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.
My Review of DIES IRAE:
DIES IRAE
( for Kindle – From Amazon, Epub – From Barnes and Noble, Pdf – from Lybrary.com)
is a novella—short, exhilarating and packed
with emotion. I read it in literally one night, mainly because I loved the
writing and characters—but what I really love the most is the visceral emotions
pulsing not very far under the skin of her fascinating characters. This is not
surprising since Christine is a school psychologist who has written numerous
nonfiction books about gifted individuals (link here). Emotions are her stock
and trade.
But what I found so gripping about this book was the timeless
and epic quality of the story. Set in the distant past, in a vaguely Greek or
Middle Eastern locale, the story thrums with a sense of mythic foreboding. Right
away, the reader gets the sense that they are about to become witnesses to the
cataclysmic event with seismic consequences. The tale is told from the point of
view of two brothers in arms, angels Mikayel and Azza, both incredibly
compelling and conflicted characters with deep ties and heartbreaking desires.
They choices they make ultimately forces an upheaval to their way of life with
devastating results.
Christine writes with a terse style that made these two
larger than life individuals blaze from the pages in crackling detail. I don’t
want to give too much away, but you get the sense from this book that nothing
is ever black and white, that the good carry a seed of evil in them and the
evil, a seed of good.
If anything, I wish the book was longer. That the build up
to the crazy thrilling climax was a little slower and more layered. But this is
a novella, so I’m okay with that. DIES IRAE a fascinating parable, vivid and
gut-wrenching, and I am so excited for the next books in the series! Way to go,
Christine! I’ve been your friend a long time, but now I am a FAN!
Interview with Christine Fonseca
Tell us a bit
about your background, why you write, your publishing history, etc.
I used to think that I started writing
recently, that I never had planned on it before. But, the more I think about,
the more memories of my college days pour forward, the more I realize that I
“pictured” myself as a novelist forever in some ways. Now, I write because it
is how I process my own emotions, and bring other emotions to my readers.
I originally started
out writing fiction, crafting a novel I foolishly thought I’d just “get
published” and yea, that would be it. HA! That did NOT happen. In fact, that
novel was shelved. As were the next two. While I crafted a fourth novel to
query, I decided to fulfill a different dream and write my nonfiction books
related to the social and emotional needs of gifted kids. This book was quickly
picked up and sold. So, my career definitely started with my nonfiction.
Another book was proposed and sold, and my future as a nonfiction author was
solidified. Fast forward six very miserable months and I was still pushing to
make the jump into fiction. I had no agent, my querying process was not
resulting in an agent, and yea…I was ready to give up. Completely.
Fortunately, I opened
myself up to all potential avenues of publication and within a few months of
that decision, I signed a four book deal with the up-and-coming Compass Press.
And now with the release of DIES IRAE, I have made the much anticipated jump
into fiction! WOOT!
WHY A: What was the
inspiration for this book?
DIES
IRAE is a prequel novella, pulled from a story in LACRIMOSA, the first novel in
the series. Steeped in the mythology surrounding the fall of Lucifer, this
story was my “take” on the rebirth of evil onto the planet. I purposefully set
it at the cusp of Greece’s Dark Ages, and wrapped in several world mythos into
the fabric of the novella and the series. Wanting to stick with the Requiem
Mass theme that is present within the balance of the series, I titled the
novella DIES IRAE – or Day of Wrath.
Tell us about
the other books in the series.
The
next book in the series is LACRIMOSA. This book takes place 3000 after DIES
IRAE, in modern-day NYC. It chronicles one of Mikayel’s warriors, Nesy, as she
sets out to vanquish a particularly bad-ass demon, Aydan – someone who just happens
to be Azza’s right-hand warrior. I
don’t want to give up too much, but suffice it to say, that things are seldom
what they seem, good and evil overlap far more than anyone realizes, and the
concepts of sacrifice, vengeance and redemption are stretched to their limits.
The rest of the series follows these same themes as the battle between good and
evil intensifies and everyone must decide whether or not some sacrifices should
never be made!
What else do
you have in the works?
A TON of
projects, actually. I am hoping to share some exciting news on both the fiction
and the nonfiction front within the next few weeks. Beyond that I am working on
a few more psychological thrillers (my new favorite genre), as well as
additional urban fantasies. No matter what it is I am working on, one thing is
certain – like you have noticed, everything is steeped in emotion!
Christine, you
are a notorious multi-tasker, garnering my fond nickname Energizer Bunny. How
do you juggle your busy life as a working mom and author?
Honestly, it is a never-ending struggle. I
have learned to be exceptionally disciplined about my time, multi-tasking
whenever possible. I have also learned to write in 15-minute increments, as
well as remove things from my life that do not move me towards my goals, and
the goals of my family. So yea, a daily struggle. Some days I am successful,
some days are a train wreck!
Where do you
see the publishing industry headed?
Clearly
we are standing at the precipice of change. I think we can expect to see more
influence in the e-book domain, enhanced books of every sort and style, and
strong influence from readers on what gets published and what doesn’t. I don’t
believe print will go away, but I do think there will be a balance between the
two. Furthermore, I think the big
six may have to consider changing their model with regards to large advances,
etc. Clearly, there are still fabulous advances being given. However, when I
read some statistics that many books take a year or more to earn back the
advance I am concerned. In our current economic climate, how can any industry
expect to survive that mode? Especially when there is a surge in
self-publishing and small presses that utilize a different model.
Speaking of the
alternative forms of publication, I agree with Kathleen Duey and others that
urge authors in any form to insist on quality within their product. I think
readers are starting to demand this more and more too. And I agree with some
who express concern regarding the flood of .99 books on the market – concern
that we are training our consumer to insist on that price point. Also a valid
concern. These are all things that need to be figured out within the industry
as a whole.
The only thing I
really know about this amazing, ever-changing time is this… NOW is the time to
remain flexible and open to all of the changes coming our way. It is exciting,
really. At least, to me!
Thanks Lisa! And thank
you for your kind words regarding DIES IRAE. I just love it when someone “gets”
the story the way you have.
Thanks for stopping by, Christine! I just love the historic
and mythological underpinnings of this book. LOVE! But mostly what I love, even more
is the emotion that drips from every page. So much depth and drama, while being
totally believable and not trite or contrived. This is why I’m pretty sure I’ll
love anything you write, because yeah, I get you, Christine!
