Author R. Leigh is a mystery to local neighbors, appearing enigmatic and ageless, and wearing an ever present red crystal pendant. Some have guessed this author’s secret other-worldly origin, speculating that the tales of Asharra might somehow be true. Outskirts Press does not confirm this and will not comment on rumors that the manuscript for this novel appeared in their offices out of nowhere.

You can visit her website at www.thewindsofasharra.com.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, R. Leigh. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?

Thank you. My published novels are 3 Passports to Paradise , a science fiction novel published in 1999 (now out of print) and The Winds of Asharra, a combination fantasy and romance novel, just recently published. I’ve also done a handful of sci-fi/fantasy short stories for obscure regional markets.

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

I had shopped 3P2P around to a couple of publishers before deciding to go with an obscure startup micro press so the rejections were few. Given the brief length of 3P2P (really more of a novella), I quickly decided that it might be more appealing to a smaller niche publisher.

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

I look at rejections a little differently than most people. While I still might be subject to a brief flash of frustration, to me, it is all about the book finding its “proper” audience. If a particular venue is not “right”, it might have far more to do with the particular style or type preferred by a publisher than anything to do with the individual novel submitted.

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

3P2P was published in 1999 by a small micro press which is now out of business. It was a startup which aimed to target new sci-fi authors. That seemed to be glove fit at the time.

Ten years later, I chose to self publish the 600 page opus, The Winds of Asharra (with Outskirts Press) because I instinctively knew that I had created something very difficult to classify. It has more than enough fantasy elements (intelligent trees, evolved felines, musical dragons, etc..) to be considered a fantasy, but enough sizzle to be seen as a romance (with multiple happy couples by the end). It also spends considerable time outlining a complicated alien philosophy and culture . In short, it would appeal to several different demographics across genres (fantasy, romance, New Age) but it would be difficult to market due to this very reason. I did not even attempt to pitch it to traditional publishers as of result of this.

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

I was of course elated at the prospect and I recall that my spouse and I went out to dinner at a local restaurant, something expensive with all of the trimmings. I can’t recall more since it was so long ago, but I can still recall the feeling of elation and euphoria.

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

No, but perhaps I would have chosen a publisher who would still be around, one with more resources to support the work.

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

Publishing The Winds of Asharra in late March has been a monumental event in my life, both as an author and as a person. I definitely did grow and change significently during the almost ten year gap between novels. When I was “away” from writing during that time, I was experiencing life in many unusual ways and in several unusual locales, amassing experiences and widening my viewpoint on life in general. That was more than evident when I felt compelled to write The Winds of Asharra (called WOA by its fans).

If my first novel had been crafted by the numbers, a serious product of one hemisphere of my brain, then WOA was the complete opposite. It flowed freely from me, almost effortlessly, in direct contrast to the previous novel. Given the fact that WOA is 608 pages, compared to the paltry 178 of the previous work, I found that amazing.

Yet, more important to me was the fact that WOA was something of a nexus for development in my life (and even the life of my spouse). The Winds of Asharra, is not only a combination fantasy and romance novel. It also contains a complex fantasy philosophy (the Asharran ways) and culture. I confess that my own worldview (and that of my spouse) is a mirror image of the mystical yet optimistic ways of the Asharrans. If my talents as an author grew at all in those ten years, it is reflected not only in the unique characters and setting in WOA (making it difficult to even properly classify) but also the underlying worldview both in the novel and my own life, thanks to my life experiences.

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up? What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

Actually, other than picking a publisher that would have remained solvent, I don’t think I would have done anything differently. At that point in my life I was writing with my head and not my inner being. I was a different person then and my decisions were in tune with who I was, someone following the established rules (especially when they made sense). I don’t think anything could have increased the speed of things since I had to grow as a person and I simply did not have the depth of life experiences at that time.

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

Since I am now following an Asharran type of worldview, one of non-competitiveness (perhaps a bit rare for an author) my accomplishments are subtle inner ones rather than grandiose outer ones. Just feeling that there is a “world” and a “cast of characters” so rich and complex at my disposal thanks to WOA, ready to share their adventures in future novels, is my proudest accomplishment.

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

Difficult question. Perhaps college professor as I like to talk as well as write (can’t you tell?)

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

I am thrilled where I am now and content on a variety of levels. If it sounds almost mystical then you are reading it correctly. While WOA can be viewed as pure entertainment or perhaps as a genre bending work, appealing to both fantasy and romance fans, it is also much more. While intended to be entertainment, it also speaks to the reader and reassures him/her not to give up their ideals. We say in the book (in Asharran terms) that the only way to fail is to give up. By that definition, I know I will not fail.

I suppose long winded book promotion might qualify as pseudo-professorial but seriously, I would not change anything. I am thrilled with what I am doing.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

With any luck, I will be working on number 10 in the Winds of Asharra series. It is odd and perhaps due to the strange and easy way that WOA flowed onto my computer, but I honestly have no desire to write any other locations or characters. I have found a universe that is truly Home (the very definition of my world, Asharra) and I think it would take at least ten years to fully explore all of the nooks and crannies that my characters are pointing out to me.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

Sure. Appropriately, it’s also something that the main character is told: Learn as much as you can, and then spend as much time forgetting it all. After learning the nuts and bolts of your craft, learn to trust your inner mind and your heart. Don’t write about what you know. Write about what you feel. For me, that is the adventure, the romance and the optimism of the world of Asharra. As my characters say, I’ve allowed myself to be carried along by the Winds, and in doing so, anything is possible. Again, you can only fail if you give up. There is no other definition for me.

Thanks for having me here.