My newest novel, Nocturne, was released by Mirrorstone/Wizards of the Coast on June 8, 2010. It is a fantasy YA with a protagonist I really love: Flannery Lane, a determined fifteen year old with strong magical powers. The book has wizards, vampires, and trolls who sell questionable spell ingredients on the black market.

I loved creating the fantasy world, with its fog-cloaked cobblestone streets, crumbling manor house, and gossipy townspeople. I wrote a guest post on Cynthia Leitich Smith’s blog, Cynsations, about creating the setting for Nocturne.

Here is my publisher’s description:

A romantic tale of vampires and magic from award-winning author L.D. Harkrader.

Flannery Lane is tired of being protected by her Uncle Anatole. After years of studying magic in the back of his bookshop, she’s ready for an adventure of her own. Then one day, strange things start happening.

A burglar breaks into the butcher's shop, stealing nothing, but leaving the floors sparkling clean. Soon the seamstress's apprentice vanishes on her way home, leaving behind only a shoe still laced at the top. And then worst of all, Uncle Anatole disappears. That night, a young vampire hunter named Pascoe knocks urgently on the bookshop door. Pascoe insists there is a vampire lurking in nearby Blakely Hall, and Flan finds herself agreeing to help him. As Flan tracks the vampire, she stumbles upon a secret that turns everything she thought she knew about Pascoe—and herself—upside down.

                                   See the Nocturne book trailer here.