Special Pre-Order Pricing for Linda Joy Singleton NEVER BEEN TEXTED

Leap Books is excited to announce a special Pre-Order Sales Price of just $0.99 for our e-book version of the soon to be released Young Adult contemporary fairy tale, NEVER BEEN TEXTED by popular author Linda Joy Singleton. 

When Ashlee’s stepdad completely forgets her birthday she takes matters into her own hands to get the one thing she really wants: her own cell phone. But text messages start rolling in from a broken-hearted boy, and though Ashlee knows not all stories end happily, she’s determined to make hers the best it can be.

Order now, because this price is for pre-orders only!

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Leap Authors Are Winners in Contests

We’ve had some amazing news from our Leap Books authors for October. Author Judith Graves won first place in the Surrey International Writers’ Conference 2013 writing contest (writing for young people category).

Also, INHABITED, the thriller stage play she cowrote debuted on October 30. It made the local news. Here's a trailer for the show:





Watch for a new book release from Graves in November, KILLER’S INSTINCT, cowritten with Dawn Dalton. This dark tale of teen monster-hunters comes highly recommended by Jacqueline Mitchard, author of What We Lost in the Dark and The Deep End of the Ocean, who said:

"What could be creepier than hunting down your own zombie mommy? And what could be more psychologically satisfying to a teen because … it's just pretend? Isn't it? I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut tight and turn away from the sublimely dark and smart Killer's Instinct. But how could I? A single page in, I was hooked."

And by Gary Braver, bestselling and award-winning author of Tunnel Vision:

"Killer’s Instinct by Dawn Dalton and Judith Graves is a clever and fast-paced thriller that raises the bar for monster-hunting tales. Nuanced and well-crafted, this novel is told from the points of view of four distinctly defined young characters—Hyde, a hulk in sheep’s clothing; Kain, the wild card, Caddock, the unit jock, and Hope, both gifted and cursed with a sixth sense. Hope's inner strengths and compassion make her a fitting role model for teenage readers, yet her vulnerability renders her a satisfyingly sympathetic heroine. Killer’s Instinct is going to knock other YA monster-battling books off the shelves."

Cover designer: Gaetano Pezzillo
Photo: Siiri Kumari
Model: Johanna Taiger

BOOK BLURB

Where there is NO life – there’s Hope…

Hope has always been a bit of a freak. But when her mother crawls from her grave and her undead corpse goes MIA, Hope’s last thread of normal snaps with a vengeance.

Enrolling in a militia-style school for monster slayers seems the only course of action. And the best bet at tracking her mother down.

Author Maria V. Snyder took first place in the Golden Leaf Contest for her paranormal novel, Scent of Magic. This award, given by the NJ Romance Writers of America, is presented for excellence in romance fiction. Because this is Maria’s third win in this category, next year she’ll be inducted into the NJRW Hall of Fame.

Maria Snyder’s latest release with Leap Books, STORM WATCHER, debuted on October 25. The book stars Luke, the youngest son in family of search-and-rescue dog trainers. He has to face his deadly fear of storms to prove that he and the dog he's training belong in the family business.

Watch for the e-book release on December 15. Maria's first contemporary novel for middle grade has been praised by Kirkus:

"Intertwining family relationships, weather science and search-and-rescue dog training, this coming-of-age story relays themes of friendship, grief, challenge, fear and responsibility without didacticism or melodrama.
A welcome addition to the middle-grade library."

Additional praise for the book:

“STORM WATCHER is a brilliant and beautiful tale of how the simple, honest love of a dog can help a lonely boy find his way out of the darkness. Subtle, powerful and highly recommended.”

~ Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Fire & Ash and Rot & Ruin

"Best-selling author Maria V. Snyder’s debut novel for young readers, Storm Watcher, is a thrilling, heart-warming canine caper. Thirteen-year-old Luke loves dogs and is fascinated with weather data—but storms terrify him. With lightning quick action, humor, and lots of dogs, Storm Watcher will delight readers. Also the scientific and math insights into weather will appeal to educators and inspire readers to create their own weather science projects. Highly recommended!

~ Linda Joy Singleton, author of THE SEER and DEAD GIRL series

"Snyder's lightning strikes again with STORM WATCHER's tale of ordinary people fighting to become heroes in the face of things they fear most. Luke's story is by turns funny, touching, and achingly real, as Snyder harnesses a lifetime of expertise about meteorology, dogs, and life in small towns."

~ Morgan Keyes, author of the Darkbeast series

Be sure to check out Maria’s special website, Storm Watcher Kennel, to learn more about the book, strange weather phenomena, and take a quiz to see what kind of a storm you are.

Both books -- Storm Watcher and Killer's Instinct -- were selected for the Children’s Book Council’s Hot Off The Press listings and are featured on the CBC homepage.

Leap Books extends mega-congratulations to Maria and Judith on their awards and latest releases.

No Ordinary Book

Spirited has been selected for the Children's Book Council Winter Seasonal Showcase, No Ordinary Book. The title is also featured on the CBC homepage.

What makes Spirited so special?

First of all, it's filled with stories by talented authors. Contributing authors include Maria V. Snyder, Candace Havens, Shannon Delany, Jill William-son, Linda Joy Singleton, Heather Kenealy, Judith Graves, Kitty Keswick, Dawn Dalton, Carmen Tudor, John W. Otte, Halli Dee Lilburn, and Mark Finnemore.

Second, the anthology benefits charity. All proceeds from the sale of SPIRITED will be donated to 826 National, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting students, ages 6-18, to improve their writing skills.

Third, it contains AR. If you prefer your apparitions 3-D rather than 2-D, slide the AR icons under your webcam to see the augmented reality leap off the page. (Thanks to Karl Gee for the AR.)

Do Phantoms and Proms Mix?

Linda Joy Singleton's story in the Leap Book anthology Spirited is "Phantom of the Prom." We've asked her to answer a few questions for us. If you have any other questions for any of our featured authors, be sure to leave them on the blog or ask them on the Spirited Facebook page. Each question or comment earns you a contest entry (see below).

What was your most embarrassing moment? 
 
At one of the first writing talks I ever gave for #SCBWI, I didn't realize until I got to the conference that I had two different white shoes on. I was panicked, afraid everyone would notice once I stood in front of the audience. So while listening to other speakers, I made a list of things I could do, including going barefoot, sneaking out during lunch to a nearby mall to buy new shoes, or just announcing it was "mismatched shoes" day and how come I was the only one cool enough to wear two different shoes? When it came time to speak, I admitted my error, then read off my list -- and everyone laughed. It turned into one my best talks ever. 
 
What advice do you wish you could give to your younger self?  

Not to be so insecure and needy when it came to relationships, also to take more time for education instead of jumping into marriage-work-life. But mostly I'd just tell myself to believe in myself and trust all my intuition, and that things that seemed impossible (like a happy marriage, great kids, living in the country, selling my writing) would come true.

What's one question you wish interviewers would ask?

Since SPIRITED is an anthology, it might be nice to share that I was 14 years old when I submitted my first short stories to a magazine. I didn't have any writing classes so my father, who was a little interested in writing himself, took a writing class at a local college. He came home with information on how to submit professionally and taught me about double spacing, salutations, etc. I never sold any of these stories but still have a very encouraging rejection letter which I have shown to kids when I speak at schools. The rejection made me feel like a real writer.

About the Story

Psychic Sabine Rose from THE SEER series has solved mysteries of tragic ghosts, toxic spirits and malevolent magicians. But now she’s faced with new challenges—convincing her boyfriend Dominic to take her to the prom and banishing an angry ghost from a castle. With the help of good friends and her spirit guide, Opal, she enters a creepy castle in search of answers—and the ghost of a killer.

About the Author

Linda Joy Singleton is the author of more than thirty-five books, including THE SEER series, DEAD GIRL trilogy, and BURIED: Goth Girl Mystery. Free short stories, a contest, book excerpts, and writing advice, can be found at her website. Click here for a story, The Dark Lifer's Revenge: A Short Story, by Linda Joy. It's free for a short time.*

And if you'd like to know a few more secrets about Linda Joy, read some early posts on the Spirited Facebook page and Leap Books blog. Anyone who posts a link to one of those secrets will be entered in a drawing for a free book. You may leave a comment or question for each author for an additional entry for a print copy of Spirited.

One winner will be drawn after all 13 blogs about the authors are posted. Enter as often as you'd like by linking to author secrets or leaving comments or questions.

* Click on the title for another free story, this one by Kitty Keswick, My Prom Date's a Vampire.

And for a limited time get the Spirited ebook

Regularly $8.99

On sale for $.99

Until April 8, 2012

Spirited Release

An anthology of ghostly tales by Maria V. Snyder, Candace Havens, Shannon Delany, Jill Williamson, Linda Joy Singleton, Heather Kenealy, Judith Graves, Kitty Keswick, Dawn Dalton, Carmen Tudor, John W. Otte, Halli Dee Lilburn, and Mark Finnemore

ISBN-13--978-1-61603-020-9

Edited by Kat O'Shea

Haunted houses. Haunted hearts. And a past that refuses to die. . .

Leap Books summoned best-selling paranormal and dreadfully talented debut authors to conjure up Spirited, a haunting collection of 13 tales guaranteed to keep you up all night.

Get entombed in stories of Egyptian treasures, shudder at tales of malevolent spirits, and become enthralled with the adventures of witch-hunters, ghost seekers, and lost souls. From steampunk to cyberpunk, our collection spans past, present, and future hauntings. One story actually leaps off the page with 3D augmented reality.

Go ahead. Turn the page if you dare. We won't tell if you sleep with the light on. Because after all, there's no rest for the wicked.

All proceeds from the sale of SPIRITED will be donated to 826 National.

Print book available exclusively from the Leap Books store.

Leap Books Launches

Leap Books is thrilled to announce three new titles:

FEBRUARY 12
 The second book in Judith Graves' Skinned series:

 

ISBN-13 978-1-61603-006-3
ISBN-10 1-61603-006-2

With Fiends Like Eryn…

Monsters. Bloodsuckers. The evil. The damned. Eryn McCain knows they exist—she's been hunting them since she was a child. At sixteen, she's ready to take on all comers. Being a shapeshifter gives her an advantage when it comes to her unusual part-time job. The hours suck and the pay is, well, non-existent, but bonuses like inhuman strength and night vision make tracking scary beasties a dream come true. Especially in a town like Redgrave.

When an ancient demon targets Redgrave High, Eryn and her crew of hunters must face their innermost fears to prevent the Harvest Moon Dance from becoming one serious Monster Mash. Loyalties are tested and temptations abound. With questions ever brewing, can Eryn share a future with the brooding, noble, human Alec—the hunter after her heart? Or will she succumb to her enemy's son, Wade, a seductive predator as bloodthirsty as she is?

What happens when you’re both the beauty and the beast?


FEBRUARY 14

Patrice Lyle's humorous paranormal...

ISBN 13 978-1-61603-013-1
ISBN 10 1-61603-013-5

Morgan Skully is the world's only blonde demon girl, and she's got a brand new, very unusual afterschool job. Spying for the Devil. She'd much rather use her cloak-and-dagger skills to spy on hottie-licious Derek with her friends, but the Devil won't take no for an answer. Luckily for Morgan, her new boss is kinda hot. Her assignment is simple: find out who at Pitchfork Prep is funneling secrets to the Siberian Werewolf Council. If she succeeds, pedicures and platinum highlights are just the beginning.

But if she fails…there's more on the line than killer shoes.

MARCH 28

An anthology of ghostly tales by Maria V. Snyder, Candace Havens, Shannon Delany, Jill Williamson, Linda Joy Singleton, Heather Kenealy, Judith Graves, Kitty Keswick, Dawn Dalton, Carmen Tudor, John W. Otte, Halli Dee Lilburn, and Mark Finnemore 

ISBN-13--978-1-61603-020-9

Edited by Kat O'Shea

Haunted houses. Haunted hearts. And a past that refuses to die. . .

Leap Books summoned best-selling paranormal and dreadfully talented debut authors to conjure up Spirited, a haunting collection of 13 tales guaranteed to keep you up all night.

Get entombed in stories of Egyptian treasures, shudder at tales of malevolent spirits, and become enthralled with the adventures of witch-hunters, ghost seekers, and lost souls. From steampunk to cyberpunk, our collection spans past, present, and future hauntings. One story actually leaps off the page with 3D augmented reality.

Go ahead. Turn the page if you dare. We won't tell if you sleep with the light on. Because after all, there's no rest for the wicked.

All proceeds from the sale of SPIRITED will be donated to 826 National.

Print book available exclusively from the Leap Books store.

One More Finnish Treat

For lovers of all things Finnish and paranormal, here's a sneak peek at an excerpt from the anthology Spirited. This story, "The Cold One," is by bestselling, award-winning author Candace Havens.

"Bone-chilling cold and secrets.

Those are the two things I'll take with me when I leave Finland.

If I leave..."

"Havahduttaa jalkeilla apulainen." The words are so loud I jump out of bed and hit my head on the slanted roof. Groaning, I rub the top of my head.

Grandmother stands at the end of the bed pointing at me. "Havahduttaa jalkeilla apulainen." She says it again.

"I am up," I grumble. I can see my breath the room is so cold.

"Wait." I sit back on the bed. "I understood you. You said, 'Wake up, girl.'"

"He's coming. Save me." Poof. She's gone. I mean, like I blink, and she's no longer there.

"Who's coming?" I whisper. I glance at the clock on the wall. Two in the morning. But I'm wired. No way I'll be able to go back to bed any time soon.

I pull on one of the big sweaters mom bought me for the trip and go downstairs. It's even chillier in the living room without the fire. The crazy thing about houses in Finland is that everything is white—the walls, the counters, the floors, and even the cabinets. The house reminds me of a hospital. In the kitchen I fill a glass of water from the tap and chug it down.

Thump. The sound against the basement door sends my glass clattering into the sink.

My breath catches as the door opens. Screaming and moving seem like great options, but my body freezes. My reflexes take a hike.

Maybe this is one of my crazy dreams. And…

"Good, you're awake." A guy's blond head pops out of the darkness. He steps into the kitchen, and I can see he's probably only a year or two older than me. "I can use your help. We're almost out of time."

"Who-uh-who are you?" My voice sounds strangled. He's more solid than the ghosts, so I assume he is real. Though, around here anything can happen. But how did he get in?

"Riku. I'm helping your grandmother. She won't leave me alone. Come on." He waves me toward the basement stairs and then disappears.

Bad things happen in basements. In every horror movie I've ever seen, people die when they go to the basement. Sometimes it's the devil. Other times it's zombies or evil spiders. But they always die. There's a strange guy I don't know in grandma's house, and the smartest thing I can do is tell my mother. Or call the police.

Do they have 911 in Finland?

Then something he says clicks in my brain.

Before I realize it, I'm halfway down the stairs. 

"My grandmother is dead," I say...

 

To read more of this story or others by authors such as Maria V. Snyder, Shannon Delany, Linda Joy Singleton, Jill Williamson, and other exciting YA authors, click here for the ebook or preorder your print copy from the Leap Books store.

And watch for other exciting news to celebrate Leap Books 3rd anniversary on January 1. Throughout the month we'll have books on sale for $.99. One pre-celebration treat is Judith Graves Under My Skin, available now for only $.99.

Spooky Tour Countdown...

This is the second week for Judith Graves' Halloween blog tour: Meet Us at the Crossroads. So what fabulous YA paranormal authors will you meet at the crossroads?


October 31st
8 pm central time

Jordan Deen - The Crescent

Judith Graves – Under My Skin

Linda Joy Singleton - Magician’s Muse 

Karen Kincy – Other

Stacey Kade - The Ghost and the Goth

Amy Brecount White – Forget-Her-Nots

Joy Preble – Haunted

November 1st
8 pm central time

Angie Fraizer - Everlasting

Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl: Lovesick 

Lucienne Diver - Revamped

Jackie Kessler - Hunger

Jeri Smith-Ready – Shade

Kitty Keswick – Freaksville 

Shannon Delany – 13 to Life

Are You a Paranormal Junky?

Need a fix? Here's a chance to meet all your fav paranormal authors online. Of course this blog tour is being held in October, the month of haunting and spirits. And meeting great authors is only part of the fun.

You'll get to read the continuing saga of Eryn McCain, half-human and half-wolven. Part of the story will appear on each blog. Follow it, find the clues, solve the mystery, and you'll be eligible for great prizes.

TOUR PREMISE: The pressure is on Eryn as she faces tough decisions. Luckily a rash of paranormal activity within the walls of Redgrave High provide a distraction. Are these harmless pranks or something more sinister? You’ll have to do a bit of research to find out. A new clue will be revealed at each blog stop during the tour. Can Eryn and the crew track who (or what) is causing the mayhem in Redgrave High? Follow the hunt and meet a bevy of dreadfully talented young adult paranormal authors along the way!

And there'll be a wicked cool selection of SWAG and ARCs as prizes!

If you want to find out more about the tour, check out Judith Graves' website or follow any (or all) of these bloggers who will be keeping the book world updated about the tour:

Crossroads Tour Official Bloggers:

The Here, The Now, The Books

Liyanaland

Ms. B’s Book Swarm

Kid Lit Frenzy

Narratively Speaking

Tales of a Teenage Book Lover

Just Your Typical Book Blog

Late Bloomer Online

YA Addict

Book-Savvy

Book Faery

Book Bound

A Simple Love of Reading

Confessions of a Bookaholic Supernatural Snark Wolfy Chicks: The Blog With Bite

Wanna join the fun? To become an official tour blogger, let Judith know, and you can post this cool badge on your website. Be sure to link it to the web address below.

 

http://judithgraves.com/events/the-crossroads-tour/