Hey ya'll, I am so excited to be a part of this tour. T.K. is an amazing author, and so far I haven't read a book by her I haven't fallen madly in love with. She writes about real issues that people go through, while keeping the romance, and all the loves. This book has probably been my favorite so far. In a heart wrenching lovely way. Be prepared, you are going to need your Kleenexes for this one.
While Heart Of Marley is a stand alone novel, I suggest you at least read Heart Of Light first. You will have a much better connection to Cam and will understand a few things just a tad better. If your really feeling adventurous, read the Beautiful Mess series, that is where we are introduced to Cam and it all began. But hey even if you just start with Heart Of Marley you seriously need to read them all. DO IT!!! you wont be disappointed:)
I will also have my review of this book posted tomorrow. For now you will have to settle with an interview from T.K. and just let me tell you she is amazing
Title: Heart of Marley
Author: T.K. Leigh
Release Date: November 3, 2014
Genre: New Adult/Romantic Suspense
Synopsis:
To the moon and back…
From the stars to the ocean…
That was Marley and Cameron Bowen’s secret code.
Twins born just five minutes apart, they have the perfect life… Until tragedy strikes just weeks after their eighth birthday and their father is killed by a drunk driver. Having trouble coping with the loss of her soul mate, their mother tries to find comfort in drugs and alcohol… And an abusive man with a penchant for underage girls.
No longer able to stand listening to his sister’s screams and cries every night for nearly three years, Cam takes matters into his own hands and they’re finally able to escape the nightmare.
They’re finally able to start over…
But the nightmare still haunts Marley. The years go on and she is forced to put on a smile, making everyone think that she is the perfect, well-adjusted teenager that she is supposed to be… Until she is faced with a painful reminder of her past during her senior year of high school and she’s no longer able to keep on the mask that she has been compelled to wear.
Recommended for ages eighteen and over due to strong language, sexual situations, and graphic violence.
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Interview:
- What was the process like getting your book to
become a reality? Getting an agent, signing with a publisher if you have one,
etc…
I'm an indie author, so I never sent query letters or sought
out an agent. I simply had a story I wanted to tell and decided to publish. I
would have been happy if 10 people bought my book. It wasn't until my first
book, A Beautiful Mess, achieved a modicum of success that I signed with an
agent, who sought me out. When I first published, I had no idea what I was
doing. I didn't even know what a street team was. I still feel somewhat lost
navigating this indie world, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
- Do you have an author you completely fan girl
over? If so who?
Not really. I guess if there's any that I would, it would be
Hunter S. Thompson, but sadly, he's no longer with us.
- Out of all your characters who were your
favorite to write? Who was also the hardest to write?
I loved writing Jolene from "Heart of Light". It
was refreshing to be able to write such a strong, independent woman. The
hardest character for me to write was Jack, from my Beautiful Mess series. For
those that have read the series, you know why.
- So you have a background in the law field, what
made you decide to become a writer as well as work in law?
I'm lucky that I now get to write full time. I'm not so sure
it was any one thing that led me to pursue this. I always say they don't really
teach you the law in law school. They teach you how to write. They expect you
to learn the law once you're out in the field practicing. I worked in the legal
field for a while, but I never went to law school to be a lawyer. I just wanted
an advanced degree. I am a member of the California State Bar, but once I moved
out to California, I started producing. I was working on a pretty boring
project one day while the hubs was out of town, baby-sitting tape decks,
essentially, and a story popped in my head, so I decided to write it down. And
Mr. Burnham was born. I couldn't be happier with the direction that this life
has taken me. I'm able to do something I truly love to do, and I get to go to
signings and meet my amazing readers. I'm truly blessed.
I've never seen Star Trek (which is funny because the hubs
used to work on that show) so I'll abstain from answering. ;-)
- If you could pick a book boyfriend from any book
who would you choose?
Jay Gatsby was my first book boyfriend so I'll stick with
him.
- So I know music plays a huge part in your
writing process, why is this, and what have been some of the most influential
songs so far? I know I personally have a very close relationship to music and
it has helped me express many things in my life so I completely understand the
connection to music and writing.
I grew up around music. There's something so emotional about
matching words to melody. Music can convey feelings in a way that words alone
can't. So I try to draw on the emotions I feel from certain songs and relay
those into the books themselves. I get inspiration from story lines from songs,
too. In fact, the inspiration for the characters Olivia and Alexander came from
the song "Beneath Your Beautiful." The story of "Heart of
Light" was somewhat inspired by Sara Bareilles "Once Upon Another
Time" - well, at least the feeling behind that song helped me come up with
the character Jolene. When I have a playlist for each of my books, and it's
really a huge inspiration to be able to listen to certain songs and develop a
story based on these emotions.
- Do you travel at all to help with getting a
setting right in your books?
So far, all of the locations in my books have been places
I've been to. I do have a lot more books planned and the settings are places I
have yet to go so I do plan to head to these places to get a feel for them. One
book will be set in Costa Rica. Work, work, work. ;-)
- Ok last question, if you had a chance to rewrite
anything in the series would you? And what would it be?
No. I wouldn't rewrite anything. After I finish the rough
draft of all my manuscripts, I step back and let the story simmer for at least
a month. So that gives me time to reflect on what I've written and time to
decide whether I want the story to go in a different direction. I'm thrilled
with the way everything in my books has turned out.
Excerpt:
I had gotten used to things over the years. Marley’s emotions always took you on a wild roller coaster ride, the ebb and flow often unexpected and sometimes tumultuous. But during those moments that things flattened out, and the ups and downs of her life were on an even keel, even if for just an instant, those were the times that I treasured. I wouldn’t trade those rare memories for anything in the world. Those were the times that I saw the real Marley…the girl that forced me to play Barbie’s with her, the girl that convinced me the mud pie she made for me was really chocolate. The way her eyes brimmed with enthusiasm and mischief at the same time, you couldn’t help but believe her, knowing that she would squeal with excitement and delight when you pretended to take a bite of her ‘chocolate’ pie.
“Remember the tree house?” she asked, bringing me back from my own memories. I could hear the lump in her throat.
“How could I forget? You hounded Dad for months to build you one.”
“Remember going out there after he died, but before Mama lost the house?”
I nodded, finding Marley’s hand and grabbing it. “Yeah, I do.”
I felt her body tremble beside me as big, fat rain drops began to fall. “I think it would have been the best tree house on the block.”
“The way Dad doted on you, it would have been a tree mansion by the time he was done with it.”
Losing my father was hard enough when I was just eight, but having to be faced with the constant reminders of his life made it even more difficult. The worst was looking out our back window at a tree that he had begun to build a house in for Marley and me. The night that Mama had explained to us that Dad had gone to heaven and wouldn’t be coming back, I remember glancing out there and seeing Marley sitting on the lone wood plank that he had set up as the foundation of the tree house. Nearly every night that we lived in that house, we would go out there and simply lay down and look at the stars.
“This reminds me of that,” I said softly. “Of those nights in the tree house.”
The sound of thunder boomed around us and we remained on that roof, not caring that we were both drenched from the late summer downpour cloaking the town.
“Me, too,” Marley said. “I think that’s why I like coming out here so much. It reminds me of ‘before’. It makes me feel closer to Dad. I always swore I could hear him talking to me in that tree house and, some nights when I’m out here, I can still hear him.”
“What does he say?”
She turned to face me and almost broke into tears. “That he’s proud of you. That he can’t believe how much of him he sees in you. That he’s happy you don’t let anyone or anything influence your decisions. That he’s thankful you’ve never abandoned me.
About the Author:
T.K. Leigh, otherwise known as Tracy Leigh Kellam, is the USA Today Best Selling author of the Beautiful Mess series. 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. 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.
Purchase Her Other Books Today
Giveaway
$100 Amazon Gift Card and (10) signed paperback of Heart Of Marley
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