Five Questions with Author Leigh M. Hall

If you’ve ever wanted to meet an author whose imagination is as vivid as the Texas sun she writes under, Leigh M. Hall is your woman. The award-winning author behind breakout bestseller Girl Bully, as well as Within These Walls, a 2023 Killer Nashville Reader’s Choice finalist, Hall has quickly built a reputation for crafting dark, emotionally charged stories that stay with you long after the last page. Her upcoming novel The Chambermaids already won the Claymore Award for Best Southern Gothic, and is generating lots of buzz ahead of its release. She was also nice enough to sit down and answer my Five W’s.

Just one? Picking just one is going to be tough, but here it goes. Charlaine Harris! Okay, that wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I decided to go with someone I personally know and who still walks this earth. I discovered Charlaine in 2003 when I read her first Sookie Stackhouse book, Dead Until Dark. Paranormal Romance was my jam back then. I quickly devoured everything she had to offer, which wasn’t much considering she had just started writing that series. Charlaine is a fellow Texan and dog lover. This makes me cherish her even more. Her writing is also dark, graphic, full of sexual tension, and holds a pinch of comedy. Just the way I like it.

I had the privilege of meeting Charlaine for the first time in 2018 when she was promoting her first Gunnie Rose book. She was signing at Murder By The Book in Houston, Texas. As attendees, we were limited on the number of books we could bring to get signed. With only three allowed, I took her first two novels: Sweet and Deadly and A Secret Rage. She was surprised to see someone bring such old books. I was surprised to see that very few people attended the signing. I showed up two hours early so I could sit in the front row, but that ended up not being necessary. She was the sweetest woman! I fell in love with her even more. Then, in 2024, I got to meet her again, and this time it was as a fellow published author at a writers’ convention. It was just last month that I got to spend even more time with her at Bouchercon 2025; we even sat next to each other as we signed books for fans. That was an out-of-body experience for me. A literal dream come true. She even took a copy of The Chambermaids with her, read it, then messaged me to let me know that she enjoyed it and that it was well written. I wore a smile on my face for the rest of that day.

Mostly uneventful. Sorry, that is pretty boring. I am a homebody, but stay busy. With a husband, three kids, three dogs, and three bearded dragons, I always have something to do. Or should I say something to keep me distracted from what I should be doing, which is writing. Honestly, I don’t write every day. I always believed that forcing myself to write was not productive. I know some writers treat it like a job, sitting their asses at their desks and putting in 6-8 hours a day. I would hate writing if I treated it like a job. Nope, I continue to treat it like a hobby, even after five years of doing it full-time. The only time I power on my laptop to start typing in my latest manuscript is when I am in the mood to write.

So, on a typical day… I am a morning person; at least four days a week, I get up at 4 a.m. and go for a run around my neighborhood. I’ll then spend an hour or more pampering myself in a bubble bath and will read a few chapters of whatever paperback I recently plucked from my shelf. I enjoy playing with my dragons, dogs, or putting together puzzles. Those are ways I’ll kill time on most days. If I choose to write, I will relocate outside. Either inside the pool if the weather permits, on the patio, or in the garage if it is too cold or wet. Removing myself from the house, from distractions, chores, and my family helps me focus. I’ll spend anywhere from 3 to 10 hours at a time writing. And since I wake up so early, I tend to be in bed by 8 pm most days.

Considering that while I am writing this, it is 11:42 on a Wednesday, I am about to search for lunch! But I know what you mean. Over the last few years, I have been traveling nonstop. Heading to a signing or convention at least once a month. It is inspiring, and I love interacting with readers and other writers. However, I get tired and miss my family after a while. I do not have any plans to travel for work in the near future. My youngest son is graduating from high school this year, and I am focusing on that.

The Chambermaids releases on 11/11/2025. Once that book baby is out in the world, my husband and I will get away for a bit. Of course, I already have a book ready for 2026. As soon as the new year begins, work will start once again. I am not going to talk about that one until The Chambermaids has had its moment to shine.

When I was younger, I wanted to write, but I wasn’t any good at it. I could never stick to the assignment’s word count or come to a conclusion and end my story. So, I pushed that dream aside and thought of a new one. It wasn’t a big deal; I was young and had my entire life ahead of me, plus I had only dreamed of being a writer for like a day or something. It was more like two years, but whatever. My life moved on as a reader while I did many things for many years. Until I finally sat down and wrote a book. I wasn’t writing it for anyone but myself, just something I could say I did.

In 2019, I wrote my first novel, Capability. It took me about six weeks, and it was absolute garbage. Okay, it wasn’t that bad, but it needed a lot of work. Remember, it was my first time. Do you remember your first time? Alright then. I printed a copy for my husband and my best friend. They both read it over the weekend and told me that this was what I was supposed to be doing with my life. I was meant to be a writer. Now, I don’t know about “meant to be,” I tried it out earlier in life and sucked. Maybe it just wasn’t my time back then. I needed to grow, evolve, and experience life before I could become the writer I am today.

I didn’t plan on writing more. My goal had been met. I wrote a book. Job done. But once I opened the floodgates, the characters wouldn’t stop pouring out. I couldn’t stop now if I wanted to. I feel like my brain is a waiting room full of characters eager to tell their stories. One by one, I call them into my office so they can give me their spiel. Sometimes they have something worth writing; sometimes I have to tell them to kick rocks.

Simple! I love it, and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I still treat it like a hobby instead of a job. Also, there are those pesky characters taking up all the space in my brain’s waiting room.

At the end of this year, I will have fifteen published books available through hundreds of book retailers. That is quite an accomplishment after only 6 years of writing. One day, I want to have so many titles that I lose count.

Available everywhere on 11/11/2025

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