M. Leighton's Blog, page 20

Mia's Heart by Courtney Cole

So, the fabulously talented Courtney Cole has just released, a bit early too I might add, her new book, Mia's Heart.  It's the second installment in her young adult series, the Paradise Diaries.  In my opinion, it's the best one yet.  I just love, love, love Mia!  She's got some sass and some spunk and I think her story is an awesome one.  Did I mention there are hot guys galore?  Well there are.  Oh me, oh my!

Without further ado, meet Mia.


My name is Mia Giannis.I am seventeen years old.I live in Valese, Caberra.
 This has become my mantra and my lifeline, having recently lost my memory due to a scary natural disaster.
Yeah.  I have amnesia.  Messed up, right?
You don't know the half of it.
 Not remembering anything has turned my world upside down. My parents try their hardest to “remind” me of who I was, but it doesn't feel right. Or, if what they're saying is true and that really was me, I'm not sure I like that person very much.
 And then there’s my love life.  Apparently, Gavin Ariastasis is my oldest and best friend in the world. Also, apparently, we’ve never dated.  But now, noticing him for what feels like the first time, he’s making my heart do somersaults.  He knows me inside and out—the real me.  Plus, he’s sexy and charming as hell.  Sounds perfect, right? 
 But then... there’s the new guy. Quinn McKeyen – tall, gorgeous and deliciously American.  His mischievous grin and slow Midwestern drawl turn my insides to mush in two seconds flat making me question who I really am and what I really want.
 Seriously. What am I supposed to do with all that?!  I feel torn between them, but I barely even know who I am, let alone what I want.
I just hope my indecisive heart will clue me in.  And sooner rather than later…before I lose what little of my mind that I have left. 

You can purchase Mia's Heart on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  You can find Courtney on her blog.

Up to Me- first look

Okay, I was going to wait to post ANYTHING about Up to Me, the book to follow Down to You, which will be out in January.  BUT, I decided to go ahead and give you a little peek into what's going on in this book.  You'll have questions when you see this, such as why the long hair?  Why the goatee?  But I can't answer those. You'll just have to read it and find out.  But let me assure you, you will LOVE it!  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  I'm so excited!  I broke my cardinal rule and told my sister all about what I have in store for the books.  Rather than ruining it, I think it just made her that much more excited.  She asks me every day if it's ready for her yet.  LOL  That is a very, very good sign;)

So, here is your first visual for book 2.  Charlie Hunnam, the celebrity face for my twins.  Enjoy!!!

What Have You Done for Me Lately?

I don't know how many of you have ever had a truly terrifying and very significant health scare, but if you have, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about here.

I'm sure many of y'all have wondered why I've been so quiet or why it has taken me so long to respond to even simple things.  Well, since last Wednesday, I've been living under the very real possibility that I might have cancer.  As far as worst fears go, that one is pretty much the top of the list for me, right along with being severely maimed and / or decapitated.  It's amazing how much something like that affects your life.  And I mean every area of your life.  Nothing is without the shadow of that big, huge looming IF.

For the most part, I kept this to myself.  It dominated my thoughts for nearly every minute of that time, though, making it very hard to concentrate and to do the things that I normally do so effortlessly.  I guess I sort of withdrew.  Anyway, none of y'all out there knew what was going on, how upset I was or where my head was at, but the funny thing is, you know me well enough to know something was wrong.  Very wrong.  Over the last week, I've gotten tweets saying you miss me, emails saying you hope everything is all right and messages telling me you love me and are thinking of me, all without knowing that I was living in hell week.

So my answer to the question WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY is this:  You've brightened some of the darkest days I've ever had, you've shown me love and support without even knowing how desperately I needed it and you've been all around amazing with no discernible reason to be.  It's just the way you are.  And I thank you.  Every single one of you, I thank you!  You can't imagine what it has meant to me to have you in my life.

I'm a pretty grateful person anyway, but this has really given me a much-needed adjustment in perspective.  It's so easy to get wrapped up in the things that don't really matter, and I suppose I had.  But today, the day after getting some of the best news EVER, I feel like I have a little better handle on things.

I know God has a reason for the things He allows to happen, and I'm not sure why He answers some prayers the way He does, but I sure am thankful for the way He answered this one!  Things could've gone much differently and I'm more grateful than I could possibly explain for the way this has turned out.  For those who don't get the good news, for those who have to fight for their life every minute of every day, I am deeply, deeply sorry for what you're going through.  To everyone else, I can say this:  TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!  Not only will you one day wish you had, but there are people who love you that will be devastated if something happens to you.  Enjoy every day.  Live it to the fullest.  And I say these things as a reminder to myself, too because it's so easy to forget and to fall right back into the same old mindsets.  I don't want to take things for grated anymore. I don't want to take two healthy lungs, two healthy legs, a healthy heart, a brain that works (for the most part) for granted anymore.  I'm thankful for every single one of those things.  And more.  And I should be thankful every day.

It sounds so cheesy and cliche to say "every day is a gift," but it really is.  When it seems like you might not have many more left, every minute of each one you have takes on a whole new meaning.

I know I'm rambling now, so let me end with a huge THANK YOU!  From the bottom of my heart, thank you!  For those of you who I've missed on FB or Twitter or even an e-mail that might've slipped through the cracks, please know that it's not intentional.  I've been distracted and consumed lately, but not so much so that I don't smile over your tweets and your wonderfully kind words.  In all your life, you'll likely never know how much they've meant to me.

My friend, Shelly Crane

I can't say enough good stuff about this woman.  She's just an amazing person and a powerhouse of an author.  She recently got some bling-ity bling (no, that's not a thing, nor does it really make sense here, but it just felt right at the time) for her Collide series in the form of some fab new covers from Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations.  See what you think.







The first book in the series, Collide, is still FREE here on Amazon, Smashwords and Kobo.  Go say hi to this awesome chick on her blog here.

Incendiary by Amy Bartol

Okay, for those of you who don't know, I love me some Amy Bartol!  She is amazing in every possible way and now the fourth book in her epic Premonition Series is getting ready to release on November 30th.  Holy moly.  Take a look at this awesome cover and description. And if you haven't read her work then get on it!  She's beyond fabulous!  Check this out:

Trick or Treat- Halloween with Trick and Cami

Cami’s told me a thousand times how much she hates to be scared.  The thing is, she loves scary movies.  She loves to watch them through her fingers or over the edge of a blanket, so I know it’s not entirely true when she says she doesn't like to be scared.  I think she just likes to be scared a certain amount and no more.  She likes to control it.
Well, not this year.I’ve already got it all planned out and Rusty and Jenna are game. Of course.  There’s very little those two won’t do.  Very.  Little.Timing will be key, but I really think we can do it and it’ll work out perfectly.  Without delay, I set things in motion.“So, Rusty’s gonna come over tonight to shoot some pool while you and Jenna watch the movie.  Is that okay?”“Are you sure you’re not mad that we aren’t having a costume party?” she says, looking up at me from her spot on the couch, her violet eyes wide with concern.I bend down and kiss her forehead.  “I’m positive.  I’m not feeling very Halloweeny tonight anyway. My back’s sore from moving all that hay yesterday.”She pushes her lower lip out in a pout.  “I’m sorry, baby.  Want me to cancel with Jenna so I can give you a massage after a nice, long, hot bath?”Oh, damn!  I have to think long and hard about saying no to that.  But this is just too good to pass up.  And maybe she’ll want some soothing herself after it’s all over.  I could be in the midst of a true win-win situation.  What kind of an asshole would I be to let such an opportunity pass?  A dumb one.  “Nah.  That’s all right. You’ve already got your plans.  Maybe tomorrow,” I say with a casual smile.  Inside, I’m rubbing my hands together anxiously, dying to scare the shit out of my lovely mate.  “I’m gonna go stock the fridge downstairs.  Send Rusty down when he gets here.”“Okay,” she says, tipping her head back for a kiss, which I’m all too happy to give her.  When I feel her tongue hit my lips, it makes me rethink my decision.  A night in the bathtub with Cami?  And I’m passing it up?  I must be nuts.But I do.  I manage to tear myself away from her luscious mouth and head downstairs to await Rusty and Jenna.  When they arrive, I hear the heavy clomp of Rusty’s footsteps across the hardwoods upstairs, followed by the high-pitched chatter of Cami and Jenna.  Within a few seconds, I hear the basement door open.  The thumping gets louder as Rusty descends the steps.“Damn, you’re loud!”“But I can be quiet when I need to be,” he says with a wicked grin.  “Muwahahahaha.”“Shhh.  I’m counting on it,” I say, offering my fist, which he bumps.I turn on the music,and Rusty and I actually shoot some pool for a while.  After about twenty minutes, Jenna comes to the top of the steps and hollers down to us.“You boys sure you don’t want to watch ‘Halloween’ with us?  It’s just now starting.”That’s our cue.“Nope, we’re good,” I reply.  I look at my watch to mark the exact time.  There’s a particular spot in the movie that I need to use and I know precisely how many minutes it is from the opening credits, which is what Jenna just alerted me to.I glance at Rusty across the green felt table.  He’s grinning.  I am, too.  I feel like a kid again.  “Man, you’re evil.  All this to scare Cami?  What’s the matter with you?”“She’ll love it.  You just wait.  She will.”I’m confident.I think.I hope.Exactly forty-two minutes later, Rusty and I put on our masks and he takes off out the back door and around to the kitchen window. I walk to the bottom of the steps.“Hey, Cam.  Do we have any salsa in the fridge up there?”In my mind’s eye, I can see exactly what she’s doing.  She’ll look at Jenna and roll her eyes, pick up the remote and pause the movie.  She’ll get up and trudge to the kitchen and open the refrigerator to look for the salsa she knows we have, because she just bought it the other day.  Only I took it out and brought it down here.Moving as quietly as I can, I tiptoe up the steps and through the door, which Jenna left open per instruction.  In my sock feet, I ease silently through and slide down the hall to the kitchen doorway, which comes up right beside the fridge.  As I suspected, the door is open and Cami’s bent over looking inside.  For salsa.  She can’t see me where I’m hiding behind the door.Right on cue, Jenna comes into the kitchen. She asks Cami what she’s looking for, gets Cami to look in her direction.  When she does, she can see the window just past Jenna’s shoulder.I know the instant she sees Rusty, who is standing outside the kitchen window wearing a Michael Myers mask.  Cami screams her head off. A few seconds later, Jenna does, too.  Just for effect.  Cami backs up just enough the she can see me standing behind the refrigerator door, wearing my own Michael Myers mask.  The look on her face is priceless. I swear, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone get that scared and not pass out.  She jumps back and slams right into Jenna, then screams and jumps in the other direction.  At just that moment, Rusty bursts through the front door and yells, making Cami scream yet again.  He walks toward her, as if he’s gonna grab her.  I expect him to start laughing, like he usually does.  But bHefore he can, Cami picks up a knife from the counter and stabs him right in the center of the chest.  I feel the world drop out from under me.  Holy shit! Holy shit! She just stabbed Rusty.  Oh my God!I jerk off my mask when I see Cami bring her arm back to stab him again.“Cami, no!  It’s Rusty!”She turns to me, looking confused, and stares at me for a few seconds before she drops the knife onto the floor. It clatters loudly as she covers her mouth with her hands, obviously shocked.  Rusty crumbles to the ground and lies in a motionless heap in front of the dishwasher.Jenna runs to him and falls to her knees beside him, crying and screaming and touching him all over, like she doesn’t know what to do, where to touch or how to help.“Oh my God! What have you done?”My head is spinning as I rush to Rusty to see how bad the damage is.  When I bend over to check him out, I hear laughter coming from behind me.  Cami’s laughter.Rusty, very much alive, awake and unharmed, sits up and points to her.  “Dude, that girl’s meaner than you are!”I turn to look at Cami, who’s standing behind me, holding what I can now see is a prank knife.  She’s grinning like a hungry man who just ate a steak dinner.“Go on,” she crows.  “Admit it.  I just made you my Halloween bitch.”I’m dumbstruck for a few seconds while I digest what just happened.  Then, slowly, I rise to my feet.  “You are evil and you must be punished.  You’ve got a three-second head start.  One.  Two.”Before I get to three, Cami takes off down the hall, squealing and laughing at the top of her lungs.  Another thing she says she hates but actually loves?  Being chased.  And I’m happy to chase her.  Every day, for the rest of my life. 

The Plan- what I'll be writing for the next few months

Let me first apologize for any and all comments, posts, e-mails or tweets that I have missed or failed to respond to. I promise you, it is not intentional!  I've just been busier than I ever imagined I could be and, unfortunately, some things have slipped through the cracks purely by accident.  I'm not complaining--no way!--I'm just offering this by way of explanation so that you know I'm not ignoring you.  Or anybody. Hopefully y'all know me better than that.  You know I enjoy hearing from you and interacting with you.  It just so happens that I'm crazier than usual lately:D  LOL

Now, I've been hearing a lot of the same kinds of questions, which makes me think that even more of you are wondering, just maybe don't have the time to ask.  So, I'm going to tell you what I'm working on and what I WILL be working on for the next few months so you'll know.

The Wild Ones Series:   Right now, I'm writing WILD CHILD, Rusty and Jenna's story.  It will go to Berkley as soon as it's complete, but it won't be published right away.  They have a release schedule, but at this point, it's somewhat tentative and is subject to change so I won't confuse anyone with dates until they're concrete.

Down to You Series:   I'll be starting book 2 (I'm thinking of calling it Up to Me, but that isn't set in stone yet) of this series directly after finishing Wild Child.  I will publish it THE INSTANT it is ready to go.  I'm shooting for very early 2013.  Eeeeeeeeeeep

The Wild Ones Series:   After releasing book 2 of the Down to You series, I'll be starting on Wild Nights (tentative title), the third and final book in The Wild Ones series.  This should take me through March with my writing

Down to You series:  So now we're in April, which means I should be starting book 3 of this series.  I'm hoping to have it to you by June, if not before.  I'm a pretty fast writer, but there are always unforeseen things that pop up or happen that are beyond my control and interfere terribly with my writing.  I guess that's to be expected in anyone's life.  I'll keep you apprised of what's going on, though.  I'm just thrilled that y'all are as anxious for these books as I am.  Wahooooooooooooooooooo!

So let's see that in a very condensed format:

Wild Child
Up to Me
Wild Nights (tentative title)
Down to You book 3 (not at all the title :-)  hehe)

I hope this helps and gives you something to look forward to.  I will keep you as informed as I possibly can and I'll give you plenty of teasers to tide you over;)  *rubs hands together*

Thank y'all for being the awesome and amazing people that you are!

See ya on the flip!

Taking Back Monday Giveaway Winners

First, let me thank everyone for playing!  I had so much fun with this!  I love giveaways anyway, but seeing what stands out to y'all throughout my book is absolutely fascinating and thrilling to me.  So thank you!  Very much:)

Okay, so 4 winners were drawn at random.  They are as follows:

1. Kendra
2. Christeena
3. Mommasbooks
4. Lisa David

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I I don't hear from each winner within 24 hours, I'll draw again to find a new winner, so be sure to e-mail me your name and mailing address so I can send you your book:)  Eeeeeeeeeeeeep

Taking Back Monday Giveaway

It's Monday.  Ack!  It has sort of a death-knell ring to it, doesn't it?  Monnnnnnnnnndaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.  It's like mourning for the death of the weekend begins bright and early on Monday morning.  I feel like everywhere I look today there's ickiness and awfulness and meanness.  Double ack!  And I know that's not accurate. It just seems to rise to the top on Mondays.  Dang it!  So, I'm fighting back with something happy.  Like free books and dreamy guys.  How's that for ammunition?  *waggles eyebrows*  Right???? 

I'm going to make this short and sweet, so here are the deets:

What's the prize?

There will be FOUR prizes.  I'll be giving away 2 signed copies of Down to You AND 2 signed copies of The Wild Ones!  And, of course, I'll throw some swag in there. Y'all know how I love to make people smile unexpectedly.  It makes me happy:)

How do you enter?

1.  Follow this blog

2.  Leave me a comment with your entry statement, which has to be either a Tweet or a FB post, as follows:

Options:  Tweet OR FB tag me (Michelle Leighton) with something you liked from Down to You or a reason you want to read Down to You if you haven't.  Just something happy and fun.  Something that will make you smile and maybe even the people who read your tweet/post smile.  Wouldn't that be pretty cool?  Cash and Nash: On a mission to spread love one tweet at a time.  *snickers*  Okay, that might be a little much, but you get the idea.  You can even copy and paste the following sentence if you'd like, just fill in the blank.

I love ___________________!  #DownToYou  @mleightonbooks

Who can enter?

Anyone 18 years or older.  Yes, it's open internationally. 

When will the winner be announced?

I'll draw Friday evening (October 12, 2012) and announce the winner in a blog post right here by 9pm EST. 

Easy peasy, right?  Right.  Okay, so get to it!  And spread the word if you don't mind.  That's kind of the whole point, right?  To spread something happy and nice rather than something...not?  hehe  Yep, that's the plan. 

Okay, so here we go!  Taking back Monday!  *insert battle cry here*  I hope your day is wonderful and your evening even better:)  And have a great week!!

Down to You- Thank God for its heyday

Okay, so it's true.  I can't thank God enough.  Or y'all.  Every single one of you.  Without you, I wouldn't even be writing this post.  So please know, as you read on, that not a day goes by that I'm not DEEPLY and ETERNALLY grateful.  Because I am.  Probably more so every day.  And that's saying a lot, because I'm a pretty thankful person. 

I hope none of this comes across as bragging.  If you follow my blog much, you know I don't post things about sales or ranks.  But today, I'm going to.  Why?  Because I am so excited, I can barely stand myself. I've squealed so much, I've given myself a headache, and I'm pretty sure seeing spots isn't a normal thing:D  LMAO  You can't imagine how difficult it is to eat around a smile this big.  And I want to share it with you--the people who brought me and Olivia and Cash and Nash to this point. 

Soooooo much has happened since I quit my job to write full time.  It's been incredibly hard at times, incredibly emotional at times (some bad, but mostly good), but most of all, it's been incredibly rewarding.  As a writer, the last two months have been the greatest of my career (the next one being the day I sold my very first book).  As a person, they're right up there with a couple of my other dream-come-true moments.  As I've said a dozen times in the last few weeks, to say that this has all been surreal would be the equivalent of calling the moon a shiny pebble.  LOL  You get my meaning;)

I released Down to You, my first adult book, on Sunday, September 23, 2012.  Thanks to Amazon and Barnes and Noble and a whole slew of other sites, authors like me are able to put their work out for readers to (hopefully) stumble upon and (hopefully) enjoy.  They are yet another thing I'm thankful for.  To say they changed my life seems ridiculously insufficient in light of what's below. 

Anyway, I hope it hasn't already peaked, but just in case it has, I am recording this period of time--Down to You in its heyday! Wahoooooooo!  Things change so quickly and there are so, so many amazing books out there, I feel honored and privileged and extremely humbled to have been ranked among them for five minutes, let alone a few days.

Here is is at #7 on Amazon



Here it is at #3 on Barnes and Noble

Here it is at #32 on USA Today Best Seller's list (10-4-12) 

And here it is at #12 (ebook) and #18 (combined print and ebook) on New York Times Best Seller's List (10-14-12)
** I took the pics off until this edition actually comes out.  One of the many perks of having a fabulous agent is that she tells you when you hit the list:DI'd hate to get her in trouble by posting the pics, though, so  I'll put them back on Sunday:) **

To say I'm happy today would be a gross understatement.  To say I'm just thankful would be a tragedy.  I am thrilled.  I am gratified. I am overwhelmed. I am excited.  I am optimistic. I am challenged.  I am inspired.  But most of all, I am grateful.  So, so grateful.  My God, my readers, where would I be without you?  I know I say it a lot, but it needs to be said and I MEAN it a lot.  THANK YOU.  Truly.