Happy New Year! Via Criminal Element, My Thoughts on Penny Dreadful, Crimson Peak and the Importance of Dreadpunk and The New Gothic

Happy 2016 everyone! May your year be beautifully spooky!

I've been in the throes of deadlines, having three - count them three - releases this year, the paperback edition of THE ETERNA FILES coming 2/2/16 (currently on a sweet discount via Amazon and Barnes & Noble), then the reissue of STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL books 1 and 2 in a new volume with new scenes and content, then the ETERNA sequel, ETERNA & OMEGA, coming this August! Whee! I'm involved in just as many other jobs in the arts as ever, so I'll try to keep you all posted as best I can. I've lots of convention appearances already scheduled on my Appearance page, so have a look.

I'm thrilled to have returned to writing some posts for Macmillan's CRIMINAL ELEMENT site, where I previously chronicled my love for things like Anne Perry, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and MI-5.

Due to my career in writing Gothic novels, I recently had the opportunity to speak at length about the importance of The New Gothic, explain a bit of what the new term "Dreadpunk" is all about, and why the show Penny Dreadful and the film Crimson Peak are vital pieces in the new mainstream, so hop on over to Criminal Element and check out this dark-and-stormy-night kind of post.

And STAY TUNED, because in the coming weeks I'm going to have multiple posts in which my ETERNA FILES characters will answer readers' questions as we count down until the mass-market paperback edition release. I'll be doing multiple giveaways of signed copies this month, beginning and ending here with a few blog tour stops to chat with some Gothic and Historical enthusiasts! More details soon, in the meantime, as always, cheers and happy haunting!

Leanna
Your Fairy Gothmother...
THE ETERNA FILES
STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL
MAGIC MOST FOUL

In Which Deputy Kellion is Revealed

May I introduce you to Deputy Margaret Kellion of Auror's Tale played by none other than... well... me.

Via the Auror's Tale Tumblr!

"Meet Deputy Margaret Kellion, second-in-command at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

MARGARET KELLION

WAND: Rosewood, Dragon Heartstring, 11 inches

PATRONUS: Hawk

OCCUPATION: Deputy at The NYC Department of Magical Law Enforcment
BIO: She is strict, efficient and chic. Deput Margaret Kellion graduated as valedictorian of the Salem Academy of Magic in 1993 and was immediately made an Auror in Training thanks to her remarkable academic achievements. She was officially accepted onto the force in 1995 where she worked as a Junior Auror in the White House Relations Unit for one year and was made a Senior Auror there in 1997. During her time there, she earned herself a rather shadowy reputation. The decisions of the muggle politicians began to weigh on her and she sort of strayed. There are certainly rumors of minor involvement in Hellhound business from 1999-2003. In 2004 she cut all ties with the W.H.R.U. and took a job as a Senior Auror at the New York City Department of Magical Law Enforcement where she was partnered with one Christopher Munro. Later, in 2008, she and her partner were elevated to Deputy and Chief of the Department. She has served alongside him since then. Margaret is known for her organizational skills and defensive magic. She is a formidable duelist who works without flourishes or fanciness. This woman has no tolerance for nonsense but nobly preaches tolerance of magical and non-magical co-existence. She serves NYC proudly and gracefully."
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Follow the Auror's Tale Tumblr for new character reveals and pictures from the project, check for regular updates on Twitter, FB and YouTube. And of course, stay right here and on my Twitter and FB for news on my latest novels and short stories too! Cheers!

In Which I Shall Become An Auror: The Auror's Tale

If you've followed this blog for more than two seconds, you probably know that a) I'm an actress by training and trade as well as an author, and b) I'm a huge Harry Potter fangirl. With that in mind, the coolest thing has happened.
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Well, in a confluence of amazing events, I auditioned for and landed a principal role in a new web-series called The Auror's Tale. A fan-made webseries set in the universe of Harry Potter, "Auror's Tale" follows the adventures of elite enforcers known as Aurors working in America after the Second Wizarding War. [Not affiliated with JK Rowling, Warner Bros, or Time Warner.] A project of Red Phoenix Productions, the series will be directed by Leo Kei Angelos with a screenplay by Cassandra Johnstone. I will be playing Deputy Kellion, an Auror in New York City's Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I'll be second in command to Chief Munro, seen here at the very beginning of this awesome trailer:

Isn't it exciting? We'll have a lot more forthcoming! Please follow me here and on all my sites, I'll be running DMLE play-by-plays! Please follow the Auror's Tale team: @AurorsTale on Twitter, Like Auror's Tale on Facebook, follow their Tumblr and subscribe to the YouTube channel!

BOOK STUFF: My next author events: I'll be at Lori Foster's Reader and Author Get Together next weekend, then on to Book Expo America! BEA attendees, Please see my BEA Event Schedule for panels and signings. Attention Bloggers, readers, fans: THERE WILL BE ARCS of THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART but only at the NYPL event on Monday night. Librarians and Booksellers, there will be limited ARCs of Twisted Tragedy at the Sourcebooks Booth, please see Sourcebooks representatives at the booth for details. Please note: Registration for the NYPL event is required.