Hi Leanne! Welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us. I really appreciate this opportunity to speak with you and I know our readers out there will love hearing about you and your wonderful stories.

In your recent release, Witch Hunt, you have developed an array of characters that create a sense of belonging for the readers. After reading this story, I felt as if I had actually traveled to and visited the small town of Unegi, Arizona. Does this town mirror image one you have visited or was it one entirely from your imagination?

Unegi is a culmination of every ghost town and mining town I’ve ever visited from Arizona to Nevada. In my mind, Unegi is the quintessential “Old West” brought into the 21st Century. There’s nothing more fascinating to me than the history of the once booming ore mining towns with their brothels, taverns, general stores and sheriff’s office. I tried to bring that feel up to date, but to give the reader enough flavor of the bits and pieces of incredible sites I’ve visited over the last ten years in the Desert Southwest.

With so many wonderful characters in Witch Hunt, do you have plans to visit Unegi again in the near future?

Yes. How could I ever stay away from Unegi? Coming later this year will be Michaela – Grounded: Book One, another paranormal published by New Concepts Publishing. I have plans for Book Two in that series, and there may be more. These characters are rich and very much alive in my mind, and I have a feeling that I will be returning to Unegi several times over the next few years.

In Witch Hunt, I loved the character of Granna Merona. Where did you come up with the personality for her?

Actually, the entire story started with Granna Merona. I’d wanted to try my hand with a paranormal for years, and she was a character that had lived in my mind for a long time – I just didn’t know what to do with her. Out of her, Lina was born; the mortal that had to deal with Merona’s pesky presence. And then of course, the hero had to be the exact opposite of a faith healer whose only companion was an annoying ghost. I’d written the prologue years ago. I knew the heroine, hero, and the setting, but it wasn’t until I hooked up with Vivienne, who writes strictly paranormals, that the story took shape. Vivienne was a great inspiration, and a wonderful writing partner for this book.

What inspired you to try your hand at writing?

My first crush. (grin) I was in Jr. High School and madly in love with an ‘older’ man. He was my first hero. Of course the book was written by a 13 year old, in first person and rather sappy. Then there was the book I wrote with my best friend, a very horrible teen romance. It was after my sister gave me a copy of The Conquest by Jude Deveraux when I was seventeen that I fell madly in love with romance. Within two years, I started writing my first real romance. Broken Wings will be released Sept. of ’06. It took me ten years and six rewrites. It’s one of my biggest, most exciting accomplishments.

What or where do you derive the most inspiration from to use in your writing?

Location, location, location. Almost every book I’ve ever written starts with a setting. I am an avid traveler. I’ve visited most of the U.S. and Canada. As I’ve said, Unegi, AZ is a fictional location, but it’s derived from a culmination of reality brought together from Arizona and Nevada. I’ve set a book in my home state of Alaska. The Double H trilogy is set on a fictional ranch just outside Cache Creek, BC. And I’ve set several books in Seattle, WA, another city I am extremely fond of. Writing as Anna Leigh Keaton, I set a paranormal sensual romance in a fictional town called Moonlight Cove in Oregon. Coastal Oregon is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited, and I’m sure there will be many more books set there.

How do you like to spend your time when you are not writing? Any hobbies or activities?

Once upon a time I did a lot of handicraft type things, like detailed counted cross-stitch and quilting. But I haven’t touched a needle for anything other than sewing the button back on my hubby’s shirt in three years—since I started writing full-time. I spend most of my time at the computer, and my family considers themselves lucky if they get dinner on time. (grin)

Do you integrate any of these hobbies and activities into your stories? How about people you have met?

Hobbies, no. People, yes. Most every one of my characters (at least the heroes) are based around real-life people I’ve known or am related to. Or perhaps I should say their careers are. I come from an exceptionally large family, and I’d say most every career path has been taken, from LAPD officer, to bush pilot, to army helicopter pilot, to EMT/firefighter. (So I have a lot of available research information at my fingertips, which is very nice!)

What is your favorite part of a book to write?

This is going to sound cruel, and I’ve got a couple writer friends that absolutely hate writing this part, but I love the personal, emotional conflict. And the reason is- the bigger the struggle, the more rewarding the happily ever after is.

I have found that most authors are avid readers. What would we find on your bookshelf? Do you have any authors on an auto buy list?

My bookshelf is filled with every one of Jude Deveraux’s historicals, Elizabeth Lowell’s original category contemporaries and her single title historicals, and Sandra Brown’s romantic suspense. I also have stacks of Barbara McCauley, Sheri Whitefeather and Jo Leigh. I buy every Lori Foster that comes out. I also love Dean Koontz and the writing team of Richard Preston/Lincoln Child.

What is your favorite room in the house? Why?

My bedroom. It’s my sanctuary when I need peace and quiet.

In your opinion, what is the sexiest feature on a man?

My husband has the most gorgeous eyes I’ve ever seen. He has this way of looking at me with this intense gaze that makes me know that I’m the only woman in his world. I love his whiskered face, too. Now, if we’re talking about a guy strolling down the street what’ll turn my head? Hm. Depends which direction he’s going. Ain’t nuthin’ better than a great butt in a tight pair of faded jeans. But I’m partial to wide shoulders and slim hips. Long legs. Muscled biceps. Hmm. I guess I just like men in general. (grin)

What characteristics do you look for in a hero/heroine or feel is necessary to make a strong hero/heroine? Do you have a favorite type of hero?

I love the wounded hero. Emotionally and/or physically. When I’m developing my heroes, there’s always something in their past that has really done a number on him. Everything from Trent Godfrey of Unegi who was terrorized by spirits as a child, to another character I have who is a double amputee. My heroines tend to have the kind of pasts that most of the women (myself included) have lived at one time or another. They tend to have been hurt either mentally or physically by life, ex-lovers, or family members. I find that the harder their lives have been, the greater the reward when they find themselves, and then find their one true companion. I want my readers to come away from my books with a sense that they’ve laughed, cried and loved as strongly and as deeply as my characters.

How did you meet the man that became your husband? What would you say is the most romantic thing he has done for you? (grin)

Ahh. I met my husband on the Internet. Totally by accident. We weren’t on any dating services or anything. We were just hanging out in a chat room killing time. He saved me from a cyber stalker. (grin) Two years later I moved from Alaska to Ontario and married him.

My husband is a very sweet man, and as a couple, we’ve been through a lot. Moving cross-country, periods of unemployment, raising a daughter together. But I have to say that the one thing I cherish most is when he gets home at five in the morning from his overnight shifts, he comes into the bedroom and makes sure I’m covered up so I’m not cold. He tucks me in and kisses my cheek or forehead. I’ve never told him I’m awake, but it makes me go all mushy inside. I know he loves me, and he is my real life hero…

Per your website, I see that you have an upcoming trilogy that includes stories entitled: Lost Lady, For the Love of a Family, and A Place Called Home. These stories are set around the Double H Ranch and center around cowboys. Being from Texas, I just love a story with a cowboy. Would you say you have a weakness for cowboys? Can you give us a brief summary of each of these stories?

What woman doesn’t love a cowboy? Need I say more? There’s something innately charming about them as a group. The stereotypical cowboy, wounded, sweet—but doesn’t want anyone to know they’re sweet, and of course they do incredibly hard labor, so they are just about as sexy as any man can be. My father was a huge fan of John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Clint Eastwood, so I grew up watching westerns. There aren’t a whole lot of cowboys in Alaska, so when I started traveling, especially in the American Southwest, I was completely enamored.

I’m very proud of my Double H trilogy. They are based around a fictitious ranch which I set near Cache Creek, BC. The surroundings are very similar to the American Southwest, with rolling hills, sagebrush and ponderosa pines.

Lost Lady: Release date May ’06

Jenny Smith: Several months after waking in the hospital, beaten to a bloody pulp, having no memories of her past, she sets out to build a life for herself. Scared of her own shadow at times, she determines to strengthen her courage and struggles to remember the life she led before. She never expected to meet the man of her dreams, especially since she had no idea what those dreams might have been.

Joseph McIntyre: Owner of the Double H guest ranch and savior of abused equine just wanted a cook for his guests. What he got instead was a desirable woman who brought out every protective instinct he possessed. While helping her regain her memories, secrets from his dark past return with a vengeance and refuse to be shut away.

Joe and Jenny find strength, comfort and love in each other’s arms. But is that love unbreakable, or will the final pieces of her past tear them apart forever?

For the Love of a Family: Release date Nov ’06

Angry at the father who hadn't claimed her until after his death, Cassandra Fairchild can only hope the other owner of the Double H Ranch is family she never knew existed.

Colton Harrison’s beloved adoptive father gave half of the ranch they’d spent a lifetime building to a daughter who never had time for the father who mourned her loss every day of his life.

As their lives collide, sparks fly, and old wounds are reopened. But Cassandra has found the family she's always dreamt of, and Colton wonders if he’s found the one woman who might never leave him.

A Place to Call Home: Release date March ’07

Becca Singer thought moving from Edmonton, Alberta to her brother’s ranch in interior British Columbia would be the perfect escape from her abusive, cheating, lying ex-husband. Having a big, warm, loving extended family that embraced her and her two little girls was the best thing she could have hoped for her children.

For five years, Slade Martin has lived the life of a wandering cowboy. As the head doctor of a thriving alternative medicine clinic, he felt responsible after the death of one of his patients and walked away. Because of that, his fiancée left him. When he received a letter sent to him by his dead adoptive parents’ lawyer telling him he had a half brother, he packed up his few belongings and headed to the Double H to find him, needing a connection to his one living blood relative.

As Becca and Slade each battle their inner demons, one thing is undeniable: their attraction and their growing love for each other. Slade has the power to destroy her carefully constructed walls. And Becca could easily tear out his heart.

Do you have any other upcoming works that you would like to tell us about?

Alaskan Hideaway, a contemporary, will be released in August. Broken Wings, a medieval historical, comes out Sept ’06. These are published with Wings ePress, as is the Double H trilogy. Also, sometime this year, Courage to Believe, a contemporary single title, will be released from Titan Press, and Michaela, Grounded: Book One will be released from New Concepts Publishing
Writing under the name Anna Leigh Keaton—Five Alarm Neighbor will be released June 2nd from Cobblestone Press and Phantom Lover will be released this summer from Venus Press.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

This year my dreams of publishing have finally come to life. I’m so excited, and the positive responses I’ve received have done wonders for the lonely, frightened writer’s soul within me. I dearly hope that everyone who reads my books will gain something from the time they spend living in the worlds I’ve created with my heart and soul.

I absolutely love to hear from my readers and can be reached at writer@leannekarella.com or from my website at www.leannekarella.com

Thank you so much for stopping by Leanne. Let me just add, readers if you have not had a chance to read some of Leanne’s work yet, stop by her website to see all the tremendous stories she has coming out. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you Jessica, it’s been a pleasure.

Interviewed by: Jessica