About Me

My name is David Carman and I was born in 1967 in Sutton, Surrey

I spent my formative years in the area, going to the local schools
and I developed a talent for mischief alongside an inquiring mind.
Teachers would often comment on my ability to be distracted by
'interesting but irrelevant ideas', and this continued into adulthood.

I've moved around a bit, got married, got divorced, got married again,
lived and worked in many places and done some interesting things.
I'm currently an electrician and maintenance supervisor, but I've also
work for the MOD at Devonport, Plymouth University,
The National Marine Aquarium - Plymouth, West Mids Education,
and more.

I like to read now and then, I make plastic model planes,
and I enjoy watching classic films and comedy programmes.

I have learned to scuba dive, I've abseiled from buildings and bridges
for charity and raised funds through charity auctions and
ice-hockey matches via my website AuldAviemore (now closed),
and am currently awaiting delivery of a memorial bench for
The Royal British Legion at Cavell Gardens, Inverness, sponsored
through Mears Green Spaces Initiative.

I'm not very well, I have an incurable lymphoma called
Mantle Cell (I call it Brian), although I had a stem-cell transplant
in 2021 it will always be with me.

The love of my life, Julie, my wife, is a constant support to me
and I couldn't imagine my life without her.
We met (unofficially) in Plymouth on 1st March 1995, when I saw her
beautiful face at the reception window of the office where I worked.
I made it my mission to find out who she was and to get to know her.
She returned a few days later and my first words to her were;
"Would you like some help? Nice boots!"
Julie smiled and I was hooked....
We carried out our 'courtship' in secret as we were both married, sending
messages and dedications to each other via a late night radio show
on Plymouth Sound Radio called 'The Love Zone'.
It was destined to be, we had the same sense of humour, we loved the
same music, the same foods, and we fell in love.

We carved our initials into a tree on Mount Edgecombe
and the rest is history......
We got married at Gretna Green in 2006 and we now live
in the Highlands of Scotland, but we'd love to return
'home' to the SW, where we met and fell in love.

My literary efforts stem from my love of my children,
my own son and my adopted families from my marriages.
As a father you get to read books to a captive audience at bedtime,
you also get to do all the voices and sound-effects (it's a Dad thing),
and it makes the story come alive in the minds of the little ones.

The first story I wrote, 'Harry's Gold', was my effort to recreate the
old-style schoolboy adventure books I read as a child, but my next
effort needed the co-operation of the staff at The Beano.
'Billy The Cat And Katie - The Beginning' was born from my
need to fill in the gaps, as the characters never seemed to have
a back-story, they were fully-formed with little or no explanation
as to their backgrounds or their remarkable abilities.
I made it my goal to investigate and create a believable background
story for their fans to read and enjoy. I'm very proud of it.

'Lizzie - Queen of the Witches' is my best effort, the characters and story
appeal to children, and I've had excellent feedback from parents, teachers
and children to whom I've given it to read.  I hope one day it will
be in print or online commercially for everyone.
I have plans and outlines for at least one 'Lizzie' prequel, but
that is for another day.....

I have had a couple of offers from so-called 'publishers'
but they only offer 'collaborative contracts' which generally means
paying to get your own work into print - I could do that myself but
that's not really my aim, I want 'Lizzie' to be accepted on its merit,
not as a tool for someone else to benefit financially.
I will persevere, despite rejection, but I have received some positive feedback:

Dear Mr Carman,
RE: Lizzie - Queen of the Witches
Your manuscript was brought to our attention at the latest Editorial Board
meeting when we discussed the potential of its publication. Having read all
the reports and taken note of the Editors’ opinions we can confidently state
that your work was found to be a thoroughly entertaining work that would be
greatly suited to a young audience for its commitment to conveying magical
themes of adventure and identity that are presented through your
distinctive narrative.
As a protagonist, Lizzie is brilliantly engaging. She is witty and independent,
with her upbringing as an only child that longs to experience a new environment
and a new purpose. When discovering her neighbour Doris Barnett is in fact
a witch, Lizzie is dumbstruck, all before being stunned to learn that she herself
is also a witch. Thus begins the striking adventure in which Lizzie and Doris
encounter magic beyond comprehension, including meeting Magical Malcolm,
the greatest wizard of all. In contrast to Lizzie’s good-natured presence, the
sinister Glynis Black serves as a fortifying dark character, who rivals Lizzie’s
arc through the story, attempting to stop her as she looks to become
Queen of the Witches.

The Board wished to display their compliments in acknowledgment of your
prolific ability to depict your characters through distinctive dialogue that allows
their thoughts and emotions to evoke a powerful resonance with rich consistency.
We believe your work is very well-structured, allowing the story to build progressively
and leaving the reader satisfied with a rewarding and resolute conclusion.
The prose style is engaging and well-suited for the genre, demonstrating a
keen awareness of the intended market. Your work displays convincing
execution that is consistent with previously established themes; however,
you manage to ensure that your narrative, and the characters in particular are
distinctive and compelling. We found your work to be highly engrossing, and
we feel that the target demographic will respond to your work with great enthusiasm. Ultimately, it was agreed that Lizzie - Queen of the Witches would be a worthy
addition to its genre and would have a place in the market.

..... We shall see .....