 When I sit down to write a novel, I generally have no idea where I’m going. My typical start of a story is usually the main character—whether it’s the male protagonist or the female protagonist—and whatever issue they are facing. From there, I just ask myself questions:
The great thing is, just like the reader, I never know exactly what my characters will do. Sure, I know I want a happily ever after, but I also know that not every character will get a happily ever after. And the detours they make along the way sometimes even surprise me. Why? Because I allow my story to progress naturally. I typically write two thousand words a day, and then every night I read the last few chapters to make sure the story flows, marking any areas that need addressing, and then go to sleep, allowing the characters to come alive in my dreams. And ohhh how they do. It’s not unusual for hubby to see me typing on my iPhone’s notepad in the middle of the night. Often it’ll just be a great line or a missing link I was in search of. When I finally finish the novel, I take an entire day and read from beginning to end, making sure the story flows and that there are no holes or contradictions. Easy, right? I’ve read this story almost thirty times at this juncture. How can it surprise me, how can it make me cry? And yet, here I am, sitting on the sofa, my afghan curled around me, and I’m bawling over something that happened. Hubby, who has been sitting quietly by his computer—because he knows it’s read-through day—whips his chair around to face me and asks, “Are you okay?” I swipe away my tears and answer, “Yes, I just can’t believe that happened.” “Wait. I thought you were reading your book?” he asks. “I am,” I answer. “But it still makes me cry.” He shakes his head and goes back to typing his nonfiction. One of my favorite quotes is by Robert Frost: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” Well, I’m always surprised, and I always cry when something happens to my characters, so I hope when you read my books you will, too! If you enjoy stories that blend happy and sad, romantic and suspenseful, click the link for your favorite retailer below and grab one of my free books. If you’ve read all my books, make sure you pre-order my new release, Erik’s Revelation, at the $0.99 introductory price, so you’ll know why I was crying! Until next time, happy reading! Carmen DeSousa Learn more about Carmen: www.WrittenMusings.com/CarmenDeSousa Or visit one of her author pages to grab one of her bestsellers! Kindle ● Play ● iBooks ● Nook ● Kobo ● Audible To be notified of Carmen's Deals & New Releases, subscribe to her Newsletter or BookBub! 
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 10) You can explore mysteries, what-ifs, and universal truths, and you can solve them in whatever way you want. You can stretch your imagination to the outer limits, and make your readers believe, even for a short while, in magic. 9) Whenever you space out and forget where you’re going, or spend two hours in the bath, you can always blame it on the people in your head who, at last, decided to reveal their deepest secrets. (Of course, if you tell this to someone who doesn’t write or read romance, they might send you on an expense-paid trip to the funny farm!) 8) You can buy books as a legitimate business expense. Better, you can read books as a legitimate part of your job. 7) You can go to work in your pajamas if you want or, at the least, sans panty hose, makeup, and an 18-Hour bra. 6) You can have torrid affairs with sexy men and not risk divorce or the fiery gates of hell. 5) You can be the woman you always wanted to be: braver, thinner, sassier, with perfect skin and thick hair. Or the woman you never wanted to be: a bitch, a murderer, the opposite sex… You can be whatever you want for a while, without any repercussions. 4) You learn to develop a balanced sense of self. You’re dancing with angels when a reader tells you you’re the best thing since the discovery of chocolate; you’re in the dregs of self-esteem when your editor tells you your latest book stinks worse than limburger cheese. 3) You can tell your mother she was wrong… It’s okay to tell stories after all. 2) Writing is the one place in your life where you can be God and control your world. If your characters let you, that is. 1) The best, absolutely number one part is knowing that what you love doing will touch someone’s life and take them away from their troubles for a while. I hope you enjoyed this list as much as I love writing for you! Tina If you would like to read a little more about what Tina writes, follow the links below to download one of her FREE bestsellers. She also has a $0.99 deal this week only! Tina's stories are available in print, eBook, and audio formats at your favorite retailer. Start Tina's Justiss Alliance series with a FREE book! Romance - Suspense - SEALs!
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 Carmen DeSousa writes about what she knows... Sometimes it's happy, sometimes it's sad, but it always ends in Happily Ever After! A professor once told me that all first-time authors write their autobiography, even if tagged fiction. While I don’t believe that’s completely true, after all, some first-time authors write about vampires and shape shifters, I do think there’s a modicum of truth to that statement. In other words, even if an author writes a work of fiction, there are usually many elements of the story that are factual, and I’d venture to guess that, at minimum, authors probably pattern characters after people whom they know. When my college professor suggested: “Write what you know.” — a quote often attributed to Mark Twain, but some say it is much older — I wasn’t certain if I really wanted to do that. After all, who would believe me? Here are a few scary subjects I know about: Child abuse, Sexual abuse, Drug abuse, Alcohol abuse, Abandonment, Rape, Suicide, Depression, Stalkers, Crime, Tragedies, Death... But, thankfully, I also know about a lot of good subjects, too: A new family, Hiking, Kayaking, Love at first sight, Happily ever after, Police & Detective Procedures, Belief in God, The power to overcome adversity…, Hey, I moved out on my own at the age of seventeen, and I'm married to a retired police detective, so I've seen a lot. The problem is ... will anyone believe or want to read about "what you know?" Well, I guess that depends. If you put it into a story, add a little, as Hollywood refers to it: Based on a true story, but dramatic elements have been added for the sake of artistic expression, then, yeah, some people will believe and/or want to read because more than likely they can identify with a character and/or a situation. And while they can enjoy an escape into a fictional story, they may take something from it. The funny thing is most of the stories throughout history are based on a couple of those "unbelievable" elements I listed above. Although they may not all be in the same story, "love at first sight," "family tragedy," and/or "an unbelievable or vicious crime" are often the basis of a work of literary fiction. Fairy tales did it. Suspense-thrillers do it. It’s a great start! So if you don’t believe one or more of the elements of a story, does that make it "unbelievable" or a "bad" story? One of the most popular themes is "love at first sight," which often gets a bad rap by reviewers. You may not believe in "love at first sight," but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist, and many readers love it. In fact, even movies that aren’t tagged as "love at first site," usually have a hero and heroine thrust into an incredibly unbelievable situation, and are all of a sudden willing to die for each other. Of course, there are many classics like that, too: Romeo and Juliet, all the fairy tales, even The Godfather ... ooh, I bet you forgot about that one. Remember when Michael Corleone is walking through the picturesque countryside in Sicily and he spots the beautiful Apollonia… See, even graphic thrillers do it! Well, as I mentioned in the above list, these are all the things I write about. Why? Because it’s what I know. So, let me share a tidbit of information with the unbelievers of the world who don't think "love at first sight" exists... I’ve experienced a lot of tragedy in my life, but I got lucky in love! After my first date with my husband, I called my grandmother and told her I'd just met the man I was going to marry. Thirteen days later, he asked me to marry him. Thirty days later, we got married, and we’ve been married for thirty-one years. Yes, I believe in "love at first sight," yes, I write tales filled with tragedy, mystery, suspense, hope and, above all, romance, because I’m living one. I’ll leave the rest of "what I know" situations that I write about in my books up to your imagination, and let you try to figure out what's real or made up. :) Until next time, happy reading and imagining! Carmen If you would like to read a little more about what Carmen writes, follow the links below to download one of her bestsellers.
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