Thursday, May 14, 2009

Guest Blogger: Kathy-Diane Leveille

I'd like to welcome the author of LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU, Kathy-Diane Leveille, to Booking Mama. I recently read and reviewed this novel and thought it was a suspenseful, yet insightful, book. Like many of us, Ms. Leveille has always been a book lover; however, she decided to take the plunge and write her very own novel. I think her essay will give you some additional information about her novel as well as some of her reasons behind writing it.

Hi. Thanks for inviting me to be a guest. I’m so glad to be here. My new suspense novel Let the Shadows Fall Behind You (Kunati Books) was inspired by my fascination with disappearances. An estimated 10 million people go missing each year in the U.S. alone, but no one’s ever determined how many of these incidents defy explanation. Take the mystifying case documented by psychic, Sylvia Browne, of the man who stepped out his front door and vanished in broad daylight. His family could hear him calling, but no one could see him anywhere.

Let the Shadows Fall Behind You introduces Brannagh Maloney whose boyfriend, Nikki, disappears into thin air while conducting a bird count up north. Brannagh reluctantly returns home for a reunion of the childhood club Tuatha-de-Dananns. She hides out at her Grandmother’s cottage near the woods where her mother was murdered fifteen years ago. As Brannagh tries to solve the mystery behind Nikki’s vanishing, she is haunted by the secrets hiding the most startling disappearance of all.


This novel 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.


The protagonist, Brannagh, 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.


Thank you so much for inviting me to be your guest and meeting all your readers. Please let me know what you think of Let the Shadows Fall Behind You at
shadowsfall@kathy-dianeleveille.com. I’d love to hear from you. I’ve met many generous writers on my road to publication and every Thursday I chat with one of them on Shadows Fall N Friends. Join us at http://lettheshadowsfallbehindyou.blogspot.com. For a schedule of who is appearing and when, subscribe to my E-muse letter at shadowsfall@kathy-dianeleveille.com. Along with the latest news and writing tips, it announces the winner of the monthly draw for a 50.00 gift certificate on Amazon.

Happy Reading!


Kathy-Diane http://kathy-dianeleveille.com

• Let the Shadows Fall Behind You
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kunati Inc. (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601641672
• ISBN-13: 978-1601641670

4 comments:

Beth F said...

Thanks so much for sharing some of the inspiration behind your novel. I can't imagine having a loved one just simply disappear.

bermudaonion said...

I think having someone disappear would be so much worse than knowing they came to a tragic end. The book sounds powerful.

Anna said...

Great guest post. Can't wait to read this one.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

kathy-diane leveille said...

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your kind comments. I had trouble finding the location of the post here! I'll blame it on being frazzled trying to fix my hair for a book signing today. (Yikes!)

Yes, having a loved one disappear in reality is/would be horrific. In a fictitious setting, though, it creates a lot of tension and is rich with possibilities as to 'what happened and why?' If you have a vivid imagination, anything goes. Mine doesn't wander to anything too dark, or else I'd never go down the basement alone at night.

Back to the curling iron!