Leia Talon's Blog, page 2

New Release: Falling Through the Weaving

My book baby is out in the world!

My latest novel, Falling Through the Weaving, was seven years in the making, and I’m so happy to share it with you!

This was the first novel I wrote, which means I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning. I’ve learned so much from this story. It has undergone so many rewrites and edits I lost count of how many drafts I went through, but I’m thrilled with what it has become!

For fans of Outlander and The Time Traveler’s Wife…

A time-trav...

For the Love of Books: Portal Fantasies

I love stories that take me to magical worlds. Portal fantasies are one of my favorite sub-genres in SFF fiction.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis were the first portal stories I fell in love with. Growing up, I wished I could walk through the back of my closet into a world where animals talked and children could be queens and kings.

The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay is another favorite that shaped my reading tastes and has influenced me as a writer.

Same with Diana Ga...

Thoughts on Self-Publishing and Going With the Flow

I just published a new book! Huzzah!

More on that in a minute…

Before we talk about Shelta’s Songbook, let me tell you how different it’s been publishing in 2020, compared to 2017, when I released Wild Horse Heart under the author name Katrina Ariel. Wild Horse Heart is a contemporary romantic suspense set in the film industry, and has received great reviews from readers. But wow did I ever stress myself out during the publishing process back then!

I’ve learned a lot from mistakes (and...

Author Interview with Kat Turner

I’ve known Kat Turner for years, when we started swapping stories as critique partners. Her writing is always thoughtful, fun, and delivers sizzling romance with high-stakes, page-turning plots. I’m excited to bring you this exclusive interview with Kat!

Leia: What’s one of your favorite things about your current WIP?

Kat: I’m now drafting Book 4 of my Coven Daughters series, so I’m really delving deep into the world building and universe as well as building links to a spinoff series that ...

Book Review: Sleeping With Shadows

The banter! The plot twists! The savagery! The sex!

I just finished reading Sleeping With Shadows by Rachel Hailey. This book is spicy from beginning to end. Darkly delicious, the characters are fierce as only fae can be.

There are some extraordinary characters in here with the kind of depth I look for in a novel, made all the more enjoyable by their magical and sometimes murderous natures. We’re talking faerie wars, so if you don’t like violence, bow out of this one. Same goes for hot sex...

Author Spotlight: Beth Patterson

My latest read was a short story written by Beth Patterson, called An Old Familiar Warning. This retelling vividly brings the tale to life with a feminist twist I’d subtitle as “Red Riding Hood Smashes the Patriarchy.”

I loved how the author subverted this trope with a unique perspective that reminded me a bit of the way ABC’s Once Upon a Time took familiar fairy tales and made them into something new and intriguing. Patterson’s retelling surprised me in the best ways.

The characters w...

Poem: Good Girl, Bad Girl

From the vaults of the Keeper of Lost Souls and Stories, this feisty poem will be included in Shelta’s Songbook.

Good Girl, Bad Girl

Head and heart at odds again,
Story of my life.
Tangled vines of should and can’t,
‘Course I’m gonna fight.
Sky child in free fall
Struggling ‘gainst the bonds
Of obligation, torn by the
Need to get gone.

Don’t conform to expectations.
Lord help me, but I tried.
A rare few get me,
Others make me want to hide.
I can’t lie to myself,
Gotta let this ride.
Good girl, b...

You had me at Wicked, Sultry Fae

Book Review: Cambiare by Avery Ames

Intriguing characters. Gorgeously written. Cambiare by Avery Ames brings adventure and temptation that never lets up.

One of my dreams as a writer is for people to love my books the way I love this one. I haven’t stopped recommending it since I finished it last month.

Cambiare by Avery Ames:

Everyone knows the fae are dangerous. Beautiful, capricious creatures, they are as enticing as they are forbidden.

When Princess Cirelle’s brother falls deathly ill, ther...