Author Interview:: Leigh T. Moore

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What does a typical writing day look like for you?

I have this giant Rube Goldberg machine that picks me out of bed, drops me in my clothes, makes my coffee, and then carries me over to my computer and puts my hands on the keyboard. It’s not so good at storytelling…

LOL! Just KIDding. I don’t know. I kind of stagger to my laptop and start pounding away. Then I’ll stop and stare off into space for a while… Then I’ll have at it again. If I get stuck, I go for a run, and that usually helps. If I get really, really stuck, I’ll take a break and listen to some music or daydream or something until I figure it out. But mostly I try to save the problem solving until after the first draft is finished.

Why did you decide to self publish?

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Peer pressure. No, I had this book (The Truth About Faking) that all of my beta readers liked, my agent liked, but I couldn’t get a publishing deal for it. Editors were very complimentary about it, but their reasons for passing were all varied and nebulous and often contradictory.

Many of my writer-friends were self-publishing and having success, and since I had a background in publishing, I decided I had nothing to lose by trying it!

What is your favorite thing about being a self published author? The worst?

For me, the best thing about being self-published is having complete control over my work—the content, the appearance, the format, the timeline, etc. I’m a bit Type A, so that’s very appealing to me. The worst part is making decisions on things like what to do next, how long to wait, etc.

I’m lucky to have a super-supportive group of writer friends—both traditional and self-published—which eases the lonely times. Marketing is tough. But so far being independent has been a fun experience!

If you were on a deserted island what 3 books would you take with you?

Oh, I love to read! I’ve been so busy lately, being stuck on an island with only three books sounds like heaven—LOL! Let’s see, I’ve only read the first Harry Potter book (I know! How is this possible? Well, I was having babies, and the movies were coming out, and I got behind!), so I’d grab the last three of that series. They’re long, and I saw all the movies. (So I have an idea about what’s going on.)

What is one place you'd like to visit someday?

I want to visit everywhere someday, but at the top of my list right now is Prague. And yes, it’s because of Daughter of Smoke & Bone. Loved that book (despite the irritating ending… ).

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What projects are you working on now?

Too many! LOL, I can’t decide what to focus on next. I’ve got a mature YA science fiction novel that I absolutely love and want to share with everyone, but it needs a little tweaking. I’ve finished the first two books in a family saga-style series, but again, tweaks are needed. I’ve also started both a companion novel to TTAF and the sequel to Rouge… Those should probably go next. But they’ll take longer than the first ones. (This is that hard part about self-publishing I described!)

When can we expect publication dates for your next projects?

Umm… what? No, I’m teasing. Depending on how it goes, I’m sure I’ll focus on the sequel to Rouge next, which I hope to have done by spring of 2013. Yes? Then I guess I’ll roll out the other books after that… 

Thanks Leigh! I can't wait for what you've got coming next!

Thank you so much for reading and for having me here today! I love chatting about books and sharing my stories with readers. <3 span="span">