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Leslie Truex

 

Member profile details

First name
Leslie
Last name
Truex
Organization
Moxie Vie Media, LLC
 

Personal information (200 word limit for Bio, please)

Pen Name
Jenna Harte
Personal photo
Bio
Leslie Truex is an ideaphoric writer, author, speaker, entrepreneur and publisher trying to do it all from the comfort of home. Her writing career has evolved from freelance writing small business articles for The Balance Small Business (formerly About.com) to ghostwriting romance for a rapid release entrepreneur.

She writes romance and mystery under her pen name, Jenna Harte, hosts an online community for romance writers at WritewithHarte.com, and publishes a romance anthology through her publication, Tender & Tempting Tales.

She is launching a new pen name, Eva LeClerc, publishing southern gothic romance.

She is a past president of the Virginia Writers Club and a former literary agent with Blue Ridge Literary Agency.

NONFICTION WORKS
Under the name Leslie Truex, she is the author of Digital Writer Success: How to Make a Living Blogging, Freelance Writing, and Publishing Online (Koehler Books, 2015), The Work-At-Home Success Bible (Adams Media 2009), and Jobs Online (Moxie Vie Media 2011).

Under the name Jenna Harte, she penned The Author's Marketing Blueprint, The Author's Novel Organizer, and the The Romance Author's Novel Organizer.

FICTION WORKS
She writes romance and mystery under the pen name Jenna Harte. She's the author of the sexy Valentine mystery series, the first book of which reached the quarter-finals in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award in 2013. She also penned the Southern Heat contemporary romance series and the Sophie Parker Coupon Mysteries.

She is the owner and managing editor of Tender & Tempting Tales, which has released Moonlight and Margaritas (June 2025) and Midnight, Mischief & Mistletoe (November 2025).

As Eva LeClerc, she's written Unbound Oath, available free at EvaLeClerc.com, and is currently working on a 7 book series set in the same world.

SPEAKER
Leslie has spoken at or been on a panel at the Virginia Festival of the Book, Virginia Writers Club Navigating Your Writing Life Symposium, the Maryland Writers Association, Suffolk Mystery Author Festival, Malice Domestic, Thrillerfest, and more.

Topics
* Write Up To 5,000 Words Per Hour Using Dictation
* Beyond Amazon: Alternatives for Indie Authors to Make Money with Their Stories
* Writing Chemistry: From side-kicks to romantic liaisons, how to write so that readers feel the connection between your characters
* Plotting Murder: How to plot a murder mystery
* Writing Swoonworthy Romance
* How to Get an Agent/Publisher

When Leslie isn't writing, she enjoys reading, artistic endeavors (although she's not very artistic), and binge watching YouTube. Her goal in life is to live on a beach and write every day on her lanai.
 

Website and social media (please include "http://")

 

Chapter Information

VWC Chapter (if any)
Blue Ridge
 

Speakers' Bureau

Speaker Area(s) of Writing Expertise
  • Craft
  • Fiction (long form)
  • Non-fiction (general)
  • Platform Building/Marketing
  • Publishing
Other Topic(s) of Expertise
dictation, getting an agent, plotting mysteries, plotting romance, expanded book sales for indie authors,
 

Poems, Novels, Plays, or other Works

Work 1 - Title
Digital Writer Success
Work 1 - Genre
(Nonfiction) Nonfiction
Work 1 - Genre (Other)
freelance writing, blogging, publishing
Work 1 - Cover
Work 1 - Description
A No-Nonsense Plan for Making a Living Writing Online

The Internet has opened a world of opportunities for would-be writers. Now, anyone with a computer and Internet access can get their knowledge, thoughts and passion out to the masses with little to no barrier to entry. Moms and teenagers have become rich blogging about their lives and interests. Freelance writers unable to break into the magazine market, are now making a living writing for online media. Authors with an inch-high stack of rejections are now epublished and being offered traditional publishing contracts. You can join them!

Digital Writer Success: How to Make a Living Writing Online provides budding writers with information and resources needed to earn income from blogging, freelance writing and/or epublishing including:

• How to choose the best writing topics for maximum income potential.
• How to quickly, easily, and affordably set up a blog that makes money through a variety of income-stream options.
• How to get hired to write content for businesses and online media sources.
• Ebook publishing from start to finish including how to pitch digital publishers or self-publish through major e-tailers, such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks and more.
• How to market blogs, freelance writing services and books.
• Systems and tools to save time and effort when managing and marketing a writing career.
Work 2 - Title
Author Marketing Blueprint
Work 2 - Genre
(Nonfiction) Business Books
Work 2 - Genre (Other)
Career, telecommute
Work 2 - Cover
Work 2 - Website
https://amzn.to/4osVA3R
Work 2 - Description
You have a book to sell..The Author Marketing Blueprint is going to help you sell it!

Stop spinning your wheels with marketing tactics that aren’t working. The Author Marketing Blueprint will help you understand where and how to find readers and turn them into fans. It guides you through the process of building your author platform, creating a strategic marketing plan that works, and specific marketing ideas for social media, email, and more.

Inside, you'll find tips, resources, checklists, worksheets, and a 12-month planner designed to help you promote and sell your book!

Here’s what’s inside:
· Understanding the Reader Journey & Author Marketing
· When and How to Market Your Book
· Building an Author Platform
· Creating Your Marketing Plan
· Content Marketing (Blogging, Email, Social Media)
· How to Create an Author Marketing Calendar
· 12-Month Marketing Planner
· Lists of Content Ideas for Blogging, Email, and Social Media
· Author Marketing Resources (Places to promote your book)
Work 3 - Title
Deadly Valentine: Valentine Mystery Book One
Work 3 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Mystery & Crime
Work 3 - Genre (Other)
Romance
Work 3 - Cover
Work 3 - Website
http://www.jennaharte.com
Work 3 - Description
"Written with precision and care, this intriguing romance/murder mystery is a fun read that will keep readers guessing until the very end." - Publisher's Weekly

Tess Madison walked away from her two-timing fiancé, a multi-million dollar trust fund and a cushy corporate law job to pursue the single life indulging in chocolate and fancy French underwear. But her newly reordered life comes unraveled when she reluctantly accepts an invitation to a dinner party and stumbles upon the host’s dead body. Now Tess is in the middle of a murder investigation pitting her wannabe-boyfriend police detective against Jack Valentine, a man from her past with blue-green eyes and sinful smile that causes her to rethink her self-imposed celibacy. Tess has many reasons to avoid Jack including the fact that he’s the prime suspect in murder. But Tess doesn’t believe Jack’s the murderer and with an honest attempt to keep her hormones in check, she agrees to represent him. With Jack’s help, she uncovers a 30-year-old secret someone is killing to keep hidden and discovers sensual delights that don’t include chocolate or French underwear. But when her professional and personal relationship with Jack threatens to ruin her career and end her life, Tess has to decide if Jack, is worth the risk.

Deadly Valentine is the first in the Valentine Mystery series featuring Tess Madison a chocolate and French underwear connoisseur and Jack Valentine, her handsome, environmentalist love interest.
Work 4 - Title
Death of a Debtor
Work 4 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Mystery & Crime
Work 4 - Genre (Other)
cozy mystery
Work 4 - Cover
Work 4 - Website
https://amzn.to/48XQZBL
Work 4 - Description
"Jenna Harte pulls you in and holds you captive with a cast of quirky personalities in a fast-paced story. You'll worry, laugh and cheer with your favorite murder suspect, the wacky, irresistibly funny Sophie Parker as she tries to untangle a plot that put a target on her back. A fun and exciting read that will warm the cockles of your heart." --Diane Fanning, Edgar-nominated Crime Writer

Forced to move back home to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia after her father and brother end up in jail for running a Ponzi scheme, Sophie Parker does the best she can. While living with her curmudgeonly aunt, she works as a wench waitress at a pirate-themed restaurant and learns the ins and outs of discount shopping through a coupon group.

Life goes from bad to worse when an innocent airplane ride with her former teenage crush, AJ, leads to her being picked up by the police. The plane’s indebted owner has been murdered, and he’s the man who helped put her father in jail.

What started as a curiosity has now turned into a quest to make sure she isn’t arrested. Armed with gossip from the women in her coupon group, and her cantankerous aunt, Sophie sets out to find out who killed the ruthless businessman minutes after she flew off with AJ.
Work 5 - Title
Drawn to Her
Work 5 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Romance
Work 5 - Cover
Work 5 - Website
https://amzn.to/3JFxL9B
Work 5 - Description
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Wow. What a roller coaster ride of emotions! This book will hook you and take you for a ride...I LOVED it! - Kelly's Book Blog

He doesn't trust her, but he's powerless to resist her. He's...Drawn to Her.

Feisty and outspoken, Lexie McKenna will do anything to protect her cantankerous and ailing patient—even if it means going up against his cold and calculating, but sexy and irresistible, grandson. After all, as a nurse, her number one priority is her patient. Drake Carmichael doesn't trust the nurse who's taking care of his grandfather—despite how adorable and compassionate she seems. He refuses to let her get her grips into their hard-earned money.

But as the two square off and begin to battle about what is best for the dying man, Lexie and Drake realize that first impressions are deceiving. Lexie discovers a warm, vulnerable man beneath cold, calculating armor, and Drake finds he's helpless against Lexie's gentle heart and beguiling smile. Once they finally give in to their desires, the battle has only just begun.

As the clash between family and fortune ignites, the love they both crave could burn to ash.
 

Additional Works - Add title, genre, URL, description, and publication year in free form text here.

Additional Works
VALENTINE MYSTERIES (Romantic Mysteries Books 2-7)
Old Flames Never Die (2012)
With This Ring, I Thee Kill (2013)
'Til Death Do Us Part (2014)
To Love, Honor & Kill (2015)
Truly, Madly, Deadly (2018)
Dead But Not Forgotten (2022)

SOPHIE PARKER COUPON MYSTERIES (Cozy Mysteries Books 2-3)
Death of a Coupon Queen (Camel Press 2021)
Death of a Miser (Camel Press 2022)

SOUTHERN HEAT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE (Books 2-3) (currently in KU)
Meant to Be (2019, second edition)
Wed to You (2019, second edition)
Come to Me (2024)

TENDER & TEMPTING TALES (Romance Anthology)
Moonlight & Margaritas (2025)
Midnight, Mischief & Mistletoe (2025)

NONFICTION
The Author's Novel Organizer (2024)
The Romance Authors' Novel Organizer (2024)
The Social Media Marketing and Community Building Planner (2024)
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