Blog Ring of Power Presents: Christine Fonseca part 5

The Blog Ring of Power Welcomes Christine Fonseca

This week, Christine joins the Blog Ring of power to give us some insight on her herself, her book and all things writing. To find out where this began follow the links below.

Part 1 C.F. tells us a bit about herself, hosted by Sandra

Part 2 We learn C.F.'s writing process, hosted by Dean

Part 3 We delve into my favorite part: the creative process, hosted by Terri

Part 4 We get down and dirty with the the technical aspects hosted by T.W.

Part 5 is here and now, we get to know a bit about her current work and some business aspects.

Thanks Christine for joining us in the Realm. I'm so happy you agreed to do this interview with us. Welcome. Now let's get talk about your current work.

BRoP: Tell us about your new book and when it is out? Where can people purchase it?
Christine: My current release is LACRIMOSA (Book #1 in the Requiem Series). It is a book about love, duty, redemption, and sacrifice. It is officially released on 3/21, though it can be found in digital (Kindle, Nook, pdf) and hardcopy formats at online retailers including Amazon, Barnes and Noble and others.

BRoP: What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Christine: I think writing in dual POVs – both first person – was definitely a huge challenge. I only wanted to do it if I could make the two voices unique, something that was definitely challenging for me. At least initially.

BRoP: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
Christine: There are actually several favorite parts, most of which would be too spoilerific for me to share. So, let me just say this, the scenes between Nesy and Aydan are definitely intense and tons of fun to write.

BRoP: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Christine: I hope readers will walk away with the question ideas, of love, sacrifice, redemption and duty in their thoughts.

Thanks Christine, now let's dive into the business aspect of your writing.

BRoP: Tell us about your route to success – if traditionally published, how did you land your agent/publisher? If self-published, how/when did you decide to go this route? Did you query an agent first? How did you handle the editing, proofreading, cover design, etc.
Christine: I have had a very topsy-turvy foray into publishing. With Nonfiction, I initially had an agent that I gained the traditional way – through querying. The process was very fast, going from initial query to book sale all within a few months. Fiction has been very different. My agent did not represent YA fiction, so I had to start the process all over again. I queried LACRIMOSA for more than three months, did a major rewrite and queried for another 3 months. Then I shelved it for nearly a year, before rewriting and subbing directly to small presses. After multiple rejections and the worry that I would have to again shelve the project, I sold it to Compass Press as part of a four book deal. It has been a thrilling ride, with deadlines and publication dates a mere six months apart. EEP!

BRoP: How do you deal with rejection and/or negative reviews?
Christine: I am one of those authors that actually reads every review. I know, I know, most people say not to do this. But, yea, I do. Mostly it is a curiosity and “what can I learn from this” process for me. When it gets tough, is when the negative review is personal and not related to the story. I will admit, I find these the hardest to take. I once had a reader say that they lost many IQ points when reading my NF book – it was THAT overly simplistic. Really, that is sort of over the top to me. Unnecessary. But hey, I would rather move a person to hating the book, than not move them in any way at all. Most days ;)

BRoP: Tell us about your book’s cover – where did the design come from and what was the design process like?
Christine: My publishers develop the designs for the fiction and nonfiction. In every case, I have had a lot of say. This has been especially true with the fiction, something I have really enjoyed. I’ve been able to give feedback on everything from coloring, to picture, to font. And while the decisions are ultimately my publishers, I love having a say.

BRoP: How did you come up with the title – did it come from you or the publisher?
Christine: This has varied with genre. For nonfiction, my publisher has titled my books to some degree, usually in consultation with me and their marketing team. For my fiction, I have been able to title the works. For LACRIMOSA, the title comes directly from a Requiem Mass and has meaning both towards the content of the book and the structure of the series.

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. Her nonfiction titles include 101 SUCCESS SECRETS FOR GIFTED KIDS and EMOTIONAL INTENSITY IN GIFTED STUDENTS.

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 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 Endorcement(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.

Hardcopy buy link, Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Lacrimosa-Christine-Fonseca/dp/0984786368/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0

Hardcopy buy link, Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lacrimosa-christine-fonseca/1109329729?ean=9780984786367

Kindle buy link– http://www.amazon.com/Lacrimosa-Requiem-Series-ebook/dp/B007HEVTS4

Nook buy link - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lacrimosa-christine-fonseca/1109329729?ean=2940013923256

Additional Titles in the series include DIES IRAE (a Requiem Novella), LIBERA ME (Oct 2012) and REQUIEM (March 2013).

Jpeg cover URL – http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g433/Christine_Fonseca/LacrimosaNesysmall.jpg

Jpeg headshot URL - http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g433/Christine_Fonseca/ColorAuthorpic-med.jpg