Spooky Reads from LEAP: Tina Ferraro

Welcome to the third week of Spooky Reads from Leap! This week we asked Tina Ferraro, author of Half-Life, about her Top 5 Spooky Destinations! Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | iTunes

Thanks to Tina for joining us today! Here are her top Five SPOOOOOOOOKY Destinations she has and wants to visit! Click the destination link for more information about ghosts and other "happenings" at those places! 1.      Visited 1986: The White House, Washington, DC. 2.      Visited 2011:  The Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California.          3.      Visited 1998:    The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California. 4.      Might visit 2015: Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, NH.   5.      Might visit 2017: The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, CO.  (The hotel where they filmed "The Shining.")

Tina Ferraro been writing since she learned to hold a pencil, and sold upwards of a hundred short stories to national magazines before turning to novels. She is the author of three Random House novels, The ABC’s of Kissing Boys, How to Hook a Hottie and Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, which have received distinctions such as the ABA Book Sense Award and two RITA nominations. Her fourth YA, The Starter Boyfriend, has spent time on Amazon’s Top 100 Lists. She lives in Los Angeles with her rocket scientist husband, two cats and whichever of their three young adult children is in town. When not writing, she enjoys playing Facebook Scrabble, swimming, and chasing coyotes out of her neighborhood. 

Tina’s latest title with Shine….HALF-LIFE follows Trisha in the days before her 15th birthday, as her long deceased identical twin makes appearances in mirrors to help prevent her similarly early demise. Follow Tina on Twitter, Facebook, and her website. 

LEAP Books October Spooky Reads titles, each only $1.99 all October long!

Killer's Instinct: Amazon | B&N
Beware the Little White Rabbit Anthology: Amazon | iTunes | B&N | Smashwords | Goodreads
Half-Life: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | iTunes
Fright Before Christmas Anthology: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Smashwords
The Case of the Invisible Witch: LeapBooks | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Spirited Anthology: Amazon | B&N

Spooky Reads From LEAP: Patrice Lyle

LEAP Books October Spooky Reads titles, each only $1.99 all October long! Killer's Instinct: Amazon | B&N Beware the Little White Rabbit Anthology: Amazon | iTunes | B&N | Smashwords | Goodreads Half-Life: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | iTunes Fright Before Christmas Anthology: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Smashwords The Case of the Invisible Witch: Amazon |  Smashwords | Goodreads  Spirited Anthology: Amazon | B&N  Welcome to the first week of Spooky Reads from Leap! This week we are featuring Patrice Lyle and her spooky books, including her newest release in the Poison Ivy Charm School series, The Case of the Washed-Up Warlock & an excerpt!

LeapBooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble LeapBooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

When thirteen-year-old Tulip Bonnaire’s super-cute crush, Dexter, is threatened with expulsion from Poison Ivy Charm School, she can’t help but take the case. Someone has put a spell on Garrett’s Levitation skills and all the evidence, including the testimony of a sea hag stone, points to Dex. Tulip can’t imagine Poison Ivy without him, so she’s intent on proving his innocence. But that means delving into an old secret to find out who turned Garrett into a washed-up warlock. Book Two in the Poison Ivy Charm School Series, releasing  October 5, 2015 Pre-Order Links: Amazon |  Smashwords | Goodreads  Excerpt from The Case of the Washed-Up Warlock:                              “Any news yet?” He sat down on his bed and wedged himself against a mountain of pillows.                 I was about to answer when a glint of gray caught my eye. A stone the size of a cookie, with an uneven hole in the middle of it, sat on his bedside table. “Is that your enchanted sea hag stone?” The one that had started all the trouble?                 “Yeah. Glad she finally woke up and told me ’bout Dexter busting into my closet.”                 I ignored him and approached the troublemaking pebble. Its smooth exterior was cool against my skin when I rolled it between my fingers. Not a sign of life existed until I dropped it – kinda accidentally – onto his table. Thud.                 Dark, creepy eyes appeared, lined with spiky, green eyelashes. A tiny mouth with slimy black lips emerged around the hole. And a long, carrot-shaped nose covered in warts jutted out. “Hey, you. Don’t drop me like a bag of dirt.” Her voice screeched like a spider monkey on a rampage.                 I laughed. “You talking about Garrett’s Lev performance?”                 Garrett cleared his throat. “That’s not my fault. It’s a spell.”                 “Don’t you drop me again, you idiotic hooligan.” The sea hag had a ’tude stronger than Alexandria’s.                 I wanted to fling the stupid stone out the window, but that wasn’t the best way to get information. If the dumb hag had seen Dexter, maybe she’d seen something else that could help me solve the case.                 “Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to.”                 “Yeah, right. I know a rock dropper when I see one.”                 I stifled a smirk and a smart comment about a rolling stone. “You see anything else suspicious in Garrett’s room?”                 She batted her needle-like eyelashes. “Nothing but that nerd ’lock who slipped in here like some moron ghost who hasn’t mastered being dead yet. He fumbled with the door forever before crashing in like a nitwit.”                 Anger shot through my veins like an ink pen explosion. First Garrett had insulted Dex. And now some stone with a hideous, old hag face? Who do they think they are? I grabbed the dumb rock with both hands and pinched the sea hag’s ugly warty nose, intent on breaking it off.                 But she bit me!                 Her moldy teeth chomped down on my fingers, drawing blood.                 “Ouch! You stupid sea hag!” I tried to hurl her against the wall, but her grip was like a pit bull’s.                 If pit bulls had carrot-shaped noses, spider monkey voices, and moldy teeth.                 “Get this thing off me,” I yelled at Garrett. “Or I’ll drop your case.” Patrice Lyle has never met a ghost story she didn’t like. She’s been fascinated with the paranormal since childhood. She attributes this fascination to having heard old family stories of ghostly wreaths, ESP, and money hidden in the lining of antique purses. She grew up on the Oregon Coast and has a Master’s Degree in Writing Popular Fiction. Now she lives with her husband and three cats near Orlando, where she’s working on the next Poison Ivy novel and trolling the area for ghostly happenings. Friend Patrice on Facebook or visit her website. She is also on AuthorsNow! and Twitter: @Patrice_Lyle

Meet 16 YA Paranormal Authors

Today's the day for the tour to start. If you aren't sure where to go next, check out Judith Graves' website for the The Crossroads event page.

The Crossroads Tour STORY: 

Eryn and her crew of hunters, Matt, Brit and of course, the oh-so-brooding, Alec, are hunting down a creature that’s been making a nuisance of itself in Redgrave. Rumour has it, the creature can only be destroyed on midnight of October 31^st. That’s right, Halloween, and only at a crossroads.
Wade, Redgrave High’s resident hottie (and a vampire after Eryn’s heart), is searching for possible leads. Wade’s not one for research, but that’s all the crew will let him do. Let’s just say there are some trust issues at hand.
He lurks under a streetlight, cloaked in late afternoon shadows. He’s a bit miffed. If he can’t suck the info out of an unwilling victim, there’s not much of a thrill in it for him. Still, gathering intel might impress Eryn and perhaps lead to another dark alley clincher. He resigns himself to playing the good guy, just this once.
Uh oh. He’s spotted you on the sidewalk outside the library. It’s too late to grab the holy water you’ve got stashed in your backpack (you’re not a total spaz, this is Redgrave, after all). He stalks toward you, his eyes trained on yours. Your heart does a few desperate Karate-Kid kicks in your chest, but you’re unable to flee. You stare into his grey-eyed darkness. You slip under his spell. In seconds you’re his.
How lovely.
He’s close now. You smell an icy mint in the air. You close your eyes in submission, waiting for the press of his fangs on your neck. But instead of indulging in an after school snack, Wade compels you to do his dirty work for him.  As the sun fades, you spend hours searching through historic documents, the folklore section, and even crank out the microfiche. Consider yourself an honorary Giles…
 HOW THE TOUR WORKS:
Each day of The Crossroads Tour, a new research question will be revealed here on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page (http://judithgraves.com/events/the-crossroads-tour/), and each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the 16 different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all 16 answers by the end of the tour, on Halloween.
Send your answers to judithgraves at ymail dot com by midnight on October 31^st to win a fab grand prize consisting of:

• signed copy of Under My Skin by Judith Graves
• copy of Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble
• copy of Freaksville by Kitty Keswick
• gothic stickers
• funky Halloween decorations
• a DVD featuring Classic Horror Films
• a $10 gift certificate for Leap Books
• a Leap Books T-shirt

This Halloween, meet us at THE CROSSROADS…

Ready for Some Hauntingly Good Fun?

This Halloween meet 16 YA Paranormal Authors at THE CROSSROADS!

From October 16-31st, bloggers and authors will meet at a virtual crossroads, sharing their love of the paranormal and things that go bump in the night with readers.

What’s dark, delicious and READ all over? Young adult paranormal fiction, my FIENDS, and what better way to celebrate debut and established authors in the genre than a blog tour frenzy? Over sixteen days this October (October 16-31) bloggers and authors will meet at a virtual crossroads, sharing their love of the paranormal and things that go bump in the night with readers.

Judith Graves, an Alberta based YA author, (Under My Skin, Leap Books, 2010) has organized the event, the first multi-author blog tours of its kind. She’s wrangled in New York Times bestselling authors (Tonya Hurley, Ghostgirl series. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) and newbies alike for the sixteen day promotional GOREfest. Participating bloggers will give away generous amounts of SWAG donated by the authors, as well as signed copies of Crossroad author titles.

Paranormal authors deal with the fantastical and the yearnings of their readers. “It’s a once a year opportunity to be anything and anyone you want to be. Anyone can be a princess, a superhero or a villain- all in one night,” says Jordan Deen (The Crescent. Black Rose Writing, 2010). Joy Preble (Haunted. Sourcebooks Fire, 2011) agrees, “Halloween is a time for unloosening – of spirits and self.” Why not indulge in the spirit of reading? “[Halloween] is a time where the veil between the real and the unreal, the living and the dead, thins until you think you see strange shadows following you under the pumpkin-orange moon…” adds Karen Kincy (Other. Flux, 2010)

Besides the usual deal with the devil lore, crossroads symbolize so much more, as Angie Frazier (Everlasting. Scholastic Press, 2010) shares, “Literally or figuratively, a crossroads is place where a single decision will change everything. For me, a crossroads symbolizes choice and loss, and sometimes even bravery—when you choose one path, countless others are left behind, unexplored.” Amy Brecount White (Forget-Her-Nots. Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2010) expands, “A crossroads symbolizes new possibilities. We can’t see what’s going to happen in either direction, but a choice is unavoidable. We are our choices, which is both exciting and scary.”

This Halloween, choose to explore new stories, new voices. “It’s the only holiday that encompasses imagination to the fullest. A night to be whoever you want to be. Try someone’s shoes on for size…experience magic,” encourages Kitty Keswick (Freaksville, Leap Books, 2010).

How the tour works:

From October 16-31st, readers, under the thrall of Wade Gervais, a dark-side vampire from Judith Graves’ Under My Skin, hunt for answers to a new paranormal trivia question each day. The answers are hidden within a different blog post daily, encouraging readers to visit each blog, each day of the tour. Bloggers will be giving away a bevy of tricks and treats donated by Crossroads Tour authors. At the end of the tour, on October 31st compiled answers are sent to Graves and a grand prize winner is randomly selected from those with correct and complete entries. There will also be two live chats on October 31st and November 1st, bringing readers, authors and bloggers together for a final celebration on Halloween and the Day of the Dead.
For the full list of participating authors, bloggers and giveaways, check out The Crossroads event page.

Haunted Halloween

Looking for some spooky tales this month. Get thee to the Haunted Halloween site where great authors are sharing their brushes with the paranormal. Just click on the logo to the left to go to the site.

And don't forget to stop back here tomorrow for another great Halloween treat.

TaleBlazers Festival

Author Judith Graves will be part of the Young Alberta Book Society's TaleBlazers Festival, which runs from October 4-29, 2010. Schools and libraries can host author visits.

And what better month to have a visit from a paranormal author than October?? Under My Skin is filled with wolven, witches, vamps, and otherworldly beasties, so it's the perfect Halloween treat. 


"Every fall the Taleblazers Festival tours the province giving hundreds of literary presentations to Albertan children in communities large and small, getting them fired up about literacy, sparking their imaginations, and giving them stronger literacy skills for a brighter future." To find out more about TaleBlazers and the Young Alberta Book Society, check out the website: http://www.yabs.ab.ca/TaleBlazers.asp.

Leap Books is proud to have authors who are working hard to promote literacy. If you'd like to host any of our authors, please contact Cathleen Cartwright at marketing@leapbks.com.

Gravestones: Art to die for?

Think gravestones are works of art? Why not try a gravestone rubbing?

You’ll need:

1. Rubbing wax (in whatever color you desire...red is cool.)
2. Masking tape
3. Large rolls of vellum or a nice lightweight cloth-like paper at least 24"x30" (may need larger sized paper for older headstones)

Directions:

Tape paper to headstone, make sure it's tight. Place the rubbing wax on its long, flat side, and gently apply pressure in one direction (usually from top to bottom in long strokes). Repeat until the entire image is showing. Remove tape. Roll up your paper to prevent damage. When you get home, frame your work of art.

Be sure to respect the gravestones. Leave them in the same manner you found them. For more on gravestone rubbings, check out the Geneva Historical Society - they're like the gurus of grave rubbings.

Below are some places where you can purchase supplies. They are only suggestions. Leap Books is not affiliated with them in any way.

Gravestone Art Wear: check out their gravestone rubbing kits.

Petersen Prints: here you can order your gravestone rubbing wax.

For more graveyard fun, head to our Leap Books Exclusives for a chilling free read by author Judith Graves, Old Flames Die Hard, and discover what might happen if your ex (the guy you’re still mooning over) asks to meet you in the local cemetery.

Then stop back to tell us what you liked best about our Exclusives. And if you have any suggestions for improving our site or our offerings, we’re all ears. And we’d love to hear your Halloween suggestions.

Spooky Fun for Teen Read Week

Ready for some spooky fun? We're celebrating Teen Read Week (October 18-24) by offering free Exclusives from two of our exciting, new debut authors, Kitty Keswick and Judith Graves.

Teen Read Week, started by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) in 1998, is celebrated the third week of October. With the aim of getting teens to read, YALSA offers many activities for classrooms and libraries.

During Teen Read Week, readers of all ages are invited to take a sneak peek at Leap Exclusives. Check out the details: