Need Help with Story Structure?

Story Structure with Author and Editor Kat OShea

				Registration Information Click to register
April 28 - May 25, 2014
About the Workshop   An interesting and exciting beginning will draw readers in, but how do you keep their interest high throughout? A well-plotted story will keep them turning the pages and make them eager to read your next book. Both plotters and pantsers can benefit from knowing how to structure a story that readers can’t put down. Learn about different story structures that can keep your novel riveting from beginning to end and prevent sagging middles. But story structure isn't only about plotting. A novel needs other basics to give it structure -- thematic resonance and character change. Adding these underlying elements can take any story from good to outstanding. If your goal is to write a bestselling novel, this is your opportunity to learn from an experienced editor.  Cost: Premium Member $20 / Basic Member $30 About the Instructor   Kat O’Shea is Editor-in-Chief at Leap Books, a small, innovative publishing house for teen and tween novels. She has 20+ years of editing experience with a variety of publishers, and she has been published under several pseudonyms in both the YA and adult markets.

A Chance to Work with Editor Kat OShea

Upcoming Workshop at Savvy Authors

Handling Backstory the Right Way with Editor Kat OShea

				Registration Information Click to register
March 17 - April 6, 2014
About the Workshop One thing that puts off many editors—and most readers—is lengthy passages of backstory dumped into a manuscript. Putting too much background information in the first few chapters can slow down the story and prevent readers from bonding with your main character. Yet that same information, used at the proper time, can build tension and provide dramatic conflict. Learn to distinguish between essential and nonessential backstory, and discover ways to use your character’s past to add dramatic tension to your manuscript. Cost: Premium Member $20 / Basic Member $30 Where:  The Savvy Forums About the Instructor Kat O’Shea is Editor-in-Chief at Leap Books. She has 20+ years of editing experience with a variety of publishers and also does freelance editing and critiquing. Kat has been published under several pseudonyms in both the YA and adult markets.

Online Writing Classes with Kat O'Shea

Want to learn more about writing? Leap Books Editor-in-chief, Kat O'Shea, will be presenting two online workshops this summer for Savvy Authors. These four-week-long classes are available at a bargain price. Here's information. Click on the links below to register. And if you don't want to wait several weeks, you can find writing advice from Kat now in "First Chapter Mistakes." Best of all, if you been dying to submit to Leap Books, taking one of these classes will allow you to do that. [Please note that except for special calls for submissions, such as for the Spirited anthology, Leap Books only accepts submissions from agents.]

Editing with an Editor

Instructor: Kat O'Shea. One of the fastest ways to get your manuscript rejected is to submit one that needs substantial editing. Grammar and punctuation are important, but they aren’t the only things that give your manuscript a quick trip to the rejection pile. Learn editors’ pet peeves and how to avoid them as well as how to tackle overall manuscript revision and still keep your sanity.

WHEN:   Jun 27 - Jul 24, 2011

COST:   $15 for Premium Members; $25 for Basic Members


Click Here to Register


Story Structure

Instructor: Kat O'Shea. An interesting and exciting beginning will draw readers in, but how do you keep their interest high throughout? A well-plotted story will keep them turning the pages and make them eager to read your next book. Both plotters and pantsers will benefit from knowing how to structure a story that readers can’t put down. Learn about different story structures, such as the 3-Act and the Hero’s Journey, and how introducing change bombs and writing cliffhangers can help you avoid sagging middles.

WHEN:   Aug 1 - Aug 28, 2011

COST:   $15 for Premium Members; $25 for Basic Members

Click Here to Register

A Great Way to Help Japan

Children's authors, illustrators, and publishers are banding together to help Japan. They've donated goods and services that are being auctioned at Children's Authors and Illustrators for Japan. Everything from books to prints to editorial services are available.


Leap  Books editor Kat O'Shea is offering three critiques. Not only can you take advantage of her expertise, but if you've been dying to submit to Leap Books, here's your chance. Normally we only take agented submissions, but the three lucky authors that Kat critiques will have an opportunity to submit their completed manuscripts to Leap Books after they've revised them. We hope you'll leap at this chance to get your foot in the door. Watch for Kat's offering to come up. Here are the details:

Auction #67
From Thursday 3/31 @ 11:00AM EDT to Tuesday 4/5 @ 11:00AM EDT
Kat O'Shea: critique-50 pages
Value:  $250

And while you're there, be sure to look at all the other great items. Nab a badge to show your support. Better yet, pop over to the website now and start bidding.

Success for Freaksville

Leap Books is proud to announce that author Kitty Keswick's young adult novel Freaksville has been named by P & E as a 2010 Top Ten Novel for YAs. Teens enjoy the humor and the light paranormal mystery. Here's what one teen reader had to say on Bearamy's Book Club, where Keswick's book was spotlighted for January, "Kitty Keswick is a great writer over all!!"

In addition to kudos for her books, Kitty was chosen as the featured author for the Children's Book Council's January/February column in the American Library Association's publication, Knowledge Quest, a magazine for school librarians. Kitty's article, "D is for Dragons," tells the poignant story of the struggles she overcame to become a novelist.

What's next for this award-winning author? She's hard at work on book two in the Freaksville series. Fans are eagerly awaiting the release of Furry and Freaked. See the great cover design below. Looks fabulous, doesn't it?

If you haven't read Freaksville, check out the story of four teens trapped in a haunted theater on the night of the full moon. Battling hungry werewolves and angry ghosts, sixteen-year-old Kasey and her friends uncover buried secrets to solve a decades-old mystery.

Whereas Freaksville is told with a lighter touch, readers who prefer their paranormals a bit darker will gravitate to Furry and Freaked, where Kasey's in for some hair-raising challenges.

Both books feature art by the award-winning Canadian graphic artist, Val Cox.

Meet Editor Kat O'Shea

If you've been longing to submit a manuscript to Leap Books, this may be your opportunity. As you know, Leap Books only accepts agented manuscripts. They do make exceptions for attendees at conferences where any Leap Books editor speaks. If you haven't been able to attend conferences to meet one of our editors, you can meet Kat O'Shea, Editor-in-Chief, online at Savvy Authors during October.

Kat will be teaching at:

If you attend her workshop Handling Backstory the Right Way, you can submit one manuscript directly to Kat following the four week class.


Here's a brief blurb:

You only have a paragraph or two to capture an editor’s or reader’s interest. If you don’t draw readers in quickly, it’s hard to make a sale. Get your story off to a more exciting start by eliminating backstory. Discover how to identify backstory, when to cut it, where and how to use it effectively.

WHEN: Oct 4 - Oct 31
COST: $15 for Premium Members
$25 for Basic & NON-Members

So head on over to Savvy Authors to register.

Handling Backstory the Right Way

 Workshop

Handling Backstory the Right Way

Instructor: Kat OShea. You only have a paragraph or two to capture an editor’s or reader’s interest. If you don’t draw readers in quickly, it’s hard to make a sale. Get your story off to a more exciting start by eliminating backstory. Discover how to identify backstory, when to cut it, where and how to use it effectively.

WHEN: Oct 4 - Oct 31
COST: $15 for Premium Members
$25 for Basic & NON-Members

Meet Editor Kat O'Shea

If you're in the Portland area, you'll have an opportunity to meet our editor-in-chief, Kat O'Shea. She'll be speaking at the Oregon Christian Writers Conference. For the great lineup of classes, check out the schedule of breakout sessions and coaching classes. Kat's speaking on Writing for the YA Market and giving great editing tips on How to Update Your Writing. You won't want to miss either of these sessions. Kat will also be doing manuscript critiques.

Here's more information about the conference:

Journey in the Write Direction

August 2–5, 2010
Canby Grove Conference Center, Canby, Oregon

o    At least 12 coaching classes
o    Editors representing fiction, nonfiction and periodicals
o    Agents
o    Professional writers
o    Manuscript critiques
o    Round-table discussions 

Keynote Speakers: Bill Myers and Jeff Gerke

If you're interested in attending, there are still spaces available. More information can be found here:

Download a full-color flyer HERE*
Download the mail-in registration packet HERE

And if you attend, be sure to say hi to Kat. She'd love to meet you.

Saturday Shivers by Editor Kat O'Shea

Photo by Dr Joseph Valks

 It's Saturday again, and time for some spooky encounters with the paranormal. This one comes courtesy of Kat O'Shea, Editor-in-Chief of Leap Books. Is it any wonder Kat likes to edit the Leap Books line of paranormals?

When I was in high school, I was eating lunch with my friend Alice at a picnic table outside. Two girls sat at the table in front of us, spread out their lunches, and began making fun of Alice. When they made ape sounds and kissing noises, Alice’s eyes filled with tears. (Some people called the guy Alice had a crush on “Apeman.”) She gathered up her stuff and started to flee, but I’d had enough.

I stood and said, “You’d better watch out because I’m a witch. If you don’t leave Alice alone, I’ll cast  a spell on you.”

The girls giggled and pretended to cower.

“Ooo, scary,” one of them said.

I have no idea why I did this, but I held out my arms and wriggled my fingers toward their lunches in what I hoped looked like a witchlike motion.

A sudden breeze blew their bags of chips off the table and dumped them into their laps. Their eyes got wider.

The wind grew stronger. The plastic wrap on their sandwiches and cookies flapped open, a partially eaten pack of Tastycakes slid to the ground. They clutched each other and screamed as a carton of chocolate milk tipped over and doused the cookies.

As the puddle of milk flowed toward their laps, they leapt up. Throwing frightened glances over their shoulders, they fled, leaving their lunches behind.

Truth was, I was as petrified as they were. I have no idea if the wind was a coincidence or if I caused it, but I’ve been afraid to repeat that performance. I worry that nothing will happen, or even worse, that something will. I’m not sure which I’d prefer.

I still wonder: Can people really cause things like that to happen? Why did the wind stop as soon as I lowered my hands? How come only their table was affected by the wind? Nothing on our table or nearby tables even moved.

 Any thoughts? Anyone else ever have an experience like this? Feel free to leave comments or send your story to Lexie North and we’ll post it on the blog.