Girl On FIRE~YA Author Leigh T. Moore & Giveaways!

The heck with GIRL ON FIRE. Can you say author on fire? Here's what Barnes & Noble says about my next guest:

Leigh Talbert Moore is a wife and mom by day, a writer by day, a reader by day, an editor when time permits, a chocoholic, lover of contemporary romance, and occasionally she sleeps. "The Truth about Faking" is her debut young adult romance. 

** Find my personal review on GOODREADS.**

Since then, she's released ROUGE--the first in her adult romance series published by Pocket Books, THE TRUTH ABOUT LETTING GO--a companion novel to THE TRUTH ABOUT FAKING, which focuses on Ashley Lockett--one set for release in June and on in July. Her sequel to ROUGE is also in the works. Yup. Leigh is one busy bee!

Even though some of you know her, let's see if we can learn a bit more of what makes her tick. 

LEIGH T. MOORE

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Hey, Leigh. This spotlight has been a long time coming. Thank you for your patience. Let's first highlight the two YA books you have out now. What inspired you to write TTAF?

I was actually inspired by the science fiction movie SIGNS--LOL! I got to thinking about the idea of a pastor who loses his faith and why; how does that change him; how does he get it back (or does he)?

Originally TTAF was not going to be a romantic comedy. I'd intended it to be much more serious. But Jason & Harley just took over, and they're so hilariously cute, the whole story changed. (I actually do explore the faith questions with another character in my latest WIP, which happens to be light sci-fi.)

Kind of funny when characters grow lives of their own and take over. :) Tell us about them.

Harley is the main character. As I wrote her, I had three people in mind: Cher from CLUELESS, my current best friend's 16 yr-old little sister-in-law, and my actual best friend in high school. Harley's a bit insecure, but she's got a plan. And she thinks she knows exactly what her future holds--until Jason crashes into her.

Jason is the new kid, hottie, car geek, "bad boy." (He's not really bad; Harley is just very resistant to his charms). He's outgoing and friendly, and he loves teasing Harley and testing her limits. 

Harley might have been resistant to Jason's charms, but I on the other hand was not. *slyly grinning* How does TTALF differ from TTAF?

First, an important note: these are not series books. They’re companion novels, which means they’re set in the same location and share characters, but you don’t have to read them in order. The stories are separate.

Thanks for sharing the difference between series books and companion novels. Go on...

Faking is very much a romantic-comedy. It’s YA chicklit with a little “message” thrown in. It’s a light read with a touch of seriousness.

Letting Go is more emotional and edgy. It also has a message, but the main character is dealing with her feelings in an unhealthy way and goes after trouble. So it’s a little darker.

Gives us a little peek into what makes your main character, Ashley, tick.
Ashley was super-close to her dad, who was a writer for a men’s health magazine and worked from home. She was his guinea pig. They would test recipes together, exercise together, do all sorts of things together. So when he is taken from her, she goes into a tailspin and becomes an adrenaline junkie. But that’s not her baseline personality—her anger is driving her in this story.

Think you'd have chosen her as a friend when you were in high school?
Definitely. Ashley’s a great friend, she’s just going through an extremely tough time right now. So it’s hard to judge her friend-worthiness on her actions in this book, although by the end you see it.

Two guys. One girl. Opposite attractions. Share one thing from one scene between these three that will make the reader go "I have got to read this!"

Okay, so Jordan is kind of in love with Ashley. She really likes him, too, and they have major chemistry. But she cannot deal with his lifestyle. She’s given up on “doing the right thing.” 

Colt’s a party guy/bad boy, and he’s very much onboard with helping Ashley misbehave. But Jordan knows she’s just acting out and is very protective toward her—even after she pushes him away.

That dynamic leads to several near-fights between the guys and ongoing verbal battles. I have a few favorite scenes, but the fight in the hall when Jordan loses it and the part where Colt whips out the panties… it can all be explained, but Ashley’s almost devastated by that.

Give us the deets on your next project - which, btw, has a brilliant title!

Hey, Thanks!!! DRAGONFLY is the start of a contemporary romance-family saga series. It’s all set at the beach, and it’s about a family that has a big secret. Main character Anna stumbles upon the truth, and then it’s about what she’s going to do with that information.

It’s soapy and steamy and sexy and just super-fun, escapist beach-read. One reader compared it to VC Andrews meets Gossip Girl. I don’t know about that because I didn’t read or watch Gossip Girl, but I hope readers lurv it! (Note: it is not erotica.)

The books are all pretty much ready, so I’m releasing them close, which I think readers will appreciate. Dragonfly (#1) will be out June 6; Undertow (#2) will be out in July; #3 will follow late-Aug/Sept; #4 is set for the end of 2013.

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