~ M. LEIGHTON ~

Welcome to Under the Covers!  First, we would like to congratulate you on the success of your books and your new deal with Berkley.

Thank you so much for having me!  I’m honored to be here:)

We always like to get to know authors better.  Tell us five things about you that may surprise us.

1.  I love chocolate, but hate white chocolate. It’s almost too sweet.  Wait, did I actually just say that??
2. I’m a huge nature and animal lover, but I am terrified of bugs. Anything that can crawl discreetly up my pants leg, down my shirt or into my hair FREAKS ME OUT! LOL And yes, I got all shouty in real life, too.  Hehe  Seriously, I can’t stand bugs! *shudders*
3. Giving Cash a fondness for Jack Daniels is part of my aversion therapy. LOL  I’m not a huge whiskey fan, but I’m trying to learn to “appreciate” it.  What better way than to always think of Cash while drinking it.  O_O  Right? Right!!
4. I keep rootbeer barrel hard candy in my desk drawer, but I hate rootbeer.  Is that weird?  Why are all these strange foody things coming to mind?  Am I hungry again?  *does gut check*  Yep.
5. Despite the fact that I ugly cry for a day and a half afterward, I still love the movie Untamed Heart. It’s an older movie with Christian Slater in it.  If you’ve never seen it, get a box of tissues and get to it!  LOL

How did you get started writing?

As cliché as it sounds, Twilight started me writing.  In June of 2009, I read all four books back to back over three days.  When I finished the fourth book, I was devastated. It felt as though all my friends had moved away.  That’s when I decided to write my own book, one where I had total control and could keep the characters around as long as I want.  14 grueling days later, I finished my first novel, a 105-thousand word adult paranormal book.

What has been your experience from first putting out a book to now?

It has been amazing!  There were hard times.  There still are. It’s never easy to put something you love out there for the world to criticize. That never gets any easier.  And watching a book fall out of popularity is hard at first, especially when it first begins to slide.  But I always try to focus on my next project, which helps keep me sane.  Other than a few things like that, it has been one of the most wonderful journeys of my life.  And this is only the beginning!  I hope, anyway:)

We are starting to see more and more authors who started out self publishing and now have sold those books and series to publishers.  Do you see self publishing as a stepping stone to getting your book in the right hands in todays’ world?

I think it facilitates things quite a bit, yes.  The querying process can be difficult and discouraging for an author, and I’m sure it’s no picnic for agents either.  I think this way, readers sort of point a big, giant, blinking finger at what they like, at what’s good, then the agents and publishers can swoop in and snatch them up.  Put them on the road to being in bookstores.  In my opinion, I think it’s win-win.

What inspired you to write THE WILD ONES?

Believe it or not, it was two lines from the song Wild Ones by Flo Rida.  LOL  “I am a wild one, break me in.  Saddle me up and let’s begin.”  From that short lyric, Trick and Cami were born.  Maybe I should send Flo Rida a fruit basket.  LOL

You also have DOWN TO YOU being re-released later this year.  Can you tell us a bit about that series?

Down to You is book one in the Bad Boys series. It’s a bit darker than The Wild Ones.  It’s about a girl who has a weakness for the bad boys and she’s trying to move away from them, emotionally.  When she meets Cash and Nash, identical twins, she realizes that Nash is exactly what she’s looking for, but Cash is exactly what she wants.  The rest is…well, you’ll just have to read it to find out.  *winks*

If you were writing a yearbook including Trick and Cami, what would each of them be Most Likely To…

Trick would be most likely to succeed.  At anything.  He’s as intelligent as he is driven and he has lots of reasons to want to succeed in life.  Plus, he has the heart to do it, too.  And that, in my opinion, is what makes a winner.

Cami would be the most likely to please.  LOL  She grew up pleasing Daddy and it’s a hard habit to break. Until the right guy comes along, that is.

And some quick fire questions:

What was the last movie you watched?  Sinister.  And yes, it’s terrifying. LOL
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?  Eat and watch movies. LOL
What is the last book you read?  I’m currently reading Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks. It’s my first of his and I’m really enjoying it!
Morning person or Night Owl?    Both. I have terrible insomnia!  Ack!  🙂

Thank you so much for taking the time to spend with our readers and sharing about you and your books.

Thank you again for having me and a huge thank you to everyone who has read my work. I’m forever grateful!!

Passion as hot as midnight in the South and love as wild as the horses they tame.
The darling daughter of a champion Thoroughbred breeder, Camille “Cami” Hines has a pedigree that rivals some of her father’s best horses. Other than feeling a little suffocated at times, Cami thought she was happy with her boyfriend, her life and her future—until she met Patrick Henley.   “Trick” blurs the lines between what Cami wants and what is expected of her—and he just happens to be so sexy she can’t keep her hands off him. While they both know that Trick would lose his much needed job on the ranch if anyone finds out, they can’t resist the lure of their scorchingly hot encounters.   But when Trick stumbles upon a note from his father, it triggers a series of revelations that could ruin what he and Cami have worked so hard to overcome. It turns out there’s more to Trick’s presence at the ranch than either of them knew, and secrets with the power to tear them apart….

Purchase Links: Amazon

About the Author

I was born and raised in the United States, and I’ve lived in several of the fabulous fifty.  Though I currently live in the deep South, I spent much of my childhood up North and hope to return there one day.  A few other things about me:  I believe that sometimes you have to look really, REALLY hard to find the good in people, but it’s there.  I believe that I’m shrinking (I swear five years ago I was two inches taller).  I believe my husband is quite possibly one of the most amazing men in the entire world (I can’t be sure because I haven’t met all of them).  I believe coffee and chocolate, when combined, could be the basis for world peace.  I believe that Jesus rocks and communism doesn’t.  I believe that white makes me look fat and black collects lint.  I believe summer’s too hot, winter’s too cold and fall was made for football.  I like dogs better than cats and the first movie in a trilogy is invariably the best.   But most of all, I believe that love conquers all.

Berkley is graciously giving away a print copy of THE WILD ONES (US only)

• About
• Latest Posts

Follow Me

Under the Covers Book Blog

Books have the power to unite people and that is exactly what happened with us! Our love for books have brought us together and we’ve become good friends in a short amount of time. We “met” online through Goodreads and decided to share our passion of books with fellow book lovers. And that is how Under the Covers came to be…

Follow Me

Latest posts by Under the Covers Book Blog (see all)

• Review: Claimed by J.R. Ward - November 1, 2021
• Buddy Read: Holiday In Death by J..D. Robb - December 16, 2019
• Buddy Read: Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb - August 2, 2019