And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Whether we admit it or not, I think we all, or nearly all, secretly wish we were the authors of the books we read. For some of us it doesn't go further than wishing. Some of us toy with the idea and maybe start to write a story. I have a floppy somewhere with 14 pages on it - and someday I'll write 14 more. *G* And some of us go for it. Sometimes it's something as seemingly simple as entering a contest at an author's site that sets us on the path to seeing our name on the cover of a book.

That's how it happened for Morgan Leigh. She entered the contest at Lori Foster's site and was chosen, along with two other ladies, to have their novellas published together in an anthology titled WILDEST DREAMS. Pretty cool, huh? Even cooler is the fact that this is just the beginning. After we finish reading Morgan's VOICES CARRY, we can look forward seeing two more of her novellas released in anthologies later this year.

Sounds so simple, doesn't it? Enter a contest, get lucky, get published. It was a bit more than luck, unless you consider being talented lucky. *G* Only 19 excerpts were chosen from all the entries to be sent on to Lori Foster's editor to be critiqued. Of those 19, Morgan Leigh was one of the final three chosen.

Read on and get to know this new author a little better and about her writing. When you finished here, you can visit her at http://bravaauthors.com/morgan_leigh.html. You can also email Morgan at Morgan1Leigh@aol.com

1. Your writing career has gotten it's start because you entered a contest. I had to laugh at a comment on your author page: I'm still a little bruised...pinching yourself over and over will do that to ya! Has it all sunken in yet or is it a bit over-whelming?


Well, now that I've seen it on shelves, it feels a little more real, but I'm still a little stunned about the whole thing. With the two more stories that will be out in books in May and June, it may feel even more real then, but...probably not. <g>.


2. Can you tell us a little about your novella being released in December and the two that will be coming out in May and June 2004?


The book out in December deals with a woman's obsession and her inability to control it. She's strongly attracted to her boss, a senior partner in a law firm, and his voice makes her do things that she'd never do ordinarily. Being his assistant's secretary puts her in a position where she must listen to his voice for hours a day. His attraction is just as strong, but he struggles with his own voice...The voice of reason that tells him that the partners do *not* fraternize with the staff. But this *is* romance, so you know that rules are made to be broken.

The novella in the May book is about a woman who is a singer/songwriter who inherits a house in the South, but there are taxes owed, and the house *could* to revert to the town for Historical status if she doesn't settle the debts. She tries to contact the Mayor, trying to buy some time, since he's got final say in certain things, but he's avoiding her. Things heat up when she hits town and takes a job singing at a bar where she meets a man who is so right for her. But when she finds out what his day job is, he could turn out to be Mr. Wrong!

The story in the June book is about another partner in the law firm from the story in the December release. Sam is a widower of two years, and Kat loves him and has waited all that time for him to heal, knowing he loved his wife to distraction. When she does something drastic and quits her job, intending to finally make a fresh start somewhere else, Sam follows her, letting her know what *he* thinks of her desertion from the firm *and* his life. It's hot down at the beach, and when these two square off, things get even hotter!

3. You were in the Navy. What did you do?

I was an undesignated airman, which means that I didn't go to school for a specific job, so I went where they needed me. In the beginning, that meant working on the flight line, learning to launch and recover the aircraft that came and went from the base. I worked in P-3C Orion's, so I wasn't on a ship (those planes are HUGE compared to the fighter jets), but for the first two years, you could find me out there, saluting the pilots as I directed them out onto the runway for takeoff.

I eventually found my way to the administration office in the squadrons, and worked as a Yeoman (like a secretary, but with a much broader scope), though I never received the designation. I ended my four year tour working in that office and helping my last squadron (HSL-31/ Helo command) to decommission. It was very rewarding work; making sure that all the personnel were transferred to their new station or squadron with no difficulties, making sure their service records were up to date with awards, schools, and evaluations, and their paychecks followed them to their new command. So much work goes into a smooth transition for 300 something airmen, seamen, and officers, but it was worth it.

4. And your hubby has made a career of the Navy. Did you meet him while you were enlisted?


Yes, I met him about two weeks before I checked into the line shack (Flight line) at my first command. He became my supervisor there, but it wasn't until he went back to his designated job as an aviation mechanic that we began dating (The job as supervisor on the flight line is a temporary duty, so he wasn't there for long). WE just had our 14th wedding anniversary in early December.


5. You've traveled all over the world. What are the more memorable places you've visited?


OK, This makes me laugh, and it's a little apart from your question, but I'm going to tell it anyway. When I was in Japan, we went out on town (off base) but we couldn't be gone too long. My now husband and 2 friends and I rented a car to go sightseeing. About an hour out, we saw a Kentucky Fried Chicken...In the middle of nowhere! I mean, there were fields and fields of rice paddies (sp?) and small dwellings and right up this street, there was Colonel Sanders! LOL. We were so excited that after a trip of sightseeing, we could still have some tastes of home and get some finger lickin' good fried chicken! Well, we went in, but because we hadn't anticipated stopping anywhere, none of us had any Yen on us! UH! Talk about frustrating! We could smell the fried chicken, but we couldn't buy any! LOL. I'll never forget that. But really, the countryside was so beautiful there, and the religious buildings brought a reverent silence to our group, and we appreciated the culture and traditions that those people have embraced and introduced us to. I loved Japan, but I was ready to go home after that deployment. It seems strange, but I was young then, just 20, and it was my first time outside of the U.S. I think I'd appreciate the places I've visited more now than I did then.

6. What are your plans for the future, as far as writing goes?


I have a few ideas in the works; more novella's. But I also have a single title that I want to work on. My editor is fantastic and has been so wonderful in helping me to recognize me strengths, and develop my own style of writing. I tell her an idea, and she lets me run with it. I love that! I'm so lucky to have her and work for Kensington.

7. Besides being a Navy wife and mom, what do you like to do in your spare time?


My friends say I'm so Martha Stewart (ish), but I'm not. We just have limited space in this house, so everything has to be in its place, or its a mess! LOL. I don't LIKE to clean, but I DO like tidy. I read when I can, which isn't much these days. LOL. I've coached my daughters' soccer team, and I swear I'm the homework monitor. LOL. I love to jot down ideas in my spare time too. I always have a notepad and pen on me, just in case. I also moderate three author loops online, so I'm always busy.

8. What part of New England are you from? Do you live there now?


I'm from Connecticut. I love where I grew up. It's very close to the University of Connecticut in Storrs, so you KNOW we're big women's college basketball fans up there. The UCONN Huskies are THE team up there. I lived in Maine for a number of years (military move), but we live in Virginia now. Hubby will retire in a few years, and we want to go home. New England *is* home to us, no matter where we are for duty assignments. That's where we'll settle. We miss the autumn season, and the beautiful winter scenery of CT and New England. Anyone who talks to me knows I'm homesick.