The many...names of Michelle?
If you’ve followed me much at all over the last 5 years or so, you’re probably aware of my struggles with writing and life and…well, pretty much everything since my dad died in late 2015. For a while, all I could write was sad. Then I tried to go back to romance, loved it for a second, then had to write something dark. Then I tried to go back to romance again, loved it for another second, then had to write something dark again. Then I couldn’t write at all. For so long it scared me. But finally I made myself write and finish a book. It was short and it was a romance, but it broke that cycle of start-and-never-finish so that I could at least tell a whole story again. After that, I wrote another couple of various stories and then, for the first time, I penned a comedy. It’s in the form of a series of funny romantic mysteries that feature a woman named Lucky, who is probably my favorite heroine. But more importantly, those stories brought me back to a kind of writing that’s fun. I lost that for a long, long time.
Looking back, I think the best comparison I could make would be that this was almost like having an identity crisis, only I’m not a teenager anymore. LOL The end result, however, is starting to take shape. I feel more grounded and steady than I have in years and years. And I’ve published books with certain flavors along the way, most recently under different names. They all have my voice and my style, and I love them all in different ways. They’re like different sides of me, sides I’d say we all have. We all go through things and those things change us. And we all go through different seasons, too. Dark seasons, troubled seasons, light seasons. Seasons of growth, seasons of stagnation, seasons of change. Only, for those of us who have any kind of public job, much of that takes place in a very UNprivate setting. LOL So many of you have gotten to experience the insanity with me. Poor you:)
Anyway, I wanted to take a minute to link you to my different names. I haven’t tried to hide them, but I’ve never really promoted them either. I’ve been working on me and my writing and my life too much to focus on that. But many of you have pointed out that you’ve missed releases, and I’m really sorry about that. Marketing has never been a great love of mine to begin with, and during a time like this even less so. However, I’m certainly willing to try, and this was my first step toward remedying both the silence and the confusion:)
I chose a book from each name to link you to. There are more, of course; I just needed a place to start. And if you did, too, then here you go. First is a list of just the book title and author name. Click on either to get to the book or to that pen name’s website. Below that are the book descriptions, again with links to both the book and the pen name website. Purchase links go to Amazon, but many are available widely, so you can search on iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo for them. Hopefully, you’ll find whatever you might be looking for there, but as always, if you have any questions at all, feel free to holler at me. m.leighton.books@gmail.com (going with this one simply for ease)
THE BEAUTIFUL NOW by M. Leighton (romance) Amazon
RIGHT NEXT DOOR by Leah Montgomery (psychological thriller) Amazon
LUCKY AND THE FALLING FELON by Emmy Grace (funny romantic mystery) Amazon
ROMANCE
The Beautiful Now by M. Leighton
Dane James worked my stepfather’s fields. He was the boy next door.
Strong.
Hardworking.
Forbidden.From the moment we met, we were star-crossed lovers—always wanting, never having. We loved each other for most of our lives, but right from the beginning destiny had other plans. She knew we would fall in love. She knew we would fall apart. Over and over again, like the curse of a recurring nightmare. Or the hope of a familiar dream.
Our past was tumultuous. Our future was bleak. But the one thing we always had was the beautiful now.
Until that was taken from us, too.
PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
Right Next Door by Leah Montgomery
John and Marcy Stanley moved to The Coves for the quiet life. When the two meet the couple next door, they think they’ve struck neighbor gold. Jill and Marcy become fast friends, but It isn’t until Marcy receives an ominous letter that she begins to suspect Jill’s husband, Mark of hiding something.
Something dark.
Something violent.Shannon Vogle was the victim of an elaborate kidnapping. After being set free, she becomes obsessed with finding the man who took her.
Who tortured her.
Who changed her.Both women want answers.
Both are determined to get them.
Neither is prepared for what she will find.
FUNNY AND ROMANTIC MYSTERY
Lucky and the Falling Felon by Emmy Grace
Lucky Boucher never has to go looking for trouble. Trouble finds her just fine all on its own.
What do a dead guy, a stolen pig, and night vision goggles have in common?
In this case, me.
Hi, I’m Annabelle Boucher, but everyone calls me Lucky. Despite my nickname, I’m a magnet for trouble. I can get myself into more jams and pickles than ants at a picnic. My most recent predicament involves being nearly killed by a dead body then finding a note that implicates me in the murder. My only option is to find the killer and clear my name. Fortunately, I have the help of a surly ex FBI agent, a 102-year-old mobster that looks like Mrs. Claus, and my wacky menagerie of rescue animals.
Many of my stories begin with me doing something “inadvisable” and end with me catching a criminal. This one is no different. But you’ll soon learn that, with me, the middle is where things always get interesting.
I hope among these books you’ll find many, many that you love. It’s so important and so fulfilling for me to share my stories with you. There’s more than a little of my heart in each one, and if you read enough of them, you’ll see it more and more clearly. You can probably see me grow not only as a writer, but as a human being as well, as God molds and shapes me into who He wants me to be. I hope you enjoy the ride and the exploration as much as I (mostly) have:) hehe No pain, no gain, right?
Happy reading!
