"Edgy, Raw" Award-Winning YA Romance On Sale

The Truth About Letting Go, is on sale for 99 Cents this week/weekend (FREE in Kindle Unlimited). It's been three years since I wrote the story, but I still remember the emotions behind it so well.

I've never lost a parent, but at the time I was going grieving a different sort of loss. My life had taken a turn I never anticipated, and I was reeling with the pain of it, trying to understand why God would do this to me and my little family.

I won't go into details, but I'll just say I poured all that frustration and pain into this book in the form of Ashley trying to understand the sudden death of her father.

Some readers have sent me messages saying I got it exactly right. Some have said they identified with Ashley and the way she felt and acted after losing their own parents. Others said while they didn't react so violently to the loss of a loved one, their siblings or others close to them did.

Those are the most gratifying emails I ever receive.

The Truth About Letting Go is not always an easy read, but it was nominated as a finalist by The Kindle Book Award in 2013. I appreciated that recognition so much.

The story does have a happy ending, and we do find our heroine on the road to recovery by the end. I hope you'll read it and "get it." If you don't, that's okay.

Stay cool~

Here's the scoop:

THE TRUTH ABOUT LETTING GO is…

TOP 5 FINALIST, 2013 "Best Indie Book" awards, The Kindle Book Review

"If you're a fan of Sarah Dessen novels you should pick this one up!"--Harley Bear Book Blog

  

"FIVE STARS: Powerful, beautiful, and real... Rarely have I read a book like this one, that felt so real it could be true." -Steph's Book Reviews

“FIVE STARS: It's strange to see your feelings written on the pages of a book you didn't pen. It should be available for anyone who's experiencing loss/grief of any kind.” –Amazon Review

   

THE TRUTH ABOUT LETTING GO

By Leigh Talbert Moore

Two days ago Ashley Lockett's dad died. Her world fell apart, her mom withdrew, and her older brother "callously" returned to college to resume his normal life. Only life will never return to normal for Ashley--at least that's how it feels.

Rejecting her "queen bee" status, she befriends Jordan, a budding film director, and Charlotte, the daughter of a local shop keeper. They each help her forget the pain for a little while, but can they stop her from going off the rails with the new bad boy in town?

A story of faith, forgiveness, and the power of friendship.

★ Get it Today! (FREE in Kindle Unlimited)

Amazon  US: http://smarturl.it/TLGAA

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BHRY07Y

★ BOOK TRAILER: https://youtu.be/H-rXSZL2X38

On Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/leightmoore/books-by-leigh-t-moore/

On Goodreads: http://smarturl.it/OTTgr

  

  

Announcement, FLASH Reviews, & A Happy Place Gets Ugly

Happy Labor Day!

I don't know about you, but this time of year always feels really busy to me. Since school started Aug. 6, I've edited four books, read two, and I've started the process on what will be my Big Announcement... 

I'm going to self-publish a book. (I know!)

In 2010, I wrote a book that got me my first offer of representation. I went with a different agent, who ultimately couldn't sell the book, but she liked it so much, she actually encouraged me to self-publish it.

So with much nail-chewing and hand-wringing, I'm doing it! And I can't say thank you enough to my writer-friends Susan Quinn (link) and Jolene Perry (link) for encouraging me, answering too many emails from me, and basically pulling/pushing me through my nerves.

These two ladies are not just excellent writers and amazing critique partners, they're the best kind of friends. AND they have excellent resources for indie authors on their blogs! I strongly encourage you to get to know them.

I'll show you covers, give blurbs, etc., as it evolves. My goal is to have it out in the next month or so, and of course, I'll give you all the play by play as the process unfolds. And as I have serious karmic payback to do, ask me questions! I'll try to answer them.

Now for the Flash Reviews!

In the middle of all that, I could not stop reading two books, so you know they're awesome.

STAY by Deb Caletti (link)

I discovered Deb (it's like we're friends) back in 2010 when I was working on my soon-to-be-indie book, and fell in love with her writing. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart had me laughing and crying by like Chapter 3. (The church sign? The dad and the carseat?)

But I also had issues with her stories. I didn't care for The Secret Life of Prince Charming very much, so I was slow to read Stay. Mistake! This book was almost impossible to put down.

From the start, it's magnetic with Clara seeing Christian in the gym. But it's told "after the fact." Something bad has happened, and she's hiding out with her dad at the beach, shell-shocked and paranoid.

I love all the characters in Stay, and though (again) I had an issue with how a certain situation was handled, I highly recommend reading this one!

KNEE DEEP by Jolene Perry (link)

This is the first book I've read by my good friend Jolene up there, and I picked it up because we were talking about Stay, and she mentioned she'd written a book about an abusive relationship.

I wasn't sure I wanted to read it just yet because, well, bad boyfriend overload! But I got it, thinking I'd just dip into the beginning and if it got too intense, I'd put it aside and recover with a Sweet Valley High book or something.

I started reading and could not put it down.

Ronnie's first boyfriend is her neighbor Shawn. He's her first "peanut butter kiss" (love that), he's runaway trips to the beach... but his family moves away. The two keep in touch through letters and occasional family trips, until he moves back.

But a different guy seems to have returned from the one who left. Shawn's family is troubled, and he's picked up some bad (and painful) habits. Ronnie can't seem to let go of the boy she remembers, but she has to before it's too late.

Knee Deep had me smiling, crying, angry, but I had to find out what happened. Awesome characters, fantastic chemistry, great writing--you will love this book.

Finally, what's this about a happy place turned ugly? Well, it falls under the heading, "Say It Isn't So."

In my self-publishing research, I've uncovered an issue that has shocked, angered, and kind of scared me. In the past year, I've heard some of my indie-writer-friends talk about reviewers on Goodreads. And I've seen warnings along the lines of "never engage with reviewers."

Good or bad?

At first I was like, "Yeah, that's true. If you get a negative review, you just have to take your lumps with grace. It stings, but not everybody's going to like your book."

Lately, I've heard something more sinister is happening. I've been told there's this cabal on GR targeting authors and basically killing books (and careers) with low ratings and nasty, sometimes ad hominem reviews.

And I've been told it can be over things like giving a low rating to one of their friends' books.

Is this true, writer-friends? Have any of you bumped into this?

Being a book lover, book reviewer, former journalist, and founder of a book club, I can't believe this is happening--or being allowed to happen. One of my favorite things is talking books, freely and openly. And I still want to believe that if a book's really good, no amount of meanness can kill it.

But I'm new. And I have no reason not to believe the source of this information.

It makes me wonder if I even want to be on GR, and that's just sad. GR can be such a useful tool. And it's really impossible for an author to avoid--anyone can make a GR page for your book.

If this really is happening, can anything be done? Are any of my writer-friends taking steps to guard against it? What? and Why or Why not?

Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends! Time to hit it. <3

Book Review - Someone Like You

Since Monday's post, I've been feeling very out of it not being a daily blogger. I've received so many encouraging notes and well wishes, I've wanted to say a big THANK YOU! every day.

Seriously. I've been nervous, excited, working, trying to keep up with everything else, but I have not missed how great you all are with the well-wishes, the advice, the crit partners ready to read again. You guys are truly amazing. Thank you, and so much love~

Now for our Book Review!

Someone Like You is another Sarah Dessen title, and if you've been keeping up, you know I'm a fan. I literally finished this book in a matter of days and would've reviewed it sooner, but you know. Life.

SLY opens on the main character Halley at "Sisterhood Camp," where she's supposed to be learning self-esteem and in turn, getting along better with her parents (read, her mom).

Halley's mom is a psychologist, and prior to the start of the book the two were model parent-child relationship close. But over the summer, Halley and her best friend Scarlett have started branching out more and as a result, she's done the whole withdrawal from the parents thing.

In the first chapter we learn Scarlett's love interest Michael Sherwood has been killed in a motorcycle accident and then just a few chapters later we learn Scarlett's pregnant. Sort of an interesting dilemma.

Scarlett's mother encourages her to have an abortion, but when Scarlett refuses, her mom decides she'll put the baby up for adoption. Scarlett is also opposed to that.

Now all of that is just the backdrop to what happens to Halley, our main character. The book follows her first love with Macon, who was also Michael's best friend.

Both guys were pretty fast and loose with the ladies, and Dessen cleverly works that side of Macon into the story. The reader sees everything through Halley's eyes, so he starts out as this grief-stricken, but adventurous cute boy who often doesn't make it to school or encourages her to cut class or who drives to her house in the middle of the night.

And while Halley thinks it's all romantic, the reader also begins understanding Scarlett's warnings and the cautionary tales from another girl who isn't exactly Halley's friend.

The story culminates with Halley having to make a choice about who she really wants to be and how far she's going to follow Macon. Hence the title.

You know me, I always seem to give Dessen's books A++s, but in this case I especially like how few if any of the characters in Someone Like You do what you'd expect.

I like how Dessen works in Michael's official, model girlfriend's attitude of not really caring so much about families or doing the right thing and then contrasts it to Scarlett's choice and the subsequent fallout in public opinion. Even Macon's more than just a two-dimensional bad boy. So I highly recommend this book.

Heads up to moms, the book does contain some language and scenes of alcohol and drug use, but these scenes are handled in an accurate way. I remember having the distinct thought that my daughters should read this book when they're in high school.

I'm still working on revisions over here--you guys have a great weekend! Thanks again to all of you for just being so awesome. Love~ <3

Summer Sharing - Books

When I was in high school (like today), kids had required summer reading lists every year and then the first week back at school, we got to write an essay about our selections. Yay.

Hard to believe, I know, but I never dug summer reading lists. I read somewhere that the hardest reading to do is required reading. Why is that?

But in the spirit of summer reading and the notion that we have more time in the summer to read, I wondered what you guys would suggest as a great book I might've missed.

I'll get the ball rolling.

Since I feel bad about harshing on SL of PC, I suggest you ladies out there pick up a copy of Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti. It has a great summer feel, with a road trip and a wedding. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think.

For those of you who like really long books that are also classics, I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy The Three Muskateers. I'm not kidding!

That year I taught HS English, it was on the required summer reading list, and I'd never read it. I looked at the size of it and shuddered--you know how I feel about uber-long books--but it was really, really fun and entertaining. French names and all! (And it's good for guys, too, so bonus!)

If you're not really down with that and prefer something a little shorter/more modern, I really liked Sarah Dessen's That Summer. It's her debut novel, and I liked the mood of it. It's YA, but I think older audiences will like it. I don't know if it's "good for guys," but who knows.

You'll find it in bookstores with a picture of a girl doing a handstand on the cover. Not once in that book does a character do a handstand. It's very odd...

For more adultish books, I remember really loving Barbara Kingsolver's Bean Trees. I'm not sure what genre it is (literary fiction?), but it's an engaging read. I also liked Prodigal Summer by her, but JRM declared it "unreadable." Maybe so, but "unread." I found it appealing the summer I read it. It's all lush and green...

Of course, I'm planning to keep up the blogging, so you can always pop in for a quick read here. But for me summer is a time of heightened Mommy-guilt combined with a small dose of panic.

I feel bad when the girls start complaining that they're bored or when they want me to play with them, but I've got to do an interview/write a GTK/update bcbe.org/clean house... (OK, cleaning house is usually pretty easy to blow off for me. ;o)

So your assignment, should you choose to accept it: Tell me, What good book do you recommend? All ages/genres welcome!

And put it in the comments section for easy reference. You can even list more than one. I hope you'll also say whether it's scifi, romance, teen, classic, paranormal, inspirational--and if you're daring, why you like it. As a writer, that's very interesting to me.

Speaking of guy books (what?), has anyone read any Stieg Larsson? (Girl w/Dragon Tattoo, etc.) Every time I see those in the bookstores, I'm so curious...

Have a great weekend, and thanks for sharing!

P.S.
And if you're looking for a fun book to read to your kids, the original Pooh books by A.A. Milne are super. The girls and I've been reading a chapter at bedtime, and we just collapse into giggles. Maybe we should read them after breakfast...

Lots of Book Reviews - That Summer, H.B.S., Geek Charming, etc.

Woo! Next week is spring break in Baldwin County!

Many of you will be here, many of you are hitting Disney. I expect lots of funny pix on Facebook.

So I reported a while back that I've been updating my knowledge of current YA fiction for girls since deciding to hit the market with Debut Novel. And I have to gush, it's been so much fun!

I seriously love this stuff. I grew up addicted to Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Francine Pascal, you name it. Pretty much anything like that I devoured.

Naturally, Debut Novel falls into that category of books. However, I was also a Nancy Drew fan, so I wanted to throw in a little mystery. I think it works. Now I'm trying to convince the gatekeepers...

Since I've been reading so many of these books lately, I felt I should share in case any of you out there are looking for a fun, beach read.

First, That Summer, by Sarah Dessen is amazing. I could not put the book down, and it was not at all what I expected. Loved it. Go out and get it now. Don't be misled by the cover image--not once does any character do a cartwheel on the beach...

Loved, loved, loved the book. That being said, I also read The Truth About Forever by S.D., and loved it, too-! I discussed this one earlier under "eerie conicidences" because it has similar themes to DN. Anyway, S.D. might become a favorite author.

Bloom by Elizabeth Scott was good, but I felt like it was unfinished. There were details I would've liked to know about the characters, and I didn't really feel like the story concluded. More like it just stopped. But it stayed with me, and that's a great thing for any book.

I'm looking at another of Scott's books, Something, Maybe, to read next. It's recommended by S.D., so I'm optimistic.

Robin Palmer has a fun sense of humor and her books are very clean for all you parents reading. Geek Charming turned out to be super-sweet, although I didn't like the ending. Little Miss Red wasn't as tight as G.C., but it was funny and entertaining. Her books are like the literary equivalent of Clueless.

On Monday I finished Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon, and I'm still trying to decide if I'd categorize it as YA. Some situations described are v. adult. I suppose a 16 year-old could handle it, but I'd be selective if I had a sensitive reader.

It took me a week to get to Page 130, and I almost put it down a few times. But at last it took off and soared through to the end. I didn't think it was as scary as it was billed, but the conclusion was satisfying.

Before that I read Forever by Judy Blume. Being a fan of hers, I was surprised I'd never seen this title in my private school library. Richard informed me it's her "sex book."

Hello! He's right. Now how did he know that, and I didn't? Clearly even the boys will read J.B. if there's sex in it. Ha ha.

Yesterday I finished Deb Caletti's Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, and yes, if you're keeping track, that's two days after finishing Promise Not to Tell. My taste in books is showing...

H.B.S. just flew out of the gate. I was on p. 155 after two hours just loving it, but then it sort of got lost on the way to the bathroom. I mean, I get it that D.C. had to figure out a way to resolve the love situation she had created, but I wasn't sure I bought it.

Somebody that emotionally powerful isn't so easily gotten rid of in my opinion, which is what she set up through the mom and the Lillian character. And I kept wanting some verbal show-down. The one we get is a bit unsatisfying.

But it was a fun read. I definitely recommend picking it up. I laughed, I cried. And it's a National Book Award finalist. Bonus!

Also interesting to me was that Caletti was a journalist before becoming a novelist, although I'm not sure how long she worked as a journalist. I also read that her first four books are still unpublished. bluh...

So there you go. And I'd love to hear any recommendations from you guys!

On Self-Publishing

For some reason I have "Blame Canada" in my head this morning.

Also, finished the Dessen novel, and I really liked it. She's got a nice style of writing that's very engaging. And she manages to sneak in good advice without sounding school-marmish.

I would've handled the scene where the primaries (finally) get their first kiss a little differently. I mean, in my opinion, it was a bit wordy. I would've done more, "warm embrace, the world melted away, and it was just... perfect."

Something like that, but a little more polished. You know, give them their moment to savor, and then pick up with the bit about forever and all.

But that's just me. Otherwise, good stuff! I can totally see me reading another of her books.

So to self-publishing! Some people are curious as to why I don't like that option. I've been an editor for years. I've sent back many a bleeding manuscript. I even know how the printing process works. What's the big deal?

Well, one set of reasons is practical, the other is more philosophical.

First, let me say, I'm strictly talking about publishing books. Novels. Not cookbooks or family geneologies or things like that, which are intended for a specific group of people for a specific purpose. I'm talking about self-publishing my work of YA commercial fiction. (I.e., vanity press.)

On the practical side, publishing's expensive. There's also the problem of editing your work. Yes, I'm an editor, and I've even edited the works of tenured Ph.D.s, and guess what? EVERYBODY needs a good editor.

You just need an outsider to read your stuff and make sure all the thoughts that were in your head made it successfully into the story.

It really does take a full six-week break to be able to go back to something you've written and see that "Oh! I thought I explained that better." Or "Wow, I could've expanded on that a little more."

Second, you need a good copy-editor. You just do. Somebody's got to un-split all those infinitives.

Finally, the most important thing, Marketing. I was just telling someone that if I hadn't seen an aritcle in Entertainment Weekly about the "Twilight phenomenon"--this was back when Breaking Dawn was dropped--I would never have picked up a copy and read it. Why would I? I have no tween children. We were still reading Madeline every night.

But I did see that article, and so did a lot of my peers. And Stephanie Meyers thanks us all.

Maybe you don't care to be that successful. (What?) But even to get a little publicity--to get the word-of-mouth wheels turning--takes a lot of effort and time. At least with an actual publisher you get some help with that. I know, the amount varies and is reportedly shrinking.

Coming from a marketing background, that is just so counterintuitive...

As for the philisophical, well, it's about the joy of reading.

Now you've all heard me complain about how long this finding an agent process takes and then how long it's going to take after that to get through publishing and yadda yadda yadda.

But that's just part of it. And the complaining's primarily for laughs because I know that's just the nature of the business. I've also decided to get back into yoga.

It can be discouraging that a big part of one's success seems to hinge on the ability to write a superstar sales pitch that sums up a 300- to 500-page work of fiction in one titilating paragraph. (Angela: "I hate being titilated.")

I can only imagine the mountain of super-great books that are just never going to be published because of this whole query-letter test.

But I do think moving the slush pile out of a few publishing houses and into hundreds of agency offices actually gives more people a shot at being considered--or at least actually read once.

That just brings us back to quality control. I know that a big part of my learning came from the books I read growing up. I learned to communicate effectively, to use language, even some mechanical tricks. (But I was nerdy like that.)

Philosophicaly, there's a certain authority to a printed book. I know, there's a lot of bound garbage out there, but there's also a lot of bound good stuff. Interesting stuff. Fun stuff. Deep and meaningful stuff.

I don't know, it's frustrating and rejections are depressing, but I think authors should resist self-publishing. If everybody's doing it, then where's the value in actually getting it done?

Finally, in conclusion, when you're sick of waiting and you see that icon promising to get your book published for a few hundred dollars, stop. Think: What would Brian Boitano do?

And then send a query to Nathan Bransford.

On Life Imitating Art

First, thank you all for the nice FB comments and emails about the blog. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying it, and I wish I could figure out how to make it easier to leave comments here. I do enjoy reading your feedback!

Second, continuing my self-assigned homework, I'm half-way through Sarah Dessen's The Truth About Forever, and I like it! Also, oy, with the eerie coincidences again! But it's good. I'd describe it as a "gentle read." I don't know what I mean by that, but it's just the thought I keep having.

Now to the Life v. Art debate!

Without being too spoilerish, there's a scene in one of my books where a character discovers her significant other has had an affair and loses it. Like big-time over the top, trash the house, throw everything into the yard loses it.

I've never really been one of those displays of temper sorts of people, so it was an interesting scene to write. I thought of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez burning the house down or Angela Bassett's character in Waiting to Exhale loading up the car with all his stuff and then setting it on fire.

I'm always watching the cops in those scenes. They're almost apologetic about having to arrest the "love has made me crazy" person. It's all very fascinating to me.

The difference with my particular character is she would never burn her house down. It's as much a part of her identity as it is significant other's--possibly more. It's the repeated reason they're together. The dream. I really wanted to set them up as two people who care about each other but never really know each other. You know the type.

They stayed together because... well, they look great together and they're rich. And occasionally there were chances the could've gotten closer, but they just never pursued those opportunities. Work, kids, etc.

Anyway, so I was working this out around Thanksgiving, and I'd just polished off the house-destruction scene when my dad asked me if I'd heard about what happened with Tiger Woods. Not being as much of a golfer as Dad (or at all), I was all, "Huh?"

So it was another eerie moment hearing those first news reports right on the heels of writing a similar scene. Tiger's wife beat up the car with a golf club. It was close.

But my character would never go after the guy. She wouldn't know how or even why. Nope, she goes after the other female. Sort of. I like to imagine what happens next is unexpected. You'll have to read the book...

So life imitating art or art imitating life? That happened more than once as I was writing, and I decided to take it as meaning I was successfully creating real characters experiencing real life events in the course of telling the story I wanted to tell. Yep. That's what it was.

Finally, not to be cliche and not at all to say "poor Tiger Woods," but man. Talk about dirty laundry aired for the world. I wasn't alive yet (or old enough to be aware), but it seems like nobody cared when it was Warren Beatty or Wilt Chamberlain. I mean, news people didn't go after those guys, they came after us saying "Look, look what I did!" Right?

And like, why didn't those guys get sent to therapy?

Is it because he's a golfer? Is it because he was married? Did he become the leader of the Christian Coalition when I wasn't looking?

I'm just saying. I'd be fine with letting that story die.

Gotta dash now, kids. I'm on deck to sling that hash at the elementary school. Love volunteer work--and, hey, SFES parents, we need more helpers!