Thursday, May 29, 2008

DARK NEST available in PRINT at Barnes & Noble!

For those who prefer print books to eBooks, wait no longer:

DARK NEST is now available in Print at Barnes & Noble.com! I'm very excited! For those who have Barnes & Noble nearby, you can also order one directly from the store for pick up! Huzzah!

The print copy not only includes DARK NEST, but also Sea-Found, my twisted lil' ghost story, also published by Crescent Moon Press.

Find a DARK NEST excerpt here at Crescent Moon, where the eBook will remain available and is the current bestseller on the site!

Monday, May 26, 2008

"Behind the Scenes"#6 Interviews, Quotes and Revisions, oh my!

A flurry of stuffs... Interviews, Quotes and... *scary music* Revisions!!

1. I have a comprehensive new interview up at Manic Readers!

2. I have author quotes for DARK NEST from REAL multi-published, award-winning authors!
Thanks, Colby, Isabo!

"Leanna Renee Hieber creates a fantastic new world full of endless possibilities in Dark Nest. Kristov is a hero to die for and Ariadne is a heroine that every reader can relate to. I can't wait to read more of this fascinating world." - award winning author Colby Hodge

"Fabulous read! Once I started I couldn't stop until the very satisfying end!" Isabo Kelly, award-winning author of Marshall's Guard

3. I have vertigo from revisions to my gothic victorian fantasy novel that I'm working my rear off to get published. Here's how I feel:


During massive restructuring of my narrative, shifting around whole chapters like rearranged puzzle pieces, I found that I sort of went into Matrix bullet-time. It was as if the text of my whole book was just scrolling, scrolling, scrolling down the pages of my mind like all those little green numbers... Am I alone here??


Authors? Tell me about your "Highway to the Revision Zone": Do you go to a zen place? Do you go into a tailspin? Anyone else have this matrix feeling? Or an Alice in Wonderland rabbit-hole and you're just ingesting things that say "Eat" and "Drink me" until your book is fabulous? I want to know. Tell me.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

When DARK NEST characters sit down for a pint...

Two of my favorite DARK NEST characters, Sergeant Maric North and my heroine, Chief Counsel Ariadne Corinth, have come out to play outside of their novella
at the mysterious POND PUB....

Writers, the Pond Pub may be a neat place for your characters to come out and play too, it was a wonderful way to think outside of the structure of my worldbuilding. Just ask Clover Autrey for an invite.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

I'm on .TV!

So Better.TV, thanks to the fabulous producer AND author extraordinaire Marianne Mancusi, filmed a coffee taste test starring our writer group as guinea pigs.

Check us out! Fun! Funny! See what coffee we picked (we were shocked):

Writers Vs. Coffees...

Saturday, May 10, 2008

OOOhhh Pretty...

Crescent Moon Press, publishers of Dark Nest, have a brand and shiny new revamped site:

www.crescentmoonpress.com

I deem it quite lovely.

(and sorry, but I can't help but note that I'm currently the Best-seller. This may never happen again. I have to take this moment of glee while I can.)

"Behind the Scenes" #5 My Second Interview!

My second interview in two days! Whew!
Interview fever!

This interview focuses also on the topic of my very first novella release, DARK NEST, on my process, inspiration, eBooks, the industry, etc.

Check it out at the fabulous Ms. Elizabeth's: Got It Goin'On!

Thank you for the interview, Elizabeth!

Friday, May 9, 2008

"Behind the Scenes" #4 - My First Blog Interview!

My first blog interview!

Please check out my first blog interview at Kwana Minatee-Jackson's fabulous blog!

I talk about my brand new and best-selling release, DARK NEST, the writing process, eBooks and more!

Thanks Kwana!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

DARK NEST IS AVAILABLE!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My cross-genre futuristic, psychic, fantasy novella is OUT! Download it in eBook format for a reasonable fee at the new CRESCENT MOON PRESS




















Praise for Dark Nest: "Fabulous read! Once I started, I couldn't stop until I reached the very satisfying end!" - Isabo Kelly, award-winning author of Marshall's Guard

Chief Counsel Ariadne Corinth has just found out her long-time lover, the powerfully gifted Chief Counsel Kristov Haydn, has died. Newly evolved psychically gifted humans have been sent by the Homeworld on a space mission aboard two distinct “Nests”. Relationships between the Light Nest and the Dark Nest have faltered and Ariadne is sure there’s something insidious behind it. In a matter of hours, Ariadne must find out what really happened to Kristov, unite her people to discover vast new powers the Homeworld denied them, or else submit to genocide.

Excerpt:

Chapter One

Grief was like a bomb. The Courier’s words hit Ariadne Corinth’s body like shards of shrapnel.

“No!”

Everyone on the command deck jumped and whirled to face the source of the outburst. Such disruptions never happened on the Light Nest command deck. Or anywhere else on the Light Nest. There was only calm, peaceful control. Chief Counsel Ariadne Corinth fought to maintain her wits.

The Dark Nest Courier relaying the bad news was the only one who didn’t seem shocked by Ariadne’s outcry. Fighting to control the expression on her face while raising her mental shields, Ariadne wasn’t capable of stilling her shaking hands. “There must be a mistake,” she murmured. “He can’t be dead.”

“Regretfully he is, Madam Counsel. In the event of his death, I was instructed to bring the news to you in person.” A flicker of fascination, or perhaps disgust, passed across the Courier’s thin face. “Surprising, though. I didn’t know the two of you were acquainted.”

“Don’t overstep your bounds, Courier. It is none of your business what friendships might remain between the Nests.” Ariadne looked up and noted, uncomfortably, that her captain was staring at her with curious intent.

“One last item, Madam Counsel, and I’ll gladly take my leave,” the Courier added. “On our ship, there remains an object Chief Counsel Haydn left to you in his will. Would you come pick it up yourself or-”

Ariadne lifted her hand, pretending to be suddenly fascinated by the air pressure meters on the deck console nearest her. She couldn’t let anyone, from either Nest, see her in tears. This would have been unprecedented. The captain could have her disciplined. But she knew just what that object was and she couldn’t bear to think of it. “Have it delivered to my quarters by Dark Nest Courier,” she stated, trying to mask her breathless tone as nonchalance.

“Yes, Chief Counsel Corinth .”

The petite, spiky silver-haired Courier saluted. Ariadne nodded, watching as the woman turned crisply and held up her hand to a pearlescent panel, signaling the flight deck door to slide aside. She swished out, her plain black robes rustling behind her until she vanished. The Courier took her intensity with her and the entire atmosphere of the Light Nest deck lost weight, returning to its cool, neutral temperature. With one exception: the temperature deep within Ariadne’s carefully built fortress. Down there, it was a dangerous, fiery degree.

She felt the captain’s gaze on her and knew he was about to speak before he did.
“Chief Counsel Corinth, I presume there’s been another death on the Dark Nest.” His words were not a question and his typically indifferent tone had never aggravated her more.

Turning to address him, she steeled herself. The captain was sitting casually at the command post, his elaborate white robes splayed out like the feathers of the albino peacocks that pecked and preened on the Homeworld’s governmental capital grounds. The idea that he had been courting her and that she had accepted his proposal was suddenly ridiculous. She wanted to laugh. Or yell. And scandalize the whole deck. Instead, she replied to his disinterested comment.

“Yes, unfortunately, there has been another loss aboard our sister ship,” she said, horrified by her words and yet impressed by her flat, businesslike tone. Captain Saren raised an eyebrow. The term “sister ship” hadn’t been used for some time. Ariadne thought that was a shame.

“From your surprising outburst, I assume it would be your former acquaintance, Counsel Haydn?”

Ariadne could feel the deck’s resulting wave of surprise, amusement and disapproval ripple through her perception-field. Few aboard the Light Nest knew of any connection with the Dark Nest’s Chief Counsel, so this was news to all. Though she felt the initial wave, everyone soon controlled themselves back to neutral. A heart-numbing neutral.

“Yes, Captain, Chief Counsel Haydn has been lost,” she replied, careful not to sound too sharp as she corrected Haydn’s rank.

“Pity. They’re dropping like flies. I wonder what has gotten into all of them. They’ve always been overdramatic, but I didn’t assume them murderers. It does do wonders for our ship’s energy levels, though, doesn’t it?”

Behind her back she balled handfuls of her robe into tight fists. Perhaps Saren knew how hurtful he was acting. He could be so patronizing when it came to the Dark Nest.

“Energy must remain in proportion, Captain Saren. We mustn’t get thrown off balance. Levity is dangerous against death.”

“Always the counselor, wise Ariadne. Pardon my insensitivity while you’re surely grieving at the news.”

“I do not like death, sir, no matter whom.”

“Particularly not Chief Counsel Hadyn, I can imagine.”

He was testing her. In front of the entire command deck. She gently raised one eyebrow.
“I have no undue attachment, sir. And as the word ‘murder’ was not spoken I caution you not make assumptions about the Dark Nest, Captain. Keep in mind that there was a time, not long ago, when our two Nests moved freely. Are we all now denying the Dark Nestlings we’ve known?”

Searching the emotions of the deck, there was no stirring of recollection, care, or consideration. No one seemed phased by her question. Relations had grown worse than she had thought. She had to get out. Ariadne stiffened. “If you’ll pardon me, Captain, I must inform a mutual friend of the Chief Counsel’s passing.”

She turned before the captain could say or intuit anything else, pressed her hand to the shimmering panel and the door to the flight deck swished open and shut behind her.
She just had to keep her mind closed. Just until her quarters. Just a few corridors….

(End of Excerpt)

Want to know what happens next? It's just a quick download away!

For those of you who can't handle eBooks and simply must have a print copy, I just found out that Dark Nest will have a print run! Details to come.

DARK NEST is a fast-paced, quick read that I'm quite pleased with. I've had a lot of fun with the whole process.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

I'm "it..."

So.

Kwana tagged me.  That means I now have to say 6 quirky things about m'self and "tag" others for the same.

Why not.  Here goes.

1. Had a childhood fear of being bricked up in a pyramid.  Dunno where that came from.  Never did go to Egypt, never was any talk of going to Egypt.  Ah, childhood fears.

2. Once accidentally electrocuted myself on a lamp while telling a ghost story.  Heightened the dramatic effect for my audience. 

3. In grade school I was obsessed with the fabulously campy show Doctor Who. I was particularly hooked during the days when Tom Baker played the Doctor and his only female fellow Timelord was played by Lala Ward.  She had platinum blonde hair.  I so keenly wanted to be her that I stretched my long strawberry blonde locks out in the sun so it might bleach to her color.  Didn't work.  Still love the show.

4. Wrote a happy-ending sequel short story to Edward Scissorhands because I was inconsolable for a week after having seen it for the first and last time.

5. My soon-to-be-released futuristic, psychic fantasy novella, Dark Nest, was inadvertently inspired by Harry Potter.

6. I don't tend to have pleasant dreams, if I do, I don't remember them.  Except for the one where I was having a glass of red wine at a fancy restaurant with Alan Rickman.  *shrug*

I'm tagging Isabo, Marcia, Liz, Patt and Marianne, sorry guys, you can blame Kwana, she started it. :)