For the entire month of February, the print versions of the award-winning Misfit McCabe series will be available for 25% off the cover price through my website. Use coupon code NDD0Z8Z79YRD at time of checkout. That’s right, you can purchase Misfit McCabe, Nowhere Feels Like Home, AND the brand-new Tattered through the Griffie World store and receive 25%, or more than $2 per book off.

And for those of you who have entered the eReader world, I’m not leaving you out!! For the entire month of February you’ll be able to purchase Misfit McCabe and Nowhere Feels Like Home in the digital format of your choice for 50% off the regular ebook price. For Misfit McCabe use coupon code TX74G and for Nowhere Feels Like Home use coupon code YG82K.

Wait a second!!! I can’t leave Tattered out of the discounted book love. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you already can download Tattered for free (which will be the case for a limited time), BUT for anyone who’d like a copy of Tattered, it will be available for FREE as a Kindle download from 2/14/12 — 2/16/12. Don’t have a Kindle? No problem, did you know that there is a free Kindle PC app as well as Kindle apps for other devices?

So thank you to my current readers (I love you all) and welcome to my world for all my new readers. I truly appreciate sharing my stories with you.

About the Books:

Book 1 – Misfit McCabe
When Katie McCabe accidentally burns down a neighbor’s shed, she thinks it’s the worst thing that could happen. Boy is she ever wrong. Hustled off to live with her Uncle Charley, Katie struggles with the changes in her life. The only bright spot is making a friend who wants to be more. But the first person she meets is an enemy with ties to her past who believes in dangerous retribution. How far is he willing to go? Katie wonders if she has the strength to survive.

Book 2 – Nowhere Feels Like Home
Stuck in bed with a broken ankle and reeling from the loss of her father, her home, and life as she knew it, Katie McCabe must deal with her anger toward the town bully and a world that’s fallen apart. Being cooped up in the house with Uncle Charley and three overprotective cousins isn’t helping. Despite her new family’s good intentions, Katie feels like a lonely outsider. Will she ever be happy again?

Book 3 – Tattered
What do Sunday afternoon court proceedings, cheerleader tryouts, and a book burning have in common? Katie McCabe is back in action.

After her nemesis Harvey is found guilty and sentenced to community service, Katie wants to believe her troubles are over, but Harvey won’t rest until he gets revenge. When blackmail rears its ugly head, she’s caught in between friends and enemies putting her growing relationship with Tom at stake. Books go up in flames and Katie’s world rains down in tatters.

I’m excited to host Christine Fonseca today on her tour for the release of her novella Dies Irae. I remember having dinner with Christine a while back and we talked about some of our projects. And when she spoke about the story, both Dies Irae and her upcoming book Lacrimosa, which are a part of her Requiem Series, her face lit up. It’s wonderful to talk to talk with someone who has a passion for their work, and Christine definitely does. So, I’m going to turn things over to Christine, but before I do….

ANNOUNCEMENT

On this stop of the Dies Irae blog tour, I will be giving away two Dies Irae ebooks and the winner will also receive an ebook of the award-winning Misfit McCabe. Here’s how it’s going to work… comment on this post and you’re entered to win. Simple, right? One winner for both books will be drawn from the pool of all comments, and since both Christine and I write for teens, we decided that one winner will be drawn from the pool of teen commenters. So if you’re a teen, you have two opportunities to win!!!! Make sure if you’re a teen to put teen in your comment so I know. Christine, take it away.

The shadow is very much a part of human nature, and it is only at night that no shadows exist.
~Carl Jung, Psychology and Religion: West and East (page 286)

Thanks LK for hosting a leg of the blog tour for DIES IRAE. When I was deciding what to write for this post, I thought I’d talk a little about writing the “dark stuff”. As you can tell from the opening quote, I am a firm believer than we have a shadow-side capable of horrible atrocities. This is nothing new. Simply turn on the news and you can see some of the worst that humanity has to offer. But why do I want to write about it? Why even go there?

For me, I write the dark stuff as a way of understanding that aspect of humanity, and in doing so allow others to understand it too. It is sort of my version of being some great exploring on a quest. As a writer, I get to excavate all of human emotion, take it apart, look at it. In doing so, I no longer fear those elements of humanity, at least not in the same way.

So, how do I achieve this lofty goal of looking at all aspects of humanity and writing about that experience? How do I embrace my own shadow and enable myself to write about the dark stuff? The answer for me is in the question—I embrace my shadow. Literally. So I create dark characters, complex characters, tortured characters. I try to see the world through their eyes, understand the motivation behind their crimes. I let their voices seep into my thoughts. And then, I write their stories. For me, it is the only way to stay authentic in my writing. And every time I get scared to “go there”, every time I pull myself back, I smile because I know I am getting to the good stuff…the root of human nature. So I jump back into the story. And keep writing.

Before I end, I want to share one more quote from Jung:

If you imagine someone who is brave enough to withdraw all his projections, then you get an individual who is conscious of a pretty thick shadow. Such a man has saddled himself with new problems and conflicts. He has become a serious problem to himself, as he is now unable to say that they do this or they do that, they are wrong, and they must be fought against. He lives in the “House of Gathering.” Such a man knows that whatever is wrong with the world is in himself, and if he only learns to deal with his own shadow, he has done something real for the world. He has succeeded in shouldering at least an infinitesimal part of the gigantic, unsolved social problems of our day.
~Carl Jung, Psychology and Religion: West and East, page 140

How do you embrace your shadow?

And now a little bit 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.

About 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 Endorsement:

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

About 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:

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

Don’t forget to comment and for your enjoyment, I’ve included the book trailer for The Requiem Series.

Thanks so much to Ellie for bringing the best bright spot possible to my day.

A second-hand book shop in Wellington, New Zealand wound up with a copy of Bloody Mama by Robert Thom, a book published in 1970 about Ma Barker and her sons. According to Radio New Zealand News, it was removed from the book shop by the Department of Internal Affairs.

What???!!!

To say I am appalled is an understatement. As a teenager, I’m used to (sad to say) books being challenged by parents and removed for review by the schools. And I’ve even heard of a book being banned in a town before (although not recently), but that today, in 2011, a book can be banned for an ENTIRE COUNTRY is beyond belief. The book was confiscated from a second-hand bookstore by an arm of the government… not taken off the shelves of a school, which means that the government has decreed that the book should not be read — even by adults. Really New Zealand??? That people think that teenagers cannot make an appropriate decision, is maddening to say the least, but that the government has decided that ALL of the people in an entire country are incapable of handling the contents between the covers of a book is absurd. Maybe the most disturbing of all is that the Department of Internal Affairs arrived at the second-hand bookstore after an anonymous tip.

So, what is sooooo bad about Bloody Mama that a country is not allowed to read it? I couldn’t find a book blurb, but the movie, also made in 1970, had a write up:

A psychological gangster film based on fact. Machine gun totin’ Ma Barker lead her family gang (her sons) on a crime spree in the Depression era. Her loyal brood have every perversion imaginable. The sadistic Herman sleeps with his Ma. When Fred Barker is released from prison, he brings home his cell mate/lover Kevin Dirkman, who also sleeps with Ma, much to Fred’s chagrin. Lloyd Barker is a spaced-out drug addict who sniffs glue if nothing better is around. Ma kidnaps happy-go-lucky millionaire Sam Adams Pendlebury and holds him for ransom. Arthur Barker – Ma’s wallflower son – and Herman’s hooker lady friend Mona Gibson also figure in the story. The bloody finale is virtually choreographed and a visual stunner. Filmed in the Ozarks.

Apparently, the suggestion of incestuous relationships is what caused this book to be banned. Again, really??? The book has now been passed by the Department of Internal Affairs to the Office of Film and Literature Classification to see whether they feel it can be removed from the list. On this whole thing, I have to agree with Mr. Hollander, the bookstore owner, “…people should be free to read any book.”

From the back cover: What do Sunday afternoon court proceedings, cheerleader tryouts, and a book burning have in common? Katie McCabe is back in action.

After her nemesis Harvey is found guilty and sentenced to community service, Katie wants to believe her troubles are over, but Harvey won’t rest until he gets revenge. When blackmail rears its ugly head, she’s caught between friends and enemies putting her growing relationship with Tom at stake. Books go up in flames and Katie’s world rains down in tatters.

And now….. *drumroll please* …. the cover!!!!

This is hard. I’m struggling to find the words I want to say.

In July, after reading about Samuel and Takeimi, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. So I googled a few things and found out that Samuel and Takeimi are not alone. One story led to another. More than five thousand teenagers die every year because of alcohol in some way. That’s too many.

I felt like I needed to do something because thinking about Samuel and Takeimi would bring me to tears. It’s just so sad. Sarah told me it’s because Daddy’s death is still so close to me. I miss him so much it hurts, but my tears were for Takeimi and Samuel and all the others for the things that will never be, the things they’ll never get to do.

They only live on in memories. I never knew any of them personally, but through reading their stories, I feel like I carry a little piece of them in me. I have to stop now, or I’ll start bawling again. Please watch the video and remember.

A couple of weeks ago Takeimi Rao was looking forward to starting high school, or at least that’s what I’d expect from a straight A student. But last week, during a slumber party all her dreams of what she was going to do with her life came to an end. She had three friends spending the night, and they decided to sneak some vodka and spike their sodas with it. I understand. I really do. They probably giggled as they poured the vodka into their drinks, because of the thrill of sneaking it. They were being daring, but “safe” because they were at Takeimi’s house. What could go wrong?

Three of the girls got sick, and Takeimi died. I’m sure she didn’t want to. She probably didn’t even know it could happen. She was only fourteen-years-old. The same age as me.

I’m not gonna lie…I’m no angel. I made the same mistake Takeimi did — not exactly the same, but close enough. From what I’ve read, Takeimi didn’t have a drinking problem, she was considered a “good girl”. In fact, she reminds me of my friend Jewelz in a way. She was outgoing, social, and loved music and theater, just like Jewelz.

The school and police keep saying that hopefully Takeimi’s death will cause parents to talk with their kids about how dangerous alcohol is. Especially for kids my age and younger. Daddy used to talk to me about drinking and why I shouldn’t do it. But I did anyway. Because even though I listened to his words, I didn’t really hear them. Not in a way that matters anyway. I thought he was just trying to scare me by exaggerating how dangerous it is.

Even after Tim and I burned down a shed, it didn’t click that if we hadn’t been drinking or smoking it wouldn’t have happened. It was just an accident. Maybe parents need to find examples like Takeimi and Samuel, kids just like us, and talk about what happened and why they’re afraid it might happen to us. I know their stories have hit home with me, and maybe I’ll remember the next time I’m tempted to take a drink.

It might not end so well.

And I’ll bet the kids who went to school with Takeimi won’t forget what happened to her. Would you?