Photo credit: © Drew Herron

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve had my head down, working away, and, except for the occasional outburst on Twitter, have even kept my socializing to a minimum (and those who know me, KNOW how I love to socialize.) But BECAUSE of my dedication to getting things done (okay, so the muse has been threatening me), I was able to announce my involvement in the Story Chairs project a couple days ago and NOW I get to share with you another project I’ve been working on

Diary of a Misfit

The idea for Diary of a Misfit started when my character, Katie McCabe, wanted to start blogging; the topics were situations she felt strongly about and the types of issues which happen throughout the course of the Misfit McCabe series. After she posted a few, I realized these were topics she would have journaled about in her diary … and Diary of a Misfit was born.

For me the short collection is akin to the extras at the end of the blu-ray or DVD. There are some scenes I knew about, but couldn’t put in the book, like Tim’s Shiner because they happened before the series starts, as well as a merging of real life into the world of Katie McCabe. And there are author notes scattered throughout, giving a bit of additional insight. I am proud of this collection, perhaps in part because I never thought I had it in me to write short fiction, and because it has a unique blend of elements.

And one more thing, before my taskmaster puts me back to work on the next project (announcement coming soon… I hope) with this short collection I wanted not only to give extras to my readers, I wanted to also give back. So, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth—an organization with an emphasis on youth suicide prevention. Too many teens have lost hope, and lives are cut short before their time. We need to help.

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Supa Christmas Sale!!

With the stress of the holidays nearly over, now is a great time to sit back, curl up in your favorite reading chair, and get lost in fabulous new worlds. To help you do just that, some authors have banded together and put all their titles on sale, right NOW!! Some of this season’s most popular e-books have been discounted to just $0.99!!! Don’t miss out!

For all of you who got new Kindles for Christmas, this is the perfect opportunity to start your new library!! Please spread the word and share this post with all your friends – they’ll thank you for it!

And we’ll start with my very own, Misfit McCabe, but don’t forget to scroll down to see the rest of the books (some freebies are at the end so keep on going)

LK Griffie
Misfit McCabe
Amazon

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Book Sets

RaShelle Workman Blood and Snow Volumes 1-4 Amazon

Single Titles

Heather Hildenbrand Across the Galaxy Amazon | B&N	Michelle Muto Don’t Fear The Reaper Amazon | B&N	Stacey Wallace Benefiel Zellie Wells Trilogy Amazon | B&N
Christie Rich Dark Matter Amazon | B&N	Laura A.H. Elliot Transfer Student Amazon | B&N	Karen Amanda Hooper Grasping At Eternity Amazon | B&N
David James Light Of The Moon Amazon | B&N	Leigh Talbert Moore Rouge Amazon	Helen Boswell Mythology Amazon
V. J. Chambers Trembling Amazon	V.J. Chambers Tortured Amazon	Elizabeth Sharp Natural Selection Amazon | B&N
Leigh Talbert Moore The Truth About Faking Amazon | B&N	Taryn Browning Dark Seeker Amazon | B&N	Heather Self The One Amazon | B&N
L.P. Dover Forever Fae Amazon	Nancy Straight Blood Debt Amazon	Chelsea Fine Anew Amazon | B&N
Raine Thomas Becoming Amazon | B&N	Alyssa Rose Ivy Flight Amazon | B&N	Magan Vernon How To Date An Alien Amazon | B&N
Janine Caldwell Rematch Amazon | B&N	Courtney Cole Soul Kissed Amazon | B&N	Karli Rush Crescent Bound Amazon
Jennifer Snyder Marked Amazon | B&N	Shelly Crane Significance Amazon | B&N	Bethany Lopez xoxoxo Amazon | B&N
Jill Cooper The Dream Slayer Amazon	Jill Cooper Demon Royale Amazon	A.M. Hargrove Determinant Amazon | B&N
Bonnie R. Paulson Barely Alive Amazon | B&N	Bonnie R. Paulson Falling Apart Amazon | B&N	Bonnie R. Paulson Mostly Dead Amazon | B&N
Addison Moore Ephemeral Amazon | B&N	C.A. Kunz The Modified Amazon | B&N	Addison Moore Ethereal Amazon | B&N
Addison Moore Tremble Amazon | B&N	Sarah M Ross Echo Of An Earth Angel Amazon | B&N	Sarah M Ross Awaken Amazon | B&N
Amy Maurer Jones Soul Quest Amazon | B&N	Amy Maurer Jones Wildflower Amazon | B&N	Thomas Amo Forever ME Amazon
Amy Harmon Slow Dance In Purgatory Amazon	Cheri Lasota Artemis Rising Amazon | B&N	G.P. Ching The Soulkeepers Amazon | B&N
G.P. Ching Grounded Amazon | B&N	Mina J. Moore A Vampire’s Touch Amazon	M.R. Polish Wolf Spell Amazon | B&N

Free Books

Christie Rich Five Amazon

V. J. Chambers Breathless Amazon

Nancy Straight Meeting Destiny (Free) Amazon | B&N

The post Supa Christmas Sale appeared first on Be the Cat.

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.

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