Leanna's blog on books, fluffy animals, the undead and stuff...

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

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Sun, 27 May 2012 23:17:00 +0000

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.
-
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.

DARKER STILL finals in the Daphne Du Maurier Award!

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Fri, 25 May 2012 22:31:00 +0000

I AM SO EXCITED to report Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul''s final in the Historical Mystery/Suspense category of the Daphnes! Daphne du Maurier is a huge inspiration to me. REBECCA is chilling and magnetic and helped me along my Gothic road. So to final in something that has her name on it is such a huge honor! And in such great company as this! *muppet dance*

Direct from the Daphne listing:

The results for the first round of the Kiss of Death Chapter’s Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense—Published Division are in. On behalf of KOD and the Daphne Committee, I am pleased to announce the finalists of our 2012 Published Contest:

Category (Series) Romantic Mystery/Suspense:

Helen Kay Dimon – The Big Guns

Paula Graves – Major Nanny

Angi Morgan – .38 Caliber Cover-Up

Julie Miller – Nanny 911

Gayle Wilson – Flashback

Historical Romantic Mystery/ Suspense:

Leanna Renee Hieber – Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul

Katy Madison – Tainted by Temptation

Elizabeth Loupas – The Second Duchess

Sharon Page – Engaged in Sin

Deborah Simmons – Glory and the Rake Glory and the Rake

Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense

Diane Burke – Bounty Hunter Guardian

Debby Giusti – The Captain's Mission

Laura Iding – Lawman-In-Charge

Renee Ryan – Courting the Enemy

Susan Sleeman – The Christmas Witness

Paranormal (PTTF) Time Travel, Futuristic Romantic Mystery/Suspense

Darynda Jones – Second Grave on the Left

Kristin Miller – InterVamption

Jana Oliver – The Demon Trapper’s Daughter

Robin D. Owens – Heart Search

Kristen Painter – Blood Rights

Mainstream/Mystery /Suspense

Linda Castillo – Breaking Silence

W. S. Gager – A Case of Hometown Blues

Julie Kramer – Killing Kate

Elizabeth Voss – The Winslow Incident

Lois Winston – Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun

Single Title Romantic Mystery/Suspense

Donnell Ann Bell – The Past Came Hunting

Allison Brennan – Kiss Me, Kill Me

Cindy Gerard – With No Remorse

Christy Reece – Sweet Justice

Roxanne St. Claire – Face of Danger

Winners will be announced in July at KOD's annual Death by Chocolate Party in Anaheim.

AND this comes right after I found out THE PERILOUS PROPHECY OF GUARD AND GODDESS (A Strangely Beautiful prequel) finaled in the Prism Awards in the Fantasy category!
YAY!

Good luck to all the finalists, I will keep you posted on the results! In the meantime, please check out the Facebook page, I'm running a contest where one lucky winner will get amazing Steampunk swag!

Book Expo America 2012 Event Schedule!

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Fri, 25 May 2012 03:45:00 +0000

BOOK EXPO AMERICA 2012!
My Events and how you can get signed books:

1. Monday, Book Blogger Conference - Networking Luncheon Guest Author (Details here)

2. Monday, 6:30pm -New York Public Library (Main 42nd St. branch) - I'm so excited to be on a panel discussing writing Young Adult literature set in New York City! - ATTENTION REVIEWERS: At this special event, THERE WILL BE A LIMITED # OF ARCS OF THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART! I will not be signing ARCs at the Sourcebooks booth so this is your chance! PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A REGISTERED EVENT (Still free, but you have to register.)

3. Tuesday, 3-5pm MEET THE APOCALYPSIES! 2012 debut Middle Grade and Young Adult authors - Join us for an amazing event with a ton of debut YA authors, prizes, teasers, snacks, and more! Details here.

4. Thursday, 1:30 PM, Romance Writers of America (RWA) Booth: -- I will be signing DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul at the RWA booth.

---- Bloggers, Librarians, Booksellers: Please note, there will be a very limited number of ARCs of the sequel in the Magic Most Foul saga, The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart, at the Sourcebooks booth at BEA, please see Sourcebooks representatives for details. Again, I will not be signing ARCs at the Sourcebooks booth, so your best bet is to come get one at the NYPL event on Monday! Cheers! I can't wait for BEA!

Happy World Goth Day! Rhapsodic on Poe Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:22:00 +0000

Hello friends, In my last Waxing Rhapsodic post on Edgar Allan Poe I said I'd share my thoughts on the film The Raven at a later date. What better date than World Goth Day?! A strangely beautiful World Goth Day to all of you! Hug your favourite black-clad soul, (yes, I count, I'm one of that deliciously and delightedly melancholy lot) and do yourselves a favor and play my favourite Goth band, VNV Nation, REALLY LOUD and dance around your house and the city streets like galumphing Tim Burton animation figures today. Remember, I'm one of those Perky Goths so have ridiculous fun with your emo self! By the way, I can't wait to share my upcoming novel The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart with you, because I've created an 1880s Goth club and IT IS FULL OF AWESOME!

All right. So let's talk The Raven. No, it wasn't exactly historically accurate. (At all). But we knew that. Positing Poe as a detective in the last harried, mysterious days of his life is utterly fiction. In reality he was likely far less cogent, probably a lot farther off the deep-end and perhaps a bit less sympathetic. But no one can say his early death was not a tragedy. I would have craved as many more stories and poems as his broken heart and sad soul could have offered us. But, like many gifted persons, his candle simply lost flame.

What I loved about the film was the visual landscape. It was Gothic and stunning as I'd hoped it would be. I enjoyed Cusack's performance. He looked delicious. Bring on the men in tightly-fitted frock coats and billowing black great-coats! I liked seeing Poe as an active rather than reactive figure, I enjoyed the energy and animus the film gave to his character, and I appreciated those who appreciated him. I appreciated that the film dealt with his struggles, vices and those who misunderstood him. I loved being reminded of his creepy stories, I loved his written lines having a new voice and knowing his words will never lose their power. I could have done without the gore, Poe manages gore far more elegantly and delicately than Hollywood. I was pleased in that I did not find the film predictable, I was engrossed and entertained. Did I mention Cusack looked delicious? :)

Whatever allows for us to let Poe further into our lives, and to appreciate him on whatever level we can in popular culture, so be it. Huzzah. Celebrating him on the silver screen is better than relegating him to the shadows in which he lived. He shines brightly in dark splendor in my soul; the light of my muse. I am not covetous of that darkening light and hope it shines for all to see.

None of us should look to Hollywood for definitive accounts. This wasn't posited as the truth, so we must give it leave and license. We look to movies for imagination, and this film hardly lacked imagination and beauty, it was rife with both. I'd like to think Poe would have been greatly amused. (Not to mention he'd probably demand a few drinks and some royalties, rightfully so.)

Should you wish to know where the film derailed from truths, here's a wonderful resource from "Philly Poe guy" Edward Pettit to help you distinguish fact from fiction.

I enjoy historical, fantastical fiction more than any other genre. I write it, I live it, I breathe it and I'm not entirely accurate either. I make choices for effect and storytelling. The film inspired me to hold fast to my great loves, write more of the Gothic tales I adore, and to continue to honor my muse, Mr. Poe. Evermore.

Join the inimitable Nancy Holder and I on May 26th at Romance at Random and you'll hear her take on the film along with mine, and how Poe influences our work.

Waxing Rhapsodic on Poe, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:01:00 +0000

When I first found out about the movie The Raven, I was thrilled. I'm not one of those historical purists that fears when Hollywood gets hold of anything. If I were a historical purist, I wouldn’t write historical fantasy and gaslight Gothic works where history is a framework for my own eerie tales, but not a constraint.

I was over the moon at the prospect of the film because Poe is my muse and I’ll take any excuse to get more of him in my life. I want him to continue to be popular, to grow in estimation and appreciation, for his historic sites to be preserved. I want interest in Poe to be kindled in a whole new generation. If it takes a somewhat cheesy Hollywood film to do it, sign me up. I enjoyed the heck out of it. And yes, John Cusack was HOT, running around all intense and billowing in black fabric. (Those of you who have read my Strangely Beautiful saga know I like my men in black, billowing fabric.)

When I was in grade school literature class at a small, progressive education program in Ohio, a teacher who I credit as influencing me most, Mrs. Church, introduced me to Edgar Allan Poe and my life would never be the same. Some of my earliest memories are of making up ghost stories to scare my friends, so when I “met” Poe, I met a kindred spirit and his poetry broke open the sky and unlocked my boundless creativity. I always had a fierce inner dark side. This still freaks out my parents a bit, who wonder where it came from. I’m not sure. I had a very happy childhood. But even happy, optimistic, perky people like me can have intense dark sides and can be as equally fascinated with dark and eerie things as we are energetic. I always found strange things to be beautiful (Hence the series title of my first series, the Strangely Beautiful saga) and nothing as romantic or stimulating as a dark and stormy night.

Poe made my world come alive. In his voice I found my own. In his poetry and stories my world-view coalesced. A strangely beautiful world. I adored his poetry, found it deliciously, morbidly romantic, unique and deeply personal. I really couldn’t get enough of it. I’ll never forget my first tattered paperback collection of his stories and poetry- a watercolor raven on the cover- I’ve gone through many editions through the years. This first great literary love affair made me into the Goth girl and Gothic author I am today. I remember hearing about Poe’s sad life, his love for Virginia, and knowing I’d have been his friend (if not his girlfriend) back in the day. (Yes, I know, I’d have gotten fed up with the addiction and drinking, but I wasn’t thinking of that in my pre-teen years.)

My freshman year of high school I was the only freshman cast in the play POE’S MIDNIGHT DREARY, cast as Fortunato the fool who gets bricked up behind a wall. I screamed brilliantly. That childhood love came back full force as I spent rehearsals and performances living in his amazing, twisted work, and I took to writing again. I had been writing stories ever since I could hold a pen or pencil and complete a sentence, so this renewed connection with my muse informed and spurred on my then novel-in-progress, a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. (Don’t ask. It was bad. But it can’t have been any worse than "Love Never Dies”, surely...)

My love affair with Poe kept on burning like a candle in an attic window. Poe lives in the back of everything. I’m still a Goth girl, I’m now a multi-published, award-winning Gothic novelist, and my long term boyfriends have all been black haired with black goatees. Hmm. Just realized that one.

I've a prominent jewelry collection featuring his image as well as a host of ravens on clothes, figures, things in my home. His influence can be seen in small and large ways in my Gothic tales. I’ve a Raven as an important familiar in the Strangely Beautiful saga, elements of Poe crop up all over my work, especially in the Magic Most Foul saga, DARKER STILL and the upcoming THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART. Natalie even feels she's trapped amidst a Poe tale herself. When you credit an author as being your foremost and most formative influence, it’s hard to see all the ways in which that author crops up in your own work. I’m a lot more direct about it in the Magic Most Foul saga than I am in Strangely Beautiful, which is more inspired by classic Fantasy authors than Poe’s more intimate horror and sad romance. I feel his presence like a guiding hand in my upcoming short stories, “Too Fond” for Tor.com and “Charged” for QUEEN VICTORIA’S BOOK OF SPELLS (Tor 2013).

I'll share more specific thoughts on The Raven film in part 2 of waxing rhapsodic, but I've got to get back to my word count for the day. I've stories of my own to write and new projects that I hope to announce soon. Stay tuned, on May 26^th, New York Times and Stoker Award winning author Nancy Holder and I will be sharing snippets of our mutual thoughts on The Raven as fellow Poe fangirls, and how Poe inspires us, over at Sue Grimshaw’s Romance at Random blog!

Nevermore,

Historic NYC: Talking FIVE POINTS at Criminal Element

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Come join me over at The Criminal Element as I discuss New York City's most legendary neighborhood, The Five Points, and reference a fabulous book about the neighborhood (Five Points). I mention Five Points briefly in DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul, but as I say in my post, I only scratch at the surface of a place that can't be described in a mere few words.

If you're as curious as I am about the upcoming BBC show COPPER, (or if you saw Gangs of New York and wonder if that's really the true story) you're going to want to know more about historic, 19th century NYC. Which is good for me, because that's what I write books about. Come for a tasty historical bite, stick around Criminal Element for more great thriller and mystery news and features.

Cheers!

Apocalypsies Feature: Kathleen Peacock

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Welcome again to my Apocalypsies feature, where I ask my fellow YA and Middle Grade debut crew a little about their book and a few totally random (but important to me) questions. Today, welcome debut author KATHLEEN PEACOCK! *Muppet dance!*

Shop Indie Bookstores

Book Title: HEMLOCK
Release Date: May 8, 2012 - Today!

Synopsis:

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered. Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf. Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Your Fave thing about your book:

The way the characters interact with each other.

Your Fave fluffy animal:

A kitten. Or a bunny. Oh! Can I say Bunnicula?

(Leanna says: "Yes, Kathleen, yes you can. See that bunny up top there? That's Persebunny but sometimes I think she's actually Bunnicula. Which rocks.)

If you were a ghost, where would you haunt?:

A huge old used bookstore with a resident cat. Or each of my ex-boyfriends (if they thought I was PitA while I was alive…).
Your Website: http://www.kathleenpeacock.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kathleenpeacock

Yay Kathleen! Happy release day! Hemlock looks amazing!

Affordable Musts in New York City

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:05:00 +0000

Photo by Greyling Design

Going to Book Expo America? ThrillerFest? Other NYC conventions? There are many book-related conventions in NYC each year and a lot of writers shall soon be descending upon the capitol of the publishing industry. Considering that I live here and spent some time as a NYC tour guide, I was approached last year to write this article for an out of state writing group, so I thought I should share it as many are planning summer trips. Here's a welcome to my fine city and a list of low-cost entertainment ideas to really take in the city that never sleeps.

Leanna's top ten affordable musts in NYC: (In no particular order - please note how very few of these adventures cost money!)

1. Best vista from atop the world: Choose the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center over the Empire State Building. - What's the most impressive building on the whole skyline? The Empire State Building. You can't SEE it if you are IN it. Besides there are a lot of unnecessary distractions with the Empire State ticket. Top of the Rock is simple and efficient, tickets are timed entry for crowd control, it's glass versus the steel cage of Empire, Top of the Rock is all around a better view and experience for your money.

2. A trip to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. You don't have to go to Liberty Island to appreciate Lady Liberty on the waterfront, Battery Park is a lovely park with nice views, places to stroll and street vendors.

3. Ethnic food. Whatever your pleasure, NYC has it, and then some. Don't get stuck eating at chains that you can find everywhere, whether its Little Italy or Little India, there's something unique for everyone. If you are in Time's Square, do yourself a favor and go West to 9th Avenue, (Hell's Kitchen) there are tons of options there. And no, Hell's Kitchen in no way refers to the safety of the area. It's safe. Quite trendy, even. The nickname is a century old.

4. Grand Central Station, 42nd and Lexington Avenue. Just go and take in the interior vista. The Information kiosk alone sports a priceless opal-faced clock. Just walk through, you won't regret it. It's one of the most grand and impressive buildings in the city. Enjoy the beautiful astrological ceiling and incredible arches. Wonderful restaurants there too.

5. Central Park - it's safe, it's beautiful, it's the most important and beloved asset to the city. It's 843 acres of pure man-made natural magic. There's tons of stuff to do inside. The Central Park zoo is adorable and fun, the Conservatory Gardens are gorgeous, be sure to stroll the Bethesda Terrace, perhaps rent a rowboat over the boat pond! You can eat at The Boathouse, it has two restaurants, a pricy nice side and a cheaper other side, perfect options for every mood and budget.

6. The TKTS booth. Want to see a Broadway show? The TKTS booth right in the heart of Times Square is the way to do it if you've time to wait in line, also be sure to check in in person with the theatre box offices of shows you're interested in directly to see if they've any rush ticket or ticket lottery options.

7. A walk around City Hall Park, downtown. NYC's City Hall is a gorgeous building from the early 1800s, and City Hall park is a gas-lit charming space. Gorgeous architecture surrounds City Hall Park, see the unparallelled Woolworth Building (A Gothic styled skyscraper that was the tallest building in the world in 1913) and please visit St. Paul's Chapel, which was the makeshift HQ for rescue workers during 9/11, it has an amazing memorial there and as the chapel is one of the oldest buildings still standing in the city, it has amazing, spectacular history. George Washington prayed there after his inauguration in the city as our first president.

8. South Street Seaport. A fun area of history, museums, shops, cobblestone streets, restaurants with a lovely view of the East River. While you're in the area go up into the financial district just a little bit and try Stone Street for a little downtown glimpse of historic NYC (great bars and restaurants).

9. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. This iconic bridge, the most beautiful in all of New York, (and I think the world) will provide you a stunning, breathtaking view of the Manhattan Skyline as you interact with one of the world's great wonders of engineering, completed in 1883 this massive suspension bridge was the tallest man-made structure in the world when it was completed.

10. Saint Patrick's Cathedral and Saint John the Divine Cathedral. Whether you're in midtown (St. Patrick's) or up by Columbia University campus (St. John) you must at least visit one of these stone wonders of Gothic architecture, they are truly breathtaking buildings and also integral to the history of NYC.

New York City is the safest big city in the country. Be alert, but don't be scared. It's a city to be utterly treasured. See you in my adopted hometown I love so much! P. S. The Subway is the easiest and cheapest way to get around town. Also, not scary. Just remember, trains go uptown or downtown and familiarize yourself with the system like you would any transit.

In town for BEA - Book Expo America? I'll see you on Monday at the Book Bloggers Convention Lunch, on Thursday at the RWA Booth at 11:15 signing DARKER STILL, and TBA at the Sourcebooks booth signing THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART!

If you have stumbled across my blog as a tourist looking for tips, I hope you'll check out my novels, as all of them feature a historical setting with fantastical intrigue!

Short and Sweet: Best Love Story Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:03:00 +0000

What's your favorite love story?
Natalie and Denbury from DARKER STILL are mentioned, who tops your list? Visit Short & Sweet Reviews and give a shout-out to your favorite literary couples!

Short and Sweet: Best Book Ever: Best Love Story Ever:

Welcome to Best Book Ever! Each week a group of authors, bloggers, and readers get together to pick their favorite book...

My schedule for RT 2012 in Chicago!

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:13:00 +0000

Hello friends! I'll be returning to the Windy City as part of RT Bookreviews' Annual Booklover's Convention! Before Chicago I'll be stopping off and participating in Barbara Vey's Reader Appreciation event in Milwaukee! Very excited. I'll be tweeting @LeannaRenee and hashtag #RT12
Here are my events / panels at RT:

Wednesday, April 11
3:30-4:30pm
LOVE, MONSTERS and MYTHOLOGY Panel
Location: Capital Room, Lower Level

11:45-1am!
YA MIDNIGHT SLUMBER PARTY!
Join an amazing list of YA authors: Ann Aguirre, Josephine Angelini, Brodi Ashton,

Charlotte Bennardo, Anne Greenwood Brown, Zoraida Cordova, Kady Cross, Bree Despain, Debra Driza, Cole Gibsen, Rachel Harris, Leanna Renee Hieber, Nancy Holder, Tara Hudson, Colleen Houck, Sophie Jordan, Suzanne Lazear, Lea Nolan, Jana Oliver, Amy Plum, Jeri Smith-Ready, JA Souders, Natalie Zaman - for prizes, games and fun!

Location: Entry Level, Grand Ballroom A, B and C

Thursday, April 12

10-11am

Publisher Spotlight: Sourcebooks

Location: Lobby Level, Midway

2:45-3:45pm

STEAMPUNK GASLIGHT GATHERING

Join Steampunk and Gaslight Fantasy authors for a fun party of prizes, snacks, visits and fabulous costuming.

Location: International E

Saturday, April 14

10:45 - 2pm

The MASSIVE BOOK FAIR!

Please note I will be signing DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul only, (No Strangely Beautiful titles due to issues with the publisher) and I'll be signing in TEEN ALLEY!

DARKER STILL is an Indie Next List recommended title by the ABA and is "Highly Recommended" by Scholastic Book Fairs!

3:45 - 4:45pm

UNDERSTANDING STEAM AND OTHER PUNKS

Location: Entry Level, United

5-6pm

ROMANCING BOOKSELLERS & LIBRARIANS

Private Party for Booksellers / Librarians with Sourcebooks authors

Location: Lobby Level, Conference Center Atrium Foyer

6:15-7:30pm

TEEN DAY PARTY

Location: International Ballroom

Cheers!

Apocalypsies Feature: Marissa Burt

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Welcome to my next APOCALYPSIES Debut feature starring Marissa Burt!
In this feature I ask a bit about these fabulous debut novels and of course something about fluffy animals and ghosts because this is my blog after all and I'm nothing if not true to my themes...

Welcome Marissa!

Shop Indie Bookstores Book Title: STORYBOUND by Marissa Burt
Release Date: 4/3/12 - Today!

Synopsis:

In the land of Story, children go to school to learn to be characters: a perfect Hero, a trusty Sidekick, even the most dastardly Villain. They take classes on Outdoor Experiential Questing and Backstory, while adults search for full-time character work in stories written just for them.

In our world, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild has always felt invisible. But all that changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, opens the cover, and suddenly finds herself transported to the magical land of Story. But Story is not a perfect fairy tale. Una’s new friend Peter warns her about the grave danger she could face if anyone discovers her true identity. The devious Tale Keeper watches her every move. And there are whispers of a deadly secret that seems to revolve around Una herself….

Your Fave thing about your book:

With the timeless appeal of books like A Wrinkle in Time and the breathtaking action of Inkheart, Storybound has all the makings of a new classic. Brimming with fantastical creatures, magical adventure, and heart-stopping twists, Storybound will leave readers wishing they too could jump through the pages into this enchanting fairy-tale world.

Your Fave fluffy animal:

No question. Cats. Someday, I will be that lady with all the cats.

If you were a ghost, where would you haunt?:

My homes with happy memories.

Your Website: http://marissaburt.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marissaburt
FB: https://www.facebook.com/marissaburt

Yay Marissa! Happy release day!

COVER REVEAL: US edition of WILLFUL IMPROPRIETY

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Cover reveal! Here's the Running Press US edition of the GORGEOUS cover for WILLFUL IMPROPRIETY: 13 Tales of Society, Scandal and Romance
Releasing Sept. 4th 2012 in the US (Pre-Order here from Barnes & Noble) - Release in the UK from Constable & Robinson TBA
Edited by Ekaterina Sedia
Foreword by Scott Westerfeld

Again, I'm thrilled to be in such awesome company!

Revised TOC:

AT WILL by Leanna Renee Hieber

THE UNLADYLIKE EDUCATION OF AGATHA TREMAIN by Stephanie Burgis

NUSSBAUM’S GOLDEN FORTUNE by M. K. Hobson

THE COLONEL’S DAUGHTER by Barbara Roden

MERCURY RETROGRADE by Mary Robinette Kowal

FALSE COLOURS by Marie Brennan

MRS BEETON’S BOOK OF MAGICKAL MANAGEMENT by Karen Healey

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Caroline Stevermer

THE DANCING MASTER by Genevieve Valentine

THE GARDEN OF ENGLAND by Sandra McDonald

RESURRECTION by Tiffany Trent

OUTSIDE THE ABSOLUTE by Seth Cadin

STEEPED IN DEBT TO THE CHIMNEY POTS by Steve Berman

Here's the cover copy from Barnes and Noble:
"Extravagant, alluring, and unabashedly romantic, this anthology of YA historical romances includes stories from some of today’s hottest teen authors, both bestselling and on the rise. Magnificent ballrooms, expansive estates, carriages, and dark alleys set the scene for strong-willed heroines running the gamut from wallflowers to undercover spies to heiresses. Wealth, history, glamour, and romance combine in this thick and inviting paperback."

My story, "At Will", features a talented young Shakespearean actress who is brought to London to play both Shakespeare's heroines AND heroes. She's the only one who really knows her own gender as she becomes a source of gossip, fascination and scandal.

This will be a nice release to look forward to in September as we make our way to November and the release of THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART... I hope to have a cover reveal for the next Magic Most Foul book for you soon! Blessings!

The NYC Teen Author Festival!

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:43:00 +0000

I am SO excited to be a part of the NYC Teen Author Festival next week! Please note I'll be taking part in The Writer as Time Traveler panel on Friday at 3pm at the 42nd street NYPL and signing at Books of Wonder on Sunday in the 1:45 group. Here's the full schedule:

Monday, March 26 (Mulberry Street Branch of the NYPL, 10 Jersey Street b/w Mulberry and Lafayette, 6-8):
Plotting Dangerously: Doing What it Takes to Find the Story
Coe Booth
Jen Calonita
Paul Griffin
Deborah Heiligman
Melissa Kantor
Morgan Matson
Kieran Scott
Melissa Walker
Moderator: David Levithan

Tuesday, March 27 (McNally Jackson Bookstore, 52 Prince Street, 7-8:30):
The Mutual Admiration Society Reading
Madeleine George
Ellen Hopkins
David Levithan
Jennifer Smith
John Corey Whaley

Wednesday. March 28 (42nd St NYPL, Bergen Forum, 6-8):
Things Fall Apart: World Building and World Destroying in YA
Anna Carey
Sarah Beth Durst
Anne Heltzel
Jeff Hirsch
Andy Marino
Lauren McLaughlin
Lissa Price
Jon Skovron
Moderator: Chris Shoemaker

Thursday, March 29: The NYC Big Read
(See the FB page for further school / library details, all 5 boroughs included)

Friday March 30, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, 2-6)
2:00 – Introduction
2:10-3:00: Being Friends With Boys
Elizabeth Eulberg
Jenny Han
Terra Elan McVoy
Stephanie Perkins
Moderator: Sarah Mlynowski

3:00-3:50: The Writer as Time Traveler: Writing the Past While Sitting in the Present
Judy Blundell
Matthew Cody
Jennifer Donnelly
Leanna Renee Hieber
Suzanne Weyn
Moderator: David Levithan

3:50-4:40: No Ordinary Love: How to Create a Satisfying Love Story and a Satisfying Supernatural World at the Same Time
Andrea Cremer
Melissa de la Cruz
Jeri Smith-Ready
Victoria Schwab
Margaret Stohl
Moderator: Barry Lyga

4:40-5:30: New Voices Spotlight
Emily Danforth
Kate Ellison
Lucas Klauss
Carley Moore
Aleica Whittaker

Friday March 30, Barnes & Noble Reader’s Theater/Signing (Union Square B&N, 33 E 17th St, 7-8:30)
Andrea Cremer
Emily Danforth
Lucas Klauss
Stephanie Perkins
Siobhan Vivian
John Corey Whaley
Moderator: David Levithan

Saturday March 31, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, 1-5)1:00 – Introduction
1:10-2:00 – Rising to the Challenge: YA Characters Facing Down What Life Throws Them
Tara Altebrando
Matt Blackstone
Susane Colasanti
Kody Keplinger
Siobhan Vivian
K.M. Walton
Moderator: David Levithan

2:00-2:50 -- Killer Instincts: Death, Murder, and the YA NovelJennifer Lynn Barnes
Gina Damico
Kim Harrington
Barry Lyga
Moderator: Marie Rutkoski

2:50-4:00 -- Moments of Truth: Characters at a CrossroadsNatasha Friend
Margie Gelbwasser
Jennifer Hubbard
Stewart Lewis
Sarah Darer Littman
Jess Rothenberg
Daisy Whitney
Moderator: E. Lockhart

4:00-5:00 – Looking Forward to FallDavid Levithan
Marie Rutkoski
Eliot Schrefer
…and more authors reading from their upcoming books

Sunday April 1: Our No-Foolin’ Mega-Signing at Books of Wonder (Books of Wonder, 1-4):
1-1:45:
Jennifer Barnes (Every Other Day, Egmont)
Matt Blackstone (A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie, FSG)
Caroline Bock (LIE, St. Martin’s)
Jen Calonita (Belles, Little Brown)
Anna Carey (Eve, Harper)
Susane Colasanti (So Much Closer, Penguin)
Andrea Cremer (Bloodrose, Penguin)
Gina Damico (Croak, HMH)
Emily Danforth (The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Harper)
Jocelyn Davies (A Beautiful Dark, Harper)
Sarah Beth Durst (Drink, Slay, Love, S&S)
Elizabeth Eulberg (Take a Bow, Scholastic)
Gayle Forman (Where She Went, Penguin)
Natasha Friend (For Keeps, Penguin)
Kim Harrington (Perception, Scholastic)
Barry Lyga (I Hunt Killers, Little Brown)
Daisy Whitney (The Rivals, Little Brown)

1:45-2:30
Margie Gelbwasser (Pieces of Us, Flux)
Alissa Grosso (Popular, Flux)
Jenny Han (We’ll Always Have Summer, S&S)
Leanna Renee Hieber (Darker Still, Sourcebooks)
Anne Heltzel (Circle Nine, Candlewick)
Jeff Hirsch (The Eleventh Plague, Scholastic)
Jennifer Hubbard (Try Not to Breathe, Penguin)
Melissa Jensen (The Fine Art of True or Dare, Penguin)
PG Kain (Famous for Thirty Seconds, S&S)
Melissa Kantor (The Darlings in Love, Hyperion)
Kody Keplinger (Shut Out, Little Brown)
Lucas Klauss (Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse, S&S)
David Levithan (Every You, Every Me, RH)
Stewart Lewis (You Have Seven Messages, RH)
Sarah Darer Littman (Want to Go Private?, Scholastic)
Elisa Ludwig (Pretty Crooked, S&S)

2:30-3:15
Carolyn Mackler (The Future of Us, Penguin)
Andy Marino (Unison Spark, FSG)
Wendy Mass (13 Gifts, Scholastic)
Terra Elan McVoy (The Summer of Firsts and Lasts, S&S)
Lauren McLaughlin (Scored, RH)
Sarah Mlynowski (Ten Things We Did, RH)
Carley Moore (The Stalker Chronicles, FSG)
E. C. Myers (Fair Coin, Pyr)
Michael Northrop (Plunked, Scholastic)
Micol Ostow (What Would My Cell Phone Do?, Penguin)
Stephanie Perkins (Lola and the Boy Next Door, Penguin)
Jessica Rotherberg (The Catastrophic History of You and Me, Penguin)
Marie Rutkoski (The Jewel of the Kalderash, FSG)
Erin Saldin (The Girls of No Return, Scholastic)
Leila Sales (Past Perfect, S&S)
Kieran Scott (He’s So Not Worth It, S&S)

3:15-4:00
Melissa De La Cruz (Lost in Time, Hyperion)
Alyssa Sheinmel, (The Lucky Kind, RH)
Jennifer Smith (The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Little Brown)
Jeri Smith-Ready (Shift, S&S)
Jon Skovron (Misfit, Abrams)
Victoria Schwab (The Near Witch, Hyperion)
Mark Shulman (Are You Normal?, National Geographic)
Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Chaos, Little Brown)
Arlaina Tibensky (And Then Things Fell Apart, S&S)
Siobhan Vivian (The List, Scholastic)
Melissa Walker (Small Town Sinners, Bloomsbury)
K.M. Walton (Cracked, S&S)
John Corey Whaley (Where Things Come Back, S&S)
Alecia Whitaker (The Queen of Kentucky, Little Brown)
Maryrose Wood (The Unseen Guest, Harper)
Natalie Zaman and Charlotte Bennardo (Sirenz, Flux)

Hope to see you there! Support amazing YA fiction! Can't make it but want a signed copy of DARKER STILL from Books of Wonder? Click here.
Cheers!

Fantasy on the Bayou: In Which I am Called A Vampire

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:25:00 +0000

The first FF and P (Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal) national conference, the "Fantasy on the Bayou" kicked-off in New Orleans this past weekend, and it was a delight.

The first special interest chapter I joined when I first became an RWA member and began networking in the paranormal and fantasy realm was FF and P. I'll never forget my first Gathering at Nationals when I won my first PRISM award, where everyone was so wonderful, everyone was so kind and on my same wavelength, I knew I'd found "my people". And I'll always belong to FF and P. I may not have time to be as active on the loop as I wish I could be, but what was so wonderful about the conference was being present with "my people" in person. Big shout-out to local paranormal author Dawn Chartier who took such good care of me from the get-go - I truly wouldn't have made it there without her, and huge thanks to the entire conference team for such a pleasant event on all counts. The lovely and talented Kerri Nelson also has a great rundown on her blog.

Here's what was great about the Fantasy on the Bayou: Um. New Orleans, for starters. New Orleans is one of my "magic special places", much like London, a place where the spirits of the city open their arms to me and say "welcome home". I'm going to set a novel there, and have several ideas percolating. It's an inspiring and gorgeous city, a dreamland for a lil' Goth girl like me.

The con: I was SO impressed by the level of programming, there were so many interesting and impressive offerings that the only problem I found was not being able to be in two places at once. I tried to juggle a bit of writing research (I'm going to set a future project there), beignet eating (a crime not to), and catching up with friends amidst wanting to soak up as much conference programming as possible. I enjoyed everything, from a valuable Editor / Agent panel to Terry Spear's discussion of Conflict, to keynote guest Maggie Shayne just being flat out amazing, down-to-earth, talented and kind, to Ursula Whistler explaining the science behind the physical effects of attraction - FASCINATING and brilliantly presented. I wish I could have seen everyone's presentations, but darn that inability to be in two places at once.

I had the joy of presenting Steampunk / Gaslight Fantasy 101 and my Direct Your Book: Theatrical Techniques to a Blockbuster Novel workshops, and as always, presenting and workshopping are some of my favorite parts of being a writer. I get so invigorated by panels and by sharing with and learning from others. I also really appreciated some quality time with the wonderful agents and editors the conference brought in. What wonderful company.

Our ghost / vampire tour ROCKED, we had an amazing tour guide (also a writer) and saw some seriously spine-tingling sights. And as I walked beneath the gaslight in my Neo-Victorian regalia, again, it was magic and I was home.

I adored being able to catch up with some beloved authors who I just never see enough of (*poke poke* Angie, Amanda, Maggie) and we managed to "haunt" a couple of New Orleans famous establishments (and they haunted us). I had the best Absinthe of my life in Pirate's Alley and the next night local brew and local ghosts (seriously, major ghost action) at Lafitte's Blacksmith shop, oldest continually operating bar in the country. (1720).

And the book-signing was an additional blast, I sold lots of copies of DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul and talked up the sequel coming this November from Sourcebooks, THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART. More creepy Gothic goodness with heartfelt characters coming your way soon!

Needless to say, I didn't really want to leave my home away from home, New Orleans, but I was consoled by the fact I'll be back in August for Authors After Dark! Yay!

So kudos, FF and P Board and Conference Committee, for being lovely and charming and making me feel just as at home as New Orleans makes me feel.

Oh, and PS. A Highlight:

As you know, I take rabid joy in my Neo-Victorian wardrobe that ranges somewhere between casual Goth / Victorian to full blown regalia, depending on the day. It isn't really costuming, it's me. I also walk really fast even for a New Yorker. Transplant me to the slow and relaxed South? I appear as though I am moving with preternatural speed when at my normal pace.

So imagine, dear reader, I am walking at dusk along Jackson Square, dressed in a long black velvet coat with capped sleeves and corseting on each side, tall black boots, black corset, my black raven choker and black roses pinning up my hair, all beneath the beautiful gas lit sconces of the French Quarter. I pass a gaggle of teenagers. One elbows another, another claps hands over their mouth, another says as I pass: "Ohmygod. That was a LEGIT vampire!"

Made my weekend. Thanks, FF and P, much love, sincerely,

Leanna Renee Hieber, author, Legit Vampire

Apocalypsies Feature: E. C. Meyers

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Welcome to my next APOCALYPSIES Debut feature starring E. C. Meyers!

In this feature I ask a bit about these fabulous debut novels and of course something about fluffy animals and ghosts because this is my blog after all, and I'm nothing if not true to my themes...

Welcome E. C. and his fabulous new book!

Shop Indie Bookstores

Title: Fair Coin

Release Date: March 6, 2012 - Today!

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Ephraim Scott is horrified when he comes home from school and finds his mother unconscious at the kitchen table, clutching a bottle of pills. The reason for her suicide attempt is
even more disturbing: she thought she’d identified Ephraim’s body at the hospital that day.

Among his dead double’s belongings, Ephraim finds a strange coin—a coin that grants wishes when he flips it. With a flick of his thumb, he can turn his alcoholic mother into a model parent and catch the eye of the girl he’s liked since second grade. But the coin doesn’t always change things for the better. And a bad flip can destroy other people’s lives as easily as it rebuilds his own.

The coin could give Ephraim everything he’s ever wanted—if he learns to control its power before his luck runs out.

LRH: Your Fave thing about your book:

E.C.: You mean other than the fact that it's finally out in the world? I'm really pleased that my protagonist has a good relationship with his mother, and that this is something many readers appreciate so far. I think Fair Coin breaks with some YA conventions, such as the missing or dead parents, and it straddles some lines. That makes it a weird book indeed, but it's exactly the story I wanted to tell.

LRH: Your Fave fluffy animal:

E. C.: Red panda! It's like an adorable mix of a raccoon, a panda, and a fox.

LRH: If you were a ghost, where would you haunt?:

E. C.: The Jefferson Market branch of the New York Public Library. I'm assuming that I'll be able to manipulate objects so I can read all the books there, but even if not, I want to be around people who love books as much as I do. I would also enjoy just hanging around that beautiful building, and something tells me I'd have a lot of ghostly company there.

(Leanna says: OMG this is one of my fave responses I've received to that question. You rock, E. C.)

Website, Twitter, FB links:

Website: http://ecmyers.net/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ecmyers
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/flipthecoin

Cheers and congratulations on release day!

Anthology Announcement: Queen Victoria's Book of Spells: Tales of Gaslight Fantasy

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 05:48:00 +0000

NEW ANTHOLOGY ANNOUNCEMENT: Close on the heels of announcing that my story "At Will" will lead off the anthology WILFUL IMPROPRIETY: 13 Tales of Society and Scandal (Constable & Robinson / Running Press, release date TBA)...
I am beside myself with ANOTHER anthology announcement appearance. My story "Charged" will be in... *drumroll*

QUEEN VICTORIA'S BOOK OF SPELLS: TALES OF GASLIGHT FANTASY
Edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, published by TOR Books (Early 2013, release date TBA)

Um... I really don't have ANY WORDS for how excited this list makes me.

Table of Contents

Preface Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
Introduction Terri Windling
The Fairy Enterprise by Jeffrey Ford
From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvelous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire) by Genevieve Valentine
The Memory Book by Maureen McHugh
Queen Victoria ’s Book of Spells by Delia Sherman
La Reine D’Enfer by Kathe Koja
For the Briar Rose by Elizabeth Wein
The Governess by Elizabeth Bear
Smithfield by James P. Blaylock
The Unwanted Women of Surrey by Kaaron Warren
Charged by Leanna Renee Hieber
Mr. Splitfoot by Dale Bailey
Phosphorus by Veronica Schanoes
We Without Us Were Shadows by Catherynne M. Valente
The Vital Importance of the Superficial by Ellen Kushner and Caroline Stevermer
The Jewel in the Toad Queen’s Crown by Jane Yolen
A Few Twigs He Left Behind by Gregory Maguire
Their Monstrous Minds by Tanith Lee
Estella Saves the Village by Theodora Goss

---

And there was much rejoicing. *huzzah!*

Seriously, I can't wait for you all to see this, and for you to meet Mr. Mosley of "Charged", who is, I confess, dangerously preoccupied far more with electricity than gaslight. I'm in some darn thrilling company here. Obviously, I'll share more news as it comes, but if you want to put it on your Goodreads To-Read list, someone graciously already put it up there.

Cheers!

Cynsations: New Voice: Leanna Renee Hieber on Darker Still

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:46:00 +0000

What era calls you?

The fabulous author Cynthia Leitich Smith has me over at Cynsations today, talking about why I write Victorian and how I adapt for the YA voice and market. Come tell us what era calls to you!

Cynsations: New Voice: Leanna Renee Hieber on Darker Still:
Leanna Renee Hieber is the first-time YA author of Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul ...

(Read More)

New Contest: featuring Hope Tarr's TEMPTING and more...

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:43:00 +0000

New Contest! Victorian Goodness Galore!
Please visit one of my favourite authors and dear friend and Lady Jane's Salon co-founder Hope Tarr and join in the incredible giveaway she's hosting not only for her own work, but for a copy of DARKER STILL! Hope is celebrating the re-release of her incredible and award-winning novel TEMPTING so don't miss this opportunity to learn more about Hope's work and you may just get a copy of DARKER STILL too! :)

Cheers!

"At Will" To be featured in WILFUL IMPROPRIETY: 13 Tales of Society and Scandal!

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Anthology Announcement! I'm SO EXCITED to be included in this collection!

Reposted from EKATERINA SEDIA's Blog:

"I am extremely pleased to announce the project that’s been under wraps so far: I am editing an anthology for Constable&Robinson, WILFUL IMPROPRIETY: 13 Tales of Society and Scandal (to be published in the US by Running Press). I will post the cover as soon as it is available, but for now, enjoy the ToC:

Introduction by Ekaterina Sedia

THE DANCING MASTER by Genevieve Valentine

THE UNLADYLIKE EDUCATION OF AGATHA TREMAIN by Stephanie Burgis

AT WILL by Leanna Renee Hieber

STEEPED IN DEBT TO THE CHIMNEY POTS by Steve Berman

OUTSIDE THE ABSOLUTE by Seth Cadin

RESURRECTION by Tiffany Trent

MRS BEETON’S BOOK OF MAGICKAL MANAGEMENT by Karen Healey

THE GARDEN OF ENGLAND by Sandra McDonald

FALSE COLOURS by Marie Brennan

NUSSBAUM’S GOLDEN FORTUNE by M. K. Hobson

THE COLONEL’S DAUGHTER by Barbara Roden

MERCURY RETROGRADE by Mary Robinette Kowal

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Caroline Stevermer

I am really pleased about this one, even though YA is not something I do a lot of. But here’s an excerpt from my intro anyway! “Recently we saw a great rise in both Victorian and Young
Adult categories of ﬁction, and to me these two go hand inhand. If being a teenager is about disobedience, the notion of Victoriana (at least the way it is perceived by a modern reader)
is often centered around propriety and convention, rigid social structures, and impermeable class, race and gender barriers. Yet, where there is convention, there is also deﬁance, and the opposite side of this Victorian coin is the realization that as long as there are barriers and conventions, there will be those who will rise up against them.”"

(End of Ekaterina's post)

SO THRILLED! As soon as we've a cover and release details in UK / US I'll post it all. I'm in such wonderful company!

And so excited to see my authorial niche being featured in such a way!

"At Will" features a talented teenage Shakespearean actress who gets caught up in a gender experiment of epic proportions on the Victorian London stage...

More to come! I've another anthology announcement I hope to share soon!

National Tell-a-friend-about-Darker-Still Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Greetings, fair friends!

Today marks the 3 month anniversary of the publication of DARKER STILL: A NOVEL OF MAGIC MOST FOUL from Sourcebooks Fire. So I've decided it's National Tell-a-friend-about-Darker-Still Day! :)

To mark this day I'm encouraging you all to tell a friend about DARKER STILL if you loved it. Or tell an enemy if you hated it. Regardless, first books in a new series always need a little extra love, oomph, and marquee attention, especially on a debut effort onto new shelves. So I'm incentivizing your word-of-mouth action by entering you dear book-talkers into a contest for one of the limited ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) copies I will receive sometime in June of the Magic Most Foul sequel, releasing this November, titled THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART.

5 reasons to check out DARKER STILL: A NOVEL OF MAGIC MOST FOUL if you haven't already:

1. There’s a haunted painting. A British Lord is trapped inside. And he’s really good looking. (See, that’s three reasons just in one). Feel free to snag that #Denburylicious badge and use it on your site! (Just please link to my site or a Darker Still product page).

2. Natalie Stewart, a spirited and opinionated young woman everyone can cheer for, overcomes danger, incredible personal odds and adversity to save lives and save the day.

3. It will give you the shivers. Lots. Promise. I’ve been told that Natalie’s dreams are not to be read right before bedtime.

4. Set in 1880 New York City at the brand new Metropolitan Museum of Art, Darker Still is full of danger, intrigue, mystery, curses, spooky magic, nightmares, disguises and pretty dresses!!!

5. It was chosen as an INDIE NEXT recommended book by the American Booksellers Association, and considering the sequel will be out this fall, you'd best start now…

THE RULES to be entered to be one of the first to receive an ARC of THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART: (Again, my ARCs will arrive in June from Sourcebooks)

It's easy. Just comment below and share how you told friends about DARKER STILL in any number of ways. Just please be sure to comment, I'M NOT PSYCHIC. (Some of my characters may be, but I'm not). As you share, please leave some link as to how to contact you if you win the ARC!

Possible ways to participate in National Tell-a-friend-about-Darker-Still Day - any one of these is an entry:

- Mention the book to a friend.

- Or share this blog post via the share buttons below.

- Or Tweet about Darker Still. Did you find something #Denburylicious.

- Or you could click and "Like" the book on the Barnes & Noble product page or via any bookstore platform that has a "Like" or share option.

- Or put Darker Still on a wish list.

- Or you could share something about Darker Still from any of my Facebook community page posts with your Facebook friends by clicking their share button.

- Or you could buy it if you haven't already (It's currently on promotion in your local Barnes & Noble store! Check out their yellow end-cap signs that say something like "buy books and get a book free"!). It's also featured at Indie Bound, due to the Indie Next List ranking.

- Or check your local library and if they haven't ordered DARKER STILL, suggest it for their collection, it's a nice tie-in to classic literature, a big plus for library systems.

- Or use your imagination. :)

Just comment as to how you've shared this first installment in the Magic Most Foul saga with a friend and you'll be entered to be one of THE VERY FIRST PEOPLE IN ALL THE LAND to recieve an ARC of the sequel!! thanks and blessings! Without readers, we writers couldn't be writers. There are no words to express how much we writers appreciate you readers.

CONTEST ENDS 2/15/11 - Winner's name drawn via Random.org from comments below.

Apocalypsies Features

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I'm a proud member of THE APOCALYPSIES debut crew of YA novels releasing in late 2011 and 2012. Due to the madness of the DARKER STILL tour, I'm belated on shoulting out my fellow 2011 Apocalypsies releases. Here's what 2011 and early 2012 has brought us SO FAR in our Apocalypsies realm. Very exciting books!

August 23, 2011

POSSESS by Gretchen McNeil (Balzer + Bray)
October 13, 2011

DARWEN ARKWRIGHT AND THE PEREGRINE PACT by A.J. Hartley (Razorbill)
November 8, 2011

DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul by Leanna Renee Hieber (Sourcebooks)
December 1, 2011

CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally (Sourcebooks)
January 1, 2012

THE BOY PROEJCT (NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS OF KARA McALLISTER) by Kami Kinard (Scholastic)

LIVING VIOLET: THE CAMBION CHRONICLES by Jaime Reed (Dafina)

LOVE AND LEFTOVERS, by Sarah Tregay (Katherine Tegan Books/HarperCollins)
January 3, 2012

CINDER by Marissa Meyer (Feiwel & Friends)

THE CABINET OF EARTHS by Anne Nesbet (HarperCollins)

UNDER THE NEVER SKY by V. Rossi (HarperCollins)

CRACKED by K.M. Walton (Simon Pulse)
January 5, 2012

LITTLE DOG LOST by Mônica Carnesi (Nancy Paulsen Books)
January 10, 2012

THE GATHERING STORM by Robin Bridges (Delacorte)

DITCHED by Robin Mellom (Disney-Hyperion)

MAY B by Caroline Rose (Schwartz and Wade)

DESTINY'S FIRE by Trisha Wolfe (Omnific)
January 17, 2012

NEVER EIGHTEEN by Megan Bostic (Graphia)

FRACTURE by Megan Miranda (Walker/Bloomsbury)

THE BOOK OF WONDERS by Jasmine Richards (HarperCollins)
January 24, 2012

EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton (Balzer + Bray)
January 31, 2012

INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows (Katherine Tegen Books)

ARTICLE 5 by Kristen Simmons (Tor Teen)
February 1, 2012

HALFLINGS by Heather Burch (Zondervan)

THE OTHER LIFE by Susanne Winnacker (Marshall Cavendish/Usborne)

February 2, 2012

HARBINGER by Sara Wilson Etienne (Putnam)
The whole list is over on The Apocalypsies Blog and it is the best way to keep track of all of us as a whole and what we're up to.

BUT, in the coming months and through 2012 I will bring some of the Apocalypsies here to elaborate upon themselves and their work in a few brief questions. You know, like what their favorite fluffy animal is. And if they were a ghost, where would they haunt. Burning questions I want to know. Oh, and a little about their books too. :)

So stay tuned!

Natalie and Jonathon star in DARKER STILL art!

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:17:00 +0000

Those who follow this blog know how much I love art from readers; when readers befriend my characters and are compelled to create visual representations of them, it's such a compliment, I love seeing what artistic readers come up with. I was treated to my first art received in the Magic Most Foul world this weekend from fellow Victorian era enthusiast, artist and talented writer Katrina Bender, ( @KatBender on Twitter ) who made this picture of Natalie and Jonathon. Isn't it wonderful?

Thanks Katrina!

Soon, I'll have some teasers and links for the Magic Most Foul sequel, THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART, releasing this November, so stay tuned!

Cheers!

MAGIC MOST FOUL sequel, DARKER STILL excerpts!

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:58:00 +0000

Hello friends! Well, as you may or may not know, DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul is the first in the Magic Most Foul trilogy. The powers that be have conviened and agreed upon a title for the sequel. May I present to you:

THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART

A sequel of Magic Most Foul. In which our hero, Jonathon Whitby, Lord Denbury and our Heroine, Miss Natalie Stewart, escape black magic only to find more perils on trains, travel, in nightmares and at the doorstep of the Master's Society, the shadowy organization behind Denbury's curse and creepy experimentation upon the living and the dead. 11/12 from Sourcebooks Fire, cover forthcoming. Huzzah! Come Valentine's day I'll be sharing some teasers via WAITING FOR FAIRIES, so stay tuned.

Curious about DARKER STILL? Maybe you've seen it in stores but you're not sure? Well, watch this 10 minute video of my reading from the book to see if it captures your interest. I certainly hope it does!

Stay tuned for news, forthcoming interviews, appearances, excerpts, giveaways and more! I'll also soon be starting my monthly feature on The Apocalypsies young adult debut crew! Cheers!

Shop Indie Bookstores

The Thorn and the Blossom, or, why print books are important...

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 07:18:00 +0000

Because you can't do all THIS digitally. The Thorn and the Blossom, a Two Sided Love Story, by the lovely and talented Theodora Goss, published by Quirk books. Read the accordion-style book one way, you get one side of star-crossed love from one character's perspective, flip it over and read the other point of view. A work of art in storytelling.

It's breathtaking!

And I'm giving this new copy away to one of you fine folk who comment below, with hopes that you will show off this book and its awesomeness and continue to support print books. While I appreciate digital publishing, there's just something magical about opening a book. And there's nothing quite so magical as a book that's also a work of art!

(Also stay tuned, I'll be making an announcement about an anthology that Ms. Goss and I will be in that I'm very excited about.)

Giveaway instructions: (USA only)

Leave a comment on something to do with print books and how you feel about them.

+1 entry if you follow this blog

+1 if you follow me on Twitter @LeannaRenee

+1 entry if you join the FB Community

(Please note your +1s in your comment to keep track)

Winner will be picked via Random.Org a week from now: Jan 20th

Cheers and blessings and happy reading!

On Scholastic

noreply@blogger.com (Leanna Renee Hieber) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:45:00 +0000

A lot of us fondly remember our Scholastic catalogues from our kid and teen years. Well, I know I do. My mom remembers hers fondly too. The fairs and catalogues were like Christmas, picking out something we longed for and then the thrill of it coming in, then unpacking those boxes of treasures that would transport us to any number of worlds.

I started writing my first novel at around the age of 12, when I was still getting those catalogues at school. I never admitted the thought of "what would it be like if one of my books was in there...?" That was too far-fetched a thought for me to actively desire it. I had no concept of the industry that would lead to one getting one's work in said catalogue, nor could I have quite imagine the scope of the 20 years it would take until it happened.

Those catalogues and fairs passed out of my life and I hadn't thought much about them until I moved to New York City, torn between being an actress and an author, and gave tours around the city on big red buses for my day job. We'd pass the Scholastic headquarters and I'd fondly rhapsodize for the tourists about those catalogues, about my beloved Harry Potter, I'd tell the story of a struggling J. K. Rowling and her quest for publication to make me feel better and then secretly I'd yearn for a day that fond familiar logo might just be on one of my books too.

You know that moment when you don't realize just how much something means to you until it's staring you in the face? That happened last week when Sourcebooks sent me an author copy of the upcoming Scholastic edition of DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul, my YA debut in the Magic Most Foul trilogy of Gothic historical paranormal novels set right here in New York City in 1880. I admit, when I opened the package it was like Christmas all over again, like opening those boxes from Scholastic, only this time my name was next to that logo. And then I cried a little. I could hear twelve-year old me go "Really?! Is this for real?". And while a world of experience separates me from that girl, the love of writing developed at that age remains as vibrant as ever.

This edition is extra shiny with two layers of foil, so it literally glows. It's really incredible, and impossible to capture on camera. But trust me. IT GLOWS. (Which is very fitting for the paranormal elements in the book). I am not sure what month this year Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul will be available from Scholastic, so those of you involved in fairs at your schools, keep your eyes open! :)

My day of receiving these books was only heightened by finding out that DARKER STILL had gone into a second printing! Thanks friends for your support! And this good news was capped by a third squee, as I walked into Barnes & Noble Union Square, I saw that it's been placed out on their "Can't Miss Books" section on the Teen Fiction tables. It would seem the good omens- not just bad ones- come in threes. So if you're looking for DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul at your local B & N, check the "Can't Miss Books" table. And I know I mentioned that Darker Still is on the American Booksellers Association INDIE NEXT list as a recommended title, here's the link to the official catalogue, in the Teen Reads section.

So, on Scholastic, I say this: To everyone who has held a dream like mine, the dream of someday creating the magic yourself that was once only created by others, to someday be a part of that grand storytelling tradition of feeding youthful imaginations, hold that candle-flame close to your heart and tend its precious fire. You never know when you're going to become a part of something that was once sacred to you, and join that circle of age-old tales told anew. Hold tight. Persevere. Your dreams want to meet you.