Welcome!
My name is Leigh Crescent, or sometimes A. Colleigh, but most call me Leigh. Both are pen names inspired by my real name, which is kept private online for safety reasons. I plan to publish my young adult and middle grade works under Leigh Crescent, and anything more adult under A. Colleigh. I hope that you'll keep reading to learn more about me!
All about me
Overview
I've grown up in the same town my entire life, which can certainly have its ups and downs. With that being said, travelling is one of my favorite things to do, whether it's a drive down the backroads or exploring the jungles of Costa Rica. Some of my dream travel destinations are Albania, Italy, Greece, Ireland, Germany, and France. My mother is an Albanian, Greek, Tunisian, Russian, and Italian first-generation immigrant from Yugoslavia, and my dad's family came over from Scotland and Ireland. Learning about the places their families lived and fled has made me want to travel to these places and beyond.
​
Other things
I love taking photos and all things aesthetic, and it would be my dream to become an influencer or model of some sort one day! I love all things pirates, Pixar, and Top Gun, and a fun little overpriced drink is the way to my heart. I'm also a big advocate for animal cruelty and rescue dogs (I have one of my own and volunteer at the county animal services), as well as mental health and neurodivergency and chronic illness. All of these things have affected my life in some way, and it's important that I am able to help others or at least share information.
​
Faith
My faith is also a very important part of my life. I believe that my desire to write is a gift from the Lord. However, my faith is also never an excuse to make anyone feel bad for their religion, culture, identity, or choices. Everyone is welcomed here, as long as respect is shown. I spend time volunteering at church and with my youth group, and it is my dream to go on a mission trip before I graduate high school next May.
​
Music
Music is another huge part of my life. My favorite genres are indie, indie-rock, fok, folk-rock, folk-country, country, singer-songwriter, pop, alternative, rock, 80's, worship, and some rap. Needless to say, my music taste encompasses a wide variety of genres and artists. Some artists I enjoy listening to are Taylor Swift, Zach Bryan, Noah Kahan, Ben Howard, Lana Del Rey, U2, Arctic Monkeys, Chase Atlantic, Gracie Abrams, Clairo, Parker McCollom, George Strait, Morgan Wade, Molly Payton, Gregory Alan Isakov, The Lumineers, Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers, The Neighborhood, Jason Aldean, Bon Iver, The National, Harry Styles, TV Girl, Declan McKenna, Cage the Elephant, Wallows, Lennon Stella, and The Backseat Lovers. I also write songs, and would love to take voice and guitar lessons in the near-future. I played piano for several years when I was younger, and would like to possibly pick that up again at some point. I was also a Clarinet-player in middle school for three years.
Education
I'm a high school senior and part-time college student in Texas. I am currently taking anatomy and physiology as well as AP biology and statistics. I will also be taking a semester of government and a semester of economy through my local college this school year. I'm a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), and have been accepted into a Patient Care Technician Clinical program through the local college for this school year, much like the CNA program I completed this past year. If you can't already tell, I am planning to go to college for nursing, and eventually receive my master's degree to become a nurse practitioner. A few of my interests within the field of nursing are flight/trauma nursing, military nursing, aesthetic and cosmetic nursing, pediatric or NICU nursing, anesthesia nursing, travel nursing, and sports medicine nursing. Ultimately, my final decision is still several years away, and comes down to what I find myself to be most passionate about during my studies. I plan to minor in journalism.
Writing history
I've had an affinity for creative passions as long as I can remember. I would write and illustrate books featuring my classmates and present them to my first-grade class. My family found me constantly reading anything I could get my hands on whether it be food labels, cookbooks, the back of a shampoo bottle or pamphlets at the doctor's office. Some of the first chapter books I read were the "I Survived" series, Harry Potter, the "Rainbow Fairy" books, A Wrinkle in Time, and Three Times Lucky. I had many special interests as a child, and weather was one of them. I spent countless hours checking out tornado books from the library and scientific reading articles.
As I grew older, my love for reading never faded, and I continued to enjoy creative writing, though it was mostly in school. I didn't start writing my first book until I was in eighth grade, and then, the world stopped.
The very first concepts for In the Midnight Blue (ITMB) were written in Spring of 2020. They were messy, amateurish, and heavily-inspired by books like Divergent and the Hunger Games. (Though the character named Gale is a complete coincidence) These dystopian staples are still some of my biggest influences for ITMB, though it has evolved into a story of its very own with far better writing, worldbuilding, and characterization. It wasn't until I started writing that I started reading many of the popular YA books many love today. I was always a reader, but had no idea that there was a whole category and community for books this these. I have to credit some of the first YA books I read during the pandemic lockdown for shaping me as the writer I am today. The Selection, Divergent, Shatter Me, Under the Never Sky, Throne of Glass, Red Queen Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus, and The Lunar Chronicles will forever and always be some of my favorite books, purely because of the influence they've had on me as a writer, and a person as I grew into a young woman.