LET'S WELCOME LEIGH LENNON AUTHOR OF: UNFILTERED

LET’S WELCOME

AUTHOR 

OF:

LEIGH LENNON

Rad-Reader:  Where did the idea for the story come from?

Leigh:  I started with a first name of my character and from there, Justine morphed into this story. Once she became real on my pages, I realized I wanted to read about a woman my age having great sex and finding love. I basically wanted forty to look sexy, just not for women my age but for younger women who are nervous about growing older.

Rad-Reader:  Why tell this story?  What was it about this story that made you want to tell it?  Was there something special that touched you?

Leigh:  I want women who are forty to feel sexy! As we get older, we fear our age. Let’s embrace it!

Rad-Reader:  What is Justine afraid of she talks about fear and loss a lot?

Leigh:  She has trusted two men: her dad and ex-husband and both betrayed her. Loving and losing again would take too much out of her; something she is not sure she could survive again. 

Rad-Reader:  Rafe seems fearful of Justine yet she seems to fear him too during the marriage.  It sounded like during the marriage he was not nice.  True and if so why?

Leigh:  I can’t give much away without spoilers but Rafe didn’t know how to handle Justine and treasure her. She is a rare diamond, one that needs certain care. Rafe never fully understands the gem that Justine truly is.

Rad-Reader:  What happened to them and their marriage?  Besides Hildy?

Leigh:  Again, I can’t give much away. They were not happy and drifted away. Throughout the story, she tells Nick that she feels Hildy and Rafe had something on the side during their marriage and that finding out would make her sift through all the crap of her failed marriage. Rafe and Justine have a good relationship now (All things considered) and she is even friends with Hildy. It is time to move on and not look back.

Rad-Reader:  Why are she and her mom estranged?

Leigh:  Her mother and Justine are estranged because she tells her mom that she should leave her father. This adds more stress to her parent’s already strained relationship.

Rad-Reader:  Why are she and her best friend Lorelei estranged?

Leigh:  Justine has a hot mouth and tells it as it is and for that reason, she doesn’t ever miss telling Lore (her best friend) that her husband is a jack*%#. In her mind, she is trying to protect those she loves.

Rad-Reader:  What exactly is Nick’s deal?  Why didn’t he ever get married?

Leigh:  Again, it is a spoiler but he can’t commit until he can love without abandon and with Justine, he finds it.

Rad-Reader:  How did Nick’s parents die?  Was it traumatic or an illness?

Leigh:  Car Accident

Rad-Reader:  Nick’s attraction to Justine is quick has it ever been this way for him ever?

Leigh:  No, he never found a woman besides his child’s mother. When he sees Justine square of with Rafe he sees something different in her. He is amazed by her toughness and somehow, between that and their immediate chemistry, he is smitten.

Rad-Reader:  Nick’s seems older by his speech.  How much older is he than Justine?

Leigh:  Nick’s speech is just quirky, a little like him. I wrote it specifically that way. He is about four years older than Justine.

Rad-Reader:  Nick was downing that whiskEy that first meeting on the porch.  Does he have a drinking problem?

Leigh:  No. He just loves his whisky.

Rad-Reader:  His daughter Emma was going to going to show him a surprise before the water main broke at Justine’s.  What was it?

Leigh:  Emma wanted to make his house a little more feminine. In her eyes, he is lonely and she wants him to be happy but she also struggles with sharing her dad.

Rad-Reader:  Why has Nick allowed Emma to be bitchy and take such a lead with all his relationships?

Leigh:  He gives her a little bit of say in his life just because she is strong willed and it easier to appease her. But he is playfully stern with her when he knows she is wrong. He may be the reason she is a bit spoiled.

Rad-Reader:  Are the kids just trying to pit mom and dad against each other to get their way?  With dad falling for the trap with old anger issues he created?

Leigh:  Rose and Kai are using their dad to get their way but the problem they don’t expect is that of their stepmother won’t allow them to come into her house and manipulate their dad. Hildy and Justine see what the kids are doing yet, it takes Rafe a bit longer to catch on.

Rad-Reader:  So, was Rafe getting tired of being the full-time dad to teens is that the reason for the upsetting phone call to Justine before the kid’s morning surprise arrival at her house?

Leigh:  He likes to have the upper hand on Justine at times; which he never had in their marriage. He knows that her one weakness is their kids.

Rad-Reader:  Justine says that she went out and bought her own house for her and the kids, does that mean they had separate banking accounts all this time?

Leigh:  I don’t specify this. Though in her decision, Justine starts to separate their lives as she gathers the courage to leave her children’s dad. 

Rad-Reader:  It’s almost like Justine was afraid to find out the full extent of Nick’s anger that she always stopped his story.  Is that true?  If so, why?

Leigh:  Justine doesn’t believe his temper is as bad as he claims it to be. She really thinks he is exaggerating things.

Rad-Reader:  Rafe did not see Justine and Hildy being good enough friends that they would be a tag team when he tried to manipulate her about the kids moving home with her.  Right and if so why?

Leigh:  In Rafe’s mind, he didn’t expect Hildy and Justine to be united; however, all he thought about is how he’d now shine in the eyes of his children. He hasn’t always been the best to Rose and Kai and now he sees his chance.

In regards to Rafe, I wrote him in a way where, even as the author, I was conflicted when it came to him. In some areas of the book, he is great. In other parts, he comes off as a real jack#%*.  I intended it that way. 

I Loved this scene.  I don't know about this great part.  I think Hildy made him great.  Him as a father and a man, still debatable.  Ryan, on the other hand, surprised me and won a whole lot of brownie points and lovin'.

Rad-Reader:  Once again Nick’s temper flairs up when talking about moving in together after Lore and Ryan leave.  Why?  And wasn’t Justine fearful at all?

Leigh:  Justine would never allow herself to be with someone abusive. She gives him a warning when he gets loud and that is the extent and he knows it. Nick gets mad at her in the moment because he needs her to trust him. He has shown her in his eyes, that he can be trusted but with Justine, men leave her so why wouldn’t he?

Rad-Reader:  Ryan is so candid about what his relationship was really like with Lore.  Yes, she still keeps him around.  Yet, Nick who she said loved her he’s out.  Why?

Leigh:  Lore and Justine are such different people and it reflects in the way they accept their relationships with their individual men.
Rad-Reader: Ryan stayed...?

Rad-Reader:  What exactly did her dad do to her mom and her mom do to her dad?

Leigh:  There will be a prequel novella to address the relationship between her mom and dad. This story takes place in the late 1960’s when Jim Staudle (Justine’s Dad) is drafted into the war.

Rad-Reader:  What did go to college to get a degree in?  What is he doing now as a job?

Leigh:  Rafe is a CPA; Ryan is an auto mechanic. Lore’s occupation is never mentioned; nor is Hildy’s profession. Nick is a vet and Justine is an Air Traffic Controller. Ryan’s brother and sister-in-law are lawyers. (Heidi and Derrick)

Rad-Reader:  Does Ryan Remarry?

Leigh:  Ah, Ryan’s story will be told in the fourth installment of this stand-alone collection.

Rad-Reader:  If your book was made into a movie who would you want to play…

Justine:  AnnaLynne McCord
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/374643262729510507/

Nick:  Ryan Reynolds
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/376613587569611793/

Rose: Victoria Justice
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/388435536596023244/

Kai: Matt Cornett
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/337629303300752414/

Emma:  Nina Dobrev
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/571816483922764746/

Tylor:  Luke MacFarlane
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/496451558895269736/

Rafe: Eduardo Verastegui in his thirties
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/342555115378031789/

Hildy:  Candice Swanepoel
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/540994973961651937/

Lore:  Alexandra Daddario
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/5418462035226526/

Ryan:  Chris Hemsworth
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/86905467783022526/

Leigh:

Justine:  Reese Witherspoon

 (People see Reese Witherspoon as American’s Sweetheart but if you saw her on Big Little Lies, you would understand why I’d pick her for Justine.)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/447123069240549944/

Nick:  Mark Ruffalo

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/184647653446399675/

Rose:  Victoria Justice

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/388435536596023244/

Kai:  Not sure

(This one stumps me. He must look like a surfer, blond hair, and green eyes)
Rad-Reader: Olive skinned, green-eyed, 16-year-olds were hard to find in pics. :D

Emma:  Minka Kelley

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/344103227757738976/

Tylor:  Justin Bartha
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/376332112581676232/

Rafe:  Benjamin Bratt

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/252060910369269785/

Hildy:  Julianna Hough

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/485262928589766637/

Lore:  Melanie Paxson

(She was the first person I had in mind for any of the characters)

https://www.pinterest.com/melaniepaxson/?etslf=9916&eq=Melanie%20Paxson

Ryan:  Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/139330182200107656/

Rad-Reader:  What song best describes your couple or your book as a whole?

“I Choose You (Acoustic) – Kiana Lede”

Justine song for Nick before her loss.

“Empty Words – Christina Aguilera”

When Nick said he was leaving town after her loss.

“Try Again – Kip Moore”

When Nick is trying to win her back after he made the wrong step after Justine’s loss.

Leigh:   Kip Moore's "Try Again" 

          This song says it all! 

Rad-Reader:  What did you do after you graduated from high school?

Leigh:  I joined the Navy. I wasn’t ready to go to college and wanted to earn money to pay for my education. As of this very moment, I am two classes shy of my master’s degree.
Rad-Reader: Congrats!  With all your kids that is a large load and wife too.  You are a Super Woman Wonderful!

Rad-Reader:  What did you want to be when you were growing up?  Was it always a writer?

Leigh:  I wanted to be a writer, a lawyer, a teacher and a mom. Funny thing is I have my degree in education, I am a mother and now I consider myself a writer. Though I don’t see myself ever being a lawyer, I love writing about them!

Rad-Reader:  If you could tell the young Leigh anything, that you could, what would you tell her to tell the older Leigh? You know, that you could have used now.  What would that be?

Leigh:  Start writing earlier. I wish I would have tried this route earlier in my life.

Rad-Reader:  Are you an independent publisher or are you being published by a publishing company?

Leigh:  I am an indie author.

Rad-Reader:  Has getting your book out there to the public, been a hard process, or has it been easier than you thought?

Leigh:  It has been a lot harder than I thought. It was my first book so I have questioned every choice I have made.

Rad-Reader:  What is your next project and when is it coming out?

Leigh:  The next story will follow Rose.

This is the list in the stand-alone collection following Justine’s family.

-Rose

-Emma

-Ryan

-Kai

-Lila (Emma’s sister mentioned briefly in this book)

-Prequel Novella following Jim and Marcia Staudle.

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers buy your book?

Leigh:  Amazon has my book and it listed as Kindle Unlimited too.

https://www.amazon.com/Unfiltered-Leigh-Lennon-ebook/dp/B074T6LW3Z/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1505933815&sr=1-1&keywords=unfiltered+by+leigh+lennon

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers find you on the Web?

Leigh:  Authorleighlennon@gmail.com

     This was a book I could relate to in a lot of ways.  Haha!  This had me from the first couple of pages.  There were some very intense scenes in this book I have to say.  But there was also some very funny laugh out loud moments too.  And sometimes I had to remember, 'Yeah I am holding my phone or tablet and cannot throw it,' because the character pissed me off.  
    So, thanks for answering my fangirl questions.  I know sometimes they can seem odd but these are usually questions I have really and truly as I am reading along I will stop and write them down.  Some I throw out but some I don't. Because I think someone else may be asking the same question.  I always told my kids to be that brave kid in class to ask the question that everyone else was afraid to because you may be helping someone else get clarity that was too afraid to be embarrassed or whatever the case may be.  
     Some authors may get offended by things I may ask about there characters if they are bitchy or mean or sugary it's not that it's to have it explained to our readers about conflict and why it is so important in our stories to them the author and their relationship to the character we write about.  
     So, thank you for being open and answering some of the questions that were touching on the spoilers I know it can be tough and I appreciate that you did your best and you did it justice if I may say.
     Oh! By the way, you did not outrun me either you are now a 1 Rad-Reader Misfit.  Thanks for your time and we will talk soon.
Char