LET’S WELCOME LEIGH LENNON
AUTHOR OF:
Rad-Reader: What was it about this story that made it so special that you wanted to share it?
Leigh: In the book Unfiltered that features Justine, I wrote this daughter with a mother who was tough. I wanted to make Rose her different person. Though she has characteristics of Justine, she is her own person too. I fell in love with Rose when I wrote her as a 17-year-old girl and I loved that five years later, she was still this same fun-loving girl.
Rad-Reader: How did you go about forming your characters?
Leigh: I don’t have a rhyme or reason to how I form characters. For instance, Rose was formed from my need to make Justine (who is harsh) seem more human and her children did this. I love the idea of strong mother/daughter relationships and try to incorporate that and deep friendships into the story. The need for a best friend caused me to search the already plethora of characters for Rose’s bestie and that is how Lila ended up in that position, plus Lila is fun to write.
Rad-Reader: Did they turn out how you saw them originally or have they changed as the stories have evolved?
Leigh: My characters change as soon as they come alive on my computer screen. I create a rough outline of characters, plots, and twists with a mock ending but as soon as they start breathing in the story, their own personalities take over.
Rad-Reader: Does Rose know how to get in touch with the guy who got her pregnant?
Leigh: When Rose finds herself in this position, she is shocked and thinks she will have to call her sister-in-law or brother to get that information. Rose is aware that Brody is close to the newlyweds. However, before she can, Murphy’s law steps in.
Rad-Reader: Why did Jones give up on Medical school? Did she ask him too?
Leigh: The book never specifies if Rose asked him to give up medical school but it was apparent that Rose wanted to be near her parents in Spokane and for Jones to finish medical school, he would have to go somewhere else and took the route of nurse instead, for Rose.
Rad-Reader: How long has she and Jones been together?
Leigh: Jones and Rose were together in the first book and there are five years between the end of Justine’s book (before the epilogue) and the beginning of Rose’s book.
Rad-Reader: If Rose feels more with Brody why is she having Jones move back in? Why is she stringing them both along?
Leigh: Rose has her whole life planned. I never wanted the reader to hate Rose for her indecisiveness with her decision regarding the guys. Her issue is that Jones is the safe choice. Sure, he did a crappy thing by extending yet it was a blow to him. He too had a plan and it blew up in his face. But for Rose, choosing Brody was the wild card and she couldn’t give up Jones without knowing for sure that “it” wasn’t there anymore with them.
Rad-Reader: It was his idea to go there and separate as a couple. It’s not like she planned this it just happened. If he loved her he would have supported her. Why didn’t he?
Leigh: In a perfect world, Jones would have swallowed his pride and took this on yet we don’t live in a perfect world and I wanted to paint his pain of doing all the firsts he had dreamt about with Rose, with someone else’s baby. That is a crushing blow, not to the ego but to his soul, always being on the outside looking in as his woman was bonded to this man who gave her a baby, first. I honestly feel his reaction was very human and how many men would have reacted to if faced with the same challenge.
Rad-Reader: Why didn’t they marry before he left anyway? And why was he gone for over a year?
Leigh: Although they loved each other when he left they would have been just turning 21 and both wanted to make sure they were in for the long haul and taking the 18 months to see if they found anyone else was the responsible thing to do. Her time with Brody began shortly before he arrived home. In her mind, she had not found anyone so Brody was supposed to be fun sex.
Rad-Reader: Why did Rose say she wanted to keep it quiet but then she told everyone? One by one.
Leigh: It was her way of having control of a situation that was so far out of control for her perfectly planned life.
Rad-Reader: What is Rose afraid of by getting together with Brody?
Leigh: Again, it goes back to Rose needing a plan. Plus, it goes back further to the fact that she is a child of divorce. She never wanted her child to feel like she had growing up. Being a child of divorce did lead to a lot of her decisions in her life.
Rad-Reader: How did Kai and Brody meet. They mentioned a funny story?
Leigh: Kai and Brody meet in an odd way (this is mentioned to Rose and Justine on the deck of the lake house that belongs to a family friend.) Anyway, Kai and Jane broke up and when they did, someone set Brody up on a blind date with Jane. The whole date she spoke of Kai and Brody knew she wasn’t over her boyfriend and he took her to his apartment. Kai never forgot this, deeming Brody a stand-up guy and thanked him later for that.
Rad-Reader: I have a real problem with Rose leading the two men on but her bedding her ex and then still leading on Brody. Why did she do it?
Leigh: It was never her intention to hurt either man. Rose is tenderhearted and in her heart, she knows that she will never have the connection with Jones that she has with Brody after just a couple months. Her past and the fact of growing up with parents in different homes, makes her want to hold onto the safety Jones gives her.
Rad-Reader: How did Brody’s ex-know where to find him? Should Rose be worried? Was she just brought into the story as a way for Rose to become humbled by how hard it was for Brody? Or will we see more of his ex in the future?
Leigh: I never specify how Jessica finds Brody but she has hurt and continues to hurt him. I am not sure if Jessica will be in another book, that is a good idea. The idea of this scene was to make Rose feel an ounce of the hurt that Brody felt knowing she was with Jones.
Rad-Reader: Brody is in, an educational program, but does he get a paycheck through that also? He is so concerned about money.
Leigh: He does have a paycheck. He is concerned about money because he is in deep debt with putting himself through college and the credit card debt he piled up after Jessica. He put himself in a bad spot and never wants to do that again. He is trying to be wise with his money now that he has a family of some kind to support.
Rad-Reader: How does Brody really feel about Jones and Rose’s night together? Or level of intimacy
Leigh: Brody is pissed at Jones for taking advantage of Rose which he doesn’t address because he knows Jones is now out Rose’s life.
Rad-Reader: Does Rose really think he may at some time have been a Dom in another relationship? Was he?
Leigh: It doesn’t delve into this, but that idea would make a great Novella.
Rad-Reader: I love Rose’s backbone when faced with what most parents would feel is not the perfect situation at their child’s birth. Yet, she didn’t. She rallied. How did you get her to that place emotionally and have her bring her family there too?
Leigh: Rose sees what needs to be done and does it. She is just that type of girl. She had thought and planned to raise this baby on her own, being a single mom if need be. She was invested and the love of a mother for her child covers all things, even a special needs child. When she is faced with the idea that her daughter could have had heart issues but is assured right away she is healthy that is all she hears, “The baby is okay.” That is what she clings on. It isn’t perfect and I wanted the readers to see in her resolve, she knows she will need time to process this news but for now, she’d revel in the fact that her baby was healthy.
Rad-Reader: If your book was made into a movie who would you want to play…
Rose: Victoria Justice
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/171910910760513882/
Brody: Trevor Donovan
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/262405115771577631/
Jones: James Franco (younger)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/102386591502818275/
Lila: Lauren Alaina
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/449234131562903213/
Leigh:
Rad-Reader: He is Perfect!
Rad-Reader: What song/songs best describes your couple or your book as a whole?
Rose when she was getting ready to make her decision on who to be with.
Never Like This - Danielle Bradbery
Never Like This - Danielle Bradbery
Brody Wanting to Know How Rose Feels about Him.
Define Me - Brett Young
Define Me - Brett Young
Leigh: Define me- Brett Young
These words are what Brody needs to know from Rose (Especially when he sings, “Is there a chance I can be the one?”) These are the lyrics to Brody’s life as he is waiting for Rose to decide.
Rad-Reader: What is your favorite type of music?
Leigh: I am a country fan but I love alternative and grunge too. (What can I say, I grew up near Seattle.)
Rad-Reader: Where is your favorite city to explore?
Leigh: So many, San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, Charleston, Sacramento.
Rad-Reader: Your favorite place to write? Does not have to be where you like to write now. Where’s your ideal place, where energy flows?
Leigh: I love writing in my bed, at Starbucks, and in my office.
Rad-Reader: What is your next project and when is it coming out?
Leigh: I have a contemporary romance book that is sprinkled with literary fiction. It comes out November 17th by the name of The Last Breath. Jake Davis, the other sexy neighbor that met Justine has a novella coming out in time to be unwrapped for Christmas called the Holiday Package. Emma’s story comes out in January and is called, Unwanted.
(Don’t worry, Jones and Lila will get their story.)
Rad-Reader: Where can our reader buy your books?
Leigh: For now, all my books can be bought through Amazon for both my e-books and paperbacks.
Rad-Reader: Where can our readers find you on the Web?
Leigh:
https://www.instagram.com/leigh_lennon/
https://www.instagram.com/leigh_lennon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/4leighlennon
Facebook group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1257849247670788/
News letter: Authorleighlennon.com
Leigh,
Once again thank you for being with us. It has been fun share your new family of characters with you. Because that is what happens when we take on these characters that we take on to write about. You have quite the bunch that it for sure. I know our readers will be looking forward to seeing where you take this lot and I will too.
Come back and be sure to use our Shout Out: An Author's Place page. You are also a 1 Rad-Reader Misfit.
Thanks again,
Char
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