Blog Tour: Dark Halo by Shannon Dittemore *Guest Post

Why I Write for Young Adults

By Shannon Dittemore

So, why do you write for young adults?
I get this question a lot. You’d think I’d have developed some sort of stock answer by now, but I struggle with it every time. I could say I chose teens because I like to read young adult literature—and there’s definitely truth to that statement—but I read more than the average person and not all of it’s geared for young people.

So, why then?
I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m one of those eternally sensitive souls who can still identify with the ever-emoting fifteen year old girl. Or maybe it’s because the books I read when I was that age are the ones that have stayed with me the longest.

It could also be that when I drafted Angel Eyes, I was surrounded by teens who reminded me very much of Brielle, my main character. Young women with potential and talent. Young men who were stronger than they knew. Young adults who had been through the waters of misery and still marched on. I wanted to examine the how and why. I wanted to tell their stories.

Maybe I’ll never know precisely why I chose to write for this audience. What I do know is that the heart of a teenager is a precious thing. It can be both fragile and resilient all in one tenuous beat. If my stories can speak to young hearts, strengthen them, remind them that there are more fighting for them than fighting against, I will be the happiest of souls.

Oh, look at that. Maybe that’s why I write for teens.

Dark Halo (Angela Eyes Trilogy, #3)
by Shannon Dittemore
Published: August 20, 2013
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Synopsis:
One halo brought sight to Brielle. Another offers sweet relief from what she sees.

Brielle can’t help but see the Celestial realm. Even without the halo, it’s everywhere she looks. And with the heavens above Stratus ravaged by war, Brielle wishes for another gift, any gift. Because Jake is gone. The only boy she’s ever loved has been taken by the demon, Damien—and she knows if she ever wants to see him again, she must fight.
But fighting is so hard when everything you see makes you afraid.

When she receives instructions from the Throne Room leading her to Jake, she unknowingly walks into a diabolical and heartbreaking trap. Then the Prince of Darkness himself offers Brielle a halo of his own making. With the dark halo, she won’t have to see the fear and brokenness that surround her. She’ll be free of that unbearable burden. And it comes with a promise: the guarantee of a life with Jake.
 

When confusing details about Jake’s past emerge, and the battle above reaches a fever pitch, Brielle is forced to make a choice. Will she choose the dark halo and the ignorance that comes with it, or will she choose to live with her eyes wide open and trust the Creator’s design—even if it means a future without Jake?

Available from:

   

Other books in the Angel Eyes Trilogy:

About the Author

Shannon Dittemore is the author of the Angel Eyes Trilogy. She has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a focus on youth and young adult ministry. When she isn’t writing, she spends her days with her husband, Matt, imagining things unseen and chasing their two children around their home in Northern California.

ANGEL EYES was Shannon’s debut novel and the launch of a young adult supernatural trilogy. It was published in the summer of 2012 by Thomas Nelson. The sequel BROKEN WINGS hit shelves in February, 2013 and the final novel in the trilogy, DARK HALO, will be available August 20, 2013.

Shannon Dittemore is having a Live Twitter Chat August 27th at 6pm (Pacific) where she will be giving away a Kindle Fire HD and other prizes! Enter here:
http://shannondittemore.com/win-a-kindle-fire/

Author Links:

    

***GIVEAWAY***
5-sets of the Angel Eyes Trilogy including Angel Eyes, Broken Wings and Dark Halo. US only.

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