Welcome to DIES IRAE Blog Tour!

Congratulations Christine Fonseca on your book release of DIES IRAE!

About Christine Fonseca 
School psychologist by day, critically acclaimed YA and nonfiction author by night, Christine Fonseca believes that writing is a great way to explore humanity. Her debut YA Gothic series, The Requiem Series, including DIES IRAE and LACRIMOSA, examines the role of redemption, sacrifice and love. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can be sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her favorite coffee house or playing around on Facebook and Twitter. 
Catch her daily thoughts about writing and life on her blog.

 
For more information about Christine Fonseca or the series, visit her website – http://christinefonseca.com or her blog http://christinefonseca.blogspot.com.
 

Short Blurb for DIES IRAE

Some sacrifices should never be made—even for love. 

Mikayel lives by one rule—obey the orders of the angelic Council at all costs. But when he and his friends, Azza and Demi, are sent to Earth as teenagers, following the rules is more difficult than they expected. 

Being human isn’t the only problem facing the three angels. Unbeknownst to the Council, demonic activity is on the rise, threatening to break a tenuous peace that has existed for a millennia.

Caught in a struggle for power with unseen demonic forces, and fighting against his rising emotional, Mikayel must now decide how many rules he is willing to break to save his friends, a decision that could reignite an ancient war and will threaten the only thing that matters to the angels, the survival of humanity. 

Author Endorcement(s):

“Dies Irae is the perfect introduction to Christine Fonseca’s Requiem series. The beauty of the words will tempt you, the tragedy of the story will break you, and the love, woven throughout like music through the trees, will haunt you for days afterward. Dies Irae promises a tale unlike any you’ve read before.”

~Ali Cross, Author of BECOME

LACRIMOSA

As if casting out demons isn’t hard enough, five-hundred-year-old Nesy has to masquerade as a teenage girl to do it. Nesy is the best of the warrior angels called Sentinals. She never makes mistakes, never hesitates, never gets emotionally involved. Until she meets Aydan.

He is evil incarnate; a fallen angel that feeds off the souls of others. Everything Nesy is supposed to hate. But she can’t, because he’s also the love of her former life as a human girl—a life that ended too soon, tying her to emotions she was never supposed to feel.

Now Nesy must choose between doing her duty—damning Aydan to the fiery depths of hell—or saving him, and condemning herself.

 

Author Endorsement(s): 

“LACRIMOSA reaches out, grabs readers by the heart, and takes them on an emotional journey from the first page to the last. The last novel you’ll need to read to understand true sacrifice.”
~Elana Johnson, Author of POSSESSION

Availability:

Publisher: COMPASS PRESS

ISBN: 0984786368 (ISBN 13: 9780984786367)

Hardback and Digital formats from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and fine retailers. Links not currently available.

Additional Titles in the series include LIBERA ME (Nov 2012) and REQUIEM (March 2013). The book trailer can be seen by linking to YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwTQoOFKEZg

For more information about Christine Fonseca or the series, visit her website – http://christinefonseca.com or her blog http://christinefonseca.blogspot.com.

I had the honor of being part of DIES IRAE Blog Tour and interviewing Christine Fonseca!!!

    

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? ~I am an author of nonfiction and fiction works. My nonfiction focuses on the social and emotional needs of gifted students, which my fiction focuses on psychological thrillers, gothic romances, and similar YA stories. In addition to writing, I spend my days working with children, from preschool through adult. Trained as a school psychologist, my current job is assisting in the development of strategies and programs to assist those children with emotional and behavioral needs. As you can see, my day job absolutely influences my writing! When I’m not writing or helping kids manage their emotions, I’m  hanging out with my own family in Southern California. 

What are your current projects? ~Ha! Far too many to mention! In fiction, I am currently working on books 2 and 3 in the Requiem series, as well as two shorts (shh! That’s a secret!). Additionally I have several psychological thrillers that I’m in various stages of completion with. In nonfiction, I’m collecting research on an exciting project for teen girls. I can’t really talk much about it other than to say I am so excited!

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? ~Interesting question. I think there was a part of me that always wanted to craft stories. I remember writing several stories in my early childhood. I’ve always seen the world as a series of vignettes just waiting to be crafted into a book. In my twenties I actually did fantasize about be a writer. I even started my first novel. But I didn’t seriously attempt writing until roughly four years ago. That’s when I was ambushed by some characters and forced to write their story. It was HORRIBLE, but by the time I finished I knew I was a writer!

What sparked the idea for your novel? ~DIES IRAE comes from a particular story in the novel LACRIMOSA (coming out March 21). When I sold the series to Compass Press, I suggested writing a little novelette to introduce the world of Celestium and the angels. I wanted to use that short as a promotional tool to drive up interest in the series. Compass Press loved the idea. So, as I tried to figure out what to write, I went back to LACRIMOSA, rediscovering the story that eventually led not to a novelette, but to the novella DIES IRAE. Now that the story is finished, I can’t imagine NOT having written this story! It is a perfect start to the series.

Do you work with an outline, or just write? ~I am definitely an outliner. But, not a strict outliner. I typically plan out the major plot beats and scenes in a very loose fashion before writing. And yes, I adjust as I go because my characters invariably have different ideas than I do about what works and what doesn’t.

What was the hardest part of writing your book? ~Honestly, the first draft. I suck at drafting. My inner editor is overly involved and the whole drafting process is really hard for me. Recently, out of necessity with DIES IRAE, I figured out how to draft in 15-minute increments. Wow! Best thing I’ve ever learned. Now I can draft with much less interference from my tyrannical inner editor. But, I still hate it. Revising, on the other hand, I LOVE.  

How did you come up with the title? The series is crafted after a Requiem mass. Each title, from the shorts to the novels, also comes from the mass. DIES IRAE means day of wrath and comes from the section of the mass that deals with atonement and judgment—perfect for the content of this part of the story. Future titles are also connected to the specific content of the story. Each book starts with the quote from the mass that relates to the title and the storyline. Yea, I know, I am sort of a geek about these things.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? ~Love this question. I can tell you Elana Johnson has absolutely been my mentor almost since day one. She and I have been critique partners for about three years. She has helped me learn about crafting stories, the business, etc. More than a mentor, she is a dear friend. Michelle Zink and Gretchen McNeil have also had a profound influence on me with regards to both the art of writing, and the business side of things. Michelle, in particular, has shaped a lot of my opinions about the marketing aspect of the business. THANK YOU Elana, Michelle, and Gretchen!

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book? ~This is a hard question for me. And in truth, I was making tiny changes up to the last possible second with DIES IRAE. Personally, I don’t think any book is ever truly “done”. That said, I am very satisfied with the story and how it turned out. There are some things that are vague; some things I know readers what to know more about. For the most part these things are dealt with on a deeper level in the novel. But with this novella – yea, I am really pleased with it.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? ~Focus, focus, focus on CRAFT. Write often. Learn. Let other writers critique your work. And be authentic. Do these things and you will find your way into publishing. The journey is different for everyone. But writing a great story is always the place to start.

Thank you Christine for stopping by!!!

NEWS FLASH!!!!

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