M. Leighton's Blog, page 14

8 signed books by 8 different authors GIVEAWAY

I'm so excited to participate in this InkSlinger PR giveaway that includes these fabulous authors!  OMG!  The rafflecopter to enter is on my sidebar.  It runs through this Friday, June 21st.  Wha'cha waiting for?  Go, go, go!

Happy Monday!

DOWN TO YOU--The "Cash is back!" giveaway

Well, I think it's fair to say that I'm super excited!  Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee  I may or may not be sitting at my desk right this very second, grinning like I've got a secret.

Okay, I am.

And I do.

Well, sorta.

Here's the thing.  I just got my ARCs of Down to You (I say ARC, because they are the official books with the new covers) and it made the re-release of this story just kind of explode in my head. Sooooooo, I thought I'd do something kind of neat and different and special leading up to its release day, July 2nd.

So here's the deal.  On my sidebar, you'll see a Rafflecopter thingamajig.  All this week, I'll be taking entries for a giveaway, which includes a signed copy of the new cover Down to You, a Cash shot glass and a Cash t-shirt.  To enter, all you have to do is tag me in a tweet or share on Facebook.

"Evidently I'm a terrible bad boy girlfriend." "Nah, you just haven't met the right bad boy yet." #Cash #DownToYou

I'll also be drawing from the Cash raffle tickets I handed out earlier in the year for another prize pack just like that one.  So those are parts one and two.  The third part is where I think it gets pretty interesting.

For those who don't know, there is a Cash Davenport on Facebook (hes'a member of Cashaholics Anonymous- eeeeeeeeeeep) as well as on Twitter (@CashDavenport).  The lovely Olivia is on Twitter, too (@_OliviaTownsend).  If they reach 500 followers each by next week, Cash and Olivia have agreed to role play a brand new, never-before-seen excerpt from Down to You.  How do I know it's never been seen?  Because I'm just now writing it:)  And I must say, I have sooooo missed writing about Cash and Olivia!  OMG  I'm thinking that there might have to be another story for them somewhere along the line.  Just sayin'...  *winks*  Anyway, I thought that would be kind of a neat thing.  And I can give you a hint about what this scene involves.  It has something to do with the infamous bedroom visit.  Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

Okay, so there it is.  Spread the word.  Get your friends to participate. Introduce them to Cash.  I think we could all use a little more Cash in our lives, don't you?  LOL

Have a wonderful week!  I'll see you for the drawing on Monday, June 17th at noon EST

Cashaholics Anonymous

It's official. We now have a place to go to talk about hot M. Leighton guys in a private setting, as well as a place where I can share with all you Cash-lovers the latest news, tidbits and exclusives, as well as do some goody giveaways.  Wahoooooooooooooo!

Welcome all to Cashaholics Anonymous!  The only admission criteria is that you would willingly submit to a body shot administered by the one and only Cash Davenport.  Think you can handle that?  *winks*

See you there!!

The Big Apple

New York City.  Just saying it conjures so many grand visions and emotions.  I've wanted to visit that great city for as long as I can remember and I finally got to go.  And let me tell you, it doesn't disappoint!  It's everything you could ever expect it to be and more!

I'll just warn you now that I'm terrible about not taking pictures!  My husband did 90% of that and I have yet to download them, but I'm going to share some of the ones I DID have the presence of mind to take.  Most were in the first day or two. LOL  The longer we were there, the more caught up I became and the fewer pictures I took.  I'm such a ditz!  hehe  It doesn't help that I spent most of my time chatting.  I began nearly every encounter with, "Hi, I'm from the south, so I'm very friendly.  What's that building over there?" LOL  I'm happy to say that the vast majority of people were very kind once hearing that. I think they took pity on me, being from out of town and all.  Bahahahaha  But seriously, I met loads of awesome, awesome people!  A couple of cabbies, two waitresses, Dave Parker and three of our doormen were my favorites!

Anyway, here are some of the amazing things I saw and some of the amazing people I met.  Some of them were dear friends, a long time in the making (yet ones I've never met).  It was pure fabulousness!  And if you ever get a chance to go to the Big Apple, GO!  It's something everyone should experience at least once if you can:)

Much love to y'all and HAPPY MONDAY!  I'm off to dive into my next Wild Ones book, Some Like It Wild:)  YAY!

<3

Minxes Jenn and Tina
Maria, making me look like a gutter snipe.  I had just gotten out of the cab ride from Hell with  no AC and the windows down.  OMG!  
Minx Lauren
Me and the wonderful BFF in the worrrrrrrrrrrrrld, Courtney Cole
The super amazing Laurie at Bird Bash Thursday night.  Love her!
My awesome and wonderful editor, Kate Seaver.  I look like I ate two of her sisters:D #Amazon
Manhattan skyline from the Staten Island Ferry. The tall, tall bldg on the left is Freedom Tower. It's awe-inspiring and deeply moving!!

Lady Liberty was closed for repairs, but I got to see her from the water.  She's even more amazing in real life!
St. Patrick's Cathedral is being restored, but you can plainly see how magnificent it is, even surrounded by scaffolding
Best. Breakfast. Ever.  Chocolate Decadence French Toast at Norma's.  OMG
The Empire State Building and Manhattan from the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Plaza)
"Hand of God" at the Met.  Awesome!
My favorite Degas! I love this painting
This is a Van Gogh I've never seen. I could stare at it for days. It makes me both sad and inspired.
Manhattan from the top of the Met, overlooking Central Park (the dark green)
The only cloudy moment was when the plane touched down.  It was sunny, hot and beautiful the entire rest of the trip!
I don't know how these ended up down here, but...
Minx Teresa
Breakfast at Nougatine with Courtney Cole, Teresa and her mom (left) and Anne Marie with  her sister, Teresa (right) Look at that view of Central Park! Minx Jenny made a hilarious appearance

Memorial Day

I'd just like to take a second to give my heartfelt thanks to every single man and woman who has laid down his or her life for the freedoms and the ideals of the United States of America.  Without you, we would not be where we are today.

I'd also like to thank those who currently populate our military.  Knowing the dangers of serving your country, you voluntarily put your life at risk to ensure that our forefathers didn't die in vain.  What you do for us--for each and every person born into this amazing freedom--is selfless and remarkable, and I'm forever grateful.

And lastly, although certainly not least, I'd like to thank the families who have been left behind, whether through the death of a loved one or because their loved one has been shipped out to parts unknown.  You sacrifice much to support our troops.  For your unfailing contributions, I am profoundly appreciative.

May God bless every soldier and his or her family.  Without you, this country would not be the great nation that it is.  THANK YOU!!

Breakfast in New York, the WINNERS!

I know we're a bit late in posting this. I don't suppose I need to explain why:)  LOL  At any rate, Courtney and I revisited the Rafflecopter monster and drew names for our winners.  Court's winner is TERESA MARY ROSE.  And my winner is AMBER PRESLEY BOYD.

CONGRATULATIONS, LADIES!!!  If you'll each message us, respectively, we'll give you the location information.  OMG I'm so excited!!!!!!

Thank you

I just want to give a huge and very, very heartfelt THANK YOU to all the wonderful friends, authors, readers and general nice and decent people out there for your overwhelming show of support.  I love y'all so much for your understanding, because you are the ONLY people that matter.

Just so you know, tomorrow I will be moving forward as if this never happened. I won't be addressing comments, questions or references to it.  I think we all just want this to be over, and I'll be happy to start focusing on another story:)

The final tale of Until I Break

Over the last 2 1/2 years, I've learned that it's nearly impossible to explain to others what it's like to be a writer, so I expect what I'm about to attempt to be even more difficult.

People write for different reasons and, from the very beginning, I've told y'all that I write for you, that it's more than just a paycheck.  Well, I'm about to prove that what I've said is true.

When I wrote Until I Break, I could've watered down the story, made it more palatable, easier to accept.  But as an artist, I didn't want to cheat Sam and Alec out of their story.  As I've said before, life isn't always pretty, but I had hoped that the majority of people would be able to see beyond the ugly to the wonderful story of love and acceptance and healing that was embedded in Until I Break.  Sadly, that hasn't turned out to be the case.

So, rather than risking people misunderstanding Sam and Alec and, therefore, me as a person and author, I'm pulling the book from publication. It will no longer be available in any format from any source after tomorrow.  Yes, I could leave it out there to earn money, but every cent would be bitter, knowing that there are some who not only don't "get" the story, but who are misunderstanding it in a disheartening way.

I would like to say a big ol' THANK YOU to everyone who read, loved and understood the twisted lives and beautiful love of Sam and Alec.  You gave me so much happiness with your outpouring of amazingly supportive words.  I'm truly, truly grateful.

I'll always have Sam and Alec, and I learned more from them as characters and from their story than I ever thought possible.  I've also learned a lot about people and friends and authors, and the world as a whole during this particular journey.

So what now?  Well, I am moving on to my next project.  And I hope to bring you better and better and better stories with each one I write and publish.  Maybe one day (I sincerely HOPE) the world will be ready for Sam and Alec.  Until then, I've got more fabulous characters and compelling stories to tell you.  I hope you'll hang around and listen:)

With much love,

Michelle

p.s.  For those who have bought a copy, no need to worry that it will disappear.  It will remain on your reading device as is:)

p.s.s.  I'd also like to mention that I could change parts of the story to make it more palatable to a larger group of people, but I won't.  I'd rather pull it and be true to Alec and Sam than betray them by softening their story.  I know that many of you understand and that means more to me than you'll ever know.

p.s.s.s.  As the day wears on and I get feedback on my decision, I'd just like to remind you all how very hard this decision was for me.  If you look at this from my perspective, from a financial as well as an artistic one, maybe, just maybe you might see that pulling the book and facing the backlash takes courage, too.

UNTIL I BREAK IS HERE!

After the longest month of my entire life, the day is finally here!  Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep  And it's EARLY, no less!

UNTIL I BREAK IS LIVE!  I'm posting links for every location as they come online, as well as links to all ARC reviews (as they are posted) and the GoodReads page so you can see the comments of the wonderful people who've read it, but don't have blogs.

I want to thank every single one of y'all for your wonderful words, your amazing encouragement and for being just all-around awesome! I'm more grateful than I could explain with ten weeks and a stack of thesauri:D  <---- and yes, the plural of thesaurus is thesauri. Who knew?  Sounds like a variety of dinosaur. hehe





Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Kobo
Smashwords


Reviews:

9th
Ellen, Always YA at Heart
Nicola, Flirty and Dirty

11th
Andrea, Bookish Babe

13th
Literati Literature Lovers
Kathryn, Tsk Tsk What to Read
Denise, Shhh Mom's Reading
Teresa, Readers Live a Thousand Lives

14th
Dympna, The Sub Club Books
Autumn, The Autumn Review
Andrea, Make My Day Books
Aestas
Kristie, 3 Chicks and Their Books
Gloria and Amanda, Globug and Hootie Need a Book
Ashley, Bookish Brunette
Delilah, Riverina Romantics
15th
Dani and Christine, Crazy Book Chicks
Jennifer, Book Bitches

16thValerie, Stuck in Books

17th
Cassie
19thAli, My Guilty Obsession
Gitte and Jenny, Totally BookedHeather, Supa Gurl
Brandee, Brandee's Book Ends
Lisa, A Life Bound by Books
Holly, I Love Indie Books


GOODREADS PAGE

Until I Break- last sneak peek before release

They say clothes make the man.  I can honestly say that, in this case, the man makes the clothes.  Alec is dressed in a tuxedo.  It’s nothing special, but he effortlessly turns the plain black suit and white shirt into something more, something dashing and debonair.  Something dangerous.  Very, very dangerous.“If you’re going to look at me that way, I might need to warn you about me,” he says, taking a step toward me.  Instinctively, I retreat.  One side of his mouth quirks into a wry grin.  “Or maybe you already know.”“I—I don’t know what you mean,” I manage to squeeze out quietly over the pounding of my heart.“I’m not the warm and fuzzy type, Samantha.  It’s not my intention to make you feel love.  I don’t have that kind of emotion in me.  But there are other things I can give you, other things I can make you feel.  Really feel.”  His eyes are hooded as he looks down at me.  He takes one more step forward.  This time, I don’t back up.  “Excitement,” he says, reaching up to wind one long, red curl around his finger.  When his eyes meet mine, I feel like he’s doing the same thing to me—winding me around his finger.  “Anticipation.  Desire.  Warmth.  I can make you feel very, very warm.”As though his words alone can evoke the sensation, I feel hot blood rush to the surface of my skin and pool in the lowest part of my belly.“You might even feel a little fear,” he continues softly.  “But even that can be intoxicating in its own way.”I’m mesmerized by his words, caught off guard by his honesty.  I’m surprised and I’m a little afraid.  But I’m also all in. I feel it in my bones, just like I feel that there will be some part of me that will live to regret it.“But not tonight,” he says, moving away from me, giving me room to breathe as if he knew I had none.  But even with more space between us, I’m still breathless.  I have a feeling I will always be this way in his presence.  The question is: How long can I survive without air?  “Tonight is your one free pass.  Just know that the next time you look at me this way, I’ll feel compelled to do something about it.”  Alec walks to the door and opens it, sweeping his arm out in front of him, asking me casually, as if he didn’t just drop that little bomb on me, “Shall we, Samantha?”That question is full of so much more than just the request to follow him to the door or to the fundraiser. He’s inviting me into his world, into the place he described.  A place of excitement and anticipation, both of which I can already feel.  And fear. And I can feel a little bit of that already, too.  I know I should hesitate longer over my response.  But I don’t.  Instead, on numb legs and with butterflies in my stomach, I walk toward him.  I stop in front of him.  My eyes drift up to lock on his.  I say nothing.  But I don’t really have to.  I suppose my action speaks volumes.  And Alec understands it.  I know this when he leans forward just enough to whisper in my ear, “I hope that’s still your answer tomorrow.”I don’t respond.  I know he doesn’t expect it.  I simply let him lead me from the room.  Lead me on.  Despite the risk, I can’t not go with him. I can’t not see, not feel, not try. Mason bends the woman over his arm, his hand gliding up the glistening space between her breasts.  His long fingers splay across the width of her neck, the tips coming to rest along her jawline.  Her chest rises and falls with her excitement as he nudges her head to one side, exposing her throbbing artery.And then, as I watch through the small part in the curtains, he bares his sharp, deadly teeth.  Like Daire,  I see the fangs.  I sense the danger.  It’s just that neither makes a difference.