Carmen María Alcayde Ballesteros is a Spanish journalist, television presenter and writer. She published her first book, Thirty-somethings (Treintañeras), in November 2005. Mixing reality and fiction, it tells the story of a group of female friends from that age group, narrated by one of them. The book went on to reach six editions. On 15 September 2009, she published her second book, On Living as a Couple (Sobre Vivir en Pareja). In 2014 Carmen wrote her third book, Cotton clouds (Nubes de Algodón). In June of that year, Carmen presented the book at various events including the Madrid Book Fair. Mamen Marcén, or "Girl with bangs" (Chica con flequillo”) as she is better known on social media, mainly illustrates children's picture books, although she’s quite a restless person so always needs to be illustrating something, whatever it might be.