A Little Awesome Halloween Reading for You!

Happy Halloween!!! Need an awesome series to read on this fine Halloween night while you are handing out candy to all the Trick or Treaters? Check out Christine Fonseca's Requien series!! The last book in the series, Dominus, just release. Here's the deets!

Time for another fabulous release party. This time, for DOMINUS - the third and final installment in the Requiem series. Here's a little bit about the story:

Sometimes death is the only way to save a life.

Nesy knows who she is now, knows what she's lost. Determined to save Aydan from his fate, she confronts the only one she blames for everything - Azza. But how can she fight the devil when she is nothing more than human? The fate of Celestium, Infernum and humanity rests in Nesy's hands. Can she find the strength to confront demons she's never imagined, face fears she's never voiced, and release the one thing that has held her world together - her love for Aydan?

Some sacrifices should never be made...even for love.

Suggested Reading Order for the Requiem Series:

LACRIMOSA, Book #1
Dies Irae, A Requiem Novella about Mikayel and Azzaziel (included with Lacrimosa)
Mea Culpa, A Requiem Novella about Zanethios (Included with Libera Me)
LIBERA ME, Book #2 
Enigma, A Seer Novella about Lorelei, Tristan, and Ellie (Included with Libera Me)
DOMINUS, Book #3

What questions are you most wondering about with the series???

Quiet Kids and Christine Fonseca

I am thrilled to be hosting the fabulous Christine Fonseca, both here and on my own blog today. I love all of Christine's books, but this one is especially of interest to me because my sweet son is an introvert (as is my husband....and as am I lol). This book not only gave me some great insights into my son but into myself and my hubs as well. If you know (or are) an introvert, you definitely need to get this book! And now, I'll let Christine have the floor :)

~~~~

I am so happy to announce the official release of my book, Quiet Kids. This book, in addition to being the book I wish I had read as a child, speaks to introversion in children, pulling on the latest research in the area and providing parents and educators strategies to help support introverted children. As most of you know, my writing career started with my books related to gifted children, and while not all gifted children are introverted, a quiet temperament does dominate that particular subgroup of children. Quiet Kids looks at what it means to be introverted in today's noisy world. 

Here is the description of the book:

Being an introverted child is difficult, especially in an ever-increasingly noisy world. Often viewed as aloof, unmotivated or conceited, introverted children are deeply misunderstood by parents, educators and even their peers. That's where Quiet Kids: Helping Your Introverted Child Succeed in an Extroverted World comes in. Designed to provide parents with a blueprint for not only understanding the nature of introversion, Quiet Kids provides specific strategies to teach their children how to thrive in a world that may not understand them. Presented in an easy-to-read, conversational style, the book uses real-world examples and stories from introverts and parents to show parents and educators how to help children develop resiliency and enhance the positive qualities of being an introvert. With specific strategies to address academic performance, bullying, and resiliency, Quiet Kids is a must read for anyone wishing to enhance the lives of introverted children.

Publisher's Weekly was kind enough to call the book "Extremely useful for educators and parents, this thoughtful text emphasizes the many gifts of quiet kids.”

Quiet Kids can be found in Barnes and Noble stores across the United States, as well as online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart and other retailers world wide. 

As part of the launch of Quiet Kids, I developed a little quiz to help you know if you may have an introvert in the house:

1. My child prefers to spend time alone or reading after school? T/F
2. My child is generally quiet? T/F
3. Teachers often characterize my child as shy? T/F
4. I often worry that my child has very few friends? T/F
5. My children struggles when things are not part of a routine or predictable? T/F

A yes answer to most of these questions may indicate that your child has an introverted temperament. I also have a special giveaway to celebrate the launch:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THANK YOU for the support of this important book. Be sure to check out the events page on my website to see what other fun things I have planned.

Book Blitz! The Girl Guide by Christine Fonseca

The lovely Christine Fonseca has another amazing non-fiction book out! This one is geared toward helping girls find their way in the world; an absolute must read for any young woman and her family. Here is a little info about this fabulous book.

Summer, Girl Guide Style 

The Girl Guide is all about finding yourself and your unique voice in the world. And what better time to start on that journey than summer! Summer is a great time for renewal. The days are long, the weather, perfect, and the vibe – magical. So, as you’re taking a break from school or work, catching up with friends and family, and venturing out for a special vacation, why not add a little “inner” journey to your adventures and spend part of the summer discovering the “real” you?

Journeying inwards, like any trip, requires a map, some supplies, and an adventurous spirit. Fortunately, these things are easily acquired. A journal can become an ideal map to the inner you. Use it as you spend a little time each day reflecting on your dreams and hopes. Take stock of what you’ve accomplished so far, and plan where you’d like to go in the future. Then, once you have a good sense of your inner dreams and desires, make a plan for the future. Add new experiences, read different books, complete projects you’ve previous abandoned. In doing these things you can begin to cultivate your own authenticity.

And don’t forget to pack an adventurous spirit as you journey inwards. Embrace the you that lives within. You may be surprised the “you” you can get to know this summer.

Excerpt! The first chapter is available from the publisher at the following link: http://www.prufrock.com/Assets/ClientPages/pdfs/The_Girl_Guide_Sample.pdf

The Girl Guide

Finding your unique voice in a noisy world can be hard—very hard. But not if you have a great guide! The Girl Guide: Finding Your Place in a Mixed-Up World is a must-read for girls in grades 6–8 as they enter the tumultuous world of adolescence. Packed with fun worksheets and quizzes, as well as stories from older girls and women, The Girl Guide covers everything a teenage girl needs to know on the journey toward her own identity. Proven strategies for dealing with stress management, confronting relational aggression, being safe online, navigating the changing mother-daughter relationship, and more make this the ultimate guide for any girl to get through the teen years and discover her unique point of view in the world.

Availability:
Publisher: Prufrock Press
ISBN: 1618210270
ISBN 13: 978-1618210272

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY: 
• AMAZON• BARNES AND NOBLE • INDIEBOUND• POWELLS
THE BOOK DEPOSITORY • TARGET• PRUFROCK PRESS • And Other Fine Retailers

About Christine Fonseca

Critically acclaimed nonfiction and YA author Christine Fonseca believes that writing is a great way to explore humanity. Using her training and expertise as an educational psychologist, Ms. Fonseca is dedicated to helping children of all ages find their voice in the world. Her titles include Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students and 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids and delve into the often misunderstood world of giftedness and emotional intensity. May, 2013 will bring the release of the much awaited The Girl Guide: Finding Your Place in a Mixed-Up World, a book for girls in grades 6-9 that focuses on developing strong resiliency skills.

In addition to her nonfiction titles, Ms. Fonseca is the author of several YA novels including Lacrimosa (the Requiem Series) and the critically acclaimed YA thriller, Transcend. 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.

For more information about Christine Fonseca or her books, visit her website – http://christinefonseca.com

Author Links: 

Website/Blog – http://christinefonseca.com
Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Fonseca-Author/226271671435
Twitter - http://twitter.com/chrstinef
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4077598.Christine_Fonseca
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Fonseca/e/B003WJ6EIS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1361737271&sr=8-2-ent
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/authorchristine
Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/113615004883076235547/posts
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/cfon1?feature=mhee

Devil in the Details: Editing for Content - Christine Fonseca

Devil in the Details: Editing for Content

“When you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest.” 
― Stephen King, On Writing

Writing is a many layered process, one that involves the freedom of your creative brain, and the diligence of your inner editor. For me this usually means drafting as fast and furious as I can, paying little attention to the details of what I write. I start with a loose outline of the major plot points and then draft. I call this my zero-draft just to give myself permission for it to suck. Royally. Once the words and scenes are on the page, the real writing begins.

And for me, this is the start of the editing process.

There are many types of editing - editing for content, in which I am looking at structure and form, as well as plot and character development, and editing for grammar, syntax, repetitions and the like. Both types of editing are important steps in the writing process. Both contribute greatly to the story as a whole. Both are required before ever considering publication.

And I do both before I let anyone read my work – editor, critique partner, anyone.

This post focuses on the part of editing I enjoy the most – content editing. In particular, I wanted to focus on my process for discovering plot holes, character issues and the general big picture.

Steven King’s quote above really speaks to my process of editing. After word vomiting 50,000 words to the page or so, I have to spend a little time focusing on the big picture before I tackle each individual chapter. To do this, I use the structure of Blake Snyder’s beats from Save the Cat and combine it with a graphic organizer that helps me look at the big picture.

Graphic Organizer Example 1

Take a look at the example of my graphic organizer from my recent YA thriller, Transcend. Here you’ll notice that I took the original mess of a ms and “plotted” it out on the form using Snyder’s beats, my chapters and a way to reorganize things.  The chapter headings enable me to look at my pacing, the chapter summaries enable me to move things around and the revised chapters enable me to have a game plan to help me when it comes to the actual revisions I need to write.

I discovered a longtime ago that I am a very visual person, and this process enables me to “see” the forest and discover plot holes easily. Using the same form, I can see the character arcs and include specific info on any character I need to “see”.

So, where do I begin?

First, I take the mess of a zero draft and chart it on the organizer. This gives me a critical look at the current state of my plot, my character arcs, etc. Then I rearrange scenes, figure out what needs developing, and make a game plan. Finally, it’s on the actual rewrite. I start on chapter one and work through it sequentially until I have finished a new draft. This is my “real” first draft.

After waiting a day or two, doing nothing related to this novel, I come back and repeat the process. Sometimes I can do one or two passes and be happy. With Transcend, I probably did this a hundred times as I could never get the ending right until version 4 or 5.

Regardless of how long it takes me, I will keep working through the beats and this chart until I have a product I am happy with. Then it is on to the grammar and such, most of which I have actually taken care of during the first few passes. After that, my beta readers and critique partners get their turn to slash it apart, assuming I have time with whatever deadline I am working through. I do one more pass with the input of my readers before sending it off to be slashed by my editor. And then I wait for her notes and more revisions.

Writing is a process, one not to be rushed. Given the tight deadlines I have worked under, this may mean I have to force that initial draft out faster in order to give myself time to edit. But the editing is what is important. It is where the actual story comes to light.

I’ll leave you with one last quote that sums up the importance of editing and revising:

“You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke.” 
― Arthur Plotnik

Take time to edit with care and find the fire of your story. Your readers will be glad you did.

Critically acclaimed nonfiction and YA author Christine Fonseca is dedicated to helping children of all ages find their voice in the world. Her titles include the YA Gothic Romance Lacrimosa, the YA thriller, Transcend, parenting guide, Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students, and the anticipated book for teen girls, The Girl Guide, releasing in Spring 2013.When she’s not writing or developing programs to support children with exceptional needs, she can be found spending time with her family, sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her favorite coffee house or playing around on Facebook and Twitter. For more information about Christine Fonseca or her books, visit her website – http://christinefonseca.com.

BUY LINKS:

Lacrimosa - Amazon; B&N; Books a Million
Libera Me - Amazon; B&N; Books a Million
Transcend - Amazon; B&N; Books a Million
Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students - Amazon; B&N; Books a Million
101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids - Amazon; B&N; Books a Million
The Girl Guide (available for pre-order) - Amazon; B&N; Books a Million

Welcome to the Virtual Blog Tour for LIBERA ME, Book #2 in the Requiem Series by Christine Fonseca.
Beginning after Lacrimosa and the short story Mea Culpa, Libera Me follows Zane and Aydan as they try to figure out who Nessa really is. Here's the blurb:

What happens when everything you’ve sacrificed for is lost? 
Aydan thought Nesy’s death would be the end of him, until he meets Nessa and his hope is restored. Could she be Nesy reborn? He is certain she must be. That is, until her lack of memories and incessant nightmares begin to erode his faith.

Zane is used to trusting his mind, his wisdom and his angelic senses. But these attributes are no help with Nessa. He has no way to be certain of her identity, no way to know the truth. That is, unless he listens to the one thing he has refused to acknowledge throughout his existence - he feelings for Nesy. 

Blind to both angel and demon, Aydan and Zane must figure out the truth behind Nesy's identity before all is lost, Azza discovers the truth and the Beast is again unleashed. 

The lines between good and evil have never been so blurred.

Libera Me officially releases October 30. And be sure to check out the other books in the series:

LACRIMOSA

DIES IRAE (Free from Amazon and Smashwords)

MEA CULPA (Free from Amazon and Smashwords)

About Christine:

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 many titles include TRANSCEND, DIES IRAE, LACRIMOSA, MEA CULPA, and in nonfiction: 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. 

To celebrate to release and thank her readers, Christine is hosting a little contest honoring each of the main characters. Prizes include a new release YA book, Book swag, and even some of her own titles. She is also giving a Kindle as part of her Fall Release Party. Check out both giveaways below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review! Transcend by Christine Fonseca

Le cover and blurb:

All seventeen-year-old composer Ien Montgomery desires is an escape from his family's rigid expectations for his life; someone to inspire his music. When he meets a beautiful violin-prodigy, Kiera McDougal, his life music takes on new life. With her, he imagines a future outside of his parents' control. That is, until a horrible accident tears them apart. 

Sent to die in a sanatorium, Ien's obsession for Kiera grows unbearable. Tortured by thoughts he can't escape and the truth of his monstrous disfigurement, he flees, desperate to exact revenge on the people that ruined his life - his parents. 

But, vengeance is empty. Betrayed by those closest to him, Ien discovers that the price for his happiness may be his sanity. Set amidst the landscape of New York's Gilded Age, and inspired by Phantom of the Opera, TRANSCEND exposes the fine line between love and madness. 

I love stories that explore what makes the bad guy so bad. People’s lives and choices are rarely black and white and the best villains have a story behind their evil that makes you almost understand why they do what they do. Transcend delves into what could have happened to make someone like the Phantom of the Opera into the person he was. And it is awesome!

One of the most unique aspects of the story is that the reader is not an outside participant watching the main character descend into madness. Christine draws readers in until they become part of the story, so deep inside Ien’s mind that we experience his descent right along with him. Which means that you often don’t know if what he is experiencing is real or not because he doesn’t know himself. It makes for some very cool twists and turns :)

This story is dark and beautiful and so different from anything else I’ve read. If you are a fan of Phantom of the Opera, this is a must-read. And if you aren’t, well, after reading Transcend, you just might be :)

Critically acclaimed nonfiction and YA author Christine Fonseca is dedicated to helping children of all ages find their voice in the world. Drawing on her expertise as an educational psychologist, her nonfiction titles address issues of emotional intensity, resiliency and giftedness. Her titles include Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students, 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kid, and The Girl Guide, releasing April 2013.

In fiction, she explores the darker aspects of humanity and delivers gothic thrillers that take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions not to be missed. Recent titles include Dies Irae and Lacrimosa, from the Requiem Series, and the recently released thriller, Transcend. For more information about Christine Fonseca or her books, visit her website - http://christinefonseca.com or her blog http://christinefonseca.blogspot.com.

You can find Transcend at Amazon and B&N or at your favorite book retailer.

Cover Reveal! Christine Fonseca's TRANSCEND

WOO HOO!!!! The day is here! The day celebrating the reveal of Christine Fonseca's Transcend, a YA psychological thriller hitting shelves on September 18, 2012. Here's a little blurb about the story:

All seventeen-year-old composer Ien Montgomery desires is an escape from his family's rigid expectations for his life; someone to inspire his music. When he meets a beautiful violin-prodigy, Kiera McDougal, his life music takes on new life. With her, he imagines a future outside of his parents’ control. That is, until a horrible accident tears them apart. Sent to die in a sanatorium, Ien’s obsession for Kiera grows unbearable. Tortured by thoughts he can’t escape and the truth of his monstrous disfigurement, he flees, desperate to exact revenge on the people that ruined his life – his parents. But, vengeance is empty. Betrayed by those closest to him, Ien discovers that the price for his happiness may be his sanity.

And now...what we've all been waiting for. The cover for Transcend:

How gorgeous is that!!? I LOVE this cover :D


As part of the celebration, Christine is asking everyone to tweet, participate in the blogfest and share your own secrets, or otherwise spread the word. Here are a couple of tweets linking to her post that you can use to help spread the word:

• Celebrate @chrstinef 's cover reveal for TRANSCEND with a special giveaway #YALitChat #Books #YAbookchat #Teen http://tinyurl.com/7c48jeu
• Love, Vengeance, Madness - what will you reveal? @chrstinef 's cover reveal and giveaway for TRANSCEND. #YALit #Bookshttp://tinyurl.com/7c48jeu

Oh! And be sure to enter the giveaway below while you can. Christine is giving away some epic things, including an annotated unbound galley of Transcend, filled with her notes! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Check out the other Masquerade Blogfest peeps and see what secrets they are revealing!

Now it's your turn...what secrets will you share?

GIVEAWAY on Michelle's Blog!

In celebration of the release of Christine Fonseca's novel LACRIMOSA, I'm giving away e-copies of both LACRIMOSA and its prequel novella DIES IRAE! Head to my blog and leave a comment to enter!!

Blog Tour Stop - LACRIMOSA by Christine Fonseca!!

I am thrilled to be able to host a blog tour stop for my dear friend Christine Fonseca and her debut novel LACRIMOSA. Christine has a fun and exciting tour going on, so if you've missed any stops so far, be sure to click the links below to catch all of it. Christine has been reading excerpts of the opening chapters of her book and each blog tour stop contains a clue for a super awesome giveaway at the end of the tour AND for our leg of the tour, one lucky entry (you must fill out the form below) will be winning an awesome prize pack filled with Nesy's favorite things!

I am so excited to be with Michelle McLean on the Operation Awesome blog celebrating the release of my debut novel, LACRIMOSA. Before we get started with the tour post, here is a little blurb about the story:

It’s been three thousand years since the fall of Azzaziel and the rebirth of evil; three thousand years since the Sentinal Order, an elite group of warrior angels, returned to Celestium. Their job—rid Earth of the dark creatures, the UnHoly. And with luck, end Azza’s rule. 
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 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. And her choice may cost her, and Celestium, far more than anyone realizes.

Today I am finishing up Nesy's chapter with the final part of my reading. Be sure to check out next week's tour to see chapter 2.





Miss parts 1 or 2 of the reading? Check out Rebecca Enzor's blog from Monday, or Angela Brown's blog on Tuesday.

And don't miss tomorrow's vlog on ArtistaDonna Nata's blog  - my blooper real from trying to get through this reading. Trust me - it took a LOT of takes to get this right! And be certain to check out the entire schedule for the tour here - there are special giveaways throughout the tour...

including the EPIC Nesy Prize pack filled with her favorite things:

Just complete the form below.





You can enter up to twice daily (through the tour and my blog).

And there's more - collect the daily clues to enter the EPIC grand prize giveaway that includes books, swag and a special surprise.

Today's clue - ZANE

Availability:


Publisher: COMPASS PRESS
ISBN: 0984786368 (ISBN 13: 9780984786367)
Hardback and Digital formats from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and fine retailers.
Kindle buy link
Nook buy link

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

And check out the book trailer!!

Sharing the Booklove: Dies Irae and Lacrimosa

Check out these pretties...

Christine is over at my blog today guest blogging about writing gothic and thriller subgenres!

Praise for her books:

“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 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 

If you've read Elana J's POSSESSION, it makes her statement all the more impressive, as she's an author whose characters know about true sacrifice. 

Do you read fiction with a thriller/gothic bent? What's your all-time fave?

And the winner....

of Christine Fonseca's DIES IRAE is.....

Marthapao!!!

Send me an email at authormichellemclean (at) yahoo (dot) com with your email address and format preference (pdf, Nook, or Kindle) and I'll get your two copies of DIES IRAE sent over!!

Congrats!! If you'd like more chances to win a copy, head to Christine's blog for deets on her blog tour or you can purchase the book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

GIVEAWAY!!!

My wonderful friend and crit partner, Christine Fonseca, is celebrating the release of her novella DIES IRAE. This book launches her amazing Requiem series (LACRIMOSA, the first book in the series, will be out 3/21/12). Here's a teaser:

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.


So, to help her celebrate, we are giving away not one, but TWO, copies to one lucky commenter. One copy for you, and one to give away to the person of your choice :D (your choice of pdf, Nookbook, or Kindle).

To enter, just leave a comment below. Winner will be announced Saturday. Good luck everyone and congrats Christine!!!

And here's a sneak peek of 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.

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.

DIES IRAE can be found on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

Why Writing Both Fiction and Non-Fiction is Awesome - with the Fabulous Christine Fonseca

I first met Christine almost 2 years ago through our mutual friend and CP, Elana Johnson. We quickly discovered we were total soul-twins. I have been extremely lucky to not only get to be friends, crit partners, and agent sisters with this fabulous lady, but I also share with her the strange and awesome distinction of being a multi-genre writer - we both write fiction and non-fiction.  

I asked Christine if she'd stop by today and share with us why she thinks navigating both these worlds is so awesome.

Writing in Multiple Genres – Why I LOVE it!

First off, I’d like to thank Michelle and the fabulous peeps at OPERATION AWESOME for having me here today. When Michelle first approached me about writing a guest post and we talked about a topic, she said she wanted to talk about why those of us who write both fiction AND nonfiction do it. I thought, Sweet! A chance to talk about writing in both domains. Awesome.

Writing both fiction and nonfiction is an interesting endeavor. For me, it is a way to meet two very distinct and separate creative needs – the need to help people related to my work as a school psychologist, and the need to create stories that hopefully help in a completely different way.

As you can imagine, writing nonfiction and fiction requires different skill sets entirely – both with their own rewards and challenges. For me, this means that I get to engage more aspects of my creative mind, and meet more needs internally. All pretty amazing things!

The nonfiction side of my writerly life pulls on the more logical aspects of my brain. I research heavily for my books, doing traditional types of research, as well as focus groups and interviews related to the specific topic of my book. The voice of my works is my own, so in many respects it is like the presentations I prepare, the classes I teach and the counseling I do. It all originates directly from me.

The fiction is different. It appeals and draws on the creative side of my brain. The research I do doesn’t feel like I am conducting research for a doctoral thesis, the way it does with nonfiction. This research usually involves things like using google.earth to “visit” my setting, researching the meanings of names or certain symbology, and studying legends that will come into play in the stories. When I sit to craft a story, I get to lose myself in some other character’s voice. I get to disappear and “be” my characters, functioning as their storyteller.

Both are awesome endeavors. Both deeply satisfy a part of me. Both work to define different aspects of who I am.

I will say that it is hard, at times, working in both fields – like having two distinct careers in addition to the actual jobs I have. But the payoff is worth it as I feel more than a little blessed to be able to write in two specific genres and fulfill two distinct parts of who I am.

It is AWESOMENESS defined, I feel so fortunate to be part of both worlds.

What about you? Have you ever tried writing in such different genres? What do you like about it?
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll stop by to answer.

Christine Fonseca is the author of EMOTIONAL INTENSITY IN GIFTED STUDENTS (Prufrock Press, 10/1/2010) and 101 SUCCESS SECRETS FOR GIFTED KIDS (Prufrock Press, May 1, 2011). In addition to writing books related to giftedness, she writes fantasy and contemporary novels for teens. If you would like to learn more about Christine, please visit: www.christinefonseca.com.

LINKAGE!

Website (you can find info on her fiction here as well)
Blog
Find me on Facebook or Twitter
Order Emotional Intensity in Gifted Children here.
Read the first chapter here.
Preorder 101 Success Secrets here.