New Fiction and Upcoming Appearances!

Hello friends,

New fiction and Upcoming Appearances!

Apologies on the delay of this post, I update my social media (Twitter / Instagram / BlueSky) a lot more than the blog. But this year has been crazed, often difficult, with stints of taking care of loved ones in the hospital and more, all while on some of the more intense deadlines of my life.

I also carved out a month to perform in a full, professional theatrical production, the world premiere of Let's Misbehave, where I originated the role of The Countess, a delightfully zany character. It won't be the last you'll see of us. Check out the Let's Misbehave Instagram account to keep updates and check out my Instagram feed for some wonderful pictures and celebration of the show.

New fiction!

BLACKTHORN AND AMBERFIRE is book 1 of a Fantasy Romance novella duology exclusively in digital and audiobook (with me narrating!) via Everand, an amazing new fiction site where I have a host of novellas available, like my sequel to The Spectral City series, called THE SPIRIT SUITOR! 

About BLACKTHORN AND AMBERFIRE:

The Three Courts of Allforth have lived peacefully for generations, but they all keep a deadly secret that is about to break free…

Blackthorn, the Silvervale Court executioner, has not questioned his duties, he knows he sends the condemned to The Great Dreaming peacefully. He is an Evergreen; one of the rare people able to wield magic past childhood. But when a young boy on his execution table insists that something terrible is going on in their kingdom, Blackthorn secretly spares the boy’s life, asking for proof.

When a beautiful healer from the land of Amberfire, Roseleigh, is brought in to be executed next, Blackthorn hesitates, drawn to her. His death spell rebounds on him and only her healing light can spare him. He leaves the castle for recuperation and learns more about a world in which he was kept ignorant.

BURNINGWOOD AND DEVILSBANE, novella 2, releases 9/24 via Everand!

UPCOMING APPEARANCES:

KENNEBUNK, MAINE: 9/21: 11-4pm

Thrilled to return as a featured guest at the 10th annual Southern Maine Steampunk Fair! - I'll be giving a talk on The Eternal Importance of Ghost Stories in the main lecture-hall area and signing books! Tickets available here. 

FAIRHAVEN, MA: 10/5

Saturday, October 5th, I'll be part of Sam Baltrusis' MassParaCon! I'll be part of the Women in the Paranormal panel and also discussing A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts! Tickets available here. 

SALEM, MA: 10/6 - 4-5pm

Meet and Greet at Wicked Good Books! - I'll be signing copies of A Haunted History of Invisible Women in-store and answering spectral questions! 

KING MANOR FALL FESTIVAL - QUEENS, NEW YORK:  10/26 - 1-3pm - Free event!

At this incredible historic house museum's Fall Festival, I'll be giving a talk on the importance of Victorian Spiritualism as it relates to the fight for Women's rights and suffrage, discussing Victorian Seance culture and the significance of ghost lore as cultural touchstone. More about King Manor, directions and more, visit here. More about the Fall Festival here. 

Happy Haunting! 

Leanna's Award Eligibility for 2023!

Leanna's Award Season Eligibility Category!

Hello friends! Every year, different genre organizations like Science Fiction / Fantasy Writers Association and the Horror Writers Association put out "eligibility calls" for work published during the year that may qualify, so if you're a voting member of an organization that might find my work of note, I'd be honored by your consideration! A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts by myself and Andrea Janes being a finalist for Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction for the Bram Stoker Awards was such an honor and while I've never done one of these posts before, I figured I might as well shoot my shot!

The following 3 things that have been published this year available for consideration on Horror Fiction and Non-Fiction and Speculative Fiction and Non-Fiction ballots are as follows:

1. "The Hatchet Man of Wehr Road" published in LONELY HOLLOWS: FIFTEEN TALES OF FOLK HORROR by Pavane Press, March 2023 - Anthology available here, please contact Leanna for a review copy of the story, thank you! 

Category: Short Story 

Genre: Horror Fiction / Speculative Fiction

2. "Between the Dreaming and the Dead" published in APEX MAGAZINE, Issue 141, November 2023, now available for purchase, available free on their blog December 14th, 2023. 

Category: Non-Fiction Essay

Genre / Topic: Non-Fiction Speculative / Horror / Paranormal

3. "On Paranormal Chaplaincy" published in THE DEADLANDS Magazine, Issue 32, forthcoming, December 2023, via THE DEADLANDS

Category: Non-Fiction Essay

Genre / Topic: Non-Fiction Horror / Paranormal / Speculative 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!

And LASTLY, I'd be remiss in not mentioning another release of mine this year, THE WORLD OF TOMORROW IS SADLY OUTDATED, Available in digital eBook and in Audiobook (with me narrating!!) via Scribd/Everand! While this unique novella is technically a reprint (and thus not able to be considered in award categories) it is a brand new, fully revised edition with lots of changes and expansions from its original conception! I'd love for folks to check it out! It's a dual-narrative Steampunk / Hopepunk / Dystopian tale where a group of 19th Century inventors look into the future to create solutions and survival for an apocalyptic New York City! 

Leanna's 2023 DragonCon Schedule!

Hello darlings! I'll be as usual, crazed at DragonCon!
When not on panels I'm assisting Kelley Hensing at her art booth in the Hyatt Art Show so come find us! Cheers!

Leanna's DragonCon 2023 Schedule! THURSDAY: Title: Sherrilyn Kenyon's Reader (and Fan) Appreciation Party Time: Thu 07:00 pm Location: Savannah Ballroom B/C Westin (Length:4 Hours) Leanna will have copies of A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN and other Gaslamp Fantasy titles available for sale and signing along with some of her one-of-a-kind jewelry! FRIDAY: Title: From Beyond the Grave: Summoning Compelling Ghost Stories Time: Fri 11:30 am Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour) Title: Behind the Curtain: Unmasking the Secrets of Acting Success Time: Fri 01:00 pm  Location: Hanover AB Hyatt (Length:1 Hour) Title: The Shadows of Folklore: Crafting Folk Horror Stories Time: Fri 02:30 pm  Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour) Title: Paranormal YA Fiction Time: Fri 05:30 pm  Location: A707 Marriott (Length:1 Hour) Title: Historical Romance Novels: A Deep Dive Into Our Craving For Love Time: Fri 07:00 pm     Location: Augusta Courtland Grand (Length:1 Hour) Title: The Fantasy Gather: Welcome Home!  Time: Fri - Leanna will be there 9:45- 11:15pm only! Location: International South Hyatt Title: Spies & the History They Impacted Time: Fri 08:30 pm      Location: Macon Courtland Grand (Length:1 Hour) Title: Spooky Tales and Haunting Music Time: Fri 11:30 pm  Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour) SATURDAY Title: Discussion & Workshop: Memento Mori, Victorian Mourning Jewelry Time: Sat 05:30 pm     Location: Augusta Courtland Grand (Length:2.5 Hours) SUNDAY Title: Powers of Mind: Psychics in UF Time: Sun 01:00 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour) Title: Victorian Spiritualism Time: Sun 05:30 pm Location: Macon Courtland Grand (Length:1 Hour) Title: Herstorically Speaking: Women in Song of Rock and Riot Time: Sun 07:00 pm Location: Macon Courtland Grand (Length:1 Hour) MONDAY: Find Leanna at dark fantasy artist Kelley Hensing's booth in the Hyatt Art Show, Lower Level! Happy Haunting!

 

THE GIRL IN THE WOODS - A Ghost Story by Leanna Renee Hieber

Hello friends!

So when I was around 9 years old I invented a ghost story that terrified my girl scout troop. Little did I know then how it would influence the path of my life. 

So I wrote about this entirely true and utterly ridiculous scene from my youth over at Kensington's Between the Chapters Book Club. Check out "The Girl in the Woods"...

And if you haven't picked up a copy of A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS, what are you waiting for? 

Happy Haunting!

Leanna

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! 

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! 

A SUMMONING OF SOULS videos! Launch Party Conversation, Theatrical Readings! Rave Reviews!

Greetings, kindred spirits! Since we weren't able to have an in-person book launch, we recorded some readings and author conversation to celebrate the Spectral City finale, A SUMMONING OF SOULS, now available in digital and trade paperback wherever books are sold! Check out these release week theatrical readings and author conversations! 

First, Leanna reads a fun tidbit from the Summoning of Souls prologue!
Second, Leanna reads a cute scene from everyone's favorite slow-burn couple, Eve Whitby and Detective Jacob Horowitz, leading into a discussion with Spectral City series sensitivity reader and talented author Brina Starler. The two authors discuss the process of sensitivity reading, answer what a sensitivity reader is and how it can make books better and other craft and process insights. They also discuss their love of New York City and writing about it! 
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Praise for A SUMMONING OF SOULS from Avalinah's Book Blog: 

"I really enjoyed the whole Spectral City series, as well as its ending, A Summoning of Souls. I really can say that I recommend this series to you wholeheartedly! It’s full of warmth and hope, and it’s just a book that may give you back some belief in the world. It is respectful, diverse, soft and very, very sweet!" - Avalinah's Book Blog - read the full, glowing review here! 

The Gothic Library, who always does an incredible deep-dive discussion on Gothic tropes and themes, does a positive, comprehensive review of A SUMMONING OF SOULS! A highlight: "I love the way that Leanna often defies Gothic genre conventions that tend to be rooted in sexism" - read the full review here!

Due to printer delays due to the pandemic, the physical shipping of the books have been delayed so THERE'S STILL TIME to get a signed copy of A SUMMONING OF SOULS and enter to win the grand prizes for both US and International Readers! All orders via WORD Brooklyn will be automatically entered to win a custom made accessory from Torch and Arrow! If you've ordered via another retailer and/or digitally, send proof of purchase to preorders at leannareneehieber dot com and you'll be automatically entered to win! One international reader will be chosen to win custom digital art! Contest ends Aug 3rd, winners drawn by Random.org. 

This is a really hard time for artists and for independent bookstores, ordering from WORD helps a whole community! Thank you! 

Cheers and Happy Haunting! 

A SUMMONING OF SOULS is Now Available Wherever Books are Sold!

THE SPECTRAL CITY series continues! Think of it as if THE ALIENIST met GHOST DETECTIVES, with action, spooky thrills, adventure, found family, psychic fireworks, sweet, slow-burn romance and a host of friendly spirits!

HAPPY RELEASE DAY, A SUMMONING OF SOULS! Book 3, The Spectral City Finale is NOW AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD! In digital and trade paperback!

While I plan a series of future novellas featuring these characters and The Ghost Precinct, THE SPECTRAL CITY series as it stands is a complete trilogy!

At the dawn of the twentieth century, New York City houses both the living and the dead. And when it comes to crimes of an otherworldly nature, it falls to the psychics and spirits of the city’s finest secret agency—The Ghost Precinct—to serve justice beyond the earthly realm . . .

The ethereal denizens of New York owe a great debt to Eve Whitby, the young talented medium who leads the all-female spiritualists in the police department’s Ghost Precinct. Without her team’s efforts on behalf of the incorporeal, many souls would have been lost or damned by both human and inhuman means.

But now Eve faces an enemy determined to exorcise the city’s ghostly population once and for all. Albert Prenze is supposed to be dead. Instead he is very much alive, having assumed the identity of his twin brother Alfred, and taken control of the family’s dubiously made fortune. With unlimited wealth at his disposal, Albert uses experimental technology to banish ghosts to an eternal darkness forever.

To achieve his vicious ends, Albert plots to manipulate Eve and twist her abilities into a psychic weapon—a weapon that not only poses a threat to spirits but to everyone she cares for, including her beloved Detective Horowitz . . .

“The Spectral City is a spooky thrill . . .  filled to the brim with beauty and peril.”
—Cherie Priest, Locus Award-winning author

“Otherworldly mystery [with] gorgeous writing and slow burn of a romance.”
—National Public Radio on A Sanctuary of Spirits

“Hieber’s momentous third Spectral City fantasy sees tensions in the spirit world come to an explosive head…It is extremely satisfying to witness the scrappy heroes rise up . . . Hieber’s latest fires on all cylinders.”
—Publishers Weekly on A Summoning of Souls

I LOVE this series so much! These really are books of my heart. I wrote them to reimagine a ghost story and to explore the possibilities of what haunted places can mean and the many possibilities of ghosts in historical fantasy. This book brings Eve and Jacob's adorable relationship to a whole new level of care, and the found family dynamic of my girl-gang of psychic mediums proves invaluable yet again, proving that love, determination and a fighting spirit seeking justice and compassion will always save the day. 

As you can imagine, during the pandemic, as a performer, tour guide, public speaker, convention presence and general public person, my income streams have been vastly limited so your support of this series has never been more helpful! Please tell a friend about this series, word-of-mouth is the best thing you can do for an author! Please leave a review on your favorite sites! 

CHEERS, THANKS AND HAPPY HAUNTING!

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On the Many Possibilities of Ghost Stories...

 

As we gear up to A SUMMONING OF SOULS on 7/21, One of my very favorite blogs, THE GOTHIC LIBRARY, hosted me for a discussion on the many possibilities of ghost stories and why I choose to write ghosts in the manner in which I do. I've seen reviewers for this series enthusiastically support my choice to write a different kind of ghost story through the course of THE SPECTRAL CITY series. Here are insights into why... 

Check out the post "On the Many Possibilities of Ghost Stories" via The Gothic Library...

A SUMMONING OF SOULS gets a "MOMENTOUS" review from Publisher's Weekly!

Coming 7/21 in digital & Trade Paperback!

Hello friends! I'm THRILLED that Publisher's Weekly gave a STELLAR review of A SUMMONING OF SOULS, releasing 7/21 from Kensington Books! The highlights: 

“Hieber’s momentous third Spectral City fantasy (after A Sanctuary of Spirits) sees tensions in the spirit world come to an explosive head…It is extremely satisfying to witness the scrappy heroes rise up…Eve and Jacob’s growing attraction, meanwhile, provides a welcome romantic respite from the fast-paced action. Hieber’s latest fires on all cylinders.”- Publishers Weekly 

Check out the full review, additional plot details here! 

Pre-order a digital copy wherever eBooks are sold! Print pre-order links are coming soon! Nook - Kobo - Zeebra - Amazon - Apple - Google

Please share with fellow-readers looking for their next ghostly, gothic Supernatural Suspense with a sweet romance! Cheers and Happy Haunting!