Romantic Suspense Author Carmen DeSousa @Author_Carmen

I welcome Carmen DeSousa to my blog today. Carmen writes novels that overflow with romance, mystery, suspense, a hint of paranormal sometimes, and of course—tragedy. After all, what would a great story be without a heartrending event setting the stage? Her sensual and gripping stories have earned bestseller status on three continents because of her ability to make readers love, laugh, cry, gasp, and believe…

Were you “born to write” or did you discover your passion for writing later in life?
I was born to write. My best friend’s mother sent me the Barbie dolls that my friend and I played with in grade school, and I would write down our characters’ lines, so that we could act out our scenes.

Do you outline your books or wing it? Describe your process.
I’m the epitome of a pantser. I often start a book with only one thought, “What if?” From there, I just add notes to ‘My Writing Spot’ app. I constantly jump in and simply jot down notes on the story I’m writing or a story I might never write. At present, I have 57 ideas. I can’t write outlines, though, as my characters take on a life of their own as I write. In fact, I never even know ‘whodunit’ until the character slips up and reveals himself.

How much of you is in the books you write? In what ways?
Well, to be honest, every book I write has a piece of me—or someone I know. My husband was a police detective for eleven years. I didn’t hear all the stories, as he hid most of them from me until he left. But I heard enough to last me a lifetime. I’ve also lived a tragic life. I won’t discuss what is real and what is not. Instead, I’ll let you decide. If a particular scene rips your heart, then it’s probably the ‘real’ situations I’ve dealt with, as those are the easiest emotions to write.

What’s the coolest surprise you’ve ever had?
My hubby has always been great with our anniversary celebrations. He plans everything from finding a dress, the lingerie, spa treatments, then takes me somewhere we’ve never been. For our ninth anniversary, he took me to a French restaurant. He insisted I have dessert, so I did. It was beautiful. It looked too good to eat. As I was playing with the strawberry garnish that looked like a scallop, I realized it opened. There, sitting inside the carved-out strawberry, was a diamond ring. Not just any ring, but a ¾-karat princess cut solitaire.
Why at nine years, you ask? When he asked me to marry him—thirteen days after we met, I might add—he bought me a diamond, and I told him to take it back. After all, we needed a house and furniture. But I made him promise that he’d buy me the most beautiful diamond money could buy by our tenth anniversary. Not large, but breathtaking. He did it on our ninth.

What do you read? Do you read different genres when you’re writing versus not writing?
I read just about anything that has romance, mystery, suspense, and even a touch of paranormal as long as it’s plausible. Any combination of the above will do. I’ll also read a romantic comedy, but they take me longer to finish, since there’s usually no pressing questions that need answered. My favorite genre is the one I write: romantic-suspense.

If you could have one skill that you don’t currently have, what would it be?
I wish I could make people laugh. Everyone thinks I’m too serious. I love to laugh. It’s hard to feel upset when you’re laughing.

What is your least favorite part of writing?
Selling! I wish I could give all my books away and still pay my bills, which is why I give my short stories and first novel away. I would like enough readers someday that my books sell by ‘word of mouth’ only.

You’re having a party. What character from your book do you hope attends?
Ahh…that’s easy…Derrick from my newest release, Creatus. He’s sweet, smart, sexy, and has supernatural abilities. What else could you want in a man—I mean character. He’s a born leader because he doesn’t crack under pressure, and he’ll do anything to get and keep the woman he loves.

What character do you hope doesn’t attend?
Hmm…honestly, I think I wouldn’t even mind meeting my proverbial ‘bad guys’. Well actually, I do loathe one character, but I killed him with a train, so he definitely won’t show up. That’d be Devin in my short story, ‘The Depot’. He was one worthless piece of work. Most of my ‘bad guys’ have some redeeming quality, but sadly, he didn’t have any.

What inspired your latest release?
As I mentioned earlier, I love romantic-suspense with a believable paranormal edge, and I haven’t found too much of it lately. The idea that superheroes can fly without the necessary body mechanics or that humans can shape-shift into a being ten times their size doesn’t make sense to me. But since the beginning of time, humans have shared stories about sentient beings with supernatural powers. So, I researched and researched, and found many stories alluding to these superheroes, and decided to give readers my best guess on their origin. As my tagline suggests, Creatus are the reason we believe in fairy tales—and monsters. Prepare yourself to believe…

Buy:

Amazon

For more about Carmen, visit her author pages, which lists all of her books—even her FREE romantic-suspense bestseller She Belongs to Me—along with links to her website and social connections.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble – Kobo – iTunes

Stacy Juba

Stacy Juba has written sweet and sassy chick lit novels, mysteries about determined women sleuths, and entertaining books for young adults and children. Her books include the Storybook Valley chick lit series and the Hockey Rivals young adult sports novels.

Stacy is also a freelance developmental editor and online course creator. Sign up for her free masterclass, How to Create Your Editing Game Plan. 

Stop by her other websites and blogs: Shortcuts for Writers and Hockey Rivals.

stacyjuba.com/blog/