OAAA 2017: Speaking with Vicki Leigh/Tori Rigby

Welcome back to OAAA veteran Vicki Leigh, and welcome for the very first time to her “other personality” Tori Rigby. It’s been a long year, let’s see what she’s been up to!

1. Hi Vicki, welcome back to OAAA. First, let’s catch up, what have you been up to in the last year?

This past year, a lot has happened! I got married, moved to a different state, and put out a YA Contemporary under a different pen name! It’s been a good year.

2. So you also wrote under Tori Rigby, why the name change?

Simply for branding purposes. I wanted to separate my high-concept genre fiction from my contemporary, so I chose to write BECAUSE I LOVE YOU under a different pen name.

3. Can you tell us a little bit about BECAUSE I LOVE YOU?

Sure! BECAUSE I LOVE YOU is about sixteen-year-old Andie Hamilton who discovers she’s adopted when she gets pregnant herself. Through her experience of discovering more about her birth family, she then makes the decision whether or not to keep her own baby. It’s an emotion-driven story that I hope packs a punch right to the gut. 🙂

4. What makes BECAUSE I LOVE YOU different from your other titles.

I don’t know of too many YA novels that tackle adoption, but that’s a heavy piece of BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. It just so happens that the circumstances surrounding Andie’s adoption search include her pregnancy. But if you want a fresh spin on the “teen pregnancy” story, BECAUSE I LOVE YOU should offer a unique perspective. 🙂

5. What is your favorite thing to do when you finish a book?

Sleep. haha Just kidding. 🙂 I don’t really do anything special. Just keep on with every day life, really.

6. If you could talk to a pre-published version of yourself what would you say?

Be patient.

7. What is your number one piece of writing advice you would give to someone just starting out in publishing?

Write what matters to you. Don’t conform to what people are telling you are “popular sells,” but tell that story YOU want to tell. It’s what makes your book so powerful, because it matters to you.

8. What is something you’ve always wanted your readers to know about you?

I’m usually pretty open, so I don’t know that I haven’t already shared most things about me. Hmmm… Well, I’ve recently discovered I’m a Slytherin. So that was kind of sad, but cool. (*cheers for Gryffindor under breath*)

9. If you were a piece of book swag what would you be and why?

I think I would be a button! Not sure why. Just like them, I guess. 🙂

10. Anything else you want to talk about?