Jul 22

Jul 22 Leo Kane

Author Leo Kane

Biography

Leo Kane, author of the supernatural, psychological series Heavensgate, was born and raised in the Steel City of Sheffield, England where, from an early age, she spent many happy hours reading and day dreaming. Leo is now very grateful that, despite being forced to grow up (a bit) she hasn’t outgrown either habit.

Discovering the spectacular works of Steven King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman sparked Leo’s imaginary life and literary ambitions. These incredibly talented authors of the supernatural, paranormal, darkly humorous and downright spooky became and remain, major sources of pleasure that influence Leo’s own writing style.

Unfortunately, when Leo was young she discovered that wasn’t a lot of call, for writers of fantastical stories in the north of England so, she invested her energy in the challenging world of Industrial Relations and Employment Law.

Somehow achieving a successful career and a Master of Science degree along life’s winding way, Leo also managed to raise a large family, hang on to a tolerant husband and, recently, acquire a crazy husky nicknamed Fur Face who stars in her spooky stories.

Over the years, Leo’s experiences with people from all walks of life and cultures created a compelling curiosity with the darker side of the human psyche. So, ten years ago, Leo qualified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist specialising in the satisfying task of curing people of their fears and phobias. As you might expect a few of the more disturbed clients wandered into Leo’s imagination and now find themselves in Heavensgate.

In 2008, Leo resigned her position as a Strategic Director in one of the UK’s largest local authorities along with her judiciary role in the Employment Tribunal. She and her husband, David, took the decision to emigrate to warmer climes where, free of the day jobs, Leo’s ambition to become a writer could finally begin to take shape. This major life change was both terrifying and exhilarating and, for the next few years, all consuming and from a literary success point of view, utterly pointless.

The turning point came when Leo had a terrifying nightmare. In her dream she was trapped under ice, drowning whilst others skated across the ice overhead laughing and cheering as she died; when she awoke the Heavensgate series demanded to be written. There was an urgency to the task that hadn’t been there before coupled with a strong desire to see how the characters would grow and change in a world where the line between life and death doesn’t exist. That place is Heavensgate, a Realm where immortals, spirits, demons and angels interact with the most vulnerable characters. This is the dominion where lost souls discover there is no escape, unless the Gate will open for them.

In Heavensgate Leo weaves threads of hope, joy and faith in the human condition in the place where, despite experiencing terrifying trials the murderous, sex-crazed psychopath, Jake, evolves into something quite spectacular along the way.

Nowadays when Leo’s not sending people into a trance, or bringing her daydreams to life on the page, she enjoys walking on the beach with Fur Face plotting Jake’s next dastardly steps. She also uses her husband as a guinea pig for experimental cookery, which he places in the horror genre, but oddly enough, like all addicts of the strange and exotic, he can’t get enough of it.

Leo prays you find your own Hope, Joy and Faith in life and, if you should ever need it, that you will find Mercy and receive Redemption.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Please don’t trust Jake Andersen.