ROUGE on Sale for #99cents & My NEW Book!

Happy Monday, reader-friends--I've got TWO BIG announcements for you today...

For starters, my swishy, romantic suspense novel set in a turn-of-the-century New Orleans cabaret is ON SALE for just 99 cents this week!

Grab your copy, and remember to leave a review if you like it~

On Amazon

This week only - Get ROUGE for 99¢
►Amazon: http://smarturl.it/RgeAA
►iTunes: http://bit.ly/15Cm8m2
►B&N: http://bit.ly/Z9518R
►Kobo: http://smarturl.it/RgKo
►ARe: http://smarturl.it/RgARe

* * *

And What's This? I have a NEW BOOK coming December 31!

Yes. But you don't have to wait that long if you don't want to. I'm going to mix things up a little bit and release the whole thing as a SERIAL starting out!

It's called Behind the Stars, and I'll give you the blurb followed by the Official Release Schedule:

Add it on Goodreads!

BEHIND THE STARS

By Leigh T. Moore

Prentiss Puckett is certain of three things:

-Graduation is two weeks away.

-Summer only gets hotter in south Mississippi.

-She’s getting a job with air-conditioning.

She did not expect to be kidnapped walking to work.

And she never expected to become a hero.

Red Dawn meets L O S T in this new action-adventure romance from Amazon bestselling author Leigh Talbert Moore.

Official Release Schedule

Nov. 9 – COVER REVEAL

Nov. 9 - Captive

Nov. 9 - Learning to Spy

Nov. 23 - Harvest Moon

Dec. 7 - Jackson

Dec. 21 - Into the Woods

Dec. 28 - If I Fly

Dec. 31 – BEHIND THE STARS Release & Release Day Blitz!

So there you go! My exciting news. 

YOU can be a part of the Behind the Stars COVER REVEAL on Nov 9!

Fill out this form, and we'll send you everything you need to post on your Facebook page, twitter, blog, Pinterest--wherever you share fun news: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YP2iqBy1Cjh51x0Kz9Q9e51GFsINKekItlMs6cR0lCg/viewform?usp=send_form

► Add it on Goodreads Today:

BEHIND THE STARS (complete set): http://smarturl.it/BTSGR

SERIES:

Captive (#1): http://smarturl.it/BTS1GR

Learning to Spy (#2): http://smarturl.it/BTS2GR

Harvest Moon (#3): http://smarturl.it/BTS3GR

Jackson (#4): http://smarturl.it/BTS4GR

Into the Woods (#5): http://smarturl.it/BTS5GR

If I Fly (#6): http://smarturl.it/BTS6GR

Buy and pre-order links will all go live on November 9!

* * *

While I'm busy getting all this together, stay tuned here and on my Facebook page (Facebook.com/LeighTalbertMoore) for updates!

And remember you can get Sale and New Release Alerts straight to your phone or mobile device by texting "LeighTMoore" to 77948 now!*

OR

Sign up for my New Release Newsletter and NEVER miss a New Release or Sale: eepurl.com/tzVuP

That's it! Fun stuff for the holidays.

Have a super week, reader-friends~

*(Max six messages per month; HELP for help; STOP to cancel; Text and Data rates may apply. Privacy policy available, leightmoore@gmail.com)

I Had a Publishing Dream...

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., day! He had a dream--I wrote a post about it here (link)!

Today, I'm thinking about something that was on my mind last week, but "life and being a mom" kind of knocked me off my schedule.

So you're getting it now. Ready?

In 2009, I had a dream of being a traditionally published author, having my books on bookstore shelves, being reviewed in Entertainment Weekly, maybe having a movie or a TV series made from one of them...

In 2011, when many of my closest, most trusted author-friends were jumping ship and heading into the world of independent publishing, I landed an agent for my book Rouge (link).

Eventually that agent secured me a basic contract with a Big Six publisher (there were still six in 2011).

Sometimes I wish I'd been brave enough to walk away from that situation in 2011, but it took me until 2012 to see what was happening in traditional publishing and to understand that if I wasn't getting a SUPERSTAR contract, I needed to high-tail it out of there. Fast.

I've been an independent/self-published author since September 2012, and my first book The Truth About Faking (link) has sold almost 50,000 copies worldwide.

That sounds like a lot. That is a lot! But I actually have independent-author friends who sell that much in a month. Some sell twice that much in a month.

So I'm kind of a mid-list independent author.

What's the point?

Two weeks ago I was flipping through my Entertainment Weekly for the week ending Jan. 16, 2014. Usually I skip over the "Books" section, but on this day I stopped to check out the Fiction Top 10 list.

Ready for the names?

#1-John Grisham
#2-James Patterson
#3-Tom Clancy
#4-Stephen King
#5-Mitch Albom
#6-Janet Evanovich....

Are you seeing my point now?

I have no intention of going on a rant about traditional publishing, But Gah! They really make it difficult sometimes. John Grisham? Tom Clancy???

As a former editor and a college grad with a Master's in mass communication, who started out focused on book publishing, I understand the business of making money.

But jeez louise, could that list demonstrate any more clearly how nothing has changed?

I have a second-degree author-friend (a friend of a friend), and a few weeks ago, she was brave enough to write a blog post about how less than broke she is as a mid-list selling author with a Big Five publisher.

She's pretty well-known. You would know her name if I put it here. But I won't. Why?

Because in less than one hour after she posted, it went viral. And in less than fifteen minutes of me reading it, it was GONE.

I don't know if her publisher muzzled her or her agent... or if she really did decide (as she said) it probably was tacky to put actual numbers online for the world to see.

You know what I think is tacky? The continued treatment of new authors with interesting stories to tell, new voices, as less than second-class citizens in favor of the same old boring lineup of guaranteed freight movers.

A few of my indie-author friends are discouraged about how hard it is to rise above the noise right now.

Some of them are returning to the traditional merry-go-round because they're tired, and it's not so easy to throw a title up there and make a million dollars any more. (Not that this little black duck ever did.) The word is out!

But this Entertainment Weekly list only demonstrated to me what I felt in my gut: Going back is just setting yourself up for the same old treatment.

Yes, I understand your exhaustion and frustration, author-friends. I feel it, too.

But rather than whopping myself over the head anymore for not being daredevil enough to jump into the indie pool when the rest of you did, I'm going to be thankful right now.

I'm thankful I got that first book deal with the Big Six publisher. Why? Because it was the same deal my second-degree friend got, and I heard in her post the heartbreak and the loss I'd be feeling over being overlooked and earning less than a paperboy for my work. I have children to feed and send to college, too.

Self-publishing is hard work.

Yes, it is. But guess what else it is? It's freedom.

I can give away copies of my books--as many as I like!--and I can decide what comes next. I often chat with my reader-friends about what they like, and if I want to promote one of my titles, I can hold a contest and/or modify my prices and/or change my covers...

You know what else?

Do self-publishing well enough, and contrary to what they were all telling us in 2011, you will end up right there beside the John Grishams, etc.--if that's what you choose to do.

Self-publishing doesn't close any doors. It only opens a whole world of new ones.

Have a super week, reader friends! Fight the power--read a new author for a change. *wink* 

Rouge #WINNER and Keeping Up

We have a Winner, reader-friends!!!

I went to the ole Random Number Generator, and it pulled.... #2!!!

Chris Fries--you Won the Rouge Audiobook (link)! 

Please email me at leightmoore(at)gmail.com so I can give you the claim number.

**woo hoo!!!** **throws confetti**

(Honestly, I would give all of you who entered a free copy, but unlike my ebooks, I don't have access to it that way. They only gave me like five codes.)

If you're interested in Rouge, the book, here's the link. I call it my "secret book" because so few people know about it... (LOL!) But it's a good one--just different from my other stuff.

Anywho! I'm in the reading cave doing beta reads for some fabulous author-friends.

Add Me!

Today, I'm working on a new book (Unexpectedly You) by my lovely cover-designer Jolene Perry (link) and supersweet friend Cassie Mae (link).

They're writing together as Mia Josephs & Riley Janes. (I know! Wha-what???)

But it has something to do with their traditionally pubbed books... it's OK, though--I can tell you this so you know to go buy this FAB book by these amazing writer-friends when it releases later THIS MONTH...

After that, I get to read a superfun, supersexay new serial by my author-friend Magan Vernon (link).

Then I'll be heading into the next installment of  A Shot in the Light by one of my first bloggy buddies, the fantastic leader of the Naked World Domination campaign, Hart Johnson (link).

Seriously, if you love conspiracy theory stories, you will LOVE her Shot in the Light series. It's fast-paced, fun, and chilling AND it's only 99 cents on Amazon (link).

So lest you think I'm just hanging out, eating bonbons and not writing... LOL!

Have a super week, reader-friends! Back soon~ 

Scream for #HALLOWEEN, #WIN a Rouge audiobook!

Halloween is my all-time, absolute favorite holiday.

So in honor of the occasion, I'm RE-presenting my Top Three Favorite Halloween Memories starting from least scary to... well, most silly.

And Stay tuned... your chance to WIN! is at the end~

1. The Country Fair-McCue Road.

In elem-middle grades, I went to a private school that had a Country Fair every year on Halloween. There were games, dunking booths, crafts for sale, fair food, etc.

That was all fun when I was little, but when I got closer to high school, I realized the teenagers would always take off and run around to local "haunted" sites while all the children and parents were at the fair. (Back then you got your drivers' license at 15 and I had an older brother.)

There were two sites near where we lived that had several legends around them. The first was McCue Road. It led back into the woods and started off paved, but eventually it turned to gravel. Supposedly two dead bodies drained of all their blood had been found wrapped in garbage bags back on the gravel part. Naturally, that meant there was a coven of witches doing Black Sabbath rituals that we had to investigate.

The other was a grave at this Civil War-era cemetery in Zachary, La. I don't remember the name, but the grave had bars installed across the top because the legend was it contained the corpse of a witch. One by one the bars had been removed by... teenagers... and supposedly when the last bar was gone, she'd come back and kill us all.

All sorts of stories about cars going dead and then failing to start, power windows going down and not going back up, headlights going out and not coming back on, etc., were told by kids who'd tried to steal bars off the grave.

(To me that didn't make sense because wouldn't she want to come back? So why mess with the teenagers trying to release her?)

Nothing ever happened to us on these trips, but the memory of being 13 and allowed to tag along with the cool "big kids" on those adventures is still pretty vivid. It forms the basis of my Halloween love...

2. My Hero.

In college I dated a guy who was six-foot-two, 200 pounds--big guy. He stomped around town in Size 13 Docs, was the lead guitarist in a band. Mr. Cool, right?

He was also the youngest of nine kids--good south Louisiana Catholic family--and claimed when he was out running one night he saw the Spirit of Death (a dark shadow) rise out of a gutter and go into a house in his neighborhood. The next day (he said) the man who lived in that house died of a heart attack.

My boyfriend was also a major campy-horror-movie fan. Like the super B- variety. He made me watch The Evil Dead. And the sequels. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Piranha! (the original)...

So he and I went to this haunted house one Halloween--you know, the pretend kind where people dress up and try to scare you? Many of you have never seen me in person. I'm not so big. I'm about five-foot-four, and I weigh between 120 and 130 pounds, depending on if there are cupcakes in the house.

At one point on our haunted tour a fellow dressed as Leatherface with a chainless chainsaw ran out toward us. Immediately my giant boyfriend lifted me off the ground by my upper arms and threw me in front of him, at the guy with the chainsaw.

Me: What are you doing?!?!
Him: (panicked) They won't hurt a girl!
Me: They won't hurt anybody! It's all fake!

We all know that was a completely illogical response, btw. They always hurt the girl.

3. Trick or Treat.

We didn't celebrate Halloween at my house when I was a kid. Well, my paternal grandmother thought that was a lot of ridiculousness. So one year when my brother and I were visiting her at Halloween (we were very young), she decided to take us trick or treating around her small hometown of Liberty, Miss.

I was very much a pleaser as a child, and I just knew we weren't supposed to be doing this. Internally, I was all a-fret because "if Mom found out..."

I was also a pudgy little kid. I was never very tall and until I hit puberty, I was ... well, fat. There's just no other nice way to say it. I didn't like to sweat and I liked to eat. Two plus two equals four.

So we went to several houses, got bags filled with candy. Me: Hey, this Halloween business ain't so bad! Then my Mammaw said we had to go to one more house. It was someone she knew, but at the time, I wasn't aware of that.

My brother and I walked up to the door and knocked and "REEE!!!" An Evil Witch jumped out and released a blood-curdling screech! My brother took off like a rabbit, but I knew I'd never out-run her. I closed my eyes and started swinging my Halloween bag with all my might.

To this day I remember hearing nothing but a high-pitched shree and feeling all my precious candy falling around my shoulders and disappearing through the cracks in the porch. At some point, I took off running. I was not pursued because the "witch" was bent over, hyperventilating with laughter.

I remember seeing her talking to my grandmother through the driver's-side window at the car, and I crept back and got in the backseat. We had to drive a few blocks before we found my brother...

So there you go! My fave holiday memories... ***Now for the TREAT! Your chance to WIN!***

On Amazon

I'd love to hear your favorite Halloween memory.

Leave a comment, and on Monday, I'll pick ONE LUCKY commenter to WIN a copy of the Rouge audiobook!!!

Here's the description:

Romance, velvet, sequins, and murder...
 
Hale Ferrer is the rising star of the hottest cabaret in New Orleans. And her one goal is escape. Escape from the lies, from the crime, and from her growing fear that one day she'll have to earn her living in the secret back rooms, where the dancers do more than dance.
  
But she won't leave behind Teeny, the orphan-girl she promised to protect.
  
Freddie Lovel is rich, handsome, and in love with Hale, and he's ready to sweep her away with him to Paris. But her heart is captured by Beau, the poor stagehand with eyes as blue as Louisiana iris flowers.
   
Denying her fears, Hale is ready to choose love and a life with Beau, until a predator hidden in the wings launches a chain of events that could cost her everything--Teeny, their one hope of escape, and possibly even her life.

Yep! My dark and atmospheric tale set in New Orleans read by the lovely & talented Susan Eichorn Young is perfect for the season. You'll LOVE it~

So leave a comment, then get out, scare some children, eat some candy, watch a scary movie, be safe.

But most of all have a very, very

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Cover Reveal for the Queen of Covers!

Happy Monday, reader-friends!

What a FUN weekend we had with the Lucky 13 Sale and Giveaway! THANK YOU to everyone who participated and made it a huge success.

The Giveaway is going on for a few more days, 13 people will win! Go here to enter (link)!

Now for the Cover Reveal.

You all know how much I love my cover-designer, writer-friend extraordinaire Jolene Perry.

She's the genius who made the covers for The Truth About Faking, Rouge, and the Dragonfly series. Just last week, she helped me update the ebook covers for Dragonfly & Undertow to this:

Jolene made us because she's brilliant.

Are those gorgeous or what?

She's the mastermind who created the Watercolor cover, which is absolutely perfect for Anna & Julian's love story...

Well, she's got her first HARDCOVER book coming out from Albert Whitman Teen, and I am so so proud and excited for her!!!

The thing about traditional publishing is they don't let you do your own covers. And for someone as brilliant as Jolene, I imagine that can be pretty scary. I'm happy to say they did a FAB job.

Here it is, and below, I'll tell you how to preorder your copy!

On Goodreads

Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

Aidan planned on being a "lifer" in the army and went to Iraq straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life.

When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

OMG, I am so in love with this book and cover. Order your copy today!

And have a super week, reader-friends~

Dragonfly First Teaser! And #WIN Books!

Popping out from the cave, I promised Dragonfly teasers, and I've got the first one ready for you below!

Before we get to that, I wanted to share TWO chances to #WIN copies of my books.

#WIN me!

#1-The Truth About Faking is up for grabs over on Christine Fonesca's blog (link).

Christine is releasing a new nonfiction book called The Girl Guide, and it looks fantastic--a must read for parents and girls in the middle school years.

This is your LAST DAY, so check it out, and enter to #WIN!

#2-Jessica at Hoplessly Devoted Bibliophile is celebrating her Blogoversary with chances to #WIN fun prizes, including a copy of Rouge (link).

Rouge made it to the Quarter Finals Round of the 2013 ABNA. It's a new adult romantic suspense set in a cabaret in New Orleans. 

#WIN me!

So if you're looking for something different in the New Adult genre, hop over and enter to #WIN!

And now, the moment you've been waiting for! 

Exclusive Teaser #1 from Dragonfly, Coming June 6:

A half-step, I was in his arms. A glint of blue and his mouth covered mine. I trembled as his hands traveled up the sides of my dress to my shoulders, then lightly cupped my cheeks.

His lips moved to the corner of my mouth, then my jaw, and a tiny noise slipped from my throat. I was tense and electric, and all I could think were his soft lips touching me, my fingers exploring his hard stomach through the thin cotton shirt he wore. 

His mouth traveled to my ear, where he kissed me lightly before whispering. “Let’s sit.” 

Taking my hand, he sat in the sand and pulled me onto his lap, and I watched as he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his lined chest. Then he took my hands and placed my palms flat on his warm skin. Gorgeous.

“Now you,” he said, and his arms circled to my back. I was breathing fast as he slid my zipper down and my straps fell to the sides. I was sitting in my bra facing him in the silver moonlight, my hands still on his chest. 

My head was so light, I could barely breathe. This was all new to me, and there was no way I was stopping it. My shoulders shook, and I looked down. 

“Are you afraid?” he whispered. 

I shook my head no, lying. He cupped my chin, tilting my face up, and looked into my eyes. The breeze blew his golden hair around his cheeks, and I was convinced this was what an angel looked like.

Dragonfly is Book #1 of the as-yet unnamed series, coming June 6; another Teaser posts Tuesday!

Have a lovely weekend, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

Fun News, Jump Boys, & The Edge of the Falls

First the Fun News!

Rouge has made it to the Quarter Finals Round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.

Download me FREE!

O.M.G.

I confess, y'all, I've been doing everything in my power not to think about the fact that I entered this contest.

Why? Well, I love this swishy, musical-theater, romantic-suspense story so much, I feel like sometimes I'm wearing it on my sleeve.

And after its history, and to see it do well, and to read the nice reviews has just made me ... verklempt.

Give me a moment. Talk amongst yourselves...

Or better yet, if you would, please hop over and download the FREE first chapter (link)!

I don't know if it helps or not, but it might. And it'll give you a feel for the book if you haven't read it. You might like it! (Especially if you liked Les Miz--it's very similar in tone and feel.)

And if you have read Rouge and like it, you might consider leaving a short, sweet review there. Your call.

Thank you so much!

Now for the Jump Boys~

Great bloggy friend Ali Cross/Alex Banks has written the most awesome-sounding middle-grade science fiction adventure! I'm dying to read it and so is my fifth grader!


Jump Boys: SOS
by Alex Banks
MG Science Fiction

A dare gone terribly wrong.
An SOS from another universe.
A threat from right next door.

Thirteen-year-old twin brothers Jayce and Val are about to jump the multi-verses on a dangerous dare, but true danger is closer to home than they realize.

The Jupiter Prime colony has been orbiting the stormy gas giant for nineteen years and all anyone wants is to get back to Earth. Sent to preserve the best and brightest of the population, a grievous error in the Prime’s navigation coordinates sent the colony to an alternate dimension with no way to return to the Earth they call home.

In a society where technical expertise is valued above all else, Jayce and Val are among the most privileged—until they uncover their uncle’s plot to claim dominion over space and time. While attempting to rescue a lone girl from a post-apocalyptic earth, Val will come face to face with space pirates and Jayce will lay his life on the line for the sake of his brother and the little girl who holds the key to time itself.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Smashwords * Goodreads

Alex Banks doesn’t live on Planet Earth.Alex lives on the Prime Colony Ship orbiting Jupiter or on a pirate ship off the Nova Scotia coast,or on a world called Insulunda where the land masses shift and move like clouds.Wherever there are dreams to be charted like stars in the sky or fun to be had just down that street . . . that’s where you’ll find Alex Banks.

~ ~ ~

Last but not least, The Edge of the Falls (link) is now out!

I did the cover reveal for great bloggy friend Nazarea Andrews's new book last week, and now you can get it. It's an awesome romance for lovers of Beauty & the Beast.

On Amazon

Here's the description:

Sabah always knew where she belonged—with Berg—and what was expected of her—to care for the other children the Mistress took in.

But when a ban-wolf saves her life, things begin to change.

Arjun isn’t like the other ban-wolves, the savage creatures that are barely human. He’s gentle and furious and as Sabah spends time with him, she can’t seem to get him out of her mind. But in a world of darkness, control, and danger, is there a place for two outcasts?

Edge of the Falls is a romantic retelling of Beauty and the Beast in a dark dystopia.

Here's the link to get it on Amazon.

Nazarea's also having loads of fun giveaways and contests on her blog (link), including things like query critiques and chapter critiques! Check it out!

Fun times.

Enjoy, and have a super weekend, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

The Persistence of Story

Does it feel early to anyone else? Daylight savings, man...

Okay, first off, I'm over on The Kindness Project blog today talking about how I don't believe happiness is a choice. Feel free to hop over and disagree with me (link).

Now, what's this about persistent stories? Well, I'll tell ya.

We're all writers here. Or readers. And writers are readers, so that makes us all one and the same. My point is this: since the Dawn of Time, there have been folks telling stories and folks wanting to hear stories.

Putting on my storyteller hat, I'll admit the reason I'm a full-time writer now is because once I typed "The End" on that first book of mine back in 2009 (which is still in the drawer), it was like I'd pulled my finger out of the proverbial hole in the dyke.

(Don't be gross. It's a legend.)

All the stories just flooded my brain, and I've been working hard to keep up ever since. In that first year alone, I finished five books. Granted, I spent the next year revising two of them (The Truth About Faking and Rouge), and another year waiting for traditional publishing to have its way with me...

(Yes. I was thinking it that time. And Letting Go was written later, just fyi.)

Here I sit with three books out there, three more ready to go, one needing to be finished, and in my head is this new idea that's just bugging me...

I guess that's just what we do. We either have to tell stories or we have to listen to them. Hopefully they're good ones. Hopefully you like the stories I tell...

Or I don't know. Am I just talking to myself here? Do most of you writer-friends have very organized brains that behave and follow sequentially? Do I need my head checked?

(I know who's going to say Yes to that.)

Either way, I'll just keep on writing and putting them out there. I can't help it. It's how my brain's wired up. I smell hair burning...

While I untangle the wires, I've got two new stories to share that I'm pretty sure you'll like:

Great bloggy friend M Pax (love that name) has just put out #3 in her Backworlds series. I got to edit the very first one, and I can tell you, it is awesome!

I don't normally read space opera, and I was hooked, pulled in, and cheering for Craze (the main character) by story's end. That book, The Backworlds, is FREE, so run get (link)!

The new book is Boomtown Craze, and it sounds like another great installment. Here's the poop:

On Amazon

A Grand New Age of Boom or Dust?

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe.

To secure his future, Craze must propel his world into a more prosperous era. Only days away from the grand opening of his new and improved tavern, he is confronted by a loony Backworlder intent on mucking up his plans.

Gaunt and trembling, she claims her spaceship is possessed. She also has a connection to the underworld that shakes loose the dark past of one of Craze’s closest friends. It all threatens to end Craze’s prosperity before it begins.

Meanwhile off world, Captain Talos works desperately to outwit the mercenary Jixes and lure them away from his and Craze’s budding prospects. The mind-control weapon Talos uses against them is wearing thin, and his next move may be his last.

Will Craze and Talos’s efforts bring about a grand new age of boom or damn them to forever struggle in the dust?

AmazonUS / AmazonUK / B&N / Smashwords

Other Outlets can be found at http://mpaxauthor.com.

MP!

M. Pax is a Browncoat and SG fan, she’s also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats.

Website/Blog ~ Twitter ~ FB ~ Goodreads ~ LinkedIN ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ Wattpad

And until March 22, you can enter to WIN! a set of signed Backworlds paperbacks, including The Backworlds, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge, and Boomtown Craze (US only), OR! a choice of five ebooks (open internationally). Click here to enter!

The second book is by bloggy friend Lisa Gail Green (link). It's not out yet, but here's the lovely cover and information:

Tricked into slavery by the man she loved, the Djinni Leela has an eternity to regret her choices.

Awakened in the prison of her adolescent body, she finds a new master in possession of the opal that binds her. But seventeen-year-old Jered is unlike any she’s seen. His kindness makes Leela yearn to trust again, to allow herself a glimmer of hope.

Could Jered be strong enough to free her from the curse of the Binding Stone?

Add it on Goodreads today!

Follow LG2 on Twitter.


Oh, and my giveaway's still going on! You can enter to win a signed print set of The Truth About Faking and The Truth About Letting Go at this (link)

Have a super week, reader- and writer-friends! I'm just over here sorting it out~ <3

Me on Publishing and Some Cover Love

[Note: I've got a short post over on the Indelibles blog (link) today. But it's not about me! It's about my good writer-friend Ali Cross and her new Writer's Dojo! Check it out~]

Now for this post... Because lord knows, we all need another opinion on what's happening in publishing.

Get me!

I stumbled into self-publishing with a little book the traditional guys all rejected (The Truth About Faking, link), and had a shockingly good experience.

Then I followed it up with a book the traditional guys wanted (Rouge, link), and had what I think is the typical self-publishing experience.

So I don't consider myself expert on all this. (If you want an expert, see my good writer-friend Susan Quinn, link). But I listen a lot. And I observe a lot. And I tend to be excessively analytical at times.

Some observers have noted that self-publishing seems to be the new query letter. I think there's validity in that argument.

I disagree with observers who think traditional publishing is going away. When I interviewed Tammara Webber here last summer (link), she made a great point: Traditional publishers haven't been doing this for as long as they have to not know what they're doing. (I paraphrased--she said it better. LOL!)

Gigantic bookstores are probably going away, which is a little scary. But if it means smaller bookstores will begin to thrive, I like it. I just hope they'll be open to indies...

When I was offered my traditional ebook only deal Spring 2012, it was identical to a "nice" traditional print deal. Now, advances and royalty rates coming off of indie sales are way more writer-friendly.

You even have successful indies like Hugh Howey or Coleen Hoover keeping their ebook rights altogether and signing traditional print-only deals. (Which I say is brilliant!)

I do know a ton of writer-friends are embracing self-publishing, and it's lost almost all of its former stigma. Even with once-anti-self-publishing curmudgeons like myself.

When I put TTAF out there, I thought of it like a little paper boat floating down this fast-moving stream, rounding curves, hitting rapids, wobbling, and I was just standing on the bank watching it, holding my breath, waiting to see if it would stay afloat.

That's kind of how I feel about what's going on in publishing right now. We're in a hugely transitional time in the business, and I don't think anybody can predict what will happen next. I think it's good to stay flexible, try different things, do what works for you, and hold on!

And good luck to all my writer-friends, traditional, indie, or some weird hybrid mix like me. I'd love to hear what you guys think!

Now, bring on the covers!

First, my great Indelible writer-friend G.P. Ching (link) has a gorgeous new installment coming in her Soulkeepers series (#4). I agreed to share the word on it--and just look at the cover (below)...

Soul Catcher, Soulkeepers #4 description:

Add me!

Dane Michaels has been to Hell and back and isn't interested in repeating the experience. But as a human caught up in the Soulkeeper's world, his life isn't exactly his own. 

No one can explain why Dane was allowed through the gates of Eden, but it's changed everything. Now, the only one who can make him feel safe is Ethan, the telekinetic Soulkeeper with a dark past and a heart of gold.

When Malini asks Dane to be part of a mission to find the last Soulkeeper, Cheveyo, more than one team member thinks she's tempting Fate. But Malini suspects Fate has had a hand in Dane's life for some time and that he could be the key to unraveling Lucifer's latest plan of attack.

Add it on Goodreads (link)!


Finally, the ebook version of Rouge (link) has a new look. You can see it on the sidebar and below.

Get me!

I'm also highlighting the romantic suspense and coming of age elements of the story more to reader-friends.

What do you think?

[Note: The original cover will remain on the print version of Rouge (link), so don't despair fans of that look.]

My brilliant cover-designer and writer-friend Jolene Perry (link) had the idea for this new one, and since she's my covergirl, we're giving it a go, trying something new for fun!

Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

Updates and Epicness

Before we get to the EPIC awesomeness, three quick updates!

1-For a limited time, Rouge is only $1.99 (link)!

If you still haven't gotten it, wait no more! If you liked or loved it, please spread the word and consider posting a short review on Amazon (link) and/or Goodreads (link). Those help us so much. Thanks!

2-The Truth About Letting Go is coming in February!

It's in final revisions, and I am so excited to share this one with you, reader-friends! If you'd like to help me with the pistol-shot cover reveal/it's LIVE release announcement, please email me (link) or leave a comment below with your email address!

3-Finally, sign up for my newsletter in the blank below. It's just for new release announcements or special sales. (No spam, I promise!)

Leigh's Reader News

Easy peasy!

Now for the EPIC...

Good bloggy friend Heather McCorkle (link) writes the most amazing fantasy books. I'm not a fantasy reader and I read her book To Ride a Puca (link) and I seriously enjoyed it!

She has a new book coming out next month, and I am thrilled to be a part of her cover reveal. If you like knights and ladies fair, dragons, and epic fantasy ... even if you don't (is that possible?), you should give her books a try.

So without further ado...

Add on Goodreads

The Dragon Empire by Heather McCorkle (Feb. 2013, Compass Press)

On Yacrana, dragons stand at the top of the evolutionary ladder instead of humans. Such an advanced species is not without its issues though. 

There's trouble in the Dragon Empire, the kind that could start a war between dragons and the races of people. Hidden factions of dragons believe they should rule the lesser races, not simply stand aside and allow them to develop as they will. Having lived so long in peace, the Emperors turn a blind eye, many oblivious that such attitudes even exist. 

Despite being only an architect class, emerald dragon, Grendar is willing to risk banishment and death to stop that which his rulers refuse to see. The hope of peace lies not within the scaled breast of a dragon however, but within the hands of a group of people. But if the hidden factions have their way, these people won’t live to fulfill such a destiny. With a reluctant seer at his side, Grendar must leave his precious Empire for the outside world to save those that will one day save his kind. 

It's coming next month, so add it to your Goodreads list (link)!

And here's a little more about Heather and where you can find her:

I am an author of fantasy, in all its many sub-genres. Living green, saving endangered species, helping other writers, and supporting fabulous authors are a few of my passions. I am also a volunteer for the IS Foundation which works to make the world a greener place. 

Heather McCorkle

When I'm not volunteering, writing, or surfing my social networking sites, I can be found on the slopes, the hiking trails, or on horseback. As a native Oregonian, I enjoy the outdoors almost as much as the worlds I create on the pages. 

No need to travel to the Great Northwest though, you can find me on my blog (link), and Monday nights on Twitter where I co-moderate the #WritersRoad chat. Links to Heather:

Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon Author Page

Have a super week, reader- and writer-friends! I'm heading back into the revisions cave for a bit~ <3