In Which Leanna Sings Opera

Dear Readers,

While you may or may not know I am a trained performer on stage and screen, some of you also may or may not know that I'm a singer. In between my book releases, I thought I'd do a little sharing of things I do that aren't related to my books, but still related to storytelling and performance.

Presenting Part 1 of my husband's operetta he composed; WHEN I THINK OF HOME, with text by his mother Carolyn Wille-Rivera. Carolyn wrote this text while living in Puerto Rico dreaming of her childhood up north. Presented and also performed by the talented Orfeo Duo on violin and piano, presented as a part of Upper Manhattan's "Oh What A Neighborhood" concert series.

I'm the one singing. ;)

Blessings and enjoy!

For more about Marcos & La Guagua, check out his website!

Draco and Me

I have several jobs. All of which I'm blessed enough to enjoy. My favourite of them is writing books, of course. Another occasional job is doing background/extra or stand-in work for film and TV. Another is stage managing at a small TV studio which specializes in media tours, where I'm the lone human in a room, on a headset, with famous people. I've met a lot of really interesting personalities in the past few years. I spent a 14 hour day on set for the latest Ben Stiller film last week, which was cool. But only a few of my experiences get me really, really, jumping-up-and-down excited when going into the studio for a media tour. For example, The Muppets. (Follow that link to see a ridiculous happy Leanna).

And Monday, I got another wish fulfilled; to meet a cast member of Harry Potter. And not just any cast member, but a Slytherin. I said to my boss when I first started working at the studio a few years ago; "If there is ANY Harry Potter press tours that come through here, I will never forgive you if you don't bring me in to work it." Thankfully we're friends enough for me to say that, and he was good on his word. And so I present to you: Me and Tom Felton, Draco Malfoy.

Could there be any more of a SQUEE expression on my face? What isn't visible is my Slytherin pin I was wearing in House solidarity. Major House points. In all seriousness, Tom Felton is one of the nicest guys in the world, gracious, kind, easy to chat with, funny as hell, great in interviews and an all around stand-up young man who the world has watched grow up. That's a lot of pressure but he's handled it beautifully. He's genuinely humbled and grateful for the opportunity, but also excited for his next projects. (Like his music (!) and a Planet of the Apes prequel, Rise of the Apes). Oh, yeah, and he's really cute. I made my friends in The Group That Shall Not Be Named very jealous. I can't wait to watch the midnight showing with the TGTSNBN crew this week, now 700 strong! Wow!

It makes my day when stars live up to their billing and deserve every bit of their success. These films feature the best casting in the world, and it was fascinating to hear about the close-knit dynamic of the cast, the incredible journey these films have taken, bringing the world along on pages and screen thanks to J. K. Rowling's genius.

Cheers, Tom, for being a consummate gentleman and a major highlight of my year. :)

My .1 Second of fame...

Well, in the category of the several random jobs I shuffle while writing books, background work is one of them.

Gossip Girl is one of the many shows that film here in New York.
(I was a member of the press on Law and Order recently too. The original one. The Mothership, they call it.)

At the beginning of this clip, right after Blair and Serena walk through the door, look behind them; and whee, there I go! It was a fun day on the set!

Thanks to my dear friend Marianne Mancusi for first posting this on the Rebels of Romance blog!




Leanna on Gossip Girl! from Marianne Mancusi on Vimeo.

Six Q's and a Fire-drill

My dear buddy Maya Rodale, talented authoress, has been asking a bunch of authors the same six questions, and it's fascinating to see the variety of results.

Learn a bit about me you may not have known...

So there's this other thing I do sometimes. What I got my degree in. Theatre.

Now let's be clear; what I did yesterday at Silvercup Studios in Queens was not acting, it was just showing up and bringing a cute outfit to the set of Gossip Girls. OMFG! The food was really good.

It was indeed a lot of fun. There was a Screen Actors Guild waiver waiting for me, (one step closer to SAG, baby), a wide pan shot through our bunch-o'-actors-way-older-than-high-school-playing-seniors crowd, a bit of a screen shot with Blair - we'll see if it survives the editing process, don't get too excited but you might actually see me on screen, and a 9 hour day paycheck. (I got a scene in a new novella written in the down-time, see how studious?)

The funniest thing about the day? The random fire-drill at the studio. Yep. Just like High-School, only with more costumes. Lots of people lookin' pretty n' preppy filing down 4 floors and outside to gather across the street as a storm brews over Astoria. Dramatic, eh?

I can't wait 'til the next set.