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

FREE FICTION and Upcoming Appearances!

From Leanna:

Exlcusive Free Fiction! The fine folks over at The Pandora Society, where I am the Author in Residence, have premiered a never-before-seen piece of my fiction, "A Woman's Work", featuring a female Neo-Victorian assassin of a most distinct kind... Go on, have a read...
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Leanna high-fives herself in this fairly meta picture at Atlanta's ANACHROCON, the picture highlighting her recent appearance as a Guest of Honor at the International Steam Symposium in Cincinnati, Ohio 

Announcing Leanna's upcoming appearances on the continued ETERNA FILES national tour:

Leanna and her team are very busy this month! Check out the updated APPEARANCES PAGE - listing her upcoming events: The Steampunk World's Fair, MistiCon, Phoenix Comic Con and Book Expo America (Hint, Leanna will only be at BEA one day only, so be sure to come find her at the Mystery Writer's of America booth 2657 where she'll be signing THE ETERNA FILES!)
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MORE FREE FICTION! Can't get enough ETERNA FILES? How about a bit of a prequel teaser? Available via Leanna's Mailing List by clicking HERE.
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Cheers, please keep enjoying THE ETERNA FILES, stay tuned for upcoming events and features, and as always, Happy Haunting!

Eterna Files Book Tour Round-up: Where can you find a signed copy?

My Dear Readers! (Scroll down for signed stock updates as of 4/15)

Thank you, so many of you, for showing up along THE ETERNA FILES Book Tour routes of Florida where Alethea Kontis and yours truly took the state by storm! As you can tell, she and I had a bit too much fun reading, performing, signing...

From Florida I continued on to AnachroCon in Atlanta where my co-author on the upcoming Captain Marlowe saga Thom Truelove and I spoke on panels ranging from Gothic Victoriana to the Addams Family and I was happy to sign books to a lovely, receptive crowd.

Then the next leg of the adventure was on to my favorite Barnes & Noble in West Chester, Ohio, where a big hometown crowd came out to support me even despite horrible weather, the reunion atmosphere greeted me warmly and the amazing staff transformed a whole wall into an Eterna wonderland:

This whole book tour adventure and extravaganza was really, overwhelmingly amazing, and thanks to so many of you who have shared your "ETERNA FILES in the wild" sightings on social media, it's such a delight to see this very important book finding its way, keep them coming! It's still on the "New in Science Fiction / Fantasy" Shelves at your local Barnes & Noble!

Signed stock can be found at the following stores:

FLORIDA:
Merritt Island - Books a Million
Orlando Barnes & Noble (East Colonial Drive)
Tampa Barnes & Noble (Dale Mabry Hwy)
Boynton Beach Barnes Noble
PGA/Legacy Place Barnes & Noble
West Palm / Wellington Barnes & Noble
Tallahassee Barnes & Noble
West Melbourne Barnes & Noble

KENTUCKY:
Lexington, KY Barnes & Noble
Newport, KY Barnes & Noble

OHIO:
Dayton Barnes & Nobles (Dayton Mall and Beavercreek Locations)
Fields Ertel Barnes & Noble
West Chester / Union Center exit Barnes & Noble
Pickerington Barnes & Noble

PENNSYLVANIA:
Pittsburgh area Barnes & Nobles: (South Hills Village Mall, The Waterfront, Homestead and Monroeville Mall)
Rittenhouse Square Philadelphia Barnes & Noble

NEW YORK CITY:
Manhattan:
Union Square Barnes & Noble
Rockefeller Center (46th and 5th) Barnes & Noble
Tribeca Barnes & Noble
81st and Broadway Barnes & Noble
86th and Lexington Barnes and Noble
53rd and 3rd Avenue Barnes & Noble
Brooklyn:
Park Slope Barnes & Noble (7th Avenue)
Court Street Barnes & Noble
Word Bookstore, Brooklyn - Signed copies still available for order online! THE ETERNA FILES was Word's # 1 Bestseller in February! HUZZAH!
Queens:
Forest Hills Barnes & Noble
Staten Island:
Barnes & Noble, 2245 Richmond Ave
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AMAZING REVIEWS:
The talented author Charles R. Rutledge reviewed THE ETERNA FILES here, giving a lovely round-up of our recent panel experiences together at AnachroCon, Atlanta. After reading, be sure to check out his work alongside the equally talented Jim Moore.

Pop Kernel calls ETERNA FILES "The Empire Strikes Back of Victorian Paranormal fiction" and more...
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WHAT'S NEXT?
Want some ETERNA FILES backstory? As many of you know, THE ETERNA FILES features cross-over characters from my Magic Most Foul trilogy and the Strangely Beautiful saga. If you've not read it yet, DARKER STILL remains on 2.99 Kindle Sale! Stay tuned, as there will be an ETERNA FILES companion novella out this year, and that will give you a glimpse into Clara and Louis' involvement in the early stages of Eterna research.

While in Florida, I put the finishing touches on the STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL revised, re-edited, author's preferred, new and shiny edition! This new paperback puts Books 1 and 2 together into the full story it was always meant to be, and includes deleted scenes and extras never before put into print! Look for it this time next year from Tor! You can bet I'll be celebrating this reissue with all my heart and soul!

FOR SILLINESS:

While I was with Alethea, having an amazing Writer's Oasis that included the incredible K. Tempest Bradford, we had a BIT too much fun taking part in her Fairy Tale Rants. You really don't want to miss this one:

 

Or our take on Swan Lake:



Have fun with THE ETERNA FILES and as always, Cheers and Happy Haunting!

DARKER STILL: ON THE ROAD!



Photo Credit: Jenny at Supernatural Snark



Goodness. What a whirlwind. I think I say that about every book tour, but no, seriously... what a whirlwind. See, I've been going non-stop since World Fantasy Convention at the end of October, right into Strangely Beautiful the musical staged reading rehearsals and performance (it went very well, thank you very much, as soon as I have more specifics I'll tell you but this is not that blog post) and right DIRECTLY the next day into DARKER STILL release day and tour. Whee! (Yes, I'm tired and a little punchy.)

First off, we kicked it all off in NYC. I spoke to school librarians, did stock signings, various bouncings about the city and then we launched at WORD Bookstore in Brooklyn. Which rocks. I mean, it's kind of the best bookstore ever, run by the best people ever. Author and fellow Sourcebooks sister, the awesome Zoraida Cordova did a great RECAP HERE where you can see me in all my regalia and whatnot.



Wall O' Hieber!



Then? Home! Ohio, the land of my birth, and my hometown Barnes and Noble (B & N West Chester) that always takes care of me. A wall of me, in fact, as you see there to your left. I was beyond thrilled that NYT Bestselling author Lori Foster stopped by, Lori not only hosts an amazing conference every year, but she took the time to come and support me at my signing and that meant the world to me. She is one class act, I tell you, and a damn fine author. As many of you know, I am an actress. So the very best part of the whole presentation for me is to read aloud from my work. Accents and all. One of these days I might write a hero who isn't British. Today is not that day. Tomorrow, neither. I've got British heroes stacked up for the next few books, it's a compulsion, what can I say? :)

Hanna of the awesome shirts & talent

And two extremely talented writer gals who I love to cheerlead in their writing journeys, Hanna and Lizzy, were there at the hometown launch to make the night special. Hanna sported one of her amazing shirts she creates for the signings (it's become tradition, and I love it! Lord Denbury is rather flattered too). Thanks also to Hanna and family for the pictures left and above. Huge thanks to Edgewood teachers and alum who made it out to see me, you all mean more to me than I can say. And an extra extra special thanks to my best friend Marijo who came to all of my events and heard all the readings (along with my parents) multiple times. I know, I'm spoiled, they're good to me.

Percy & Alexi by Grace W.

I had the opportunity to do three signings in my home state, the next day I was at Joseph Beth in Cincinnati, (shout-out to my fave Steampunk designer, Angie of Festooned Butterfly, for making it out) and received a VERY special surprise. Remember the awesome artwork of Percy and Alexi I featured on this blog? Grace is from Ohio and I didn't put 2 and 2 together at first, I was too busy complimenting her gorgeous cameo and style, until I was signing the book "To Grace," and she slid this utterly magnificent drawn and painted picture of Percy and Alexi to me upon the signing table. My jaw dropped as I looked at their beautiful adorable-ness in their winter best. "Oh! You're THAT Grace!" I cried, and jumped up to hug her, and said to the crowd of friends, "remember the artist who rendered Percy and Alexi?" (friends and family nodded) This is her!" And I showed off my latest prize and there were lots of 'ooohs' and 'aaahhs'. It's so beautiful! It's now framed on my wall. What an amazing signing present! Such talent!

No rest for the wicked, it was back on a plane to NYC to participate in an amazing panel on fantastical literature at the incomparable Books of Wonder alongside luminaries like Tamora Pierce and Delia Sherman. I had such an amazing time and the store was packed and the crowd was fantastic! Ron Hogan of Shelf Awareness did a fabulous wrap-up of the event. It has always been a dream of mine since I've been in NYC to sign at that store, and with such stars as Tamora Pierce and Delia Sherman by my side, what an honour! (Books of Wonder has all the authors' signed books from this event available for sale!)
In Ohio again, my Dayton signing at Books & Co. was made all the more lovely by the amazing teens I met that day doing presentations at Oakwood Junior and Senior High; some of the most engaging and interesting students I'd ever met. In my first session, there were so many hands raised with awesome questions, I wanted to steal them all and take them with me to any school event I ever do. Some of those eager and intelligent faces showed up that night to the signing, braving a massive rainstorm to do so! The evening at was also made utterly fabulous by the appearance of three of my fave bloggers! Colette of A Buckeye Girl Reads, Dani of Refracted Light and Jenny aka  "Miss Snark" over at Supernatural Snark, click here for an awesome rundown and fab pictures. She's quite a talented photographer, as you can see from that gorgeous first picture!

Then, off to Milwaukee, Chicago and the Twin Cities all in the next three days. It's a bit of a blur, but I was warmed and inspired by talking to two groups of students at Cudahy High School and was thrilled to see some awesomely enthusiastic young folks turn up at my signing that evening at the Cudahy Library along with the "in laws" and my awesomely supportive parner (I really couldn't do all this without him). Then it was an Amtrak train into Union Station, and on to stock signings around and about Chicago, signing the next night at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville. Thanks to the Sourcebooks team for coming out and being supportive and awesome as usual). Cheers and thanks to several high school and to fellow writer/RWA friends in Chicago, blessings and good author Karma to fabulous YA author Stacey Kade for making a two-hour trip to come support the event, and to TRUE-BLOOD.NET for coming in (Mel from a distance) and being AWESOME as usual, but this time in person. Which made it even awesomer! Thanks for the lovely Tweets about the event!

Then the next day it was off to Minnesota sign stock all over the Twin Cities with a reading and signing at The Bookcase in Wayzata, where book blogger and engaging young author Rachel Bongart brought a group of AWESOME fellow writers and readers, the night was made extra special by Rachel and her friends, I was inspired by their drive and story ideas, there's nothing more I love than to see talented young women passionate about storytelling. Kindred spirits, for sure. We all had a great chat about process, ideas, the business, etc, along with Twin Cities friends from my years in area theatre, including members of the Scribblerati Writers' Group. Keep an eye on these writers, they're going places.

Where am I going right now? To take a nice long nap would be nice. But there's no end in sight, really, I've books to write, a musical to revise and deadlines approacheth! Here are the places around and about the country where I have, in the past week, signed stock of Darker Still - if you're in these areas and missed me in person, at least you can pick up a signed book!

Ohio: Barnes and Noble Dayton Mall, Barnes and Noble Beavercreek, Barnes and Noble Kenwood Cincinnati, B and N Newport KY (Only had 1 left on 11/13), Books and Co. Dayton
Milwaukee: B and N Mayfair Mall, B and N Brookfield Mall, B and N Greenfield,
Chicago Area: Barnes and Noble at State and Elm Chicago, Magic Tree Bookstore in Oak Park, Barnes and Noble Oakbrook Center, Barnes and Noble Bolingbrook at The Promenade, Barnes and Noble Naperville, Anderson's Bookshop Naperville
Twin Cities Area: Barnes and Noble Mall of America, Red Balloon in St. Paul (only 1 left), B and N Highland Park, B and N Calhoun Village, Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis, B and N at the Galleria in Edina, B and N Eden Prairie Mall, B and N Ridgehaven Mall
New York City: All Manhattan and Brooklyn Barnes and Nobles, WORD, Books of Wonder, Posmans Grand Central (on 11/22)

Support your Indies! Two great places to get a signed copy of DARKER STILL:
WORD has kindly agreed to keep their special order page up!

BOOKS OF WONDER, the best Children's/YA bookstore in all the land, has a healthy stack of signed books they'd love to get into your hands. With DARKER STILL landing on the Indie Next List, I am reminded how important our independent booksellers are to the life of a new series taking its first steps into the world, and I'm very grateful for them.

And yes, ladies, my invention of the word "Denburylicious" has spawned quite the life on Twitter, prompting Sourcebooks to make a badge. The #Denburylicious blog badge has been quite popular among you (and among a few gentlemen as well) and if you want your own, feel free to lift this here, just please link the image to a bookstore of your choice selling Darker Still! And while you're at it, drop @SourcebooksFire a line on Twitter telling them how much you love it, they did a great job.

Speaking of great things, I'm sorry, but how much do I love this really and utterly fabulous and featured review on SHELF AWARENESS? The reviewer really understands the layers and levels I'm working on. This review is a real honour and is so encouraging as I continue on with the series.

Thanks, dear readers! Stay tuned, I promised a fabulous young lady at the signing at Anderson's that I'd post my DARKER STILL playlist! Coming soon!

Happy reading, happy haunting!




Shop Indie Bookstores

DARKER STILL in Seventeen, the Indie Next List and More!

Shop Indie BookstoresWhat a banner week for Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul!

First, it's been chosen as a recommended buy by the American Book Association as part of their "Indie Next" list, for the 2011/2012 Kids/YA winter season! YAY! DARKER STILL has also been chosen for Scholastic Book Clubs and also sold Chinese (complex) translation rights via Taiwan!

Then it got an amazing review in SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE!

Then it was featured on the Barnes & Noble Homepage!! (I'm not sure how long this will be up, but as of yesterday, it was. Very excited. Listed under "Cool Books" next to Ms. Oates & Didion. Pretty darn good company! You'll find it these next few weeks on the TOP TEEN PICKS Shelves at B&N! Yay!)

LAST CALL on Preorders! If I won't see you on BOOK TOUR then please get a signed copy of the book via a fabulous independent NYC bookstore, WORD in Brooklyn! Here's the link to Preorder, I'm signing everything this weekend so they need to get their last orders in today so that they'll go out first thing next week!

Here's my DARKER STILL TOUR SCHEDULE! See if Darker Still is coming to a town near you!

Thanks to everyone for your support! I've a bunch of amazing reviews and fun interviews that I've been linking via Twitter and Facebook! I really appreciate the blogging community as a whole, my beautiful Apocalypsies Debut Team, and a bunch of new YA blogger friends who have helped give this book a nice, sweet buzz!

Blessings and as Natalie would tell you... "Find your voice..."

The Gaslight Gathering 2011

After a meal with friends and family post-signing on Thursday, I was off to California in the early AM Friday for The Gaslight Gathering!

I'd never been to California, so when James Hay asked if I would like to be a guest speaker and panelist at The Gaslight Gathering in San Diego, and seeing that it corresponded with my release week, why not? It was quite a gorgeous weekend. The Town & Country was a beautiful space with flora and fauna abounding, tumbling roses and trellises under which beautifully-clad men and women strolled. I was stunned by amazing costumes, warmed by the diversity of age and family status amongst the attending crowd, I learned many things from fellow panelists (I could listen to the utterly delightful Kim Newman, guest of honour, all day long and pick his brain about all manner of things even longer). I had the pleasure of paneling with Samantha Henderson and the chance to procure her Ravenloft novel Heaven's Bones - how can I turn down a fellow Gothic novel? I also made a friend in historian Michelle Hamilton whose knowledge of spiritualism and the Fox sisters, as well as some incredible ghost stories, made her a captivating delight to spend time and panel with.
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I had the extreme pleasure of staying with and getting to know Dru Pagliassotti who was writing Steampunk Romance (Clockwork Heart) before anybody. She's an author I'd already long admired. I had such a great time chatting with Dru and hearing about her many interesting projects. She also looked amazing, check out her blog.
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The lovely and kind Maria of Free the Princess was there taking notes and beautifully adding to the discussions, so be sure to follow Free the Princess for her rundown of the weekend.
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Throughout the weekend I spoke on themes of the supernatural, ghosts and spiritualism in Steampunk and Neo-Victorian work, about culture and norms, about the issues and problems inherent in the era, about science and religion, and I was pleased by how interesting and thought- provoking the discussions became.
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The danger of Steampunk/Neo-Victoriana is in romanticising Empire, colonialism, industrialization and ingnoring myriad, overwhelming social ills of the time. However an aspect that draws me to the 19th century is that it birthed some of the major progressive movements that carry us to this day, a counterpoint to vast injustices. The beauty of working within this genre now is offering up more diverse and alernatvie narratives from those who would have been silenced at the time. My dear Miss Percy Parker and my upcoming Natalie Stewart, 'unfortunates' in society whose voices never would have gained a mainstream audience, have a chance to give us a different view of how things could be, from their perspectives. I don't shy away from the constraints and conflicts of the day, my characters must work within them, towards a place of acceptance and solubility. As I said on panels, the romanticism within my stories come from the romances between the characters. I paint my Victorian London and New York as grim as they may be grand. It isn't interesting nor fair otherwise. We are no better than the Victorians, with our modern social ills and blinders. What can we learn from them for the better, what can we learn to avoid? Whose stories have yet to be told? What can we rewrite and how can we be more inclusive, inventive, sensitive, educated, corrected? I'm certainly always still learning. The diverse Steam-community, and places like Beyond Victoriana, a blog I mentioned often out West, provide wonderful ways to do so.
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And yes, I flounced around in many black skirts, ever the perky Gothic gal and signed some books! I was thrilled as always to see the fine and friendly folks at Mysterious Galaxy. (They still have a few signed ones left! After selling out of Book 1, they promise to order more in and I left signed bookplates for insertion, so you can still get a signed set.) I came away with a new hat, parasol and fan. (The new hat and parasol are pictures) I'm a sucker for accessories. :)
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Come back Wednesday for a Darker Still cover reveal!

Perilous Prophecy and the Hometown Signing

A homecoming is always good.

My Westchester OH Barnes & Noble always treats me well, and my friends and family never disappoint me.

I had a wonderful, warm crowd to read to, and read I did. (The actress in me does so love a chance to read aloud). I chose a ghost-busting selection from the beginning of The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess. In this prequel we meet new characters, expand the horizons onto other lands as well as familiar haunts within London and rejoin the stories of our beloved favourites.

I was particularly delighted to see three young, supremely talented writers, Lizzie, Sammi and Hanna (pictured with me here), along with some of their wonderfully sweet family members, and to have a moment playing one of my favourite roles; that of being a writing cheerleader. I've told them they're not allowed to give up on their dreams or on their writing, otherwise I'll get angry. And I'm not an angry person, so this isn't to be trifled with. :) You'll see that demand in writing in the back of Darker Still , on the acknowledgement page. Hanna is right in her very kind blog post to me, my ghosts will come to haunt them otherwise. :)

I simply can't allow the opportunity I have to go to waste, that of being the voice of an author whose work is out in the world, to be an encouraging one. Yes, being a writer is tough. Yes, the business is hard. Yes, it's frustrating and exhausting to stay disciplined and to hone your craft. But that's the way of everything truly worth doing. So if I have an opportunity to be in any way an example as well as a cheerleader, I take gladly to that role. Sometimes it just takes one person saying 'yes, you can' to motivate turning dreams into a reality.

It also just so happens that Hanna comes up with the greatest shirts for my signings and events. I've been treated to several. This year was a new one, what she's wearing in the picture reads: FRONT: "If I was born in 1853..." BACK: "My last name would be Rychman!" (The last name of my beloved hero).

-- This, of course, caused me no end of glee! Thank you, Hanna, for your creativity, and also for your exceedingly kind post.

Thank you friends and family in Ohio for showing up and making it a wonderful night! In case you missed it, Ohio, stop by the Streets of Westchester Barnes & Noble because they've still got some signed copies of books 1, 2, and of Perilous Prophecy, all now reissued in Trade Paperback format. The manager, Gail, will be happy to help you. We can even arrange for a signed bookplate to be sent to the store!

For a bunch of fun ghost stories from The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess and giveaways, be sure to check out the Haunted London Blog Tour, contests are still open for those who comment on the posts!

To Salem, With Love

So this weekend saw my sweetheart and me attending the Danvers Literary Festival in Danvers, MA at the gorgeous Peabody Institute Library as a Fantasy panelist along with these two lovely and talented ladies, Margaret Ronald (below) and N.K. Jemisin (above me). What a great panel and what a great day of talent! Thanks to Michelle (who fate directed me towards because of her blog, Tempting Persephone) for setting up such a lovely day at this lovely venue! With a hot-off-the-press book in my hand, I was there talking about The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker and fielding questions about the Strangely Beautiful series, (see me looking like I'm talking about something super important?) on craft, process, world-building and, of course, chatting a bit about the possibility of the Strangely Beautiful musical and what will happen next. The crowd was, as I hoped, fiercely intelligent but warmly friendly, our moderator was fabulous and it was such a delight.

AND THEN…

I couldn’t be so close to Salem and not visit Salem. Truly, it would be criminal. Welcome to Salem, MA, land of the Puritans. Where this cheery guy here, Roger Conant, The First Settler of Salem in 1626 said: "Nope, I'm not going any further, screw you. Y'all can go elsewhere, I'm staying put." And Salem was born. Okay. Here's what he actually said (quoth the fancy plaque): “I was a means through grace assisting me to stop the flight of those few that then were here with me and that by my utter denial to go away with them who would have gone either for England or mostly for Virginia.” Them's plaque-makin' words right there, I tell ya. The sculpture makes him seem far more dynamic than his quotes.

So after the Literary events my beloved and I were dropped at the gorgeous Hawthorne Hotel - named for that beloved Salem son and famous author who I'll speak more of later, and set off exploring. To be very clear, I’m not interested in the sensationalism or the marketing of/obsession with the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, or identifying Salem only with that unfortunate few months in our nation's history, despite the fact that everywhere you look in Salem they've had to embrace it, from witches on broomstick icons on hair salons, police cars, schools, to even a bronze Bewitched statue. What I am interested in is not a false and material iconography of witches but I'm interested in the history itself. Because those trials had nothing to do with witchcraft and everything about politics, land, money, gender, power and the exercising of it. And, of course, what I am interested in is the ghosts. What’s as important to me as the knowledge of the history of a place is the energy I feel in it walking the land, streets and the buildings and meeting the people. After admiring our lodging for a bit, we of course, booked a Ghost Tour.

We looked for a ghost tour that focused on the historical aspects, not the hype. I believe in ghosts. I don’t need to be convinced, spooked, titillated or given a big production. What I appreciated about our awesome guide Tahra is how knowledgeable she was while knowing how to engage her audience and to make a tour fun as well as informative, without over-blowing the stories. A good ghost story needs no embellishment, its just a tale well told. The picture here is of the admittedly, totally creepy former Salem jail. (Now, of course, this is being turned into Condos. Have fun with those ghosts of the executed, folks!) If you go to Salem, find Tahra, she was great. Visit Salem Historical Tours. As a former tour guide myself, I’m telling you, take her tour. (And then, of course, tip her, she earns it and tour guides work hard). And let me tell you, Salem has some good ghost stories. So good I even have one of my own to tell. Seriously. Yes, for real. But more of that in a minute. Let me tell you about our lovely, sunny-if-not-quite-cold Sunday about Salem.

A primary mission in Salem was to pay homage to a wonderful writer, a pioneer of the Gothic novel and an influence of mine: Nathaniel Hawthorne. I was particularly charmed by our ghost tour guide Tahra showing us the “Grimshawe House” beside the town cemetery where he took down names for characters and where he began courting his future wife who lived in that house that would be immortalized, Sophia. (Seriously, how much do I love the graveyard courtship?) I visited the home where Hawthorne was born, learned about the room where he did much of his early writing, a place he called “the castle dismal” on Herbert Street, saw and explored the House of the Seven Gables (a side of which is pictured here) which he immortalized in his novel of that name, and generally soaked up as much as I could, gaining a new appreciation of a man I’d admired since high school when I read (and loved) The Scarlet Letter.

I did want to visit the Salem Witch Memorial that commemorates that time of horror and hysteria, politics, fabrications, human rights violations and all manner of wrongs against the innocent. Each name of the hanged victims (with the exception of Giles Corey who was pressed to his death beneath stones) are marked chronologically from Bridget Bishop in June of 1692 into September of that year, each victim marked on a separate bench. I was touched that on Mother's Day, many of the memorials had these little flowers bestowed upon them. The memorial is a sobering sight. The stone plaza is next to that town cemetery where Hawthorne courted Sophia and brainstormed ideas for his novels, and where I too took down some amazing, historic names for possible use in my fiction. I am nothing if not influenced by the actions of my predecessors. *s*

All right. So I suppose I owe you, dear reader, my ghost story. Now again, to be clear, I’m not interested in sensationalizing, especially since I write ghost stories and incorporate very famous ones into my Strangely Beautiful series - I take them seriously, but don't go overboard about them. I love hearing and telling ghost stories, I don’t necessarily need to see the ghosts to enjoy their tales and know they're out there somewhere. I’ve seen enough inexplicable things to be a believer, and so frankly I don’t find myself looking for paranormal experiences because I think that can be courting trouble if you encounter the wrong type of energy. I am of the opinion that if I’m meant to encounter something, I’m meant to. Looking too hard for things will only create falsehoods, tricks of the eye and wishful thinking. However Scandalous Women expert, award-winning blogger, author and dear friend Elizabeth K. Mahon did warn me the beautiful Hawthorne Hotel, built in 1925, was haunted, and my response, of course, was: “Cool!”

The haunting: 3am. Awoken in silence, groggy. Why I woke, I don’t know save that perhaps a shift in energy did so. I’ve always been a very light sleeper. The light within the room was pale and hazy from exterior street-lamps. I began to hear a noise. Faint, tinkling, a sparkling sound even. No footsteps, just the soft jingling, and it seemed to be in the hall. Like keys, I remember thinking. But there aren’t keys used for the rooms in the Hotel - there would have been when it was opened in the early 20th century - but now there are cards for the doors. And there was no room adjacent to us, should someone be jingling their keys, next door to us was the stairwell. As I was hearing this noise becoming more clear, there came a close and present scratch very near to me, a soft but distinct scrape directly above me, as if on the headboard, and the jingling stopped. I admit at that at that moment adrenaline kicked in, and my blood ran cold due to the proximity. Generally when I have seen or heard things, I’d prefer them to be a bit further away from me, to put a bit of distance between. These subtle goings on did not wake my beloved, and neither did I once silence again descended. I lay and contemplated it a bit, and wondered if I’d tell anyone. Then I thought; are you crazy, you write ghost stories, of course you should tell it!

As my darling Mulder would say, The Truth is Out There. And perhaps it might come and say hello. Perhaps some housekeeper or butler in the 1920s or 30s that likes to make his/her 3am rounds, passing through the doors those phantom keys seek to open. I totally recommend the Hawthorne, by the way, affordable and the staff were charming, the facilities lovely and its very conveniently located in the heart of Salem. The ghost (at least this friendly one, do be careful what you wish for as you cannot count on ghosts to all be benign) was just an extra perk.

T’was a lovely journey. Now on to the next: Next weekend? The Steampunk World’s Fair! If you’re in New Jersey, come visit my author Salon on Friday evening!

Don't forget to buy your copy of The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker and enter my contest! The more Shakespeare references you list, the more entries you get!

Happy Haunting!

Counting down!

Oh my goodness, it’s two weeks until release day!

I’ve been keeping quite busy, between work on set and in the media tour studio where I had one of the best days ever with Queen Latifah who is straight up the coolest, most wonderful woman EVER – I mean, Tim Gunn, Queen Latifah – I’m getting SO spoiled by awesome celebrities. I was also got paid to ice skate all day in Central Park while filming a day on The Dark Fields. I love my side jobs.

And I love my next book. The Darkly Luminous race begins!
Beginning April 26th the Darkly Luminous Haunted London Blog Tour begins! Come along for the tour to learn about all the real ghost stories I use in the book and read exclusive excerpts! And there’s a new giveaway each day! See the schedule.

I’ll be heading home to Ohio in a week, where I’ll be speaking to my alma maters Edgewood High School (where I get to see one of my favourite young and talented authors Sammi) and Miami University, and also at Lebanon School, where I get to see another of my favourite young authors Hanna – a writing tournament winner who single-handedly lobbied to bring me in to her school and has been running quite the countdown to release day. She rocks.) And then I get to have a party in my hometown Barnes & Noble on April 27th. Then it’s the RT Booklovers Convention! Then it’s back to New York for more events. Then Jersey! Then Arizona! Then the world! *giddy exhaustion just thinking about it*

Strangely Beautiful and Darkly Luminous Honours:
1. I got the call that The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is a finalist in the “Mainstream Novel with Romantic Elements” category of the Write Touch Awards! Yay!

2. AND The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker ALSO finaled in the 2010 Orange County Book Buyer’s Best Awards! Go Percy go!

3. The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker gets 4 stars from RT Book Reviews Magazine! The review:
"The second book in the Strangely Beautiful series is delightful. This ghostly, Victorian fantasy is well written with a unique mythology. An intriguing and atmospheric tale with an enchanting romance that is finally consummated. Readers should start with book one to get a feel for the haunting backstory." - Reviewed by Gail Pruszkowski

Other lovely Darkly Luminous reviews on the web:
4. Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Books
5. Larissa’s Life

More beautiful Strangely Beautiful reviews on the web:
6. Parajunkee's View
7. Book Faery
8. My Blog 2.0

In life news:
Congratulations to my beloved and fabulous author friend Marianne Mancusi and her wonderful husband, Jacob Beach. Traveling to Texas for her beautiful wedding and seeing the bluebonnets in bloom across the countryside was magic. Pure magic. I love these two. AND THERE'S NOTHING BETTER THAN DANCING GOTH AT A RECEPTION! This is the second time VNV Nation’s “Beloved” has been put onto a wedding playlist because I was in attendance. I’m going for a record.

Leanna’s upcoming schedule:
The Romantic Times Booklovers Convention: April 28-May 2, Columbus
If you’re in Columbus Ohio for RT, come see me at one of my many panels and appearances – I’ll be at the Intergalactic Bar and Grille, a panelist on the "Move over Vampires and Werewolves! There are New Creatures Stalking the Night" panel, the "Fantasy Romance, Two Flavors that Taste Great Together" panel, the "Kick-Ass Fight Scenes" panel, I'll be playing Jane Austen for Sabrina Jeffries' Regency Bingo - fun! I'll be signing books at the big BOOK FAIR, hosting Lady Jane’s Salon starring bestselling authors Linnea Sinclair, Delilah Marvelle and Sabrina Jeffries, the Dorchester publisher's spotlight and at the Dorchester Author/Bookseller Party and dance party!

And New Yorkers, I’m reading and signing at both Lady Jane’s Salon (May 3) and KGB Fantastic Fiction (May 19th), so I hope to see you there!


Stay tuned for Very Big (and Strangely Beautiful) News...

March Madness

The month is almost over... where did it go?

I've been doing a little writing (not enough, but I like my new prologue of Strangely Beautiful #3, I think I'm starting to figure out this prequel thing) and a lot of planning.

Like scheduling a trip to London! With stops in France and Germany! *happy swoon* I have to research several locations for Strangely Beautiful #4, broaching World War I, and my family graciously has decided to take me along for their own academic research journey, bless them. I'm beside myself with excitement. It's been years since I've gone "home" to London and I'm beyond heartsick for it. I can't wait to meet up with the man who is my foremost resource for great ghost stories; Richard Jones for one of his London Ghost Tours.

Darkly Luminous will be out before we know it! I've been writing up interviews for Borders, for Rhapsody Book Club, all the posts for the Darkly Luminous Haunted London Blog Tour (The schedule is now posted!) and many more, so Miss Percy and The Guard will be galavanting all over cyber-space before we know it. They're quite savvy considering they're upstanding (albeit odd) 19th Century ladies and gentlemen.

I'm planning for my April Ohio tour, where I'll be talking to schools, doing several signings such as a RELASE DAY SIGNING, April 27th at West Chester Ohio Barnes & Noble, attending the RT Booklovers Convention in Columbus and whisking back to the New York area for a whirwind May with readings at Lady Jane's Salon (May 3) KGB Fantastic Fiction (May 19th) and all over the Eastern Seaboard! (All Event listings and locations available at Book Tour).
I'm also gearing up for my online "Direct Your Book!" Workshop for RWA Women's Fiction this week.

Saw (and loved) Alice in Wonderland. Tim Burton (who is of course one of my all-time favourite filmmakers) took great liberties with both the Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass aspects of the Alice tale but I thought it was beautiful and engaging. I found myself particularly fond of the Cheshire Cat and (of course) The Caterpillar, whose voice was created by the inimitable Alan Rickman. And I think this new Alice has some great Percy Parker qualities, what do you think? (Photo from IMDB.com)

Good Stuff:
Strangely Beautiful makes charity rounds:

I was approached by a brave teen participant who is helping to fund research for Childhood Cancer. I was only too happy to donate a signed book for a fundraiser for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, and here's Renee's site to donate to her directly. She's shaving her head in support of the cause. Bold and brave, I commend her.

Also I sent along some book goodies to Support Our Soldiers (SOS) America Inc. No matter where you stand on the subject of the wars, our soldiers should feel loved and valued.

I'm also donating a "Strangely Beautiful" goody-bag to bestselling author Brenda Novak's incredible Auction for Diabetes research, this is an amazing way to get cool stuff and support a great cause. Stay tuned as product pages will be going up in a bit - every year the items available for auction get better and better.

STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL Honours 'round the Interwebz and such:

1. The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker was picked by Smart Bitches and Dear Author, two of the leading Romance blogs, as a contender in DA BWAHA (Dear Author Bitchery Writing Award for Hellagood Authors)! A big, unexpected honour! Strangely Beautiful, thanks to many of you, made it to the next round, which will go up Sunday. (Voting happens lightning fast in 12 hour rounds).

2. Also, Rhapsody Book Club and Science Fiction Book Club, who took on Strangely Beautiful into their subscription-based hardcover book clubs also have picked up The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker! It's slated to release to their subscription base around the same time as the paperback release.

3. Some advanced feedback about Darkly Luminous has already begun trickling in and it's been very good! I'm thrilled. Because while I love the first in the series, it frankly isn't complete without this sequel. Reviews will be coming in shortly.

It's starting to feel like spring! What are your plans now that the weather is turning?

Blessings!

The Ohio Whirlwind

It’s appropriate that I’m again listening to "Ohio" by that beloved band of mine, hometown Cincinnati-grown Over the Rhine as I attemp to offer a meager recap on a whirlwind two weeks back home.

Firstly, let me share the good news. Because of your support, some great press, and the blessing of genuine interest in my debut novel, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker has gone into a second printing. It’s a dream come true to publish a book. To have it already going into a second printing is beyond thrilling. Wow. Wow. Thanks.

Oh, Ohio. What an action-packed trip. I always look forward to going home, because of the wonderful family and friends that never feel too far away, even though in so many ways New York City is a world away. But the welcome mat is always unfurled, and would be whether I did or did not publish a book. However, getting to go home with a sense of real accomplishment, to thank those who made it possible, and to share the excitement of a dream coming true with other dreamers, as I said in my earlier post, is a real blessing. And that’s what I was able to do, to say thanks, to value where I’ve come from, and to share the idea of never giving up on something you love.

I got to share this message at my grade school, (and the Oxford Press wrote about it). I got to share it at my High School (the Middletown Journal followed up with its earlier article and wrote a new print one focusing on Edgewood) and at my alma mater Miami University; for my dear Dr. Powell’s Victorian Literature class – what a thrill to be back in one of my favourite classes, this time reading from my own love-letter to the 19th Century Gothic! I did an alumni video interview for the Miami theatre department, spoke to classes in the department (where I was a major) and at the Howe Writing Center (where I was not a major but since I’m published they kindly had me over for a chat) and was taken to dinner by the most charming Fine Arts administrators ever.

I got to teach a theatre-meets-writing workshop at the Central Ohio Fiction Writers conference that went blessedly well and made some light-bulbs go off in amazing writers’ heads - what an honour! I love discussing the connective tissue between art forms; where theatrical concepts are a great way to think about forming the structure and characters of your novel. The way I write is entirely inspired by my actress half and I do have a lot to say about it. On that note...

I was interviewed by Rick Pender for Cincinnati Public Radio (listen to WVXU on October 18th for the “Around Cincinnati” feature!). He had interviewed me for CityBeat years before when I returned to play Lucy in Dracula for the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Rich opened our interview this time with: "The last time I saw Leanna Renee Hieber she was a bloody mess." :) So I of course stopped by my dear Cincy Shakes to see friends and the new changes to the building and noted with great delight that indeed, this oh-so-bloody picture of me as Lucy in Dracula is up in the lobby in all its glory... – (photo by Rich Sofranko). I confess. I've missed the theatre, but doing readings and signing books quite puts the theatricality back into my art and I certainly feel in my element when reading from my novels. It's one of my favourite parts of this process.

I was able to connect with several aspiring writers, like Sammi and Hanna, who were two particular highlights of my trip. Thank you Hanna, for your kind and generous post about my signing at the West Chester Barnes & Noble – this signing in particular was such a joy as a hoard of friends, classmates, teachers, co-workers and family came out to support me in force! (Thanks, Marijo, for this photo).

I did five event signings, countless more stock signings (so if you didn't make it to a signing and you'd like an autographed copy of Miss Percy Parker, check your local Columbus and south to Cincinnati Barnes & Nobles!), all around Ohio, swinging down to Kentucky, reminded myself of all the southern Ohio back roads, spent as much quality time with my best friend Marijo as my madcap schedule permitted, wrote a bit on the Strangely Beautiful sequel (out May 2010) and on Rebecca and Michael’s novella (out Oct 2010), was well-fed and entertained by friends and family and was reminded of every blessing along my meandering artistic path. And I gratefully stand by the fact that no time was wasted along that complex path. I hope I can continue to feel that same, sure sense as I jump back into NYC with new deadlines, challenges, stresses, and excitements.

More pictures / and possibly video - to come! As soon as I get them, I must share some photos of The Stately Raven Bookstore in Findlay where I had some quality time with my darling Mr. Poe. -- I love you, Ohio! It's good to see you again, New York!

In case you were wondering, Persebunny aka "Percy" is enjoying a copy of her namesake and is quite truly tearing through the book. She impressively digests literature.