Leanna Renee Hieber – author of “The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker“, “Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul“, contributor to Ellen Datlow’s “Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy” anthology, and more – has fiercely and passionately pursued her own path in the world. While that path led her through the realm of live theater (she’s a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild) and other artistic/creative domains, it was the combination of the luxurious complexity of the Victorian Era and the evocative mythologies of speculative fiction that have become the primary colors of her artistic palette. The depth and diversity of Leanna’s experience informs every moment of this marvelous 20(ish) minutes of conversation as she discusses cohesion and “connective tissue” between characters, the power of having fun and getting stuff on the page, the audience (tangible and less so) for whom we write, and more! (and there is even more writerly goodness to be had in Leanna’s Workshop Episode!)
PROMO: The Reader/Writer Podcast with Ben Delano
Showcase Episode: 20 Minutes with Leanna Renee Hieber
[caution: mature language – listener discretion is advised]
Podcast: Download (Duration: 40:08 — 27.6MB)
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From Leanna’s world…
- Some of the defining fiction from Leanna’s canon includes:
- “The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker“
- “Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul“
- Ellen Datlow’s “Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy” where she contributes a marvelous tale
- …and by all means, check out Leanna’s marvelous website for her other projects, appearances, blogs, and more!
25 minutes into this recording I heard something I agreed with so much I had to come right here–It’s the bit about being excited about what one is writing. I can confirm that being excited about a scene is a hugely important element from first hand perspective. I want to underline this because its taken me years to really get that fact myself.
So very true, Tim… and doubly so in life. Passion and delight in something is an incredible enhancer of ANY experience (so remaining aloof and untouched doesn’t add anything to the world).
What was your first-hand experience that highlighted this for you, man?
It wasn’t really one experience but in general I’d say it came from when I started writing. At the time I had a pretty terrible and negative worldview, but even still I LOVED writing stories. Over time I changed my worldview to a more positive one. But as I began to appreciate real life I forgot how much joy I took in writing. I lost sight of the reason I loved writing somehow. Terrible, ’cause I kept writing aimlessly in spite of that.
…I don’t know how much of this other people want to hear. I have depressive tendencies. I met people who could work for hours and hours on something they loved and never complain. I used to be like that, and I started envying young me. Recently I think I’m relearning the means of joy. Savoring the moment, and not settling for second best in yourself. That doesn’t mean pushing constantly, as that causes exhaustion, another problem I’ve faced often. I mean, I almost became a nihilist at one point in college, maybe because I was telling myself what I wanted rather than listening to my feelings…
I guess the process of making real friends was part of it too, but that’s a story for another time and place.
Hey, you didn’t ask for my life story, but that question hews fairly close in my case.