THANK YOU!!!!

It's been exactly 2 months since I self-published my novel, Behind the Mask.

And I'm beyond grateful to all those who bought it, read it and supported it.  Not that I was feeling negative, but I wasn't prepared for all the love I got for it.

I sold way more than I expected and though I had always planned on a sequel, the fact the readers have requested it have given me the extra incentive I needed to get the ball rolling.

I've been working on the sequel for a while now but hadn't begun to really put it together until recently.  And it's coming along nicely.

I certainly can't take 6 years to write it, that's for sure.  But I've learned a lot about the writing process and feel I've corrected the mistakes I made.  This time, I'm writing without second-guessing or overthinking it.  The best thing for me to do is first, just write it through THEN go back and edit it.

With Behind the Mask, I would constantly write a few pages then go back, change my mind and start all over.  I REFUSE to do that this time.

So again, I just wanted to thank everyone because though I didn't start writing seeking validation, it still feels damn good receiving it.  Ain't gonna to lie, knowing people enjoyed the story and the characters have made it all worth while for me.

- Heather Carnassale aka the Delusional Novelist

Image source:  Chaloner.com

Something So Simple...That Means So Much!

Over the past year or so my now 15 year-old son, Matt and I have had our arguments, which consists of his typical teenager attitude and my apparent constant nagging. In fact by the end of the summer, we ended up not even speaking to one another for an entire day.  (which sucked)

We've always had a great relationship with little moments here and there of not getting along.  But a lot of that stemmed from me being a stay-at-home mom who had a tendency to do everything for him then felt unappreciated and the fact we were always around each other.  Basically we got on each other's nerves.

And now that he's a freshman in high school, he does his own thing and though he's still very much family oriented, he also doesn't want me hovering. That said, usually on Sundays we go over to my parent's house to watch football, especially the Philadelphia Eagles.  But yesterday since the Eagles were the later game, Matt and I stayed home and watched NFL Redzone.  Then watched the Eagles.  I have to add in here that my husband plays fantasy football but could care less about actually watching any of the games so this is something I have in common with Matt.  I may not be the coolest mom on the block but I love sports and this momma can hang with the best of them. 

Anyway, I digress.  So we managed to get through the whole day and through an Eagles loss to the Seahawks, without arguing.  But even better, I found Matt's old Playstation 2 system in his closet and he wanted to hook it up and play a Spongebob Squarepants game that he and I used to play when he was 9 years-old.  He now has a PS3 (and soon a PS4) that he always plays online, with his friends, not with me.  So to my surprise, last night he wanted me to play the Spongebob game with him. At first, we weren't even sure the system was going to work, but it did.  And the funny thing was, when the game began, it displayed the last time the Spongebob game had been played.  It was December 15, 2008.  Almost exactly 6 years ago. Seeing that made me realize just how much time does fly, as I remembered playing that game with him every single day for weeks.  

And though yes I'm sure some would frown upon the whole video gaming thing, it was something he and I enjoyed doing together.  But as he grew up, we got away from it.  Except for the occasional Wii bowling...still love doing that by the way!  

But the point of the story is, he could have easily played that Spongebob game by himself and breezed through it on his own.  But he wanted me to play too.  And he has no idea how much that made my day.  Like the title says, something so simple, that means so much.

Heather Carnassale aka the Delusional Novelist 

Class of 1989!

Tonight is my 25th high school reunion.  And to even type that seems crazy.  I remember high school as if it were yesterday.  Which obviously it's not.  And even stranger, my son is a high school freshmen.  I can't say I feel old per se, but the realization that I'm not exactly young anymore hits me everyday.

The every growing deeper lines on my forehead, and sun spots on my face.  That have occurred thanks to my own stupidity. When I was in my teens & early twenties I proudly and dumbly declared, "Never gonna happen to me" as I slathered Banana Boat oil with MINUS zero SPF all over my face and body.  Yup...I so wish I hadn't been such a dumb ass.  But at the time being 43 years-old seemed implausible.

I mean I know aging is apart of life and yes we can shoot Botox into our faces and lift the skin to make us appear younger.  It doesn't change the fact that time keeps chugging along.

Though I'm active and work out everyday, my joints harshly remind me of my age.  And I also noticed I can't seem to function as well with just a little sleep.  I used to be able to stay up all night and be fine.  Now a days I find myself tired and ready for bed earlier and earlier.  Ahhh the reality!

Anyway, tonight I will see old friends as I head back into the time warp that was 1989.  To which I have to say was an awesome time.  MTV still showed videos all day and night, our hair was super big and we'd spend any money we had on hairspray.  VCR's were still the go to device to record shows/movies, there was no internet, there wasn't a 24-hour cartoon network, nor cable On-Demand or Netflix (if you missed your fave shows and didn't record them, you were majorly screwed) and mobile phones were only used by the very wealthy.

But I absolutely loved that time in my life.  Of course now that I'm older and hopefully wiser, the mistakes I made make me cringe.  But even with that, I don't think I'd want to change it.  I feel blessed that I got to experience the 80's as a kid then as a teenager.  And finished off the decade with graduating high school.  Great memories, that no matter what life has presented us since, I'll never forget them!

- Heather Carnassale aka the Delusional Novelist

Behind the Mask - Synopsis

Here's the synopsis for Behind the Mask:


       What appears to be a typical bank robbery is anything but.  It’s Columbus Day in the city of Brotherly Love and when the Bank of Philadelphia is besieged by a group of masked mercenaries, it’s not cash they’re after, it’s five rare pink Argyle diamonds, that are housed inside a safety deposit box.  As the employees become unwitting hostages, things appear to run smoothly until one of the gunmen, 28 year-old Liam Matthews, unexpectedly gets locked inside of the vault with 23 year-old bank teller Remi Catalano.  During this time, she never sees his face or learns his name, but when an undeniable bond forms, Liam will make a fateful decision that will drastically alter the heist’s outcome.  In its aftermath, Remi will have no memory of what transpired while Liam, now a fugitive with the diamonds in his possession, chooses to hide in plain sight.  

Two months following the heist, the captor and his former hostage will inadvertently cross paths again, but without any recollection or having never seen his face, Remi has no idea that Liam is the man behind the mask.  And though he tries not to tempt fate, by initially avoiding her, curiosity along with unforeseen threats, make it next to impossible to distance himself.  But as Remi struggles to regain her memory of that day, Liam’s world begins to unravel.  

As each learns something surprising about the other, and about themselves in the process, in a twist of irony, just who ends up protecting who will ultimately define who they both really are. 

Check it out on Amazon.com

- Heather Carnassale aka the Delusional Novelist