SHADOWS on “Book Reviews and Author Interviews”

I’m a guest today on AUTHOR INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWS.   Great fun!  Michy Devon asked: How would you describe your new suspense novel LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU.

My answer: Let the Shadows Fall Behind You is Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood meets Harlan Coben. I loved writing it because I was able to combine the ingredients I crave in fiction: a dark hero, a broken and brave heroine, loyal sidekicks; and the shifting, persistent threat of evil that must be conquered. It’s a multi-layered plot, sharpened by elements of romance, suspense, poetry and comedy. I love anything Irish and grew extremely fond of these women–Brannagh, Annie, Tish and Diane— and was sad to write the last page. I especially relate to Brannagh, the protagonist. She is determined to leave dark secrets in her past behind, but the disappearance of Nikki leads her straight back home. So often in life, that is exactly what happens. The very thing we don’t want to deal with keeps knocking at our door until we face it head on. Brannagh learns that nothing can change the past, but the power of friendship can transform the future.

READ INTERVIEW

Kathy-Diane Leveille
Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU (Kunati Books)
ISBN:978-1601641670
“Let the Shadows Fall Behind You is a haunting story of disappearance and loss and, ultimately, of redemption. Weaving together a world of family loyalties and family lies, of broken bonds and of those that endure, it combines the nuance of poetry with all the suspense of a thriller.” -Nino Ricci (Governor General Award winner “The Origin of Species”)

Diary of an Eccentric calls SHADOWS ‘brilliant at building suspense’

Thank you to Anna Horner who reviewed LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU on her blog “Diary of an Eccentric.”  I appreciate you taking the time to read my new book and flattered that you were soon hooked.  Anna says: 

“Leveille is brilliant when it comes to building suspense. She drops little bombs, then waits several pages to spell it all out, which had me burning through the pages like crazy to find out what happens.”

READ FULL REVIEW

Kathy-Diane Leveille

Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU (Kunati Books)

ISBN:978-1601641670

Bloody Words Lots of Fun

Attending Bloody Words earlier this month in Ottawa was a great time. I was on an author panel with David Cole, Lou Allin, Phyllis Smallman and Jane Peterson Burfield. We had some hilarious discussion about Phyllis’s new book title: SEX IN THE SIDECAR. Apparently as the setting in the series is a local bar, all the books are named after drinks. (By the way I’ll be interviewing Phyllis this fall on my author interview blog, along with Lou, so stay tuned for more.)

I also enjoyed a lovely lunch with some other participants at a local pub during the conference, pictured in the photo. All are also members of Crime Writers of Canada, Quebec and Atlantic chapters. From left to right: Verna Dreisbach (Dreisbach Literary Agency), Louise Penny (The Murder Stone), Pat Flewweling (Mumers the Word T.B.R.), Michael Blair (Depth of Field), Pamela Callow (Damaged T.B.R.) and yours truly, Kathy-Diane Leveille, (Let the Shadows Fall Behind You).

For more on the conference check out LOVE MS JULIE.

Kathy-Diane Leveille

Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU (Kunati Books)

ISBN:978-1601641670

“A taut psychological thriller with more than enough mystery and rich characterization to keep us mesmerized….”  -Reader’s Respite

 

 

Guest on LibraryThing Author Chat

I’m a guest on LibraryThing Author Chat for the next little while.  Pop by and say hello!  Have you read LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU?

I’ve loved books forever.  My best friends are books.  So I love having a place to share my passion for reading…and now writing.

5 Star SHADOWS Review from Amazon Top 10

Wow! Grady Harp, Amazon Top 10 Reviewer, gave “LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU” 5 stars. I’m so pleased. Thank you Grady for taking the time to read and review my book. Here it is:

A Fine Involving Story Written with Rich Detail and Passion, June 13, 2009
By Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) – See all my reviews

LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU may by Kathy-Diane Leveille’s first novel, but if this book is any indication of her gifts both as a weaver of fascinating stories and a poet of natural expression then it will most assuredly will not be her last! There is at the core of this novel a finely tuned story that mixes contemporary action with reflective passages of each character’s past, a technique that for some can be burdensome in that time frames tend to blur. For the sophisticated reader this technique of blending past histories to support the development of the plot enhances the involvement in the story and allows the reader to take the journey the book explores with a fund of knowledge that resembles carrying a ‘character thesaurus’.

Finding a character readers will want to accompany is a tough start for any writer: Leveille creates such a character in the enigmatic Brannagh Maloney, a cataloguer for an environmentalist Nikolai Mirsky who suddenly disappears, leaving Brannaugh with blossoming emotions she feels compelled to explore. We are given her personal history through a series of flashbacks but more importantly through a ‘reunion’ with her along-the-way friends Annie, Tish and Dianne – each of whom has a significant history that reflects some heinous incidents of the past that have molded Brannagh’s preparedness for becoming a woman. It is a story rich in subplots while never digressing from the primary incident that eventually changes the life of Brannagh.

The story is set in Canada and Leveille has a wondrous way of painting the Canadian landscape so that those of us who do not know the atmosphere there find it palpable in her hands. ‘As the late afternoon sun slanted through the window, her eyes grew heavy, and the book in her hands tumbled to the floor. She awakened with a start to discover that another day had disappeared into the twilight.’ The writing is filled with poetic imagery such as this and serves the story well. This is a fine debut novel! Grady Harp, June 09

Shadows Book Signing: Coles

I’ll be signing copies of my new suspense novel LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU ( ISBN-13: 978-1601641670) at Coles book store in Lancaster Mall in Saint John, New Brunswick this Saturday June 13 at 12 noon. Drop by and say hello. You can enter to win a draw for a gift certificate at Ambience Day Spa. Half the royalties from each book sold will be donated to Save the Children’s Aboriginal mother/baby bonding program.

Kathy-Diane Leveille
Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU (Kunati Books)
ISBN:978-1601641670
“It’s often said, but not usually with such eloquence, that the only one you can’t outrun is you. Kathy-Diane Leveille writes with passion and assurance of a woman who risks sacrificing far too much to try to erase the things she knows are true.” –Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean

SHADOWS interview: Allie’s Musings

I’m being interviewed by Allie Boniface today on ALLIE’S MUSINGS. She asked: What do you find the most difficult about writing? What do you find the most rewarding?

My answer: The most difficult thing about writing is returning to the page when the initial excitement over a story idea has worn off and I’m riddled with doubts about my ability to translate the vision to the reader. However, I’ve learned through the years that I must keep going back, that eventually the doubts fade and something sparks and I fall in love with my characters all over again. It is that moment, ironically, that is the most exciting about writing for me, because I always learn something new from my character’s journeys.

READ FULL INTERVIEW

KaKathy-Diane Leveille
Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU (Kunati Books)
ISBN:978-1601641670
“It’s often said, but not usually with such eloquence, that the only one you can’t outrun is you. Kathy-Diane Leveille writes with passion and assurance of a woman who risks sacrificing far too much to try to erase the things she knows are true.” -Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean

Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU (Kunati Books)

True confessions: I’m an addict

True confessions:  I’m an addict.  Only my obsession doesn’t run to Godiva truffles, prescription pain medication or maxing out the credit card on E-bay.  I’m addicted to mystery novels.  When they start a 12-step program, I’ll be forced to confess, “I am powerless over Ruth Rendell, and my life has become unmanageable.”

This week I’m heading off to Bloody Words in Ottawa.  This is Canada’s premier mystery/crime conference for writers, readers and book sellers.  Being on the author panel “What is it with crime anyway?” has me pondering why I must dash to the library every few days to replenish my stash of suspense novels come heck or high water.

First, there’s the challenge  of solving the puzzle that has me hooked.  There’s a stack of mystery novels by my bed because they contain stimulating intellectual conundrums: Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent and Nicci French’s Secret Smile.  As a reader, nothing beats this for escapism. Unpaid bills, rejected manuscripts, a spat with a friend all flies out the window when I get caught up  trying to figure out who-dun-it  and vicariously outwit the villain. 

My favourite attention grabbers are the ones with two endings as often unfolds in Harlen Coban’s narratives.  Everything wraps up neatly in the first ending with villain A finally cornered, then suddenly I realize I’ve been duped.  Villain B, someone seemingly innocuous and charming (the protagonist’s best friend for example) is really the dark hand twisting the strings behind the scenes. As a writer, I crave the unexpected to make me stretch, entertain all the possibilities of who the antagonist could be, and slip every character into the rubic cube plot of possibilities spinning within my imagination.

Secondly, mystery novels offer hope in an insane world.  As Hollie Ephron points out in “Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel,”  crime novels deal with serious social issues like truth, culpability, love, racism, power and redemption.”  It’s empowering to tackle these issues, albeit vicariously, and try them on for size.  Positive themes are reassuring: power corrupts or honesty pays.   As a writer, for a brief moment, I have control over a precarious world.  Contrary to how it appears on the surface, crime novels aren’t about murder, they affirm hope.

Thirdly, mystery novels are simply fun.  Think Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.  Who hasn’t laughed out loud at Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, the former lingerie buyer turned bond bailsman.  Or Linwood Barclay’s  Zack Walker trying to rescue his neighbour, Trixie Snelling, the dominatrix.

Finally, I can’ t stop reading mystery novels because the good guy wins.  We all know that doesn’t happen in real life (though it probably depends on what  your personal definition of ‘winning’ is).  However, in crime novels good does conquer evil.  As a reader, I love drifting off the sleep with that warm fuzzy.  As a writer, it allows me to identify with the amazing perseverance of the real life heroes in law enforcement:  There’s no hiding from the truth.  Sooner or later, it will catch up with you.

As will addictions, I’m told.  Hopefully, when I hit bottom, I’ll be buried beneath a towering pile of Barbara Vine, Elizabeth George and Ian Rankin.  

Kathy-Diane Leveille

Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU (Kunati Books)

ISBN:978-1601641670

“A murder, a past still preying upon the souls of those involved, is always an intrusive guest. Let the Shadows Fall Behind You tells that chronicle with poignancy, wistful descriptions of small town life and punchy characterizations that expose hard truths. Sadly rich and beautiful writing.”

-Don Graves CANADIAN MYSTERIES  The Hamilton Spectator.

May E-muse Winner: $50.00 Amazon

As part of the book tour celebrating the release of my new suspense novel LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU I’ve been running a monthly contest to win a $50.00 gift certificate from Amazon.  Congratulations to Sharon Berger May’s winner.  There’s one draw left for the month of June.  To enter, simply subscribe to my newsletter E-muse at shadowsfall@kathy-dianeleveille.com.  (E-muse will be on hiatus July and August).

 

Kathy-Diane Leveille

Author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU (Kunati Books)

ISBN:978-1601641670

“It’s often said, but not usually with such eloquence, that the only one you can’t outrun is you. Kathy-Diane Leveille writes with passion and assurance of a woman who risks sacrificing far too much to try to erase the things she knows are true.” –Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean