Getting Ready For The Big Day!

by Leanna Renee Hieber

The date is set. The gown has arrived. The invitations have been sent... The Big Day is almost here!

Nope. I'm not talking about getting married. Yet. But it feels like it. Or like I'm about to have a baby. I am, of sorts. I'm talking about release day for my debut in mass-market paperback. 8/25... Mark your calendars, something Strangely Beautiful is about to begin...

From the back cover of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker:

What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Considering how few of Queen Victoria’s Londoners knew of it, the great Romanesque fortress was dreadfully imposing, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met the powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadow, the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She knew simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow-white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gifts. But this arched stone doorway offered a portal to a new life, an education far from the convent—and an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death...

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(If you'd like to read excerpts, please do...)

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Okay, so let's talk about what's going down in the coming months.

I really do have a gown. For my release party. From one of my favourite clothiers, Gallery Serpentine:

Isn't it beautiful? Since my story is set in 1888, I've dreamed of the day I could justify the expense of this skirt. (FYI that's been a 9 year dream - it's worth the wait...)

I'm slammed with activity this month and next. A taste:

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-My Strangely Beautiful Haunted London Blog Tour and Book Giveaway goes live on 8/22 and continues into September to 10 different blogs. (See schedule)

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-My Contest for cool prizes goes live on release day 8/25 (Details)

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-Features on cool places like Joanna's Love Romance Novels and Beverley Kendall's The Season

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-Readings / signings (I've got several lined up at diverse venues, from Barnes & Nobles to independent bookstores alike so I've been trying to keep my BookTour.com page up to date)

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- A slew of upcoming interviews, including a virtual release day party on RomanceNovel.tv on 8/25

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- Other guest blogs that aren't already a part of the Haunted London Blog Tour at uber-cool places like Literary Escapism, Darque Reviews, Book Smugglers, Magical Musings... To name a few.

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-Speaking on Panels at DragonCon

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- Release party as part of Lady Jane's Salon - That's where the gown comes in. (PLUS an authentic 1880's custom hat from Mrs. Parker's Millinery - come on, Mrs. Parker? Fate. It's gorgeous)

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- Teaching a workshop at the Central Ohio Fiction Writers Conference
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- Oh, and then writing the next books in the series... *I make a dazed face*

I think I breathe again in October. Depends on if I go to World Fantasy Con or not... Oh, and there's the NJRWA Conference...

Way more than a full time job, this. But this book is my baby, one of those really special projects. I want to scream from the rafters about it, so thankfully I've a lot of energy to throw into it. I hope all this ends up selling books. ;)

And so, dear reader, tell me your tales of promo. Your triumphs, your woes, your fears, your joys... What am I missing? What's your favourite promo trick? Do you get overwhelmed? Do tell, do tell...