Calling All Steampunk Fans

If you love steampunk, you'll love Amelia Strangeways:










Author Judith Graves has combined the paranormal with steampunk for a haunting new series. More info at Strangeways Novels.

Take a peek at the book trailer:

Judith Graves Blog Tour

For her new release, author Judith Graves is going on tour. Join the celebration of the official launch of the second book in the SKINNED series, SECOND SKIN.


During the month of March Judith will be doing interviews and guest posts on some fabulous blogs, as well as features on her own site. It will be a month of giveaways, SWAG, and great conversations.

In honor of Second Skin’s major theme, FACING YOUR DARKEST FEAR, she’ll look at what scares us – from horror films, fiction, phobias, folklore and the beasties that haunt our dreams. Thankfully, she'll only talk about others' sheer terror – Eryn and her monster-hunting crew are the ones who get thrown to the wolves.

Here’s the line up of blog stops and author thus far:

3/1 – Tour kick off (my blog)
3/7 - Jennifer R. Hubbard – guest post exchange and feature on my blog
3/8 – Electrifying Reviews – guest post
3/9 – Fragments of Life – author interview / character interview
3/10 – Just Deb – guest post
3/12 – Ellz Readz - guest post
3/13 – Book Swarm - character interview and review
3/14 – Late Bloomer – guest post
3/15 – Heather McCorkle - author interview exchange and feature on my blog
3/16 – Dawn Dalton- author interview exchange and feature on my blog
3/17 – Dawn Ius – author interview
3/19 – Denise Jaden - author interview exchange and feature on my blog
3/20 – Joy Preble – author interview exchange and feature on my blog
3/22 – Janet Fox - author interview exchange and feature on my blog
3/25 – Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf - author interview
3/28 – Bewitched Bookworms – review

Judith's books in the Skinned Series:
Available Now Books 1 and 2

COMING IN 2013...

 COMING IN 2014...

A steampunk e-serial starring Amelia Strangeways. Ghosthunter. Necromancer.

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.

$.99 Books During December

Looking for a spooky read for December?

Check out Under My Skin, Book 1 in the Skinned series by Judith Graves.

From now until January 1, 2012, you can snag the ebook for only $.99!

To order, click here or here.

If you love Under My Skin as much as we think you will, watch for the release of Second Skin, Book 2 in February 2012...

You can reserve your copy, by clicking here and adding it to your shopping cart.

Author Kitty Keswick appearing October 1, 2011

Deadline for Submissions Extended

We're looking for published authors who have astonishing, surprising ghost stories with a great twist. Leap Books only accepts work from agents, but we're having an open call for submissions. This may be your chance to get a foot in the door and help a charity at the same time.

For more information, visit our home page or click
HERE for more information.


All proceeds to benefit charity.

Canadian Book Week

To celebrate Canadian book week, we're featuring our Canadian authors and illustrators.

TAKE 2--

Next up is our award-winning, Canadian graphic artist, Val Cox...

Val is responsible for the cool and edgy designs in two of our paranormal books, Freaksville and Under My Skin. Watch for more of Val's work in upcoming books.

Here are a few of Val's designs:

Judith Graves at Okotoks Public Library on Saturday

Author Judith Graves will be presenting a session, YA Fiction To DIE For, at the Okotoks Public Library this Saturday, January 8, 2011, from 1-2 p.m. She'll be giving an overview of her road to publication, a backstage look at the life of a YA author, and insight on the writing process, including how to submit your work to publishers. Judith is the author of Under My Skin and Second Skin, which will be coming out in 2011.

The event will be available live via videoconferencing provided by the RISE Network. “The RISE Network is an innovative project that helps southern Albertans access the information they need, right from their local library. By equipping 78 libraries with videoconference equipment, people in 89 municipalities can gain new knowledge and skills through a wide-range of library-based programs and information sessions.”

Okotoks Public Library
7 Riverside Drive West
Okotoks, AB, T1S 1A6
Tel: (403) 938-2220
Map/Directions

Gothic Barbie

Author Kitty Keswick recently received a gift in the mail from a fan. A goth Barbie modeled after the ghost, Ruby, in the Freaksville series. Thanks to 15-year-old Trisha from Montana. Here's a close up of the doll. Readers who also loved the goth ghost will be pleased to know that Ruby, with her snarky attitude and goth fashion sense, will play an even greater role in book 2 of the Freaksville series, Furry and Freaked. See the cover below...and look for it in 2011!

If you aren't sure who Ruby is, here's an excerpt from Furry and Freaked...

“You little minx! Two guys!” The familiar female voice shocked me. I tried to cover the fact that I was indeed sucking face with a guy almost two centuries deceased. But my uncoordinated feet had other plans. All in one move, I twisted, spun around, and took an ungraceful surge forward. My body fell one way and my cell phone the other. Isaac broke my fall. I pushed up from his very solid chest. He smiled crookedly at me. My heart betrayed me and skipped a little beat.

Clapping drew my attention. Ruby, the teenage ghost from Bridges Auditorium, nudged me with the toe of her blood-red, ankle-length, combat-style boots.

“I have to hand it to you, Valkyrie, that was pretty entertaining. I’ll give it an eight for ingenuity.”

“You’re dead. Go to the light!” I shouted at both of them. My supersonic Valkyrie powers hadn’t kicked in yet. Nothing happened.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, V-A-L-K-Y-R-I-E.” She dragged her pet name for me out. “But you can’t banish me. Him, you could banish”—she tossed her thumb in Isaac’s direction—“to the Netherworld, if you knew how, which you don’t.” She offered me a hand.

I accepted it and stood.

“I see the furball has competition,” Ruby snarked. She blinked and then was perched atop the fence post. Her long black-and-white-striped, stocking-clad legs swayed like a pendulum weighted by red punk boots.

Isaac teleported in behind her and poked her. “She is a spirit, but not? I do not understand.”

“You pick ’em bright, dontcha?” Ruby picked at her nails.

“Ruby, be nice.” I dusted the dirt from my jeans and walked closer to both ghosts. “Why are you here?” I asked as I folded my arms about my waist.

“I have all the time in the world to debate the matters of the universe, Valkyrie. You, on the other hand, don’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She hopped off the fence and stood inches from my face. I focused on the black eyeliner goop in the corners of her brown eyes.

“The Powers That Be felt you were a sorry excuse for a V-A-L-K-Y-R-I-E. and needed help. Ta-da! I’m your guide.”

“My guide?”

“Catch up, kid. Yes, you need training, and fast.”

“What? Why?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“What can you say?”

“I’m not at liberty to say what I can or cannot say.” She grinned. “Face it, you’re clueless, you need me.”

Author Judith Graves in Eerie Digest

 The Eerie Digest, the Online Mystery and Hollywood Insider Magazine, has interviewed Judith Graves on her upcoming work. Check it out her feature in the Spotlight.


Read an excerpt for Witch's Shadow and find out more about the next books in the Skinned series, including Second Skin, due out in 2011.

Celebration of Authors

 The Young Alberta Book Society and the Children’s Literature Roundtable are partnering once again to present the Celebration of Authors. Meet Judith Graves who’ll present her books and chat with librarians, teachers, and readers in general.

When	Thursday, November 4, 2010
Where	Alberta, Canda (map)   You'll also get to hear more about Judith Graves' next book in the series, Second Skin, coming out in 2011. Cool cover, eh??

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

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…

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.

A Book and a Chat with Kitty Keswick

Author Kitty Keswick was featured on Barry Eva's show, A Book and a Chat. Here's the intro:

"Today was one of those shows that I have been looking forward to, partly because in this case I have actually met the author, secondly that I know she loves the English accent *grin*, finally that her book is one a lot of people have read and enjoyed.

A Book and a Chat with my guest Kitty Keswick lived up to all my expectations, as we chatted about her and her 'romance with a bite' debut YA book."

Click below to hear the interview:

A Book and a Chat with Kitty Keswick

Book Bites for Kid Interviews Judith Graves

If you missed yesterday's live interview about UMS, writing and werewolves, you can still hear it. And be sure to check out Judith's new snarky website to learn more about paranormal creatures of the night, the writing life, and Judith's upcoming tour schedule.

Listen to internet radio with Suzanne on Blog Talk Radio

Love UMS?

We've had fans tell us how much they love UMS (That's Under My Skin by Judith Graves, if you haven't been following all the book blogs where Judith's appeared.) If you love werewolf - vampire books filled with other paranormal creatures, this is the summer read for you.

If you're already a fan or want to find out more about the book, you can hear Judith Graves on Book Bites for Kids next Wednesday, July 14 at 2 pm CST. She'll be talking about her writing process, her characters, and what's in store for those of you who are eagerly awaiting the sequels.

And if you missed them, two of our other authors, Kitty Keswick (Freaksville) and Bonnie J. Doerr (Island Sting), were also interviewed on this blog talk radio show.

So tune in next week and find out more about UMS, and werewolves and witches and vampires and wolven. And if you comment on our blog and let us know you've listened in, we'll put your name in a drawing for a free copy of UMS or another Leap Book of your choice.