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

Happy Cover Reveal Day to Patrice Lyle!

Leap Books Seek is proud to share the amazing cover of The Case of the Washed-Up Warlock by Patrice Lyle!

Title: The Case of the Washed-Up Warlock (Poison Ivy Charm School #2)

Author: Patrice Lyle

Release Date: October 5, 2015

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.

Goodreads Link

Goodreads Giveaway

Author Bio:

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 two cats on Florida’s Space Coast, where she’s working on her next novel under an umbrella on the beach. For more information, please visit her website at www.patricebooks.com.  

The Case of the Washed-Up Warlock Cover Reveal and Book Blitz Sign-up

Leap Books is celebrating the cover reveal and release of 

The Case of the Washed-Up Warlock by Patrice Lyle

Thirteen-year-old Tulip Bonnaire moonlights as a private investigator at Poison Ivy Charm school, and her latest case depends on uncovering an old secret to prove her crush Dex hasn't been casting harmful spells. She's in for quite a scare with this case.

We're looking for bloggers to help us reveal this amazing cover on September 21st and possibly help with the book blitz on October 5th. If that's you, please fill out the form here. Options for the cover reveal, book blitz, and e-ARCs for review are all contained on the form.

Want to win a copy of The Case of the Washed-Up Warlock? Enter the Goodreads giveaway here. And don't forget to add this book to your Goodreads shelf.

Hot Deals for the 4th

Need something to do this long holiday weekend? Here's a special deal from Leap Books:

We're offering this super deal because we're launching 2 new e-books. We have a special beach read by Tina Bustamante, As Waters Gone By, debuting on July 6.

And  watch for Book 1 in Patrice Lyle's Poison Ivy Charm School series, The Case of the Missing Witch, on July 11. This humorous mystery is sure to tickle your funnybone. For ages 9-13.

These two e-books will be specially priced at $.99 for the month of July, so you can enjoy some special vacation reading.

But the rest of our Leap Books will be available for $.99 for the Fourth of July weekend only, so get them while they're hot.

The Crystal Ball Predicts...

A Skype visit from Patrice Lyle.

 With her Spells & Spies sign in the background and crystal ball in hand, Patrice is ready to discuss her tween mystery in the Poison Ivy series, The Case of the Invisible Witch. Other props include items from her paranormal collection (the figure she used to inspire the series) and surprise visits from two of her three cats.

On a recent Skype visit with an elementary class interesting information about herself, such as the fact that her father was a detective and she used to snoop in his files. That's how she learned so much about solving mysteries. She also gave the schools a pdf with discussion questions (authored by Mary Helen Sheriff, along with some great Common Core activities) and writing prompts.

And just to clarify, the pink room is her writing room, not her daughter's bedroom, as one student guessed.

Interested in a Skype visit with Patrice? You can contact her through her website. Learn more about her at her Leap Books author page or Twitter (@Patrice_Lyle).


ABOUT THE BOOK

Thirteen-year-old Tulip Bonnaire, Witch PI, runs Spells & Spies out of her dorm room at Poison Ivy Charm School, a school for polite witches and warlocks. She has only 72 hours to figure out her latest case, or her classmate, Missy, will never be seen again. Literally.

When Missy shows up in Tulip’s dorm room around midnight, she’s invisible. As in not even x-ray vision could spot her. The mean triplets who call themselves The Belles have cast an invisibility spell on poor Missy. But if Tulip can’t break the spell in 72 hours, Missy will remain invisible forever.

It’s a case Tulip can’t resist — between her mom’s annoying new boyfriend and her own secret crush at school, Tulip understands how much it stinks to feel invisible. Luckily for Tulip, her two best friends and her cute, techy guy friend help dig up clues on a case that turns out to be her freakiest one ever.

Common Core Classroom Activities for The Case of the Invisible Witch by Patrice Lyle

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Are you looking for language arts classroom activities to use in conjunction with a middle grade novel? Look no further. The following activities are common core friendly, project-based, technology optional, and nurture thinking skills.

Sit back and enjoy reading The Case of the Invisible Witch by Patrice Lyle, and then choose one of the following projects to complete (either independently or collaboratively).

1.    Design a Poison Ivy Yearbook.  The yearbook should include a cover, pictures (hand-drawn or staged photographs) of the characters, a map of the school grounds, pictures of five major events with text to summarize the event, and pictures of school clubs with names of members and a short description.  When possible, be sure to include aspects of the yearbook as described in the novel. Technology options include designing in Photoshop, compiling at mixbook.com, using a scanner, using a digital camera, and PowerPoint/Prezi.
 
Objectives:

• Summarizing text
• Conveying  information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content
• Encouraging multiple intelligences to include:  visual, spatial, and verbal

2.    Design a spell book. Choose five spells from The Case of the Invisible Witch and copy them into your book.  Explain why each is used in the novel and the result of each spell. Based on what happens in the book, are there tips you might give to improve spell implementation?  If you could, how would use you the spell in your real life?   Include a cover and decorate your spell book.  Students could use word processing software to complete.

Objectives: 

• Quoting accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text
• Hypothesizing
• Evaluating the value of information and idea
• Finding relevant information

3.    Create a presentation on “How to Be a Good Detective.”  Compile the tips Tulip Bonnaire shared in The Case of the Invisible Witch.  Try to mimic the voice that the author has given Tulip.  Create visuals to go with your presentation.  Technology options include: video recording equipment, PowerPoint, and i-movie.
 
Objectives:

• Writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly
• Finding relevant information
• Organizing information
• Imagining

Try these activities out and let me know what you think in the comments below.

BLOG AUTHOR

Mary Helen Sheriff lives in Richmond, VA with her husband, two children, and two cats. She has an MFA in children’s literature from Hollins University and is an experienced teacher of elementary, middle grade, and college students. Her most recent publishing credits include four middle grade short stories for a reading comprehension website and a YA short story for an anthology written for Ethiopians learning English. She is currently writing a novel and maintaining a blog where you can read her thoughts on writing and education. 

Leap Books Launches Frolic Titles

Leap Books is excited to announce two Frolic titles leaping in 2013.

The first title in this new line for tweens is by New York Times Bestseller Maria V. Snyder. Maria is known for her Poison Study and Magic Study books as well as for Inside Out and Outside In. She is also a contributor to the anthology Spirited.


In STORM WATCHER, the youngest son in family of search-and-rescue dog trainers, Luke Riley, must face his deadly fear of storms to prove that he and the dog he's training belong in the family business.

STORM WATCHER will be be debuting October 2013. Fans can pre-order a copy now in the Leap Bookstore and have it shipped as soon as it comes out.

Our second 2013 Frolic release is by another Leap author, Patrice Lyle. She is the author of Lethally Blonde. Her new release, THE CASE OF THE INVISIBLE WITCH, is part of the Poison Ivy Charm School series.


In THE CASE OF THE INVISIBLE WITCH, thirteen-year-old Tulip Bonnaire, Witch PI, runs Spells & Spies out of her dorm room at Poison Ivy Charm School, a school for polite witches and warlocks. She has only 72 hours to figure out her latest case, or her classmate, Missy, will never be seen again. Literally.

When Missy shows up in Tulip’s dorm room around midnight, she’s invisible. As in not even x-ray vision could spot her. The mean triplets who call themselves The Belles have cast an invisibility spell on poor Missy. But if Tulip can’t break the spell in 72 hours, Missy will remain invisible forever.

It’s a case Tulip can’t resist — between her mom’s annoying new boyfriend and her own secret crush at school, Tulip understands how much it stinks to feel invisible. Luckily for Tulip, her two best friends and her cute, techy guy friend help dig up clues on a case that turns out to be her freakiest one ever.

THE CASE OF THE INVISIBLE WITCH can also be pre-ordered in the Leap Bookstore.

A Sweet Romance for Your Sweetheart

Want to give your sweetheart something more than candy this month? Try this humorous paranormal romance by Patrice Lyle:

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.

And take a sneak peek at the trailer that'll be showing up in some theaters. Watch for it in a theater near you!

Author Patrice Lyle

The Things We Do for Love….

By Patrice Lyle

Nothing is sweeter than having your first book released on your favorite holiday! Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday because it celebrates love. Yes, I’m a total sap when it comes to love and relationships. Yes, I love getting flowers and mushy cards. Yes, I love romantic comedies and pink hearts. I love it all.

So how do my gushy emotions relate to writing? Well, as far as I see, the love of writing is very similar to love.

For better or for worse. Hmm. Where do I start? Some days my writing flows freely and without much effort, and other days it’s agony trying to squeak out one tiny word, much less a complete sentence. Some days I think my writing’s pretty good and some days I know it totally sucks. Some days I think I’ll never have enough time to write all the books I want to write and some days I wonder how I’ll ever manage to finish another book at all. But I keep writing because I love it.

For richer or for poorer. Okay, this one makes me chuckle. Yes, I’ve dreamt about making tons of money as an author (who hasn’t?) but so far that has yet to pass. I’ve spent a lot of money on my love of writing. I’ve gone to tons of workshops and conferences, most of which have required plane tickets and hotel fees, in addition to the registration. I’ve paid dues to several writers groups. I’ve bought tons and tons of craft books and writing magazines. I’ve earned a master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction. I’ve spent money on my website, trailer and marketing. But I did all this because I love to write.

In sickness and in health. I’ve written when I was heartsick over a rejection. I’ve written when there didn’t seem to be any hope of publication at all. I’ve written when my story was in desperate need of CPR. And I’ve written myself into a corner far too many times to count. But I always kept going because I love to write.

‘Til death do us part. I wrote my first novel when I was ten years old. It was a middle grade mystery about these two girls who were shockingly (J) very similar to my sister and me. I knew what I wanted to do with my life, so I committed to making that dream happen. I’m forty years old now, so I’ve been chasing my dream of publication for thirty years. And believe me, there have been many times over the past few decades when I thought it might never happen at all. That I might literally take my dream to the grave. But my love of writing is what kept me going.

Bottom line is, I love to write so I’ve given it my all. I’ve kept on writing through the good times and the bad, just like we do in love. Faith, hope, and love totally relate to writing. Faith that your writing will resonate with an audience. Hope that someday your book will be published. And an amazing love of the craft.

Happy release day to LETHALLY BLONDE and SCARLET! And Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

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.

And take a sneak peek at the trailer that'll be showing up in some theaters. Watch for it in a theater near you!

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.

Finnish Christmas Eve Recipe #3

Patrice Lyle, author

Here's the third recipe that our spies dug up from author Patrice Lyle's secret collection of tasty Finnish recipes for Christmas Eve. And although this is the last of the recipes, if you stop back on Christmas eve, we'll have one more special Finnish treat.

Here's the third secret recipe:

Rutabaga Casserole (Lanttu Laatikko)

Ingredients:

3 fresh rutabagas

4 eggs, beaten

1 TBSP butter

nutmeg

sea salt

pepper

Peel the 3 rutabagas and cut into chunks. Boil in salted water for about 45 minutes or until soft. Drain and then mash. Add the butter, and then salt and pepper to taste. Beat eggs well in a separate bowl and add to rutabagas. Mix well and pour into greased oven dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg and bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes. This casserole is really like a soufflé and could be made more like a soufflé using only the egg whites and adding a bit of milk (or Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk for those who don’t do dairy like me J). It can also be mixed ahead of time, refrigerated and then baked on Christmas Eve. This is one of my favorites!

And be sure to watch for Lethally Blonde starring Morgan Skully, the blonde demon who spies for the devil. It releases February 14, but you can preorder a copy at the Leap Books store.

And don't forget to stop back for your special Christmas eve treat...

Finnish Christmas Soup for Good Luck

Patrice Lyle, author

Here's the second recipe that our skullduggery snagged from author Patrice Lyle's secret collection of luscious Finnish recipes for Christmas Eve. As we promised, we're going to post one every other day leading up to Christmas Eve.

So stop back for some more wonderful Christmas treats.

Here's the second secret recipe:

Fruit Soup over Creamed Rice w/ the “Good Luck Almond”

Ingredients for the fruit soup (note: fruit soup is delish served over ham):

1 lb mixed dried fruits
2 ½ quarts water
1 cinnamon stick (note: can sub powdered cinnamon if you don’t have a stick)
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP cornstarch
2 TBSP cold water

Simmer dried fruits in water with sugar and cinnamon stick until tender (about one hour). Dissolve cornstarch in the cold water. Bring soup to boil and stir in cornstarch mixture. Cook covered on low to medium heat until soup has thickened and is clear. Cool with cover on to prevent skin from forming on top. This is an easy recipe to make on Christmas Eve day and just keep warm on the stove. The rice (below) can be made the day before and refrigerated.

Ingredients for the creamed rice:

1 cup uncooked white rice
6 cups of milk (or nondairy substitute of Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk)
½ tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 cup cream, whipped (or nondairy substitute Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk, not the Lite)
Cinnamon sugar mixture
1 almond to put in the bowl (very important b/c tradition has it that whoever gets the almond will have good luck in the upcoming year … but no digging through the bowl to find it allowed!)

Combine rice, milk, salt and sugar in top of a double boiler. Cook over boiling water for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and milk is absorbed. Cool for about 30 minutes and fold in whipping cream. Then add the ‘good luck almond” and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

This recipe makes a lot! And people love the Good Luck Almond part!

And be sure to watch for Lethally Blonde starring Morgan Skully, the blonde demon who spies for the devil. It releases February 14, but you can preorder a copy at the Leap Books store.

Finnish Christmas Recipes

Patrice Lyle, author

Those of you who read author Patrice Lyle's blog on Julia Karr's Live Journal blog know she mentioned some delicious-sounding Finnish recipes for Christmas Eve. Luckily, for you we have undercover agents to rival Morgan Skully, the heroine of Lethally Blonde, who spies for the devil. We managed to get our hands on 3 (yep, 3 yummy recipes) and we're going to post one every other day leading up to Christmas Eve. So pop back for some more wonderful Christmas treats.

Here's the first secret recipe:

Finska Pinnars (my favorite cookie EVER!!)

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sugar

1 tsp almond extract

1 and 2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ cup finely chopped blanched almonds

3 TBSP sugar

1 egg yolk

1 TBSP water

2 squares semisweet chocolate

2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

Royal Icing

Milk (or nondairy Original Rice Milk)

Beat the butter with ½ cup sugar and almond extract in a large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in flour until soft dough forms. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Combine chopped almonds and 3 TBSPs sugar on wax paper. Beat egg yolk and water in a bowl until blended. Set both aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Take about 2 level teaspoons of dough for each cookie and roll (with floured hands on a floured surface) into 3-inch length “finger shaped” pieces.

Brush each cookie with egg & water mixture, then coat each cookie with chopped almonds & sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees fro about 12 minutes or until golden. Note: cookies will flatten into ovals during baking. Cool on wire racks.

To decorate: melt chocolate with shortening; cool slightly and drizzle over cookies. Thin a small amount of Royal Icing (recipe follows) with milk (or nondairy Original Rice Milk) and drizzle over chocolate. Let set until chocolate and icing hardens. Makes about 3 dozen.

Royal Icing

Ingredients:

1 egg white

dash of salt

¼ tsp cream of tartar

¼ tsp vanilla extract

1 cup (or so) of confectioners sugar

Mix all ingredients together and drizzle over Finska Pinnars. Cover any unused portion in a bowl for later use.

And be sure to watch for Lethally Blonde, which releases February 14, but you can preorder a copy at the Leap Books store.

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

Author Patrice Lyle and the other authors in the Class of 2k12 are offering special gifts this holiday season, beginning with the kickoff of Patrice's book, Lethally Blonde. Win an ARC and other cool prizes by leaving a comment at Julia Karr's Live Journal blog. And read about the delicious Finnish recipes, that Patrice loves for Christmas.

As for her heroine, blonde demon chick, Morgan Skully, how does she celebrate the upcoming holidays? Obviously, Christmas isn't in her plans...

Teen Interview: Patrice Lyle

Anna Sattler

Our teen interviewer caught up with Patrice Lyle, the author of the upcoming Lethally Blonde.


What inspired Lethally Blonde?


I was trying to figure out what to write next and then I started thinking about what books and movies I really loved. Sweet Valley High instantly popped to mind – I loved that series when I was in high school! Then I thought about how much I loved Elle Woods in the movie Legally Blonde… and then I thought what if Elle Woods was a teen demon in high school? And it went from there. I originally titled the book Demon Valley High, but soon realized that Morgan’s story was supposed to be called Lethally Blonde.

How long has it taken you to write this story?

It took me about six months to plot and write Lethally Blonde. Then I had revisions to do for Leap Books before they agreed to publish it.

Have you become particularly attached to any characters?

Oh, yes. Morgan Skully (the main character) for sure! She is so fun to write with her obsessions with shopping, pink, and hottie Derek.

Did you ever get stuck in your plot line? If so, how did you move on?

No, but only because I wrote the first three chapters and then I outlined the rest of the book. That works best for me because I’m really a pantster at heart, but I’ve written myself into too many corners that way. So writing the first three chapters pantster-style gives me time to get to know the character and see what the central conflict is. Then I plot out the rest of the book, chapter by chapter, and write the rest of it. Sometimes things change plot-wise as I actually write the rest of the book, but I usually stick pretty close to the plot as I originally envisioned it.

Did your story change considerably during editing?

Not a lot changed plot-wise, but I added a lot of meaning and motivation during the editing phase.

When you began writing did you anticipate how the story would end or did it just evolve? 

I had no idea when I wrote the first three chapters, but once I outlined the entire book I definitely knew how it would end. And Lethally Blonde ended like I originally envisioned it in the plot outline.

How would you advise young adults who want to become published authors?

Read as much as you can and write every day! Even if you only write for a half hour a day, it’s critical to write daily to keep you in the writing zone. It can be so hard to get back into the zone once you leave so my advice is … never leave! Stay in the zone every day. After that, join a writer’s group (like SCBWI - the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), take classes (I have a Masters from Seton Hill University in Writing Popular Fiction – an excellent program!) and then submit, submit, submit! And lastly, don’t ever give up on your dream.

Thanks, Anna and Patrice!

Patrice is also an author of one of the craft articles in the award-winning writing book, Many Genres, One Craft.