MAGIC MOST FOUL sequel, DARKER STILL excerpts!

Hello friends! Well, as you may or may not know, DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul is the first in the Magic Most Foul trilogy.  The powers that be have conviened and agreed upon a title for the sequel. May I present to you:

THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART

A sequel of Magic Most Foul. In which our hero, Jonathon Whitby, Lord Denbury and our Heroine, Miss Natalie Stewart, escape black magic only to find more perils on trains, travel, in nightmares and at the doorstep of the Master's Society, the shadowy organization behind Denbury's curse and creepy experimentation upon the living and the dead. 11/12 from Sourcebooks Fire, cover forthcoming. Huzzah! Come Valentine's day I'll be sharing some teasers via WAITING FOR FAIRIES, so stay tuned.

 Curious about DARKER STILL? Maybe you've seen it in stores but you're not sure? Well, watch this 10 minute video of my reading from the book to see if it captures your interest. I certainly hope it does!

Stay tuned for news, forthcoming interviews, appearances, excerpts, giveaways and more! I'll also soon be starting my monthly feature on The Apocalypsies young adult debut crew! Cheers!

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The Thorn and the Blossom, or, why print books are important...

Because you can't do all THIS digitally. The Thorn and the Blossom, a Two Sided Love Story, by the lovely and talented Theodora Goss, published by Quirk books. Read the accordion-style book one way, you get one side of star-crossed love from one character's perspective, flip it over and read the other point of view. A work of art in storytelling.

It's breathtaking!

And I'm giving this new copy away to one of you fine folk who comment below, with hopes that you will show off this book and its awesomeness and continue to support print books. While I appreciate digital publishing, there's just something magical about opening a book. And there's nothing quite so magical as a book that's also a work of art!

(Also stay tuned, I'll be making an announcement about an anthology that Ms. Goss and I will be in that I'm very excited about.)

Giveaway instructions: (USA only)

Leave a comment on something to do with print books and how you feel about them.

+1 entry if you follow this blog

+1 if you follow me on Twitter @LeannaRenee

+1 entry if you join the FB Community

(Please note your +1s in your comment to keep track)

Winner will be picked via Random.Org a week from now: Jan 20th

Cheers and blessings and happy reading!

On Scholastic

A lot of us fondly remember our Scholastic catalogues from our kid and teen years. Well, I know I do. My mom remembers hers fondly too. The fairs and catalogues were like Christmas, picking out something we longed for and then the thrill of it coming in, then unpacking those boxes of treasures that would transport us to any number of worlds.

I started writing my first novel at around the age of 12, when I was still getting those catalogues at school. I never admitted the thought of "what would it be like if one of my books was in there...?" That was too far-fetched a thought for me to actively desire it. I had no concept of the industry that would lead to one getting one's work in said catalogue, nor could I have quite imagine the scope of the 20 years it would take until it happened.

Those catalogues and fairs passed out of my life and I hadn't thought much about them until I moved to New York City, torn between being an actress and an author, and gave tours around the city on big red buses for my day job. We'd pass the Scholastic headquarters and I'd fondly rhapsodize for the tourists about those catalogues, about my beloved Harry Potter, I'd tell the story of a struggling J. K. Rowling and her quest for publication to make me feel better and then secretly I'd yearn for a day that fond familiar logo might just be on one of my books too.

You know that moment when you don't realize just how much something means to you until it's staring you in the face? That happened last week when Sourcebooks sent me an author copy of the upcoming Scholastic edition of DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul, my YA debut in the Magic Most Foul trilogy of Gothic historical paranormal novels set right here in New York City in 1880. I admit, when I opened the package it was like Christmas all over again, like opening those boxes from Scholastic, only this time my name was next to that logo. And then I cried a little. I could hear twelve-year old me go "Really?! Is this for real?". And while a world of experience separates me from that girl, the love of writing developed at that age remains as vibrant as ever.

This edition is extra shiny with two layers of foil, so it literally glows. It's really incredible, and impossible to capture on camera. But trust me. IT GLOWS. (Which is very fitting for the paranormal elements in the book). I am not sure what month this year Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul will be available from Scholastic, so those of you involved in fairs at your schools, keep your eyes open! :)

My day of receiving these books was only heightened by finding out that DARKER STILL had gone into a second printing! Thanks friends for your support! And this good news was capped by a third squee, as I walked into Barnes & Noble Union Square, I saw that it's been placed out on their "Can't Miss Books" section on the Teen Fiction tables. It would seem the good omens- not just bad ones- come in threes. So if you're looking for DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul at your local B & N, check the "Can't Miss Books" table. And I know I mentioned that Darker Still is on the American Booksellers Association INDIE NEXT list as a recommended title, here's the link to the official catalogue, in the Teen Reads section.

So, on Scholastic, I say this: To everyone who has held a dream like mine, the dream of someday creating the magic yourself that was once only created by others, to someday be a part of that grand storytelling tradition of feeding youthful imaginations, hold that candle-flame close to your heart and tend its precious fire. You never know when you're going to become a part of something that was once sacred to you, and join that circle of age-old tales told anew. Hold tight. Persevere. Your dreams want to meet you.

Happy 2012! Upcoming Events and Cool Cons!

Hello lovelies! I hope you all rung in the new year with lots of merriment and joy, I spent my holidays with my real-life-hero, our friends and family and made a lot of writing and artistic resolutions for the new year. And seeing the new Sherlock Holmes movie several times. *swoon*

There are some really exciting conferences I'm going to be a part of!

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A FULL LIST! I'll be all over the place this year this is just starting off the next few months! :)

1. Firstly, I'll be returning to TempleCon again the first weekend in February. Huzzah.

2. Kick off March in NOLA with the
Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA!
(From the FF & P website)
Fantasy on the Bayou
March 2 - March 4, 2012 at the New Orleans Marriott
Please check the HOTEL INFORMATION page for information on booking your room. If you are interested in finding a roommate or people to carpool with, watch the Chapter loop for announcements.

FEATURED GUESTS:
Keynote Speaker - Karen Marie Moning
NYT Bestselling Novelist, author of the Fever Series.

Featured Speaker - Leanna Renee Hieber
Actress, playwright, and multiple Prism Award-winning author of the Strangely Beautiful and Magic Most Foul series of Gothic Victorian Fantasy novels
Featured Speaker - Bob Mayer
NY Times Bestselling Author.

Featured Speaker - Kristen Painter
Urban fantasy author and co-founder of Romance Divas.

ATTENDING AGENTS
Michelle Brower, Folio Literary Management
Elaine Spenser, The Knight Agency
Becca Stumpf, The Prospect Agency

VIRTUAL PITCH AGENTS
Sara Megibow, The Nelson Agency

ATTENDING EDITORS
Angela James, Carina Press
Melissa Singer, Tor Books
Liz Pelletier, Entangled Publishing
To be named from LooseId

VIRTUAL PITCH EDITORS
Renee Rocco, Lyrical Press
Donna O'Brion, Crescent Moon Press

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEES
$250 FF&P Members/Media
$275 RWA Members
$300 General Attendee
Conference registration includes all workshops/sessions, a sit-down luncheon featuring our Keynote Speaker, and a sit-down dinner including the announcement of the On the Far Side Award winners and PRO/PAN pinning ceremony. Register Now! Questions? conference@romance-ffp.com

3. Keep the muse thriving in March with the
LIBERTY STATES FICTION WRITERS CONFERENCE
MARCH 17th
Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel, Iselin, NJ
Keynote speaker Larissa Ione
Over 17 attending editors and agents
Networking and Panels
Tons of fabulous bestselling authors
And a special edition of Lady Jane's Salon!
Full Details on the Liberty States site. Check it out!

Now I'm back to work on a brand new proposal and eager to finish up edits on Magic Most Foul book II and also to make progress on the last Strangely Beautiful novel! Full steam ahead into 2012!

And lift your glass to Steampunk fiction! Just like in Victorian times, I'm serializing! Check out THE WORLD OF TOMORROW IS SADLY OUTDATED at Doctor Fantastique's Show of Wonders, and while you're there, be sure to subscribe in whatever format suits you so you keep up-to-date on all the installments!
Happy New Year, friends!