Federici, Debbie 1965-
(Debbie Tanner Federici)

PERSONAL:

Born 1965; married; children: three sons.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Mesa, AZ. E-mail—debbie@debbiefederici.com.

CAREER:

Writer

WRITINGS:

Sign of the Crescent (young adult novel), Llewellyn (Woodbury, MN), 2005.

"L.O.S.T." NOVEL TRILOGY

(With Susan Vaught) L.O.S.T., Llewellyn (St. Paul, MN), 2004.

(With Susan Vaught) Shadow Queen: The L.O.S.T. Story Continues, Llewellyn (Woodbury, MN), 2005.

(With Susan Vaught) Witch Circle, Llewellyn (Woodbury, MN), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Debbie Federici, along with Susan Vaught, is the author of the "L.O.S.T." fantasy series, in which teens are called from their everyday Earthly lives to wage battle against forces of evil that are threatening Live Oak Springs Township. In addition to the "L.O.S.T." books, Federici has also written the teen paranormal romance Sign of the Crescent. "I wrote my first young-adult book … after having an incredibly vivid dream where I sprouted wings and flew!" Federici admitted on her home page, explaining that her love of writing extends back into childhood.

The "L.O.S.T." epic begins in the book of the same name, in which high-school student Bren is kidnapped by Jazz, queen of the Witches. Jazz suspects that the teen is the legendary Shadowalker, a person who has been prophesied to save her people from the evil Nire. Though doubts linger in the minds of both Bren and Jazz as to Bren's potential for heroism, the two also discover that they have an attraction to one another. Together, they fight the minions of Nire while trying to discover the villain's true identity. "This is a quick read with some fantasy, a bit of romance, and a little tragedy," Saleena L. Davidson wrote in a School Library Journal review of L.O.S.T.

In Shadow Queen: The L.O.S.T. Story Continues, Bren must rescue Jazz from death's haven in order to stop the forces of evil. Jazz does not accept death lightly, and she has her own powers to use to restore her to Bren and the land she loves. Witch Circle finds Bren and Jazz struggling to keep the hard-won peace they have brought to L.O.S.T., but when Bren's brother is kidnaped, they learn that a shapeshifter has found a way to restore Nire and endanger all that Bren and Jazz have worked to save.

In the stand-alone novel Sign of the Crescent, Federici again draws everyday teens into a magical world. Students are disappearing from seventeen-year-old senior Taryn's high school at an alarming rate, and no one seems to be able to do anything about it. Taryn worries for her own safety; she has already lost her family and now has only a crescent-shaped pendant to remember them by. When other-worldly Erick enters her life, Taryn discovers that the town's teens are being kidnaped by Lord Synomea and brought to a parallel world called Zanea, where they will be used as slaves. Erick has long been battling the forces of Synomea, but he recognizes a strength in Taryn he has never seen before. Together, they discover secrets from Taryn's past that may undo the evil lord's plans.

Reviewing Sign of the Crescent Sally Tibbetts noted in her Kliatt review that "readers will be intrigued by the clever connections … as well as the romance between Erick and Taryn." Tibbetts pointed out that Federici also explains Ménière's disease, with which Taryn was diagnosed at age ten, introducing a real-world element into an otherwise fantastic adventure.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kliatt, March, 2006, Sally Tibbetts, review of Sign of the Crescent, p. 28.

School Library Journal, January, 2005, Saleena L. Davidson, review of L.O.S.T., p. 128; October, 2005, Michele Capozzella, review of Shadow Queen: The L.O.S.T. Story Continues, p. 160; November, 2005, Sarah Couri, review of Sign of the Crescent, p. 132.