications of her failing health and dementia. She'll never know the effect her story had upon me. But I know that she was aware of the effect it had already had on countless millions. 

So if you haven't watched the film, I urge you to do so. 

The second film which made me cry was Anna And The Apocalypse. Another musical, it has however a completely different feel and subject matter of I am Woman. 

Hats off to the writers and director of this film. It could have been a fly-away thing, something to watch on a wet Sunday afternoon in lockdown. But actually the film had soul (if you'll forgive the pun, being as the film was about zombies).  

This, as they made very clear during one of the many catchy songs, was to have no Hollywood ending. And the film (enjoyable throughout) was strengthened by its non-Hollywood ending. It was a brave move and one which in my opinion paid off, giving the whole film a depth and compassion that elevated it beyond what it would otherwise have been. 

Ella Hunt was stunning in the lead role and acted, sang and danced her way through it with aplomb. She's certainly going on my list of actresses I'd like to cast in one of my films. 

The only thing I didn't like in the whole of the film was the pram lying abandoned on the road and the zombie attacking it in one of  the opening scenes. That in my opinion was a step too far... but otherwise a great film.

Again, if you haven't seen it, make time to do so. 

And look out for my big news, coming soon. 

Happy viewing! x

Hot off the page

Here is a little snippet I have just written. It's where Tudie learns how very different things are set to become...

“Oh Tudie!” his mother holds her arms open to me and I let myself be enfolded into her embrace. “Have you heard?” she asks, although from my entrance and the look which is surely on my face, the answer must be obvious.


I nod, for a moment unable to speak.

All three of them resume a quiet mewling. For a few moments I join them unashamedly. Their pain echoes and amplifies mine. With no family of my own they are all I have in the world – them and Grey, and it is he who ties me so firmly to them.

Luckily Tudie is a strong character. She is going to need every last bit of that strength!

Happy Reading! x

That's what I call an ad!

Look out for the huge digital ad for Split Decision if you are on the A38, Aston Expressway. It will be going live tomorrow... oh the excitement is just too much!

My warmest thanks and deepest gratitude to Elonex, the guys who made it all happen.

Book Launch announced!

AARGH!

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




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


Many thanks!

Back at work! Yippee!

Here is the latest paragraph hot off the press of my newest novel. I am currently working on Chapter 6 so lots still to do.

“Do you remember the film Dirty Dancing?” Indie asked.

Suzie tilted her head to the side. “Are you saying I can’t dance because I’m not a skinny little thing like “Baby” was?” She thought of the slimness of the actress who had played the female lead. A strong gust of wind could have blown her away. No-one would ever have said the same for herself!

“No I’m saying that what “Johnny” said to her was true for you too,” Indie replied.

“No-one puts Baby in the corner?” Suzie asked thinking of the tight corner she had literally just spun herself into.

Indie laughed delightedly at the joke. “No idiot! When he told her she had to feel the music not just hear it!”

“OH!” Suzie realised Indie was right.

If you like dancing and you like a rom-com then this will be the book for you. If you like YA, sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic genres, then check out my Owners series on Amazon. Just type my name into the author search bar and you will find the first 4 of The Owners books...more on their way!

Happy reading!

By the way, I am feeling a little more like myself today. Much of the swelling has gone down and although I ate through tears yesterday, due to the excruciating pain, I got something down and kept it down.


My voice [what little of it is audible] is unrecognisable and my throat still feels as if it is lined with glass shards but I will get there. Already feeling much stronger than yesterday...roll on tomorrow and world domination...

Bye bye tonsils!

Yesterday I had my tonsils removed.

It was a traumatic experience both for me and the tonsils, which have been a part of me for the last 46 years. It was also exceptionally painful [although not as painful as giving birth...nothing is THAT uniquely painful, in my experience].

But worse than the pain, is the feeling of having something the size of a football lodged in the very back of your throat and so much swelling that you cannot lie down, because if you do, your airway is effectively blocked by the swelling ...and not to put too fine a point on it, you think you will die and yes you probably will! Therefore I spent last night sitting erect in bed, trying and failing to sleep.

Using a small torch [and because I am such a control freak that I just HAVE TO SEE IT], I looked at the back of my throat. It is yellow with a scorched tinge to it and looks nothing like the pink healthy flesh it used to resemble.

My voice is also changed and I could be a good stand in for the freaky Phantom of the Opera in terms of modulation of sound although the volume thing would completely defeat me, as I can only talk in whispers now.

However the very fact that I am well enough to write this blog amazes me...in fact only an hour ago I was thinking that I was losing the will to live, as the paracetamol and anti-inflamatories failed to kick in and sooth the pain...and then I thought of having a gin and coke.

NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG, I am not advocating the use of alcohol in conjunction with tablets but OMG I suddenly feel so much better...now where did I put those dancing shoes...?

The Owners Volume V : Eyon Rising.

I am forging ahead with this book and am now on Chapter 7.

Here is a little bit I have just written.

The crowd had hushed when Eli appeared and feeling the mounting tension and astonishment, Eden had allowed her gaze to follow the direction in which everyone was looking.

If she lived to be a hundred and ten, she would never forget any single moment of what happened next. Eli had been hustled in to stand, bound and strung up like a turkey, in front of everyone assembled there.

And in that moment, in that precise nanosecond of time, Eden’s life became firmly divided into past, present and future.

Here is the latest professional review for The Owners Volume II : Storm Clouds.


Book Review:
This book starts with an impending disaster in a familiar location: both are presented with clarity and the potential of possible. That sounds strange, but every event and emotion: realized and threatened, carry that sense that they could happen, and sometimes they do without warning.
Told with a more traditional style than book 1, Capuano manages to make each character come alive when it is most needed to infuse life, tension or emotional intensity into the plot, and this reads far less science-fiction and far more dystopian. While I won’t for a moment pretend to be well versed in either genre, the writing remains the constant pleasant surprise.
Here she has managed to present a story that stands apart from the first, while I don’t see the connection in storyline or world building, the connection shines brightly in the questions for and about humanity. Using a more “exampled” set of situations that model good and bad behaviors by the characters encountered in the story – the subtext still manages to provide a cohesive thread between the two books, and will keep many anxious for the third instalment.

http://iam-indeed.com/2013/06/07/storm-clouds-the-owners-volume-2-by-carmen-capuano/

Goodness me! Almost at the end of Chapter 5 already.

If only I could type faster, I could have this book finished by next Thursday...the words are flying out of me. Here is another little bit... and if you haven't yet read The Owners, Volume I : Alone, Volume II : Storm Clouds and Volume III : Dark Side Of The Sun, you really don't know what you are missing. [You can find them on amazon at £1.99 for kindle]

Unwilling to face one more person, he had slunk off on his own, curious about how these other people lived. Only once had he turned round to ensure that no one followed him and it was then that he had seen the scene as only a true outsider could do.

Here is today's latest little snippet folks ....

The journey to the Lowlanders had not taken long but Eli felt as if every moment brought him closer to a place of enchantment. His eyes were assaulted with visions of vistas never seen before, rich glades where fern and other unknown plants grew, areas of scrub land and at one point, the remains of what he thought must once have been a town. Each and every piece of differing landscape was both unique and intriguing and he thought his mind must surely soon implode with all the new images he strived to store there.

The sun is shining and I'm optimistic...

but one thing I have learned in life, is never to put myself down...there are plenty of other folk more than willing to do that job for me!

If you are feeling low today, take some time out and think about the positives in your life. They are often the little things that we take so much for granted.

The pigeon is doing well and enjoying the sunshine which, is doing its very best to brighten the room. It's able to fly to the higher perches now, so I'm hoping it can be set free soon and I will get my space back!

Changes are underway still, slow but sure but wasn't there an old tale about that - something to do with the tortoise and the hare? I'll let you figure out which one I have always been and which one I am now striving to be.

I'll keep you posted ;)