Christmas Ghost Story: A Gothic Duet with Edgar Allan Poe and Leanna Renee Hieber! "Not More Lovely than Full of Glee" a sequel to Poe's "The Oval Portrait"

Darlings... I had JUST posted on Instagram about my Edgar Allan Poe shrine... And not an hour later, what launches? 

"Not More Lovely than Full of Glee", set on a cold December 24th in a distant past, my sequel to Poe's "The Oval Portrait", has launched as a back-to-back audio drama with its inspiration, thanks to the amazing folks at PseudoPod! 

I mean, look at the log line: "AUTHORS: EDGAR ALLAN POE and LEANNA RENEE HIEBER!" I nearly fainted. 

I'm so grateful to the PseudoPod staff for championing my work and creating this beautiful double bill!

 "Not More Lovely than Full of Glee" is a Christmas 'ghost' story about what happens after the events of Poe's "The Oval Portrait"... 

It's now live, for free, via PseudoPod, in digital + audio! Donations to PseudoPod encouraged! 

Darlings, can I just say what a thrill it is, what an honor it is, what a joy it is to see a lifelong dream come true? To be situated next to THE legend, the man who remains my foremost inspiration, it is just the most *incredible* thing. It's impossible to put to words what it feels like to see my name next to his name. He is my everything. I would not be a writer if it were not for him. 

I wrote "Not More Lovely than Full of Glee" for A WINTER'S TALE: HORROR STORIES FOR THE YULETIDE in 2020 and I had a dream that someday I'd see my sequel placed side-by-side with what inspired it. "The Oval Portrait" remains one of my favorite Poe stories, short and terribly chilling, and I felt I had something to say about the woman whose life was painted away... 

Listen / Read via PseuodPod in the Escape Artists Podcast Network! Happy Holidays! Happy Haunting! 

GHOSTS OF THE FORBIDDEN, A Contemporary Gothic Romance in an homage to Dark Shadows, is here!

 

Friends! I am so excited to share this category-length Gothic Romance with you! Today GHOSTS OF THE FORBIDDEN is officially out in the world! Tonight at 6pm at Goldspot Brewery in Denver we'll be hosting a launch party and sharing a spooky-themed beer brewed just for the occasion! We will be joined by Castle Bridge Media, the publisher of Ghosts of the Forbidden, as we discuss this new book as well as A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts! 

I'm so sorry to say that if you pre-ordered the book, Amazon lost your pre-orders so you'll need to order again, the publisher is just heartsick about this but it was out of our control. Thank you for your support! I love this book and hope to be able to continue this as a series, but we can only do so if the book is supported. So glad you're here and I remain so thankful to my amazing readers for keeping me going!

--

More about this book and it's glorious step-back, the book-within-a-book:

"If you love all things both goth and Gothic and want to see the mid-century-style Gothic romances brought into the modern day, you absolutely do not want to miss this." -- The Gothic Library

"FIVE STARS. I want to move to Glazier's Gap." -- Torie L, Netgalley Reviewer

"This book was right up my alley, Ghosts, creepy mansions, books and writing…sign me up!!!!" -- Beth J, Netgalley Reviewer

"Great gothic fun. Long lost ghostly romance in a spooky town with a tongue-in-cheek wink at the pulpy gothic novels of the 1960-70s." -- Madeleine D, Netgalley Reviewer

The only way I can describe it was rapturous." -- Lauren M, Netgalley Reviewer

She should run. But can she?

When newly unemployed writer Lillian Anders tries to escape her personal demons by running off to Glazier's Gap for a writer's conference hosted by a reviving Gothic romance publisher, she lands right in the middle of her own Gothic novel. Her life begins eerily reflecting one of the early-'70s "women running from houses" books in the publisher’s archive. Striking 19th Century ghosts haunt darkened halls and carriage-house mirrors, startling Lillian with dangerous secrets. As a hungry, violent force lurks in the mountains and the abandoned silver mine, Lillian’s presence rekindles old flames and reopens aching wounds. When charming journalist Nathaniel Lynd arrives in town, he and Lillian forge an immediate bond when intimate memories surface from another century. Evil forces that killed star-crossed lovers in the past seek to destroy Lillian and Nathaniel in the present. It will take fortitude, ingenuity and unexpected help from the strange town itself to make sure the demons of the past don’t destroy a passionate future; destined to set old wrongs right.

ABOUT GLAZIER'S GAP

Welcome to Glazier's Gap, Colorado-- a small, gossip-filled hamlet started by the mysterious owners of a now-abandoned silver mine whose unwitting rivalries set the town on a cursed trajectory. From an enormous luxury resort hotel destroyed years ago in a landslide- whose wreckage remains half-buried today- to unexplained fires in grand mansions, the town isn't known for good luck. It’s a place with a bright side, though: tourists visit its rickety old ski resort, hike shadowed mountain paths and locals attend its small college. There’s even a defunct book publisher starting up again. But underneath it all: Glazier's Gap is full of secrets and ghosts.

Order now via Amazon or in paperback from your favorite local bookstore!

Cheers and Happy Haunting! 

Happy Release Day to A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS!

The day is finally here!

A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS, co-authored with Andrea Janes of Boroughs of the Dead is now out in the world! Available in digital, audiobook and trade paperback, wherever books are sold! 

"Deliciously eerie.” —Leslie Rule, Bestselling Author

From the notorious Lizzie Borden to the innumerable, haunted rooms of Sarah Winchester's mysterious mansion this offbeat, insightful, first-ever book of its kind explores the history behind America’s female ghosts, the stereotypes, myths, and paranormal tales that swirl around them, what their stories reveal about us—and why they haunt us . . .

Here's a little excerpt from my "Existential Questions" Introduction, explaining why I do what I do!

Please pick up your copy today! We'd love to continue writing about this intersection of women's history and ghost stories and we can only to that with your support! Cheers, thank you and Happy Haunting! 

A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS National Tour!

Join us for A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS National Book Tour!

 New York! Denver! St. Louis! Salem! Online!

Sept. 27th Brooklyn 6-9pm

SPIRITED AWAY Launch Party!

Barrows Intense Tasting Room

In-Person Author Talk & Signing!

RSVP: http://Tinyurl.com/spirited927 

 

Oct. 4, Sleepy Hollow, NY 7pm EST

Washington Irving Memorial Chapel

at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

In-person Author Talk and signing!

 

Oct. 5, 6pm EST

Village Preservation Force

Broadcast of Leanna & Andrea’s

Book Talk at the Salmagundi Club!

https://villagepreservation.force.com

 

Oct. 6, 6PM EST

Savoy Bookshop, Westerly, RI

Virtual Event with the authors

http://MysticBooksInc.com

 

Oct. 11, 6PM MT

Goldspot Brewing Company, Denver, CO

Beer Tasting and Book Event

Book Sales by Tattered Cover Books!

http://Goldspotbrewing.com

 

Oct. 13, 6:30PM CDT

Buder Library, St. Louis, MO

In-Person Author Talk +

Book Signing with Leanna!

 

Oct. 17, 8PM EST

Swamp Fox Books, Des Moines, IA

Virtual Event with the Authors

http://Swampfoxbookstore.com

 

Oct. 19, 7PM EST

Bookwoman Books, Austin, TX

Virtual Event with the authors

BookWoman 

Oct. 20, 7PM EST

Monmouth County Library, New Jersey

Virtual Author talk

http://Monmouthcountylib.org

 

Oct. 25, 7PM EST

WORD Bookstore, Brooklyn

In-Person Author Event

In-Person Signing!

RSVP: http://Tinyurl.com/hauntedword

Oct. 26, 7PM EST

92Y Virtual Author Event

https://www.92ny.org

 

Oct. 28, 1PM EST

East Meadow Public Library, NY

Virtual Author Talk

https://eastmeadow.info

 

Oct. 28 7PM EST

Mystery to Me Books, Madison, WI

Virtual Event with the Authors

http://Mysterytomebooks.com

 

Nov. 7, 7PM EST

Morbid Anatomy Museum

Virtual Book Talk

http://Morbidanatomy.org

 

Nov. 10, 7PM EST

Harvard Bookstore, Boston, MA

In-Person Author Event with Andrea & Leanna

Moderated by Sebastian Crane

http://Harvard.com 

Nov. 12-13, Salem MA

Salem ParaConn at Salem State University

Leanna is a Guest of Honor!

Book Talk & Signing

http://TheShamanAndTheShowman.Com

 

About the book:

From the notorious Lizzie Borden to the innumerable, haunted rooms of Sarah Winchester's mysterious mansion, this offbeat, insightful, first-ever book of its kind explores the history behind America’s female ghosts, the stereotypes, myths, and paranormal tales that swirl around them, what their stories reveal about us—and why they haunt us…

Sorrowful widows, vengeful jezebels, innocent maidens, wronged lovers, even the occasional axe-murderess—America’s female ghosts differ widely in background, class, and circumstance. Yet one thing unites them: their ability to instill fascination and fear, long after their deaths. Here are the full stories behind some of the best-known among them, as well as the lesser-known—though no less powerful.

Tales whispered in darkness often divulge more about the teller than the subject. America’s most famous female ghosts, from from ‘Mrs. Spencer’ who haunted Joan Rivers’ New York apartment to Bridget Bishop, the first person executed during the Salem witchcraft trials, mirror each era’s fears and prejudices. Yet through urban legends and campfire stories, even ghosts like the nameless hard-working women lost in the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire —achieve a measure of power and agency in death, in ways unavailable to them as living women.

Riveting for skeptics and believers alike, with humor, curiosity, and expertise, A Haunted History of Invisible Women offers a unique lens on the significant role these ghostly legends play both within the spook-seeking corners of our minds and in the consciousness of a nation.

Pre-Order Wherever Books are Sold! http://linktr.ee/AHauntedHistory

Leanna's 2022 DragonCon Schedule! 13 Panels Across 5 Tracks!

Darlings! Here's my insane DragonCon 2022 13-panel schedule across 5 tracks!

I'll be talking A LOT about my upcoming non-fiction A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS, coming 9/27 from Kensington Books! Pre-Order here!

Gothic Literature: Ruin and Evil

Time: Thu 07:00 pm Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (Length: 1 Hour)

Sherrilyn Kenyon's Homecoming Celebration

Time: Thu 07:00 pm (Leanna will arrive at 8:15)

Location: Savannah Ballroom Westin (Length: 4 Hours)

Masquerade Costume Party!

Foundations of Fear: Building Haunted Houses in Fiction

Time: Fri 01:00 pm Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)

Same Places, Different Times: Historical Urban Fantasy

Time: Fri 02:30 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)

Things That Go Bump in the Night (or Day): Ghosts & Spirits in UF

Time: Fri 10:00 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)

Spooky Tales and Haunting Music

Time: Fri 11:30 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)

Time Goes By: Pacing! (Writing Track)

Time: Sat 11:30 am Location: Embassy EF Hyatt (Length:1 Hour)

Herstorically Speaking: Vanishing Women in History

Time: Sat 05:30 pm Location: Macon Sheraton (Length:1 Hour)

International Death Customs

Time: Sat 08:30 pm Location: Macon Sheraton (Length:1 Hour)

Spies & the History They Affected

Time: Sun 01:00 pm Location: Macon Sheraton (Length:1 Hour)

Herstorically Speaking: Women Who Beat The Status Quo

Time: Sun 04:00 pm Location: Augusta Sheraton (Length:1 Hour)

Thrills and Chills in YA

Time: Sun 05:30 pm Location: A707 Marriott (Length:1 Hour)

Victorian Spiritualism: The Movement's Role in Society & Grief

Time: Sun 08:30 pm Location: Macon Sheraton (Length:1 Hour)

When not paneling I’ll be at Kelley Hensing’s Art Booth in the Hyatt Art Show!!

Happy Haunting!

Another New Novella! ENCHANTING THE EXORCIST (The Spirit Suitor # 2) is now available in digital & audio with Leanna narrating!

Friends!

Maggie Hathorn the Ghost and Reverend Coronado the Exorcist are back at it, flirting and solving crimes! Available Exclusively via Scrib'd in digital and audio! This was SO much fun to narrate!

About the book: 

Fear and hate create a doorway for the demonic to enter. It will take the love between a spirit and an exorcist keep these demons at bay…

Someone is targeting immigrant communities and the churches that serve them in turn-of-the-century Manhattan. After performing an exorcism at a local tenement, Reverend Roberto Coronado learns that the nearby aid society has been plagued with insulting leaflets that use devilish imagery to mock the incoming “immigrant horde.” As the harassment escalates from incendiary literature to arson, Coronado is determined to catch the culprit—whether man or a demon.

Luckily no one knows demons better than Maggie Hathorn, the spirit of a socialite who once courted demonic forces during her life but has spent her afterlife seeking redemption by serving the living as a spectral liaison for New York City’s Ghost Precinct. Maggie isn’t keen on revisiting her own weakest moments, but she can’t resist the chance to help solve another crime by the side of her beloved exorcist. As she fights her demons—both literal
and figurative—Maggie yearns for the kind of fully committed love that she sees all around her between the living, and sometimes even between the dead.

But can a ghost and a living man truly get their own happily-ever-after?

-- (Cover art by Thom Truelove)

Check out THE SPIRIT SUITOR series of novellas exclusively via Scrib'd, if you don't have a membership, sign up for a free 30 day trial! There are so many amazing stories on this site! Happy haunting!

New Novella! THE SPIRIT SUITOR: A SPECTRAL CITY NOVELLA is now available via Scribd!

Hello friends!

Spectral City fans! This new Spirit Suitor series, starring the rambunctious ghost Margaret Hathorn and the charming Exorcist Reverend Coronado, launches today via Scrib'd, in digital and audiobook with me narrating! This was so much fun! If you're not a subscriber to Scrib'd, you can sign up for a free 30 day trial! Check it out:

The Spirit Suitor by Leanna Renee Hieber - Audiobook | Scribd

The Spirit Suitor by Leanna Renee Hieber - Ebook | Scribd

About the book: 

A ghost and an exorcist make an unlikely pair. But from the moment Maggie Hathorn tumbled into Reverend Coronado, it was love at first possession… 

In 1899 Manhattan, the impending turn of the century has put both the living and the dead on edge. As the spirit of a socialite who has haunted the city streets for longer than she walked them, Maggie now spends her afterlife helping to solve crimes for New York City’s Ghost Precinct. When Coronado gets roped into investigating a murder at a nearby church, Maggie jumps at the opportunity to flex her sleuthing skills and spend more time with the distressingly handsome reverend. But as familiar with death as Maggie is, she is not prepared for the gruesome sight of the crime scene. A beautiful bride lies in a pool of blood beside her beloved, in a scene that reminds Maggie of her own final moments. Maggie can’t even look at the bride’s ghost without being thrust into traumatic memories and losing her grip on the living world. The last thing Maggie wants is to lose this spectral second chance at life that she’s been given. But how can she help this dead bride without endangering her own spirit? Maggie will have to draw on her strongest bonds and connections to keep herself tethered while she confronts her own mortality. It’s a good thing Reverend Coronado is there by her side. No one else has ever made her feel so alive.

Spend more time with some familiar characters from Leanna Renee Hieber’s The Spectral City in this first book in a fresh, new series.

You don't have to have read The Spectral City to enjoy The Spirit Suitor but if you'd like to indulge in a world of psychic mediums and their favorite friendly ghosts solving weird crime in 1899 Manhattan, check out the trilogy of full-length novels! 

Cheers and Happy Haunting! 

GHOSTS OF THE FORBIDDEN Cover and Stepback Cover Reveal via Fantasy Cafe!

Darlings! Head over to the wonderful FANTASY CAFE for my GHOSTS OF THE FORBIDDEN COVER REVEAL! Not only do I have an amazing modern cover but I have a VINTAGE STEPBACK COVER that replicates the 70s-era Gothic novel my heroine 'falls into' in the book. Designed by the talented In Churl Yo, check out the delicious Gothic pairing here...

I'm SO excited for my debut contemporary Gothic Romance! Releasing Oct. 11th 2022 via Castle Bridge Media in digital and trade paperback! 

Cheers and Happy Haunting! 

A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS is available for Pre-Order wherever books are sold!

Dear Ghost and History Enthusiasts!

A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS is available for Pre-Order wherever books are sold! Written by your truly & Andrea Janes (Founder of Boroughs of the Dead), with a powerful Afterword by Linda D. Addison, this book explores haunted house and ghost stories where women's narratives are centered. The book breaks down stereotypes, tropes, power dynamics and more as we examine how we talk about women and their stories, alive or dead. 

Click here for a Linktree list of pre-order links from every available bookseller / retailer! The book releases this fall and we really hope it does well as we'd love to follow up with a second edition full of more stories. 

Thanks for your support! Happy Haunting!