What is the title of your latest release?
MAGGIE AND ARTHUR’S MAGIC MOMENT
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When a deadly spell threatens their school, linguist and Incantation Translation professor Maggie and her annoying (and annoyingly handsome) colleague Arthur have to put aside their differences to stop the magic from destroying the campus.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
MAGGIE AND ARTHUR’S MAGIC MOMENT takes place in a secondary world that is similar to our own in many ways. The geography is based on the landscape I grew up loving in the mid-Atlantic, based on areas in New Jersey and Virginia.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely! I would be honored to call Maggie a friend. She’s loyal, funny, and fun. Plus, we could exchange volumes of poetry and talk about translation all day.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Serious, kind, and dedicated.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Maggie is a Linguistics and Incantation Translation professor, and, once upon a time, I was a linguistics major. It was fun to study linguistics again and find things I could weave into the magic system. One of my favorite lines in the book is a little linguistics joke about reduplication.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I always edit as I go. I would love to be the kind of writer who can write a messy first draft and edit later, but I can’t do it!
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
One hobby that my husband and I share is eating out at restaurants, and we really love the thrill of finding an underrated gem.
Describe your writing space/office!
I live in an old house that’s on the smaller side and both my husband and I work from home full-time. I used to just write in my bed or on the couch, but I also have a bad back, so I eventually had to invest in a nice chair. I found a desk that fits perfectly beside my bed in a small corner of my bedroom. It’s my happy place.
Who is an author you admire?
T. Kingfisher! I love how she writes across so many different genres. PALADIN’S GRACE was one of the books that really inspired me to play with genre in a fun way, too.
Is there a book that changed your life?
There are so many, but I can think of a few formative reading experiences. I remember exactly where I was when I read A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L’Engle for the first time, I reread every Robin McKinley book I could a dozen times, and discovering the So You Want to Be A Wizard series by Diane Duane felt like finding an old friend.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I don’t remember much about the day I got “the call” weirdly! I know I was at home – I was probably working! But the day I got my first agent offer, I was on a field trip helping to supervise dozens of second graders.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love all things speculative, whether that’s fantasy, romantasy, horror, or sci-fi. I am also a big romance reader!
What’s your favorite movie?
I have a few, but the one I’ve been returning to a lot lately is Ever After.
What is your favorite season?
I really do love summer. I love swimming and going to the beach, plus I have little kids, so it’s fun to have them home in the summer.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I like a low-key birthday. Dinner at home with my family and friends with a homemade cake? The best!
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Recent TV show: Widow’s Bay! I loved it so much.
Recent books: I just got to read an early copy of LOVE, WITCHES, AND WAHALA by Christine Cowan, which is coming out on November 17th. I adored it – it’s such a delightful witchy romance. Another upcoming release is WRITTEN IN STARLIGHT by Sloane Brooks, which is a sci fi/fantasy/romance mashup coming on October 13th that you can’t miss.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Oh, it’s impossible to choose. I love it all!
What do you do when you have free time?
I try to squeeze in a craft whenever I can. I love crochet and embroidery.
What can readers expect from you next?
There will be another romantasy coming from me in 2027, and I can’t wait to share more about it!
MAGGIE AND ARTHUR’S MAGIC MOMENT by Leslie René
Narrator: Dominique Salvacion
A dangerous spell gone wrong forces the passionate professor of incantations to share tight quarters with her magical college’s leading—and most brooding—alchemist.
Despite the college’s budget cuts that slashed her syllabus, Linguistics and Incantation Translation professor Maggie Linden has almost made it to the end of the spring semester. To celebrate, Maggie attends a magical masquerade on Beltane. Maybe the end-of-year frenzy explains why she kissed a masked stranger at the festival, though her celebration may have come too soon….
An accident in the lab of famous (and famously broody) alchemist Arthur Taliesin sets loose a dangerous, haunting magic called a pall that renders the nicer parts of their academic building uninhabitable. Maggie is assigned to share her tiny basement office with none other than Taliesin himself. With his insufferable attitude and unfortunate good looks, Arthur makes it impossible for Maggie to concentrate on anything—her research, her students’ final exams, or tracking down her mysterious Beltane suitor.
She’ll do anything to get Arthur out of her office, including offering to help him reverse the magic that threatens the school. But Maggie is starting to realize her officemate may not be the conceited grump he pretends to be. In fact, much of what she thinks is true about Arthur is merely a mask….
Fantasy Romance | Romance Paranormal [ Ace, On Sale: July 28, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780593956182 / eISBN: 9780593956199 ]
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About Leslie René
Leslie René (she/her) is a writer from Virginia. Her debut novel, Maggie and Arthur’s Magic Moment will be published by ACE Books on July 28, 2026. During the day, Leslie is a science writer and editor. At night, she writes fantasy novels with a bit of romance and romance novels with a generous helping of magic. Leslie loves to get lost in a good book, go to concerts, and turn yarn and thread into something pretty. Her happy place is playing in the garden with her family.
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