Win a T-shirt

Author Bonnie J. Doerr is giving away a T-shirt. All you have to do is comment on her blog. She'd love to know what you're doing to live a little bit greener or share anything else you care to say. Never commented? Directions are listed and you only need to provide a first name. She'll contact the winner or
post a request to be contacted by same.

http://www.bonnieblogsgreen.blogspot.com/

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/

Are You a Mystery Buff?

Here's your chance to immerse yourself in a weekend-long crime/mystery writing extravaganza. Killer Nashville is happening next weekend. The conference runs from Thursday evening, August 19, to Sunday afternoon, August 22, 2010, and is jam packed with great speakers, including our own Leap Books author, Bonnie J. Doerr, who is writing an eco-mystery series. Book 1, Island Sting, is already out. And Stakeout's on it's way in 2011. Pelican Peril will follow in 2012. 

Here's a schedule if you're interested in attending. Keynote speaker is Jeffery Deaver; find out more about him on his website. And Bonnie Doerr will be presenting at a session on "Writing the YA Mystery." Agent and editor pitch sessions are included in the registration price. Hope to see you there.

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.

Calling All Sci-Fi and Paranormal Lovers...

Mark your calendar for October. Leap Books author Judith Graves will be part of the Pure Speculation Festival in Edmonton, AB. This weekend SF&F festival will be packed with authors, panels, merchants, costumes, games, and demonstrations. Judith will be featured on a variety of panels, so you'll have a chance to hear about her latest paranormal release (stay tuned for the cool cover, which will be posted soon--it's awesome). Here's her line-up so far:

Saturday, October 23. 11:30am - 12:30pm:  Presenter: A reading and discussion of the Skinned series.

Saturday, October 23. 5:00pm - 6:00pm:  Panelist: Which Book Stays on the Island? A Survivor-style discussion of fiction and voting books off the island.

Saturday, October 23. 7:30pm - 8:30pm:  Panelist: Fiction to DIE For. A discussion of paranormal fiction.

Sunday, October 24. 11:00am - 12:00pm:  Presenter: More Than Twilight. New and upcoming YA paranormal fiction.

Lots of chances to hear her speak, not to mention the other great Canadian authors who will be attending. Check out the website for more details.

SCBWI MD/VA/WV -- A Great Success

Author Bonnie J. Doerr is back after speaking at the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) conference in Maryland, where she had a great time meeting fellow writers and discussing how she balances her mystery plot with factual information about endangered animals.

She now has many fans waiting for Book 2 in her eco-mystery series: Stakeout. And Book 3 is underway, so all the teachers and librarians at the conference will have more great books for their schools and libraries. Keep an eye out for a sneak peek at Stakeout, which is coming soon. Kenzie's back and this time she's rescuing sea turtles--in a stolen boat, no less.

Saturday Shivers by Kara Eggers

 My great-grandmother went to a fortune teller when she was young. The woman told her that she'd only have three children at a time. Grams didn't know what she meant, but wondered if she'd have triplets. Unfortunately, the fortune didn't mean that at all.

Grams ended up having six children. Her first three children were born within four years of each other. And Grams thought the fortune teller's predicition had come true--until she got pregnant with number four. The other three children now ranged in age from 5-9. A month before the new baby was born, their middle daughter got sick and died.

While she was in labor with her fifth child, the youngest one was hit by a car and died. Grams and Gramps thought they'd beaten the odds when their sixth child was born. All three of the older children were healthy. Relatives kept an extra close eye on all three of them while Grams was pregnant and during her delivery. The new baby was also healthy. They all breathed a sigh of relief. Sadly, though, the newborn died two days later. Now they think it was probably SIDS, but then they called it crib death.

With all the sadness in her life, you'd think Grams would have ended up bitter or depressed, but she was one of the most cheerful people I've ever met. She lived into her late 90s and adored every one of her 16 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren. She never got cross with any of us, even when we were being little "hooligans," as she'd say. When we were misbehaving, she'd scoop us up into her ample lap, give us a hug, and say, "Seems to me you need a little extra loving right now." It always worked.

Wow, Kara! That was both a heartbreaking and inspiring story. And luckily, not all fortunes are as sad as that one. In fact, if you'd like to find out your own fortune, head on over to author Kitty Keswick's website, where you can ask questions of her crystal ball. It'll give you an answer when you click on it. Hope it's one you want to hear.

And if you'd like to share a brush you've had with the paranormal,
feel free to send it to our blog coordinator, Lexie North at leapblogtours@gmail.com. We'd love to post your spooky tales.