While sailing 1,700 miles in the Bahamian Out Islands, Leona – the author of several illustrated children’s stories - wrote her first adult novel. SHADOW CAY went on to become an Amazon bestseller and to win the Reader Views Literary Award for best Mystery/ Thriller/Suspense. That’s when Leona started doing the happy dance and hasn’t stopped yet. Her work, says Bella Online Mystery Editor Edie Dykeman, “sets a strong pace from the start with riveting action and dialogue. The beautiful Bahamas background adds contrast to the frightening action and gritty texture of her story.” Carol Hoyer of Readers Views says, “Readers and reviewers are raving it’s one of the best crime suspense novels in years.” Her next book SEAS OF FURY, the high-octane prequel featuring a professor addicted to boats turned amateur sleuth, will be released this winter. She’s also working on one more Sea of Secrets thriller; FEAR THE WHISPERS, the Shadow Cay sequel in the series, is scheduled for release late 2014. Leona’s career took her from NJ high school English teacher to biotechnology executive and president of the Greater Miami Society of Human Resource Management before she shifted to writing books. Currently, she’s Regional Director and past vice president of the Florida Writers Association. Leona resides in Florida and often collaborates with her husband, a Miami-Dade forensic specialist for 21 years, who appeared in the pilot episode of the long-running TV series, CSI. Feel free to stop by her web site at www.leonabodie.com; she is also on Twitter (@ShadowCay) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/authorleonabodie), where you are more than welcome to follow her, friend her, and/or tell her to stop being distracted by the Internet. She has a life outside of Facebook but can’t remember the password for it!