January Author of the Month – TK Leigh
T.K. Leigh, otherwise known as Tracy Leigh Kellam, is a producer / attorney by trade. Originally from New England, she now resides in sunny Southern California with her husband, dog and three cats, all of which she has rescued (including the husband). She always had a knack for writing, but mostly in the legal field. It wasn’t until recently that she decided to try her hand at creative writing and is now addicted to creating different characters and new and unique story lines in the Contemporary Romantic Suspense genre.
Her debut novel “A Beautiful Mess” has garnered relative praise, having been an Amazon Best Seller and an Amazon Top-Rated book. Recently, the book was named by The Guardian as a top reader-recommended self-published book of 2013 as well as a 2013 Reader’s Favorite in Publisher’s Weekly in addition to being named an Amazon Romance Editor’s Fan Favorite for Top Debut Author and Best Page Turner.
When she’s not planted in front of her computer, writing away, she can be found running and training for her next marathon (of which she has run over fifteen fulls and far too many halfs to recall). Unlike Olivia, the main character in her Beautiful Mess series, she has yet to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Interview with T.K. Leigh
1. Why did you decide to become a writer?
I’m not sure if there was any reason that I decided to start writing. I just thought I had a story that I wanted to tell and I went from there. When I first began writing, I had no intention of publishing. It was just something I did while my husband was out of town for his work. He travels a bit, so it was a nice little side project. Then I learned about Beta readers and decided to send my manuscript to a group of betas and they had an overwhelmingly positive response and pushed me to publish. I thought for sure they would come back and say that the book was crap. Thankfully they didn’t.
2. Who/what are your writing inspirations?
Hunter S. Thompson. Love him. I’ve always loved his writing style. I guess this is an ironic answer considering I write flowery romance novels. But he had his own brand and style of writing that I’ve yet to see anyone else be able to master.
3. What are your favorite genres to read?
I read a little bit of everything. I write romance, so I definitely read romance. I love light satire. Carl Hiaasen is one of my favorite authors and are a nice break from the heavy, dramatic stuff that you find in my books.
4. What do you hope readers take away most from your writing?
That it’s possible to have a romance novel without the characters declaring their love for each other within the first 10 pages. I think we see that too much these days. Hell, I don’t even have my main characters kissing until about 1/3 of the way through the book.
5. Who’s the favorite character of yours that you’ve written and why?
Kiera in my Beautiful Mess series. She has some great one-liners. She’s the perfect character to throw in when things get a little intense because she’s able to lighten the situation a bit.
6. What is your writing style? Outliner/Planner or Seat of the Pantser?
I’m a big seat of the pantser. I always have a rough story in mind when I sit down to write, but anything could happen to change that. Sometimes what I originally thought would work, doesn’t anymore. I’m constantly re-reading and re-evaluating the storyline to make sure it’s compelling.
7. If someone wanted to become a writer, what tips would you give to them?
Just start writing. Don’t worry about whether it’s good or not. No one is perfect when they first begin. Just get your story down and the flow will come with time.
Books by T.K. Leigh
