347: The Art and Business of Writing Serials— Interview with Leanna Renee Hieber

DIY MFA Radio

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing the award-winning author and my friend, Leanna Renee Hieber.

Leanna is an actress, playwright and the author of thirteen Gothic, Gaslamp Fantasy novels for adults and teens. Her books have been published by Tor and Kensington Books and they include the Strangely Beautiful saga, the Magic Most Foul trilogy, the Eterna Files trilogy and The Spectral City series.

She is a four-time Prism Award winner and a Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. Leanna’s short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and her books have been translated into many languages. She also has a forthcoming serialized work with Scrib’d as well as a project with Serial Box.

A woman of many talents, she tours the country performing the one-woman show By the Light of Tiffany: A Meeting with Clara Driscoll, and is also a licensed ghost tour guide for Boroughs of the Dead in New York City. Leanna has been featured in film and television on shows like Boardwalk Empire and Mysteries at the Museum. Her website is a treasure trove of writing resources and you’ll find the link (along with more info about Leanna) on the show notes page of this episode.

Find out more about Leanna on her website and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Etsy, and Facebook.

In this episode Leanna and I discuss:

• How it’s important to be nimble when something like a pandemic or something else unexpected upends your schedule and projects.
• What certain historical events and aspects of the turn of the century show up in her found-family Fantasy narrative Dead Ringer.
• Why it was important to have discussions with her editor about how to determine stylistic writing choices and how things should end when writing a serial.

Plus, their #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/347