In celebration of her book release of Heart of Light this week, I decided to sit down (at the computer)
and interview T.K. Leigh so that her fans, new and old, could get to know a bit
more about her.
I was trying to figure out how I could help spread the word
of her book release while making it more personalized and that’s when it
happened. I came home from work Thursday morning and thought, “I’m going to
interview T.K. Leigh today!” I had never spoken to her aside from posting
comments on Facebook so I was nervous when I typed up the message to her.
I waited until Facebook chat said she had “seen” the message
and then I held my breath. Often times when I consider approaching an author,
especially one in which I am a fan, I have expectations of who they are and for
whatever reason I fear that they will not respond because I am just another
reader.
As I held my breath and the seconds ticked by I thought that
perhaps T.K. Leigh was in that league of unavailable authors, forever out of
reach of her fans. Now don’t get me wrong, I have seen her post on Facebook and
answer her fans on more than one occasion, but I knew she was busy preparing
for her latest book release and assumed that she would think my interview to be
an added burden to her already busy schedule.
As the words appeared in the chat box I squealed with happiness,
“Hi, hun. I can absolutely do an interview. I'm a bit limited
on time because I have a book signing this weekend but I can *try* to get
responses to you today.”
My husband obviously thought I was demented
by this point as he stared and simply shook his head. I rambled on and on about
how I had scored an interview on a whim and though he congratulated me I could
see that he was obviously questioning my sanity. Perhaps the night shift had
finally gotten to me.
I feverishly attacked my keyboard with the intensity of a
sleep-deprived writer, assaulting its delete key as I reworded my questions over
and over again. I knew my window of opportunity was small and I hoped I still
had time to climb through before Mrs. Leigh moved onto another room.
As I finally accepted defeat and realized that I needed to
ignore my inner critic and just send the damned questions, I looked away from
the mouse and clicked send. Instantly I tried to undo my mistake but it was too
late, the questions were already hurtling through cyber-space to the email of
T.K. Leigh.
From that point on, I spent the entire morning refreshing my
gmail account, checking Facebook, and asking myself why I thought it was a good
idea to send that email? And that’s when it appeared, T.K. Leigh’s response to
my interview….it went something like this...
Kim: How would you define
your writing style?
T.K.: "That’s a tough one. I don’t know
if I have a style that is unique. The story kind of leads me and dictates my
style, I guess. My Beautiful Mess
series as well as Heart of Light are
all romantic suspense stories so I chose to write them in third-person POV so
that the reader gets more information than the main characters, but are still
left hanging just slightly so that they keep turning the pages. I love evoking
emotions from my readers. So I guess my writing style is suspense-driven but
still evokes a wide range of emotions."
Kim: What is it that sets
you apart from other authors?
T.K.: "I’m not sure there’s any one
thing that sets me apart. I’d like to say it’s because all my characters are
relatable in some way. Yes, in my Beautiful
Mess series, the male main character, Alexander, had money, but he didn’t
flaunt it. In Heart of Light, my main
characters are every day people looking for love and dealing with their past.
And I think we all do that. We can all connect and relate to these people in
some way, shape or form. So I think being able to develop characters that my
readers can connect to sets me somewhat apart."
Kim: Why write?
T.K.: "Why not? I didn’t start writing
to actually publish, to be honest. A story popped into my head one day and I
wanted to write it. I’ve always been a very avid reader, so I thought it would
be fun to try my hand at writing. I never imagined being able to do this full
time and I’m so grateful that I can."
Kim: What genre do you
prefer to write?
T.K.: "Well, all my books are romantic
suspense. I love a mystery / suspenseful story with some romance involved. I
just finished writing my first New Adult / Coming of Age book, Heart of Marley, and I’m very proud of
that book. It’s a bit different as it’s not a typical romance. Yes, there are a
few romantic relationships in the book, but it’s more of a journey to
self-discovery and moving on from your past."
Kim: What genre do you
enjoy most when you are the one doing the reading instead of the writing?
T.K.: "I’ll read anything if it’s a good
story. The only genre that doesn’t do anything for me is paranormal. I’ve tried
to get into it, but I just can’t. Which makes no sense because I love watching The Vampire Diaries."
Kim: Is there anyone in
your life who influenced you to start writing?
T.K.: "Not writing, per se, but I
remember always going to the library with my dad when I was a little girl. I
loved going on Saturdays so I could pick out a few new books to last me through
the week. So I’ve always been a big reader and it’s because my parents
instilled a love of books and reading when I was a little girl. So I guess it’s
a natural progression to want to try to write, too."
Kim: Who is your biggest
support system in regards to your writing?
T.K.: "My husband. I wrote my entire Beautiful Mess series without his
knowledge while he was on the road for work. It was just something to keep me
occupied. I had no intention of publishing it. Well, after I had most of the
story done, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I tried to pick up a bunch
of different books, but I couldn’t get into them, so I decided to look into
having my manuscript Beta read. My betas came back and LOVED it so I decided to
take the plunge and publish. When I told my husband about it, he read all three
books within a 4 day period of time and has been my biggest fan since then."
Kim: When did you first
know that you wanted to write a book?
T.K.: "I guess when an idea popped into
my head and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I decided to write. And now,
I can’t stop the voices in my head, in a good way, of course."
Kim: Everyone dreams of a
job that is the epitome of what they enjoy most. I noticed your status update
on Facebook the other day with the hashtag #TakeYourLawyerJobAndShoveIt, do you
hope to be able to put this part of your life behind you some day and focus
solely on your writing?
T.K.: "I actually already have. I’m one
of the fortunate ones that is able to write full-time"
Kim: Favorite ice cream?
Kim: I enjoy a glass of
wine and a good book, but my wine choice usually depends on the kind of book
that I’m reading. I drink sweet wine, such as Moscato, when I know for certain
that I’ll be reading something sad. I think the reason being is that the
sweetness of the wine allows me to handle the sadness of the story. (Ice cream
works in place of wine too during these heartbreaking times.) Have you ever
noticed yourself doing something similar?
T.K.: "When I’m working on my books and
I know I’m getting to a particular part that I am dreading having to write, I
definitely pop some wine… Usually Chardonnay. It helps take the edge off a bit."
Kim: What would you say to
an individual who is trying to find their footing in the world of writing?
T.K.: "Don’t give up. It’s such a huge
task writing a book and then marketing it. Some days are better than others but
you have to constantly go back to the reason you started writing in the first
place. Was it to make money? I hope not because you’re in the wrong business.
Was it to share your stories with other people? If so, then you’re doing that."
Kim: What is one of your
biggest pet peeves?
T.K.: "Slurping your soup… Drives me
crazy."
Kim: As an author, what do
you find most challenging when going through the process of creating, editing,
and marketing a book?
T.K.: "The most challenging is when I’m
getting ready to release. I spend so much time marketing… I’m always on FB
interacting with my readers and trying to meet potential readers. I just pray
that all the hours upon hours I’ve spent marketing weren’t for nothing."
Kim: If you could meet
some of your favorite authors, who would you “fangirl” over if you were able to
meet them in person and snag an autographed copy of your favorite book by
them?
T.K.: "Everyone laughs at my answer…
Hunter S Thompson… I would have loved to meet him while he was still alive."
Kim: Do you prefer the
indie market or something more mainstream when publishing your work?
T.K.: "I love the control I get in the
indie marketplace. I have yet to receive an offer that had me drooling enough
to ever want to leave this indie world."
Kim: What is something
that you would like to tell readers about your upcoming novel Heart of Light?
T.K.: "Be prepared for a bit of an
emotional roller coaster. You’ll be laughing one moment and then crying the
next. Then your heart will be racing with all the suspense."
Kim: You seemed to have
literally poured blood, sweat, and tears into this book. The story focuses on
human trafficking and a world that many people might not know much about. What
made you decide to raise awareness for a cause that plagues America, not to
mention the world, on a daily basis?
T.K.: "Actually, I kind of wrote this in
response to the growing trend of dark romance novels that seem to be gaining
popularity. I remember going through Facebook one day and I saw a comment to the
effect that a reader would want some main character to kidnap her and have his
way with her and it got me thinking, wondering if people really understood how
huge the problem of human trafficking is. I was quite familiar with the extent
of it from my time in the criminal law field but over the past few weeks, I’ve
been sharing what I’ve researched with my readers and I think it’s opening
their eyes to the fact that this is a problem, not just in third world
countries, but in our own back yard. They don’t just target immigrants or low
income minorities. They target the girl next door. One of the popular methods
of luring girls and then kidnapping is used in my book, Heart of Light. It’s
real. It happens. Tens of thousands of people die every year from human
trafficking and I just wanted people to think twice about it."
Kim: The research that
went into exploring this dark, underground world of enslaving individuals,
mainly women must have been exhausting. How did you keep yourself grounded
while learning about what these people endure?
T.K.: "I guess I’m fortunate, if you
could call it that, that I have a background in the criminal law field. I’ve
worked for the Victim’s Advocate before working for the state’s attorney’s
office and you start to learn how to distance yourself. You never do so
entirely, but you learn to compartmentalize, I suppose. The research was
important to me. Yes, it’s a fictional account, but the methods you see used
are real. I guess I was able to keep myself grounded by hoping that this book
will help some people think twice about this enormous problem this country and
world faces. Some of the statistics are absolutely staggering and hopefully my
readers will take something away from it… Even if it’s something as simple as
telling their husband or kids that they love them."
Kim: Raising awareness for
this cause is a huge undertaking, especially when writing a novel about it, are
you nervous about the reviews? When Heart of Light goes live to the public,
what will you be doing?
T.K.: "I hate to say it, but
I’ve learned to not worry about reviews too much. It’s impossible to please
everyone so I don’t try anymore. I write for myself, first and foremost. I tell
the story I want to tell. If my readers connect with it, that’s the icing on
the cake for me. Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love my readers and I love
being able to give them story after story. But I no longer read every single
review. You’ll drive your crazy trying to write a book that makes everyone
happy. I wrote a book that I am DAMN proud of. I loved my Beautiful Mess series,
but Heart of Light is my favorite… So far. And wen it goes live, I do believe
I’ll be popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate." ;-)
Kim: Is there anything
else you would like readers, both your fans and those who are new to your work,
to know?
T.K.: "I love you all!!!" :)
T.K. Leigh, it was a pleasure to read your responses to my questions and get to know you better. Thank you for taking the time out of the madness that you call your schedule, to answer all of those questions. You are a great author and your fans truly appreciate how you're willing to reach out to them every chance you get. Good luck with the Heart of Light release!
Don't forget to join the week long celebration of her book release for Heart of Light on Facebook! There will be a ton of giveaways and fun to be had! PARTY OVER HERE!!!!!
Pre-Order Heart of Light Here!
For more information on T.K. Leigh please visit her at the following links:
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