The Steampunk World's Fair

There was no single 'best moment' of the Steampunk World's Fair, where I was in attendance as a Guest Author, but rather a host of fabulous moments woven together that made one blast of a whole. (Now to be clear to the purists in the house, my books are not technically Steampunk as I employ no gadgetry but paranormal fantasy. But since I'm in the Gaslight Gothic / Victorian camp and rather taken with the year 1888, I'm kindly adopted in.) But what is Leanna's favourite part of all Fairs and Cons? Dressing up, of course!





















My dear friend and fellow author Mary Rogers and I set off on the wilds of NJ Transit for Piscataway. You know its time to get the party started when about half an hour after we sat down in the cafe to await our room, steampunk Bobofet arrives. Mary took over the Pendragon suite by looking fabulous in an aviator jacket - none of us were letting her walk away without the entire outfit.











Huge thanks to the inimitable Stephen Segal who contacted me to be a part of the Library of Lost Literature sponsored by Quirk Books and Weird Tales, and held, beautifully enough, in a little library. I read from The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker, second in the Strangely Beautiful series, prime-time on Friday night, attended by a most fabulously dressed contigency. (Thank you to my dear Lady Cordelia for this photo!) Stephen brought in amazing talent and Mary and I had the pleasure of attending many readings, throughout the weekend, all of which fascinated me. And after Ben Winters' read, I truly cannot wait for Android Karenina. Clever, fun and intriguing. Digression: Stephen also impressively guessed my favourite Doctor Who episode. (I am a legacy fan, the Baker years as shown on PBS were formative, thus Doctor Who counts as my longest running obsession.) But then again... I'm never as mysterious as I'd like to think I am. Is it obvious my favourite Doctor Who epsiode would be the one with vampires where Romana gets mesmerized, kidnapped, bitten by a bat while laid on a bier dressed in a long white Gothic-novel-esque robe as food for the big bad vampire? Okay, so maybe that's obvious. Still, I was very impressed that without missing a beat Stephen declared "State of Decay!" (File that one away for Obscure Leanna Trivia). And I went Squee. Come see me as Romana along with Stephen in mid-regeneration, The Princess Alethea as a yet-unnamed-companion-of-her-choice, and even The Master himself at DragonCon this year. I just found a little straw hat today at Target. So Romana's schoolgirl costume with the red tie it is. End of Digression: Back to the fair.

There was a Queen of Steam drag show, and there was what was purported to be and what I believe started out as a Penny-Dreadful poker game to raise money for the out-flooded Outlanders but devolved into eating raw potatoes and other such amusements. I somehow returned home with a potato amidst my belongings.













There was even homemade absinthe in a transformed hotel suite (Oh-mi-goodness amazing) prepared by the fabulous Von Hedwigs of The Steampunk Family, who are without a doubt the most consummate and charming hosts ever in the history of host-dom. See here the Von Hedwigs and the stunning acoutrements of their lovingly crafted absinthe.
























Emilie P. Bush kindly asked me to be on a panel dealing with women and women's roles in our respective work. Her Chenda and the Airship Brofman is a finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award! Huzzah!

And one of my favourite aspects of the Fair? The panels on multiculturalism and "Beyond Victoriana" run by bloggers Ay-Leen of Beyond Victoriana and Jha of Silver Goggles. These panels, while only allowed time to scratch the surface of issues one really needs a lifetime degree of digesting, were laid out with beautiful ground-work, simple rules of respect and profound intellectual fodder. It made me so very excited to be a part of the "Retro-Futurist" community - a word I've taken from the wonderful TempleCon I attended earlier this year, a community that not only values cosplay and fantastic invention, but in making the world a place where everyone has a voice and can be valued, provided there is respect, sharing and understanding. If historical fiction, fabulous costuming, art, culture and the past and present crossroads of the world interests you, be sure to follow Beyond Victoriana and Silver Goggles. Amazing resources, fabulous women, who, like Steampunk, are happening now. The weekend afforded me the opportunity to show my enthusiasm for clothing, issues, literature, irrepressible ideas, new and diverse voices, the aesthetic of Steampunk and the chance to reaffirm why I write historical novels with my own paranormal twist; my Gaslight Gothic Fantasies. I was reminded by those I met this weekend that these are my people. People who are not afraid to wear fabulous hats and reinvent the world.

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!

Darkly Luminous Release and Book Tour!

Whew!
If I were to list the entirety of everything that's happened in the past two weeks, I'd stare at the list, all my adrenaline would wear off and I'd collapse. But no rest for the wicked. Whee! I've Michael and Rebecca's edits to do, a musical to storyboard and Strangely Beautiful #3 to write! *sips strong tea* *rallies* *dances*

But before I disappear into deadline - I must discuss all the amazing things, people, costumes and events that happened in my busy time away back in the motherland of Ohio. I always love talking to schools, and doing so for my various alma maters in addition to local Lebanon school was a particuar highlight. I just love telling whoever will listen that if you want to write, keep writing. I met so many talented young people, everywhere I went, I was filled with joy and hope for all the awesome books and poems and work that they will produce in years to come.

Speaking of particular highlights, let's talk about my fave fan (and fellow writer) Hanna and her shirts: She made a "Team Alexi" shirt - shown here- that said on the back "Real Men See Ghosts." How much do I love this girl right here? So much.) Unfortunately I wasn't sure which camera to look into at this moment, sorry Hanna. Oh and I totally stole this from her fabulous blog.

As Hanna was every indication, the Darkly Luminous RELEASE DAY signing at my hometown B&N was amazing. Thanks to all my friends, family, close friends, brand-new friends, to friends I haven't seen since high-school, all who showed up at the West Chester Barnes & Noble and gave me so much time, love and support. What a blessing!

Then it was on to the RT Booklovers Convention in Columbus!

Panels, events, dances, booksignings... And plenty of chances for me to do my favourite thing... Dress up. This year I was on a paranormal panel talking about writing creatures and worlds other than Vamps and Weres (nothing against them, but gotta give the ghosts some love too), another about Fantasy, Romance and blending the genres. And yes, I did get to squee about the musical option rights and the possibility of Strangely Beautiful the musical, so that was pretty awesome. My fellow authors were very excited for me and that was a real blessing. I'm thrilled that the news has generated a lot of buzz and excitement in the community.

Another highlight: our fight scene workshop where I got to show a little of my sword-fighting skills from my years working as fight captain in shows and training with the SAFD. This was super-fun and was a much-talked about panel. (Thanks Barb Riley for this photo!)

Here's me and fellow Dorchester buddy Marie-Claude Borque at the Vampire Ball. It's become a tradition to get a great Marie-Claude RT photo - I love her Steampunkerie here and can't wait for her Ancient Whispers to come out! There was the gigantic book signing, where I sold out of all my books! (Good thing Mom and Dad had put a case of Darkly Luminous in the car!)

After the signing I shifted identities. I dashed off to transform my self to become... none other than my personal idol, Jane Austen. New York Times Bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries wrote the most adorable script for us to perform about what poor Jane might think about all these... adaptations of her novel. The skit went over dreamily, it was an absolute blast, and reminded me that I still love a good excuse to be an actress. :) My appearance as Jane then transitioned into Sabrina's Regency bingo showcasing Sabrina's new Hellions series, and Jane got to be a part of the fun. Also, Sabrina was so generous about allowing me to come out as my author self too, talk a moment about my books, and even give some away as prizes. I really admire Sabrina, she's a huge talent, so this was a real honour for me to be a part of her event and to feel that my performance, as well as my author-self, were so warmly welcomed. (Thanks Jill Fazio for this great photo!) Drink it in, kids, its the only time you're going to see me in sea foam green, that's for sure. :)

And to top it all off, Lady Jane's Salon went on the road! Delilah Marvelle, Linnea Sinclair and Sabrina Jeffries herself (I told you she's generous) donated their time and energies to what has been our popular NYC literary salon - in an on tour showcase! We heard from their books, the authors were kind enough to donate books and swag, we drank champagne to toast our genre and we raised $160 for PurrBabies no-kill feline rescue in Columbus! Thanks, generous RT attendees and to RT magazine for setting us up so beautifully! What a great note to end a great conference.

Then... Right back to Lady Jane's Salon back in NYC that very Monday - for The DARKLY LUMINOUS release party! I was very proud of my outfit - alas, the pictures on my camera didn't come out. (Thankfully author Kwana Minatee-Jackson had this I could plunder, I hope to find more). I was also very proud of reading with Christina Britton Conroy and Jeri Smith-Ready. (Jeri and I won Prism Awards the same year, and I'm a huge fan of her so this was a real treat and I'm in love with her new YA novel Shade). I read one of my favourite scenes from Darkly Luminous and our specialty cocktail was a pomegranate martini we called a Persephone. :) They were delicious, and now I am bound to the underworld.

Taking over the interwebz...

Check out my interview for the International Thriller Writers!

Darkly Luminous raves!

The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker is a Night Owl Romance Top Pick!

Strictly Reviews

The Book Girl

Babbling About Books and More

Janicu's Book Blog

Strangely Beautiful 5/5 love! - The Book Girl

Strangely Beautiful the musical:
- Smart Bitches Trashy Books gave a shout-out to the musical option rights! - Thanks Sarah!
- So did Dread Central! - Thanks Horror fans!

- Read the fabulous press release Dorchester sent out about the option sale...

Backstory: Want to know why Persephone's maiden name is Parker?

Find out the true story...

Light the Darkness!

It's Release Day!

Go forth into the world this day and procure a copy of The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker! Huzzah!
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My CONTEST launches today... DETAILS

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The DARKLY LUMINOUS HAUNTED LONDON BLOG TOUR continues... See the Schedule
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Latest reviews and interviews (note which ones contain giveaways)

Interview at Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Books (one of my fave interviews, with unexpected questions)

Interview at Larissa's Bookish Life (includes giveaway)

Lovely Darkly Luminous review at Anna's Book Blog (includes giveaway)

Interview at Darkly Reading (includes giveaway)

Gorgeous Review at Smokin' Hot Books (includes giveaway)

Charming review at Buckeye Girl Reads - I love how this review is organized

THANKS to these wonderful bloggers and reviewers that I've been linking to these past weeks and will continue to link to as more posts go up - they have given me their time, their energy, are participating in all sorts of release week and Blog Tour festivities with me - They are the reason Strangely Beautiful has flown boldly out into the world and they are such a blessing to me.

THANKS in advance for your support release week! You'll find The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker out in all your major bookstores, likely on Borders new paperback tables and definately on Barnes & Noble's "New Paperback" towers!

LIGHT THE DARKNESS!

Darkly Luminous love...

Ohio sure is keeping me busy! I've spoken to classrooms all over southern Ohio and made a bit of time to visit my Cincinnati Shakespeare Company cohorts and see Tony Kushner's Angels in America in a stunning production at the Know Theatre of Cincinnati.

The Reviews are pouring in! The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker's recent highlights:

THANKS Mel and Liz at True-Blood.Net, the Original Fansite of HBO's True Blood for again proving to be such champions of Miss Percy. (And for being in love with Alexi. Not like he needs the extra ego... But it flatters the author...) They're doing a book giveaway in addition to having written such lovely reviews as these:

From Mel:
"Book two of the trilogy is as beautifully written and intricately plotted as the first, providing a gripping story that’s alternately heart warming, thrilling, sad, funny, romantic, and generally wonderful." ... "Reviewing the Strangely Beautiful series is such a challenge because it not only defies description (is there a word for romance-mystery-Victorian-mythological-gothic-adventure?), but the story is so densely woven that to reveal almost any detail is to spoil something else. Here’s the gist: I cannot recommend this book, this series, or this author enough. If you love a good story, if exquisite writing is your thing, if you want to laugh and cry and feel when you read, then join me in being completely lost to Miss Percy."
From Liz:
"Have you ever read a book that literally filled you up? This book has everything to meet your literary needs: mystery, joy, sweetness, terror and sadness." ... "The story’s climax is everything you could expect from Hieber. Terrifying and heartbreaking and as is always the case in war, costly. Leanna Renee Hieber is an artist and her words paint masterpieces, but don’t take my word for it. Read both books yourself and see if you can escape her magic. I’m betting you’ll be just as enchanted as I am, but fair warning – Alexi is mine, stolen from Ms. Hieber when she wasn’t looking."

-- Alexi has his dance card quite filled, it would seem, come next year's Academy ball...

Thanks to Stacey at Publisher's Weekly Beyond Her Book for this great blurb:
"What I loved the most about this gorgeously written installment of Percy’s tale was witnessing our heroine’s journey from a timid girl to a confident woman. A close second was the peek I got into the lives of the other members of the guard and their predecessors. Leanna’s way of making these characters seem real makes their life and death struggle against the forces of evil that much more compelling. I cannot wait to see what this talented writer does next." - Stacey for PW's BHB

The Darkly Luminous love continues - Thanks to these wonderful reviewers for their valuable time and their kind words:

Fantasy Literature

Smexy Books

Brooke Reviews

Book Faery

Darkly Reading

Lurv a la Mode

Passionate Booklover

Tuesday, April 27th is release day! You know I'll so dearly appreciate your support during that critical time that is release week! The books will be easy to find on Barnes & Noble's new paperback towers and on the new paperback tables around Borders.

Cheers and blessings!

VERY BIG (and Strangely Beautiful) News...

UPDATE 6/13/10:
CONGRATULATIONS to musical director Kenny Seymour and the cast of Memphis for winning the 2010 Tony Award for Best Musical! Memphis also won Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score! We are so excited to have Kenny on the Strangely Beautiful team!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, the most interesting and exciting news I can possibly offer...

As seen on Publishers' Marketplace:
Report of Option Agreement Sale:
"Musical stage rights to Leanna Renee Hieber’s, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker described as a Victorian “Ghostbusters” about an eerie young woman whose skin is white as snow and the cadre of characters who believe she may be the key to an ancient prophecy, sold to Mt. Clair Entertainment to be adapted by the author with music and lyrics by Kenny Seymour, Jim Abbott and Nicholas Roman Lewis."

Further press details on the option agreement, care of Nicholas Roman Lewis:
"The ghostly, Gothic Victorian Fantasy The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is heading for the legit musical stage. The author Leanna Renee Hieber will write the book of the musical with music and lyrics by Kenny Seymour (Broadway credits include music direction for Memphis and arrangements for The Wiz) and Nicholas Roman Lewis (creative development for The Alchemist and They Call Me La Lupe) with additional orchestrations and arrangements by Jim Abbott (Wicked, Bombay Dreams, Disney’s Tarzan)."
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Oh. My. Goodness. How about that?!
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So. If you haven't read The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, now is the time to do so. Buy it. AND this couldn't have better timing as we count down to the continuation of the Strangely Beautiful series on April 27th. Make sure you're on board for The Darkly Luminous Fight For Persephone Parker. Buy it.
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Well, like the saying goes, you can take the girl out of the theatre... But you can't take the theatre out of the girl. I suppose I wasn't meant to entirely walk away from that magical possibility that is a darkened stage after all. What I've heard of the music composed so far is haunting and gorgeous!!!! I'll be starting work on the script in the coming months. (I do have to get out there and sell Darkly Luminous, you know)
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The Strangely Beautiful joy of returning to a childhood dream...


We had our first production meeting today, backstage of Memphis at the Shubert theatre, Nicholas, Kenny and I. I am joined in this venture by two wonderfully talented men, and I could not feel more blessed. And as I was on my way down 44th street, I have to say... I walked past The Majestic theatre, past The Phantom of the Opera and my whole life unfolded before me, all my childhood dreams, and it was everything I could do not to weep with amazement.
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You see, I started writing my first book when I was 12 years old, a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, because I was obsessed with that Broadway show. I fell in love with the theatre and began my trajectory towards becoming a professional actress. And I always kept writing. My two loves have always gone hand in hand. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that my great loves would come together like this, that when I stepped backstage inside a Broadway theatre for the first time today, it would be for the first production meeting of the musical of MY book... the book of my heart, Miss Percy's book. A ten year labor of love, come to this unexpected new possibility. For her, and for all those who feel they are marginalized in society, who feel alone and disconnected, and wonder why they find beautiful things others think are strange... this show, once it comes together, it will be for you. And it will be full of magic. Because things like this just don't happen every day.

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Um... and can I just say that we talked about holograms at the production meeting?! For the ghosts. *muppet flailing* THIS. IS. SO. COOL.

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I just have to take time out to give a big shout-out to God. God brought gifts into my life, surrounded me with blessed and talented people, and has brought it all together for this incredible moment. The show may never get off the ground, but nothing can take away the incredible fact I never thought I'd get this far to begin with - and how much of a joy it is to dream and dream big. As an adult I don't tend to dream as big as I did when I was a kid. But I'm now reminded to dream as big as ever. You never know what might happen.
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And huge thanks to Nicholas Roman Lewis, who wrote this wonderful paragraph for our press releases, words that are truly music to an author's ear:
"Kenny and I had been looking for a musical project for at least two years. Leanna's book had enthralled me from the moment I first read it as a manuscript so it was literally always on my desk staring at me. I knew this would make a wonderful musical but perhaps slightly daunting, after all, the book is full of ghosts, magic and murder. And then I thought, "the book is full of ghosts, magic and murder...this MUST be a musical." The characters and epic nature of the story lend themselves to song and I knew that Kenny shared my desire to incorporate sweeping cinematic themes with traditional musical theater styles. The icing on the cake is I think every writers dream; a lead character white as snow and strangely beautiful....I think I hear a song."

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...