Many Thanks to Those Celebrating BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT!

Here at Leap we're saying a big, BIG thank you to everyone who is making our kickoff of our Alice-in-Wonderland inspired anthology, 

                  BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT, 
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                               a success!

Thanks goes to the following people:

• Laurie J. Edwards for having the original idea of an Alice-In-Wonderland inspired anthology for Leap;
• Everyone spreading the word about our call for submissions;
• All the writers who submitted their short stories to the anthology, whether they were selected, or not; 
• Gaetano Pezzillo for creating a stunning book cover (and an animated book cover);
• The staff that read the submissions first (Heather Elia, Shannon Delany, Judith Graves);
• Heather Elia for creating the document that kept all the subs organized through the entire process (what an awesome intern!);
• Kelly Hashway for editing and copy editing;
• Judith Graves for creating our cool book trailer;
• The rejected authors who proceeded with grace, spreading good will about the book (if you aren't in the publishing world you might not realize how appreciated that level of professionalism is);
• Shannon Delany for doing the interior illustrations;
• Ali Cross for formatting (and reformatting);
• The interns (old and new) and others who spread word about the book through Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Tumblr--and all things social media;
• The printers and staff who spent time with Shannon on the phone when she called them (multiple times) to make sure things were going well;
• The 13 amazing authors (Charlotte Bennardo, C. Lee McKenzie, David Turnbull, Christine Norris, Jackie Horsfall, Medeia Sharif, Laura Lascarso, Tom Luke, Jessica Bayliss, Crstal Schubert, Holly Odell, Jennifer Moore, and Liam Hogan)who met all their deadlines, approached Shannon's and Judith's every request with a positive attitude, and participated in a Twitter party, and a Facebook party. We hope their careers only grow (and that we get the right opportunity so we may work with them all again).
• Marketing Directors Jennifer Murgia and April Hamrick;
• The bloggers helping with our book blitz;
• The other authors of Team Leap who have been jumping in, supporting the anthology, and spreading the word--team players are the best!
• The readers. Of course the readers! Without the readers we wouldn't be publishing books...for readers.

If you haven't gotten your copy of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT yet, please hop on over to Amazon, or Smashwords, or iTunes and order yours now. 

BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT Excerpt: Broken Tethers

The following is an excerpt from author Holly Odell's short story found in BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT.

Broken Tethers

Black crows punctuated the damp April morning with bleak conversation. Long-neglected hedges and comically unkempt shrubbery guarded the perimeter of a vast, overgrown property. A young woman fought her way through the snarled branches and emerged from a particularly slovenly-looking clump of bushes. Her appearance suggested she had already endured a gauntlet of physical indignities, of which this was the culmination.

“Come on, Alice.” She perked up. “Urban exploration is a dirty business. I should’ve thought about how messy this was actually going to be, though.” Next time she’d bring a towel, and...she looked down at her clothes...maybe a plastic jumpsuit, on second thought.

Wiping her muddy hands down the front of her jacket, she shifted attention to the object of her efforts.
At last she had a clear view of the mansion. Alice gasped. Abandoned for decades, it had slumped into an exquisite state of disrepair. “What a spectacular wreck.”

Things of beauty succumbing to the ravages of time and nature sent her heart leaping into her throat. Was it the catharsis of tragedy, the ache of nostalgia for a bygone age that thrilled her so much? Or the fact that she wasn’t supposed to be here? D, all of the above.

She forgave herself a mischievous chuckle at the thought of her phone ringing in the medicine cabinet where she “accidentally” left it. Why was the concept of voluntary solitude so difficult for some people to grasp? Certain places practically clobbered you over the head, demanding to be designated as tether-free zones. Nothing can rip the cheesecloth from the lens of a Tolkien-esque
 excursion faster than a techno ringtone or someone handing you their soda so they can pee in the bushes while badgering you about how late it’s getting. A badass adventuress can only tolerate so much pestering; she was entitled to a little harmless payback.

Her eyes roamed across the decaying exterior as she strode through the long grass to the top of the hill. After rummaging for a moment she produced a small digital camera from her pocket and took a picture of thick, tangled vines embracing the chimney, which lurched as if recoiling from the side of the house. She relished a delicious gothic shiver before resuming her assessment of the formidable structure.


Ready to go adventuring with Holly's Alice? You can order on Amazon right now!

Beware the Little White Rabbit Excerpt: Alice and Her Shadow

Author Tom Luke created an Alice and a world that combine horror and a touch of humor. The excerpt below is from his short story in BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT.

Alice and Her Shadow

It is not a moonless night, nor is the moon full. It is not a half moon, which can be argued is more symbolic than either. It is not even a crescent, which can be meaningful enough for the magical practitioner on a budget. It is a waxing gibbous. Bulging. Grotesque. And hanging too low in the sky like the misshapen eye of a cosmic horror that has taken an unusual interest in humanity.

Your name is Alice. Your last name is uninteresting and will soon be irrelevant. Your name is Alice, and you are walking home. It is too dark for your mother’s purposes, and she worries about you being out too late, but Katherine’s house is less than fifteen minutes away, and down two hills. No one waiting to ambush a defenseless teenage girl is going to bother walking up two hills, you told your mother.

You still believe this, but you’ve since developed other concerns.

None of the streetlamps are working and your shadow is beginning to worry you.

You are particularly worried that it may not belong to
you.

It is stretched out in front of you and you don’t remember it looking like that.

Your mother has told you that you’re going through a late growth spurt, which is apparently why you keep walking into doorframes.

This might, might, account for the fact that your shadow’s limbs are unnaturally long and moving in ways you don’t recognize.

It does not account for your shadow’s head.

Your shadow’s head is freakishly large, weirdly distended, and there are two bumps emerging from the top of it.

You try not to speculate about the bumps.

You move your arm. Your shadow moves its arm, maybe a fraction of a second later.

You shiver and fold your arms in front of yourself. Maybe it’s just the way you moved, but your shadow seems to swell.

You stop. The sound of your footsteps seems to continue a little longer than it should. When you start to walk again, the noise echoes a little more...





Ready to leap into the world of Luke's Alice?

Amazon, iTunes, and Smashwords are taking pre-orders now for the ebook and paperback links will follow soon!

BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT Excerpt: Alice, through the Wormhole

This excerpt comes from our Alice-in-Wonderland inspired anthology, BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT and is written by popular YA author Charlotte Bennardo. 

Alice, through the Wormhole

It was seedy, even for a bar; dim enough to hide the dirt, smoky enough to blur faces, and loud enough not to overhear the illicit trading. Drinks were overpriced and watered down, but for making deals that were best kept secret, this place was golden.

The scariest aspect was the clientele. Murderers, slave traffickers, drug dealers, and mercenaries – all in a mix of worse scum. Keeping one hand on her blaster was a justifiable precaution. It also let anyone who looked her way know she wouldn’t go without a fight.

An Oryctolagian, a species resembling a white rabbit once popular on the now-dead Earth but here as big as a human, hopped past, his gravity boots clunking heavily on the stone floor. She had no use for the creatures. Sneaks, thieves, and liars, they fit in with these bottom-feeders. The only good Oryctolagian was a stuffed one – on the dinner table.

Alice rolled the grimy glass between her hands. No way would she drink it. Everyone knew that consuming anything in this place carried a certain risk. One never knew what might happen. Bartenders could be bought off to slip something in that would knock you out, alter your appearance – or kill you. But to not buy anything would insult both the bartender and the mysterious owner who’d appear by hologram to remind you that you hadn’t purchased a beverage or worse, a dish, from this fine establishment. It was safer – and cheaper – to order the swill. As always, before she left, she’d “accidentally” spill it onto the table sticky with previously slopped libations and leave a generous tip to cover the housekeeping expense. 

She looked at her chronometer again. 

Her dealer was late.

Ready to Leap in and pre-order your copy of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT?

Smashwords, iTunes, and Amazon are selling ebooks now. For those of us dying to hold a paper book--hold on a little longer, it's nearly ready for pre-order, too, and we will share links as soon as it is!

Author Jessica Bayliss of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

Alice thought it was just a hike. Until she got lost in the woods with the hottest guy in school.

Jessica Bayliss penned Alice in Wilderland for Beware the Little White Rabbit. This charming contemporary short story includes romantic elements and a lovely multicultural aspect.

Jessica has also written Breathless, a romantic ghost story in Three Worlds Press's Sea Mist Anthology and The Muse in issue 31 of Sanitarium Magazine.

Jessica's love for reading goes all the way back to the 6th grade book bin, and it's never faded. She writes across genres and age groups, but Jessica's dearest dream is to dazzle the hearts of young readers.

Let Jessica dazzle you with her Alice--coming April 14th in both print and ebook!


Find Jessica online at:
- Website: jessicabaylisswrites.com
- Twitter: @jbaylisswrites
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Bayliss/402408229917430

Author Tom Luke of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

When Tom Luke submitted the short story that became Alice and Her Shadow for Leap's BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT anthology, it was listed as The Fascinatingly Plotted, Well Characterized, and Satisfyingly Resolved Story of Alice and Her Shadow.  Our editors' eyebrows rose. Either this writer had a wicked sense of humor, a story that was accurately portrayed by such a title, or an unmatched ego. Having read (and absolutely loved) Tom's story, we can assure you that our first and second assumptions were correct.

But titles being what they are, we edited the original title down. The story we were able to leave nearly untouched.

Alice and Her Shadow will haunt you. And make you laugh.

Tom Luke is twenty-one and lives in a five-sided blue house with slanty floors. He has been writing long enough to know better and has never been able to understand why Garfield hates Mondays if he doesn’t have a job. He hopes you are well.

Author Laura Lascarso of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

Author Laura Lascarso wrote White Is a Human Construct, a journey into the psyche with the white rabbit as your guide for BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT. Her stirring story will grab and hold your attention, keeping you guessing about her Alice and just how far she'll go. Creepy and more than a bit dangerous, White is a Human Construct, was a great addition to Leap's Alice-in-Wonderland inspired anthology.

Ready to leap into Laura's twisted tale?

Here's a bit of her story we're sharing with you--and on April 14th the complete book releases! You can order Beware the Little White Rabbit online at: Amazon, iTunes, and Smashwords.

Laura strives to craft stories that are honest and relatable. Her debut novel COUNTING BACKWARDS won the 2012 Florida Book Award gold medal for Young Adult Literature. Her latest project, RACING HEARTS (Leap Books, 2015), tells the story of two star-crossed lovers thrust into the world of competitive car racing. Laura lives in North Florida with her darling husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. Follow her on Twitter @lauralascarso.

Find Laura online at:
Website: www.lauralascarso.com
Twitter: @lauralascarso
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/lauralascarso
Tumblr: www.lauralascarso.tumblr.com 
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/lauralascarso 

Author Medeia Sharif of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

Medeia Sharif was born in New York City and now lives in Miami. She received her master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University. Published through various presses, she writes middle grade and young adult short stories and novels (including Bestest. Ramadan. Ever., and Snip, Snip Revenge). In addition to being a writer, she’s a public school teacher.


Medeia's contemporary fiction story, MUSTANG ALICE was a great addition to the BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT anthology. A bit wild and crazy it's perfect for an Alice-in-Wonderland inspired anthology!

Find Medeia online at:

http://www.medeiasharif.com 

Twitter 

Instagram  

Goodreads 

Ready to read Medeia's story in our anthology? Soon!

Until then, meet our other authors and join in our online contests and events!

Char Bennardo

C. Lee McKenzie

David Turnbull

Christine Norris

Jackie Horsfall

Author Jackie Horsfall of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

Jacqueline (Jackie) Horsfall's contribution to Leap's BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT anthology, RABBIT FEVER,  is one that will make historians smile and intrigue everyone else. Jackie was quick to remind our team that "2015 marks 350 years since the height of the Great Plague of London (1665) as well as 150 years since the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)." 

That's the sort of detail we at Leap love!

Jackie is the author of 20 books and hundreds of magazine stories, articles, and poems. Her books include First Girl Last, Earth Games, For the Love of Strangers, Kids' Silliest Jokes, and many more! 

Jackie lives in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York and is the proud owner of Martin Gardner’s original 1960 edition of The Annotated Alice.

Earth Games: 50 Nature Games for Ages 3+

Kids' Silliest Jokes

Find Jackie online at:Facebook: Jackie Gilzow Horsfall
Facebook Author PageTwitter: @jackiehorsfall
Wattpad: jhorsfallAmazon Author Page

Author Christine Norris of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

Christine Norris is the author of several speculative fiction works for children and adults. She is highly over-educated and therefore loves to be in the library, which is her secret day job (whoops...).

She also has an addiction to British television, and believes in fairies.

Christine's contribution to BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT is the enchanting and creepy THE WATCHMAKER'S BALL which begins in 1876 Philadelphia, at the Centennial Exposition. The Purcell family has a minor role in A CURSE OF ASH AND IRON, Christine's full-length novel due to be released on May 21st.

Whovians will especially delight in this eerie tale--ready to LEAP in and start reading? Watch for when we share a bit of Christine's short story here, and her anthology title page!

While you wait, though, make sure you enter our Goodreads giveaway for a chance to win one of four copies of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT, and join our Facebook event, and our Twitter party (watch #Beware)!

Find Christine online at:
Website: www.christine-norris.com
Twitter: @cnorrisauthor
FB: http://facebook.com/AuthorChristineNorris
Tsu: Tsu.co/ChristineNorris 

Author David Turnbull of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

David Turnbull's ALICE, LAST OF THE BEATING HEARTS is an exhilarating adventure that will give science fiction fans a thrill. One of our international contributors, David crafted an exciting world ruled by machines and challenged by a strong-armed Alice wielding quite a weapon!

Born in Edinburgh, David now lives and works in London. His short fiction has been published in numerous magazines and short story anthologies, both in print and online.

His first novel, a children's fantasy  adventure entitled THE TALE OF EUAN REDCAP, was released under the Pixiefoot Press imprint of Essex-based Wyvern Publications in 2012. In addition to being featured in Salt Publishing’s BEST BRITISH FANTASY 2014, his most recent short fiction has appeared in DIFFERENT DRAGONS II (Wolfsinger Publications) and SOLSTICE SHORTS (Arachne Press). He is a member of the Clockhouse London group of genres writers.

Find David online at:
https://clockhouselondonwriters.wordpress.com/
http://www.tumsh.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/EuanRedcap?ref=hl



Ready to venture into Alice's world? Great! Here's a bit of David's story, and the art from his title page!

Order BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT now on Amazon, iTunes, or Smashwords.

Author C. Lee McKenzie of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

One of the things we love about our homage to Lewis Carroll's ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND is that there truly is something for everyone. One of the most intriguing contemporary submissions we received was C. Lee McKenzie's THEY CALL ME ALICE.

Lee's particular Alice hails from a distinct and rich cultural heritage and, with a deft hand, Lee gives a hauntingly sweet view of her struggle to fit into a world that feels foreign to her.

Curious? Here's a bit of Lee's story (and her title page)!

A native Californian who grew up in a lot of different places then landed in the Santa Cruz Mountains where she now lives with her family, Lee writes most of the time, gardens, hikes, and does a lot of yoga. She travels whenever she can.

Lee's books include DOUBLE NEGATIVE, SUDDEN SECRETS, THE PRINCESS OF LAS PULGAS, ALLIGATORS OVERHEAD, and SLIDING ON THE EDGE.

Ready to LEAP down the rabbit hole?
April 14th BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT
will be in the wild!

You can find Lee online at http://cleemckenziebooks.com and her blog http://writegame.blogspot.com.
On Twitter? She's @cleemckenzie.
And, of course, she's on Facebook, too, as C. Lee McKenzie.

Join us for our BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT giveaway on Goodreads, our event on Facebook, and our party on Twitter (watch #Beware)!

Order BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT on Amazon, iTunes, or Smashwords now!

Author Charlotte Bennardo of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

When author Charlotte Bennardo submitted her short story ALICE THROUGH THE WORMHOLE to Leap's BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT anthology call, we got a bit starry-eyed. Not only is Char a great writer with a number of popular novels under her belt (SIRENZ, BLONDE OPS, and SIRENZ BACK IN FASHION) and with more in the works, she's also a delightfully friendly person.

But, as editors of an anthology, we can't afford to fangirl. Business is business, and strong stories are strong stories. And that's all we were willing to accept for our homage to Lewis Carroll's ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. When marking a 150th anniversary celebration editors tend to get picky.

And Char's story was what we hoped for!

Are you a fan of science fiction? Or someone who truly appreciates a fine tea? You'll want to turn to ALICE THROUGH THE WORMHOLE first.

Want to know more? Here's a snippet of Char's story and her title page!

Char is always looking for a character to mess with. She loves to write young, new adult, and middle grade fiction, although she has written poetry and non-fiction articles.

Check out her blog at: Author on the Loose

Find out where she'll be signing books and presenting on writing topics at her What's Up page.

Are you ready to LEAP down the rabbit hole? We are! April 14th's coming up soon and we have a Goodreads giveaway, a Facebook event, and a Twitter party (watch #Beware) before that happens. Lot's going on, but that's okay because...

"We're all mad here." 

Curiouser and Curiouser: BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

With 2015 marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll's ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, Leap is excited to launch our own homage to Alice: BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT. 

Loyal LEAPers have surely seen the stunning book cover created by Gaetano with lettering by Ashley Poston. Perhaps you know the book releases April 14th (you deserve something wonderful before taxes are due). You may even know we have 13 kickass stories in the anthology.

Perhaps you are so lovingly stalkerish that you know the names of those lucky 13 authors (and that many, many more submitted but were gently turned away). Maybe you've read some works of our 13 authors before. If so, you truly rock our socks!

But, curiouser, and curiouser, we're giving away some copies of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT on Goodreads, and hosting a Facebook party, and a Twitter event (watch #Beware)! 

With authors. And prizes.

Do you know the titles of the BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT stories? Have you seen the title pages? 

No?

Well, we're going to fix that. 

Over the next two weeks we'll be introducing you to our amazing anthology authors and kicking off our events. We'll be sharing t-shirts, mugs, notebooks, and whatnots, in our new online store. 

If you love Alice-in-Wonderland, if you're hoping for your chance to follow a white rabbit into a Wonderland… Stick around!

Buy the book on Amazon, iTunes, or Smashwords!

LEAP Down the Rabbit Hole with Us!

Next year marks an historic moment, the 150th anniversary of the publication of the classic story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland!

To celebrate how absolutely mad we are about this occasion, Leap Books, LLC will publish a special Alice-inspired anthology called BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT and you, yes, YOU are invited to the party!

Join a roster of well-loved authors writing new YA stories inspired by a classic tale. Submissions should be between 4,000-6,000 words in length, include a protagonist named Alice and a stuffed white rabbit whose
appearance signals the start of adventure. All YA genres are eligible.

Title, premise/elevator pitch, and your complete submission are due to LeapBks@gmail.com by midnight EST November 15. Authors should include ALICE in their email's heading.

The final lineup for the anthology will be announced December 15.

Authors whose stories are selected for inclusion in the BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT anthology and who meet revision requirements and associated deadlines will be paid a one-time fee of $50 USD.