Know about your Authors

@leighheasley

Pen Name: Leigh Heasley

Username: leighheasley

Is your pen name your legal name? If no, then how did you make up one?

It's not my legal name, but it's close enough to my legal name that friends and family immediately know it's me.

How many books have you published till date?

Do you mean published-to-Wattpad or available-to-purchase published? I've got 7 public stories on Wattpad. My first finished novel, Kairos, is currently being considered by publishers, and it's been optioned for a television show by eOne entertainment.

What are your future projects?

I'm working on several books right now – my young adult fantasy The Seam Sorceress, and my dystopian retelling of The Wizard of Oz, titled TOTO. I'm slowly working up to the next installment in the Kairos series.

What is writing to you?

Telling stories. Hopefully entertaining ones, but I'm not picky.

Is being an author, your long time dream or a hidden passion you found out later?

I've wanted to be an author since I was in first grade. That was a long time ago.

What genre books you like to work on?

I like to work in all genres, with the exception of Literary and strictly Romance novels. Not that I dislike them in any way—I just can't write them very well, myself.

If we challenge you to write a book of another genre we suggest, then would you take it up?

If I had time, I'd be glad to! Unfortunately, my spare time is extremely limited.

Then we would like to read a Greek Mythology Romance genre book from you soon.

Writing is a reality that paints a beautiful fantasy. What do you think are the charms of writing fiction/non fictional books?

Writing a story that inspires somebody else to write. That's the highest compliment.

Who are your favorite authors in and out of wattpad?

My absolute favorite Wattpad writer is Seventymurphy. I love everything she writes and I will not rest until Wattpad turns literally any of her works into a movie. Outside of Wattpad, my favorite author is the late Toni Morrison—you are missed greatly.

Name few of your close wattpad friends.

I usually hang around with HouseofMourthia and Ardenbrooks. The aforementioned Seventymurphy also talks to me for some reason, even though she's several magnitudes more cool than I am.

My bestest best friend in the whole world is drawnbykenna, who doesn't post on Wattpad, but she does frequently create beautiful fanart for my work, and she's illustrating my Christmas middle grade novel. You can also frequently find her in the comment section of my books. I hope someday Wattpad will improve accessibilities for graphic novels, so she can post some of her work here.

What is your favorite series you have recently watched or read?

I honestly don't follow a lot of series, unfortunately! I prefer works that are self-contained.

Who is your favorite actor/actress?

Vincent Price.

Who is your favorite Villain you couldn't help but love?

It's a toss-up between Mr. Freeze and Clayface, both from Batman's rogues gallery.

What are your hobbies other than writing and reading?

I like to play tabletop games, video games, do a little bit of sewing, as well as camp and hike when the weather's nice.

What are your hidden talents?

I can type about 300 words per minute with 90% accuracy.

Who is your first celebrity crush?

I can't remember who came first, Josh Groban or David Krumholtz.

What is the most embarrassing situation that you have ever been through?

I've accidentally hugged way too many little old ladies that look like my mama from the back. Thankfully they've all been pretty nice about it.

One craziest thing you have ever done?

Oh, that's a long story, but here's the TL;DR: I once convinced a friend that I was eaten whole by a zombie in her back yard. She tried to contact me via séance but I didn't answer, seeing as I was still very much whole, alive, and in her house eating all her pizza. Pretty sure that was the day we stopped being friends but I got no regrets.

There are many authors who just started their journey and many readers who want to write but have no courage to do so. Please give them a tip and a word of encouragement.

There's basically a thread of absurdity in every popular book and franchise. Mario is a plumber trying to save a princess from giant, talking turtle. Twilight is a book about a vampire who doesn't know if he wants to date his girlfriend or eat her. There's no dumb ideas, only poor execution. Pursue the dumb idea that makes you happy over the lofty "serious" or "artistic" idea that will make you miserable.

Last but not the least, have you ever dreamt of writing your own comic?

I actually have wrote a comic, way back in the day, with my buddy drawnbykenna, and I've offered to co-write or consult for any of her future comics. After seeing all of the work that goes into one, I have way more respect for comic creators.

What do you feel about this interview?

It's the longest interview I've ever had! Thanks for the interview, let me know if you need anything else!

Hope you had a great time answering our questions. We appreciate you for your beautiful works and also spending valuable time with us.

We wish you to write many more successful stories and be a bestselling author one day.