Leigh Dunlap
Author Interview - Leigh Dunlap
Author of Bless Your Heart
Anderson Tupper, a member of one of Atlanta’s richest families, has been murdered in the dugout of the Little League field where he was a volunteer coach, and it’s up to Detective Shay Claypool, a single mother from the other side of town, to find his killer.
With the exclusive area of Buckhead threatening to secede from the city of Atlanta and take its tax revenue with it, Shay is under pressure to solve the murder of one of Buckhead’s own. Accustomed to handling drug dealers and prostitutes, she must now contend with an even more sinister group: the Buckhead Betties, the insufferably entitled women of Georgia’s most affluent zip code. One of them might be a murderer, but who? Is it the old-money queen of Buckhead? The mysterious new girl in town? The drug-dealing trophy wife?
It seems secrets and lies are as plentiful as luxury handbags in Atlanta and everyone’s guilty of something. Shay’s investigation will make her examine her own prejudices and discover that, as a woman and a mother, she might not be that different from the Betties after all. And if she isn’t careful, they just might take her down with them.
Author Interview - Leigh Dunlap
Author I draw inspiration from:
Oddly for a fiction writer, I'm a big fan of non-fiction, but I have been reading tons of books in my genre and loving them. Emily Carpenter's GOTHICTOWN, Caroline Cleveland's WHEN CICADAS CRY, Carter Wilson's TELL ME WHAT YOU DID, Kaira Rouda's JILL IS NOT HAPPY, Christopher Swann's A FIRE IN THE NIGHT, Aggie Blum Thompson's SUCH A LOVELY FAMILY and Hank Phillippi Ryan's THE HOUSE GUEST have all been recent, wonderful reads. My all time favorite book is Gary Kinder's SHIP OF GOLD IN A DEEP BLUE SEA. Because some day I'm going to find buried treasure. I just know it!
Author Interview - Leigh Dunlap | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
A book is a bit of an accessory for me. Whatever I'm reading travels with me. I'll read anywhere and get lost in it. There's nothing better for me than going out to lunch and getting a quiet table and reading while having a coca-cola and some good Mexican food. Or Indian food. Or a sandwich. Or really just anything. (I'm starting to wonder if it's really about the eating and not the reading...)
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I'd like to be stuck with Jack Reacher (The Lee Child series). He would get us out of the elevator for sure.
Author Interview - Leigh Dunlap | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
When I spectacularly failed my first grade math test. That was the end of my dream of going into finance.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback - The best. Solid and dependable. Doesn't bend and looks good on the shelf. Paperback - Portable and ready to be destroyed. I love how they look like they've been read.
Audiobook - I do a lot of long drives and they are my companions on my journeys.
The last book I read:
THE HOUSE GUEST by Hank Phillippi Ryan. It was great fun. So detailed and twisty and I worried for the protagonist and that's always the sign of a good story.
Author Interview - Leigh Dunlap | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Both! At least with the initial stage, I'm all notecards and highlights. Then on to the computer. I type fast, so it's great to have a computer. It can keep up. I think if I solely wrote by hand, I'd still be working on the book.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Bridget Jones from Helen Fielding's BRIDGET JONES' DIARY. Obviously. She'd be fun and kind and I"m pretty sure would buy me a nice diary for Christmas.
Author Interview - Leigh Dunlap | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
My first job is as a screenwriter. But if I couldn't write, I'd be a treasure hunter. That's the dream!
Favorite decade in fashion history:
Now. Anything before the 60's is uncomfortable. The 70's are fun, but not very classic. We won't talk about the 80's. The 90's? Not even sure what I wore. Now is great. Simple and comfortable.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Antarctica. I love the cold. I think penguins are cute. There's lots of ice for my coca-colas.
My signature drink:
The (twice!) aforementioned coca-colas. I'm a little bit addicted if you couldn't tell.
Favorite artist:
I think my mind changes daily on this, but today I love a painting by George Stubbs called "Whistlejacket" that's at the National Gallery in London. A huge, magnificent portrait of a horse. I could sit in front of it for an hour and not lose interest.
Number one on my bucket list:
Going metal detecting in England. Some day...
Anything else you'd like to add:
Thanks for taking the time to read my random thoughts.
Find more from the author:
Instagram: @dunlapwrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighdunlapwriter/
website: leighdunlapwrites.com
About Leigh Dunlap:
Author Interview with Leigh Dunlap
Leigh Dunlap began her writing career in first grade when she spectacularly failed her first math test. It was then that she realized her kindergarten dream of being a Wall Street finance guru was probably out of reach. She pivoted to writing and after somehow making it through Calculus in high school, she went to film school at the University of Southern California to study screenwriting. That expensive education led her to a job selling socks at Fred Segal and eventually to an assistant’s desk at a Hollywood talent agency. That’s where she really learned how to write—while reading hundreds of scripts sent in for actors. A few years in the muddy trenches of Hollywood finally led to her writing her first screenplay, a modern-day version of Cinderella. Like every overnight success story, it was another five years before A Cinderella Story, with Hilary Duff, was made by Warner Brothers. Since then, Leigh has written two other movies (The Standoff and 16-Love) that were produced and a whole lot of other ones that weren’t. The twin catastrophes of the pandemic and the writer’s strike led Leigh to write her debut novel BLESS YOUR HEART. When she’s not writing (which is never—including right this moment while she’s writing this), Leigh searches for buried treasure, because after Wall Street finance guru, screenwriter and novelist, pirate is next on the list.
