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 Jennifer Moore of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

Author Jennifer Moore's Undercover Alice is a contemporary adventure story about a young reporter on the verge of breaking a story even bigger (and stranger) than she first expected.

Jennifer is a freelance writer and children’s author from Devon, England.  She has two chapter books published with Knowonder (writing as Jaye Seymour) and is a former winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize.  Her publications include Mslexia, The First Line and Futuredaze: An Anthology of YA Science Fiction.





You can find Jennifer online at:
Her Website: https://jennifermoore.wordpress.com
Twitter: @JennyWriteMoore

Author Holly Odell of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

For those of us wanting to break free of our electronic tethers and discover a whole new world, Holly Odell wrote a perfect tale for Beware the Little White Rabbit called Broken Tethers.

Her Alice is an urban explorer on a journey which quickly becomes one of accidental self-discovery. Holly's story will remind readers that tethers can be lifelines and the "Buddy System" can get you out of some tight spots!

Holly Odell grew up in East Longmeadow, MA, and has split most of her adult life between working as a pipe organ voicer/fanatic/evangelist, and trying to make people laugh with her writing skills. She and her son currently live in Manchester, CT.

Follow Holly on Twitter at https://twitter.com/voicette.

Author Crystal Schubert of BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT

Alice is a caged bird, locked in a castle, until Diana offers freedom--but can Alice leave her siblings behind with their unhinged father?

Author Crystal Schubert wrote The Aviary for our celebration of Alice-in-Wonderland's 150th anniversary and the world she crafted will leave you breathless and asking, "What would I do?" A stunning castle, a father protecting his children the only way he knows how, plague, starvation, and a glimpse of something better... Something with promise. The Aviary is a wonderful addition to BEWARE THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT.

Crystal's work has also been published in YARN, THE CASSEROLE, and WICKED ALICE.

Crystal Schubert lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, son and cat. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BA in English. She's a sucker for love stories.


Find Crystal online at:
Her blog: http://www.crystalschubert.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrystalSchubert

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 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!