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!

Taken from The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons.

Chapter 13

 

    It was a girl.

    Long, waist-length brown hair framed a face that was impish and open. Probably no more than ten years old, he was struck by the way she held herself in the open doorway; looking out without yet venturing out, as if curious about what the day held in store for her.

    She is part of the new family that’s moved into Josh’s house, Lucas thought. Except of course that it wasn’t Josh’s house at all any more, was it? He looked away, speeding up his pace, wanting to avoid having to acknowledge that things had moved so far on; that Josh had moved so far on…

    “I know who you are,” a voice at his side said brightly.

    Without even looking down, he knew it was her, the stranger from the house. Taller than most other girls her age, she also seemed to lack their customary shyness.

    “I don’t know you and I don’t want to know you. And you don’t know me either,” he put in for good measure.

    “Well maybe not know exactly,” she acceded, “but I have seen you.”

    “Seeing isn’t knowing,” he ramped up the pace once more, an image of Hugh Grant blazing across his inner vision like an incitement to war.

    “I’m Molly. Molly Hickling. What’s your name?”

    “Go away,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

    “Well that’s a dumb name, Go Away!” She managed to make it sound as if she really thought that was his name. It was only the smallest stifled giggle on the end of her words that gave the game away.


Molly is my newest character and I think she has some important things to say...


Happy Reading,


Carmen.

Competition Alert!

In doing a Google search I came across this competition which seems to be offering a chance to win $50 by posting a review of The Owners Volume I.


As I have literally just pasted it here, please check that the competition is still running. Oh and do me a favour by emailing me the review too...I can't offer you money but I will be forever grateful.


http://biblio.co.uk/book/owners-volume-i-capuano-carmen/d/737809472


Happy Reading.


Carmen.

Newest blog statistics/ sales figures.

A quick look at the statistics shows that I am currently big in Turkey whilst only a few weeks ago I was big in Lanzarote! Boom boom!


Jokes aside, I never did get a chance to tell you about my holiday in Lanzarote. Suffice it to say I came, I saw and I ate! Daily paella doesn't do any favour to the hips you know...


Anyway, I digress...this was just a little post to say thank you for buying the books and continuing to read the blog. It is very much appreciated! And if you are reading a translated version of this - good luck!


Happy Reading,


Carmen.  

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.

The end is in sight!

The summer hols are almost over and I am desperate to get back to my writing. I can't normally write whilst the kids are home but today I got up early whilst they were still in bed. I actually managed half a chapter before I had to stop.

The book is at the half-way point and I can see more clearly where it is going. It is a deep tale of a troubled boy and the act that ultimately saves him.


Here is the very latest excerpt from The Boy Who Rescues Pigeons. I hope you enjoy it.


Happy reading.

“I prepared some more food for your bird. There was some left over bits of meat and potatoes so I chopped them up really small and I did some more peas and corn.”


He nodded, relieved to be talking about the bird rather than Martin. “Will it eat meat and potatoes?” he asked.
 
Anna shrugged. “Out in the wild I guess they eat whatever they can find. They eat worms so that’s meat!” she said, pushing away from the table and taking the dirty bird dishes from him. “But the bird is your responsibility Lucas. I thought I made that clear. You need to look up on the internet what it should be fed and what it will need to make it better.”


He nodded. She was right and it was what he had been planning to do until…until he had had that message from Hugh Grant. He cursed himself for not getting on with his responsibilities. If he messed this up Martin or his mother would make him get rid of the pigeon.


Lucas sensed that this would not only be a death sentence for the bird but that in some strange way it would be the death of him too.

Robin Williams

I wasn't intending to write a post about the recent death of Robin Williams...much has already been said about the man, his life, his work and his recent death...but I find myself unable to rid my mind of such thoughts. And as so often in my life, I find that writing is a cathartic process which perhaps does not heal a wound but at least lets the pus drain away.


I cannot claim to have known or even ever to have met the man but I do know of his work. I remember him best as the madcap Mork from Mork and Mindy, the fast and furious speech, the wide grin and the endearing behaviour. But most of all I remember sitting watching it, perched on the end of my parents' bed with my dad laughing uproariously and occasionally explaining the finer points to me - I guess I was about seven then.


I remember too, watching Mrs Doubtfire with my own children, my heart wrenched at his character's obvious love for his family despite his flaws.


Robin Williams was the very essence of a comic genius who could wring sentiment from even the coldest of hearts. I have no idea how this affected him in his personal life or whether he was afflicted with the neuroses that seem too often to accompany genius...all I know is that he left a family who loved him and a world that [to echo his daughter] will be a little darker with his passing.


For me personally this news comes at a strange time, for I am undergoing a small grieving process of my own. I seem to have come to a crossroads in life, I can see the many roads of the past which led me to where I now stand. Some of those roads are now careworn and covered with a thin veil of dust - the passage of time and the losses it wreaks on our souls serve to decay and rot the surface of such trails but other roads are yet fresh and beckon towards me with a strange eerie call. To go down those roads previously well trodden would be dangerous but the appeal is there nonetheless.


The future is less clear. And I guess that is true for all of us. We can only ever see to the very edge of where the light shines forth, beyond that is a darkness as thick and impenetrable as Sleeping Beauty's forest.


I don't know where the future leads, where its path will be smooth and where I might stumble upon the way...but I am nevertheless driven forward. Sometimes I wish I were not 'blessed' with the dark disposition that occasionally comes upon me but then again, it is this darkness that fuels my novels I am sure.


So to the family of Robin Williams, I would say this : venture down that path ahead as far as you feel you can and when the darkness gets too much, cast your eye back to the blazing trail your father left behind him. What that may have cost him I would not like to speculate but I hope that the knowledge that he made one little Glaswegian and her dad very happy, may light the darkness, even just a tiny bit.


Rest In Peace Mr Williams. x

Hello again! It seems like a long time since I posted anything here but I have been away to Lanzarote for a week and now I am home it is going to take a few days to catch up with things.


In the meantime my interview by The Common Writer is up and running here https://thecommonwriter.squarespace.com/author-interviews/2014/8/11/carmen-capuano-owners-series


Come back here in a day or so and I might just tell you a little bit about my travels.


Until then, happy reading!

OH YES!

Do you have any idea how valuable my books are? No, well I didn't either until I saw one listed for sale on Amazon for the not-inconsiderable sum of £4084.48!


If you don't believe me take a look here http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Owners-Volume-Dark-Side/dp/1780355718/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1407087385&sr=8-5&keywords=carmen+capuano


;)


Very Happy Reading! x

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

For my latest interview scroll down to where it says PAGES on the right hand column and click on Interviews with authors and other interesting people.


My most recent interview is with the founders of Willows Rescue Centre, focusing not just on the great work these people do but on their motivations and personal lives too...


It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our lives that we rarely take time out to appreciate the natural world around us, the world that will continue to revolve long after we have turned to dust and the work on which we pride ourselves is shown to have had no more lasting value than a dollar bill in a rainstorm.


That's what makes me so glad that people like this exist in the world; people who protect the creatures that most of us overlook even when we are feeling our most benevolent. Because - and I am asking you to be truthful here - what animal came to mind when you read the word 'rescue'? Was is a cat or a dog? Or even a horse or donkey? Well in this instance you would be wrong because Willows is a hedgehog rescue centre...


But before you prejudge these little critters, do me the honour of reading the interview...then make up your mind.


I think [and believe it or not, I know a little about my readers] you will be pleasantly surprised.


Happy Reading!

I continue to be surprised by the content and the characters in The Owners books. Even though it is I myself who writes them, there are elements of surprise in every twist and turn.

Do you remember me telling you about one of the characters who I had only just realised was a dangerously bad man? Well it turned out today that he met his match in a character who up until now was not a main player but rather a supporting one. Seems she was just biding her time, I guess.

And that's one of the things I love most about this series - every volume picks out the people it needs to tell that part of the story, so that in effect, we get to meet all of the characters at different stages in their lives.

I guess it is a bit like looking at our own lives, slicing out little periods discrete in time and examining who was important in our lives then and why. If like me, you have changed jobs several times, moved home, been married and divorced, you will see that your world was inhabited not with one set of friends or family but a multitude of different ones who all played their own parts.

If like many of my friends, you are fortunate enough to have been in a long-term stable relationship, perhaps you will be able to see how the dynamics of this has changed over time...

'Cos that's life - there is always change, even if you can't see it clearly at the time.


Happy Reading!

Like a black Jesus, Denzel appeared to be waiting to welcome his lambs back into the fold; to be offering redemption.

But deliverance from sin was not an option, nor was it Denzel’s to offer.

Taken from The Owners Volume VI: Blood Sky.

This is the volume where everything turns and twists around once more, where what you thought was happening is not what actually happens...

Humans are complex characters and that is something I have tried very hard to get across in my books. Sometimes you think you know the very soul of a person, only to be proved wrong at the worst possible time.

My poor characters are finding that truth out...I hope that they have the strength of character to endure what will come to pass.

Happy reading. 

Breast issues!

Apparently if a woman wears a bra for 12 hours or more her chances of developing breast cancer are greatly increased.


The reason for this is that the lymph nodes in the breast require natural body movement to allow them to be emptied of their accumulated toxic waste. Bras however are designed to keep breast movement to a minimum, thus hampering the effective drainage of the lymph nodes and leading to a build up.


A doctor in Florida [Dr. Gregory Heigh] has reputedly  observed up to a 90% reversal of fibrocystic breast disorders in women who have sought to reduce the time they are restricted in bras or resolved not to wear them at all.


But what does this mean for the average lady, because lets be honest and upfront about our breasts [pardon the pun]. We are not going to let it all hang out like an advert for life au natural in the Tropical Rainforest, are we?


In this day and age where young girls are having implants in their bottoms and eyebrows tattooed to their faces, we are not going to easily see a return to simpler, less restrictive undergarments. If anything, the trend is going the other way with bras becoming more rigid and far less natural.


But I forgot... are we not the same species who managed to create skyscrapers such as the [now gone] Twin Towers, the Tower of Pisa [if somewhat leaning] and majestic structures such as Golden Gate Bridge?


Can we really create suspension bridges to carry cars over  wide-bodies of rivers, yet still not find a way to safely support two sacs of flesh on the female body? Really? I doubt that very much indeed!


Or is it that a solution already exists but it is one which is too unattractive to appeal to most men and not lucrative enough for greedy bra manufacturers, who would rather churn out nylon tat with a smattering of lace than finer, more malleable garments manufactured in more natural materials?


So girls my message is this - don't burn your bra, just demand a more natural one! And then in the words stolen from Star Trek, hopefully you really will 'live long and prosper'.


http://www.naturalnews.com/045366_breast_cancer_bras_lymph_nodes.html


Happy Reading!

Unfortunately I have been having a bit of a 'blond' moment...


For a few weeks I have been having trouble logging into this blog to post new information and articles and I genuinely thought that the root of the problem lay with whoever actually runs Blogger.


Then the night before last, having tried to log in all day, I pulled the blog up on my old laptop and was able to immediately access it. The problem did not lie with Blogger at all! The reality which hit me like a sledgehammer was that the browser installed on my new laptop will not allow access to Blogger.


So now I just have to figure out 2 things:- 


1. what is the actual browser AND
2. how do I change it?


Luckily I am now more white than blond, so hopefully the above will not prove too taxing for my brain! ;)


Happy Reading.

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!

As you know, the summer holidays are upon us. For that reason I am spending quite a lot of my time giving interviews as well as interviewing other authors or interesting people I have met along the way.


Coming soon will be interviews with Mary and Lynne of The Boutique Bakehouse, cake makers and decorators extraordinaire, who were commissioned to bake a cake for members of the Royal Family as well as a lovely gentleman who runs a hedgehog rescue centre.


Perhaps you may think my choice of interview subjects is rather eclectic and to some extent you would be right. But I view life as a rich tapestry and the threads that are woven there are bound by the experiences we have and the people we come into contact with as much as they are by ourselves.


Anyway enough of my philosophising...


Happy Reading!