Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Can you imagine a thriller author married to a CSI star? I currently live on the Treasure Coast of Florida with my husband Walt, a Miami-Dade Police Department forensic specialist for 21 years. How neat is that! I’m the author of the upcoming book FEAR THE WHISPERS, and the award-winning thriller SHADOW CAY, the recipient of 4 awards and several illustrated children’s books. For more details, please visit my website: www.leonabodie.com.

Originally from NJ, my career took me from high school English teacher to a biotechnology corporate executive and president of the Greater Miami Society of Human Resource Management before I shifted to writing books. Today, I’m a Freelance Writer, Editor, writing instructor and the winner of 6 national literary awards. I also serve on the Board of Directors for the Florida Writers Association, a statewide, nonprofit organization of 1,200 members, dedicated to the support and networking of both aspiring and published writers in any genre.

Describe your book ‘SHADOW CAY’ in 30 words or less.

Suddenly, disaster hits. This catastrophe is only a tiny taste of the danger that lurks ahead. Someone wants to make sure the Nesbitt family never makes it out of paradise alive.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Once I’m in the zone, nothing is difficult. The book writes itself. After self-editing, I send my completed projects to one or more professional editors. But, pre-publication I struggle through separation anxiety. It’s hard letting go and I always wrangle with myself about handing “my baby” over to a publisher.

What books have had the greatest influence on you?

While I do read the classics, mainstream and literary genres, I particularly love suspense novels and thrillers. I can’t boil it down to JUST one favorite author. I lean toward mass market favorites. Give me a Lisa Gardner, Carl Hiaasen, Mary Higgins Clark, James Patterson, Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, Randy Wayne White or a Dean Koontz any day! But the books that have had the great influence in shaping my writing style and have also created a dramatic impact on me are the following:

1.    Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.

2.    Moby Dick by Herman Melville

3.    Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

4.    The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) Mark Twain

5.    Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

6.    The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

7.    1984 by George Orwell

8.    The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

9.    Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

10.  Stephen King: The Stand, Misery, It and Cujo

11.  Tess Gerritsen: The Sinner, The Harvest

12.  Coma by Robin Cook

Briefly share with us what you do to market your book?

a.  FREADO, using BookBuzzr display, including (widgets, contests, games on my website and fan pages

b.  Promoting my books by publicizing awards and reviews

c.  Email blasts using opt-in addresses

d.  Co-op advertising and independent advertising in electronic catalogs, industry newsletters and Facebook ads

e.  Local Radio interviews

f.   Guest appearances at book clubs, etc.

g.  Distribute business cards, flyers, and bookmarks at book fairs and other festivals, Literary Contests

h.  Creating and keeping social media fan pages current

i.   Dedicated product website and SEO Optimization,

j.   I promote my book on BookBuzzr, Book Daily, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and in the Amazon Kindle forums. I have found the best advertising is getting to know others.

How do you spend your time when you are not writing?

I love spending time and traveling with my family and friends, reading thrillers and enjoying water sports. In my spare time, I’m Vice President, Florida Writers Association, Inc. and Group Leader, Palm City Word Weavers.

What are you working on next?

In July 2011, I signed on with Trestle Press to produce a series of digital short stories. The first release, available on Kindle and Nook, is entitled “COCOONED IN DARKNESS”, and it’s a prequel to Shadow Cay. Here is the synopsis:

“On a bleak night, Claude’s world crumbles around him. Forced to confront his own frailties after a series of life-changing events, and compelled to make an impossible choice, Claude Pelletier flees Miami on a sailboat. He finds his past haunting him at every turn and old demons rising up to torment him.”

I’m also currently working on two other projects: SHADOW CAY - the screenplay and FEAR THE WHISPERS, the sequel to SHADOW CAY.