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In debt to the devil – not a good place to be when you want out of your contract

When eleven-year-old Lucy Burns writes and mails a letter to “Whom it may concern” to save her sister’s life, she never dreams that “He” will come to collect once her sister miraculously recovers!  Nineteen years later, unnaturally gorgeous, unable to stay with a man past that all-important third date, and stuck in a less than ideal job, Lucy decides she has had enough of doing the devil’s dirty work.  The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns (Bancroft Press), the debut novel of Elizabeth Leiknes, is a hilarious tale about a thirty-something woman whose life teeters somewhere between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Bridget Jones!  Lucy wants out of her seemingly binding contract with the devil so that she will be able to get what she’s always wanted and has never been granted – a normal life that will include a loving relationship, friends, and a family of her own.  An unlikely friend gives his best shot at helping her, but it’s not as easy as it seems, and Lucy must decide the distinction between what is evil and what is good – not an easy task for someone used to damning others to hell!

Leiknes’ novel is fast-paced, sharp and sassy; loaded with humor and just the right amount of compassion; a tale of morality that shows in the end how good triumphs over evil.  Cutting through Lucy’s dark and sometimes scary persona, there surfaces a gentler side of what it means to be human, showing that in the end, no matter how dark the journey was, Lucy does the right thing.  It’s very possible that readers may relate to Lucy’s dilemma with some personal experience in their own lives (did anyone say credit card debt?), but with one exception – quitting isn’t exactly easy when you have accidentally signed on to work for the devil!  Visit the author’s fun website at: www.elizabethleiknes.com.

While The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns is Leiknes’ first novel, she has since written Black-Eyed Susan and The Understory and is currently working on a fourth novel.  She teaches English at a middle school near Lake Tahoe, where she lives with her husband and two sons.

REVIEWS:
Jane Green, author of best-selling Straight Talking, To Have and To Hold, and Jemima J: “I rarely give blurbs for debut novels, but Ms. Leiknes not only came up with a great premise for a story but her novel is quirky and fun, and her main character is devilish and likeable…quick and easy read, and one I enthusiastically recommend.”

Book-Blog.com: “A fun, light read…Lucy turns out to be a more nuanced character than one supposes going into the story.”

Ann Campbell, Editor, Doubleday: “A charming story.”

John Scognamiglio, Editorial Director, Kensington Publishing: “Well-written with a bright, energetic tone and a sexy, likeable protagonist.”

Lynn Drew, Editor, HarperCollins: “Fun.”

Ellen Edwards, Editor, New American Library: “A lot of fun – lively, funny and certainly full of surprises – and definitely an original premise.”

Charlotte Herscher, Editor, Random House: “I loved Elizabeth Leiknes’ incredibly fresh voice, and thought this was truly an original piece of fiction….A fun and quirky tale.”

Lyssa Keusch, Senior Editor, William Morrow: “…I like the unusual premise and the author’s fun voice.”

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