Authors Leanna Renee Hieber and Philip Cioffari, authors who work outside the genre, explore the elements of mystery in all kinds of writing during the Oct. 6 chapter meeting at 6 p.m on Zoom.
Leanna Renee Hieber is an actress, playwright, artist and the award-winning author of Gothic Victorian Fantasy novels for adults and teens such as the Strangely Beautiful, Eterna Files, Magic Most Foul and the bestselling Spectral City series. She grew up in rural Ohio inventing ghost stories, graduating with a BFA in Theatre and a focus in the Victorian Era from Miami University. Her novella Dark Nest won the 2009 Prism Award for excellence in the genres of Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. Her debut novel, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker (the Strangely Beautiful series), hit Barnes & Noble’s bestseller lists, won two 2010 Prism Awards (Best Fantasy, Best First Book), the 2010 Orange County Book Buyer’s Best Award (Young Adult category) and other regional genre awards. The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess won the 2012 Prism Award (Best Fantasy). Books one and two are now available as STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL in a revised, author-preferred edition from Tor/Forge as is PERILOUS PROPHECY. DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul hit the Kid’s/YA INDIE NEXT LIST as a recommended title by the American Booksellers Association and a Scholastic Book Clubs “highly recommended” title and was a Daphne du Maurier award finalist. Leanna’s short fiction has been featured in numerous notable anthologies such as Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells and the Mammoth Book of Gaslight Romance. Her new Gaslamp Fantasy trilogy THE ETERNA FILES, is now available and complete from Tor/Forge. Her latest acclaimed novel, THE SPECTRAL CITY (Kensington Rebel Base Books), has been a #1 bestseller across several genres and platforms. Leanna is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers, as well as Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, She also works as a ghost tour guide for Boroughs of the Dead in New York City. More can be found at leannareneehieber.com.
Philip Cioffari‘s latest novel is IF ANYONE ASKS, SAY I DIED FROM THE HEARTBREAKING BLUES. He is the author of five previous books of fiction: a story collection, A HISTORY OF THINGS LOST OR BROKEN, which won the Tartt First Fiction Prize and the D. H. Lawrence award for fiction; and the novels, THE BRONX KILL, CATHOLIC BOYS, JESUSVILLE and DARK ROAD, DEAD END. He is also the writer/director of the independent feature film, LOVE IN THE AGE OF DION, which has won a number of film festival awards, including Best Picture at the Long Island Int’l Film Expo and Best Director at the NY Independent Film & Video Festival. Find him at www.philipcioffari.com.