Spill the Tea Tuesday: Writing with Disabilities

Today, author Leigh Titler is here to spill the tea...

Hello everyone, my name is Leigh Titler, and I am a Dark Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance Author, and this is my story. I have always had a love for the written word. Growing up I had to teach myself different ways to read. I found out that I have Dyslexia. 

My biggest dream was to be a Best-Selling Author, but with my disabilities I was told it was out of my grasp. My mom and dad had always told me I could do anything, and the sky was never my limit so aim for the stars. Knowing my dream of being a writer was out of the question, I began a career in the mental health field. I worked in that field for over 20 years. One day I got severely hurt and was told I could no longer work in the field that I gave my heart and soul to. I fell into a deep depression and lost my spark.

My beloved husband of 20 years was cleaning out some packed boxes in my home office and came across short stories that I had written. He dropped the folder in my lap and told me to start writing again so I could escape and be happy once again. When my sister Sonya overheard us talking, she became a force to be reckoned with when I told her my writing would never go anywhere. 

Everyday she would hound me, “Did you write today? How much have you written?” When I finally finished The Curse of Aadya, she pushed and pushed me to publish it. So, I did, not knowing anything about the industry. It did not go well, only because I didn’t know anything about marketing or how to promote my book. I ended up loosing over 10 thousand dollars because of this mistake. 

With the help from some well-established authors, I fought for the rights back to my books and did a rewrite and republished. Aadya’s Curse and Returning to Aadya was born. With the help of Twisted Wolf Graphix, the new me was born. My family has supported me in every way. Sonya is still to this day telling me and pushing me to grow and love her for it more and more each day. My mother in law helps me with proof reading to help with my Dyslexia, my nephew Randy and my sister in law Spring help with make videos for TikTok and making merchandise for my swag shop. One of my very best friends Jill is my final editor. My two childhood best friends were the inspiration for two of the main characters in the Princesses of Aadya Trilogy, Adrienne is my Acelyn and Michelle is my Zanderley. Savannah and Crespin from Twisted Wolf Graphix are my saving grace. They do amazing work; they listened to me and took my ideas and brought them to life.

I am about to take my career one step further, my first book under my new pen name will launch a new series. The pen name I will be using for my new adventure will be Kitten. I will still be writing Dark Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance under Leigh Titler, but Kitten opens a door into BDSM Erotica romance. I have hidden my true self from the world for way to long. At 41 years old I finally feel like I am living, not just existing.

I also want to help other aspiring authors to go after their dreams. It does not matter if you have disabilities, just scared that no one will read their work, or don’t know where to start. To all of you I am here to help in anyway I can. You can do it because I believe in you.

Leigh Titler is a Dark Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance Author. She hopes her readers love her stories as much as she does. She is always open for suggestions or ideas for stories. When she's not in her writing cave, she loves to spend time with her  family and friends. Leigh finds great joy in many things. Here are just a few, Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, playing video games, reading and writing, and most of all sitting around talking with family and friends when her husband BBQ's. 

Growing up, learning was very hard for her; she was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia when she was in junior high. Because of her love for books, she didn't let it slow her down. She pushed her way through and found ways that worked for her to learn. Her advice to anyone that wants to be a writer or anything they want; is don't give up on your dreams. The only person that can hold you back is yourself. Her mom and dad always told her that the sky was the limits... So, she reached for the stars. You can find more about Leigh and her books via Amazon and her Facebook page. 

The tea has been spilled! Who's gonna clean it up? 

Drop your thoughts in the comments!