Round four of the SPIRITED contest starts today!

Hey Ghosthunters! Still trying to unearth all of the authors featured in Leap Books’ latest haunting release, SPIRITED? Awesome! We hope you’re ready for the final round…

Your mission? Use your paranormal spidey senses (or your trusty EMF detector) to decipher the information and tell us which authors you'll find in the anthology.

Email your responses to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com by noon, October 31, 2011. 

Correct answers for each author will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a copy of SPIRITED. 

Winners will be announced November 1, 2011.

Hint: Follow the Spirited Twitter and Facebook pages...you never know what extra clues you might unearth.

Here we go:

AURHOR 1: She can keep a secret, win an argument, pick up spiders, handle the sight of blood, subdue aggressive dogs, make a mean grilled cheese sandwich, and keep her sanity. And if that's not enough, this Spirited author can also write...poetry, middle grade, young adult, contemporary, and creative non-fiction. Her YA speculative novel Shifters will appear in 2012. 

AUTHOR 2: Oast House is not this SPIRITED contributor's first short story to be featured in an anthology. She is one of 27 international authors included in Mon Coeur Mort (My Dead Heart), a collection of horror fiction. And her short story BEATING GOLD was one of six romantic tales in a special edition of Romance Stories Magazine. She began writing short fiction on a secondhand typewriter in her late teens. 

AUTHOR 3: This SPIRITED contributor has a bleeding cool job - she reviews comics for DC! She's also writing a graphic novel based along with other novels and screenplays. Her first fantasy/adventure screenplay DEVASHARD is currently in pre-production. And if that's not cool enough, she will soon to launch a web comic called Daedalus Wax.

AUTHOR 4: From martians to witches, this California-dwelling author began writing fiction in the third grade. And even though he’s a (wee) bit older now, he still loves tales of dragons and giants, along with the reluctant young heroes who battle these fierce creatures. In addition to his story in SPIRITED, this author has published several short works in various places and is currently working on the finishing touches of his novel, Love and Taxes. 

Good luck, Ghosthunters!

Watch October 30, 2011 for a special SPIRITED contest wrap-up post with even more chances to WIN a copy of the anthology everyone will be talking about.

Round three of Ghosthunters Spirited contest starts today!

We're giving you a chance to figure out which authors will be featured in Leap Books' latest release, SPIRITED - Ghosthunters style! 

So, how did you do with the first two rounds? Still working on them? 


This hauntingly good book stars some of the best young adult authors to die for. 

Your mission? Use your paranormal spidey senses (or your trusty EMF detector) to decipher the information and tell us which authors you'll find in Spirited.


Email your responses to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com by noon, October 31, 2011. Correct answers for each author will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a copy of SPIRITED. Winners will be announced November 1, 2011.

Hint: Follow the Spirited Twitter and Facebook pages...you never know what extra clues you might unearth.


Ready for round three?

AUTHOR 1: It's a good thing Halloween happens only once a year, because this SPIRITED contributor loves a good ghoul fest. She'd admit to spending way too much on festive decor, including a collection of animated zombies and ghosts guaranteed to give the local trick-or-treaters heart palpitations. In fact, this writer enjoys all things of the heart, including a good paranormal romance, the occasional Nora Roberts marathon, and spending time with her three bull mastiffs. You know, just skulking around. In addition to her own list of works in progress, this author co-writes with another Spirited contributor, and pens adult fiction under a pseudonym. 

AUTHOR 2: Research is key for this New York Times bestselling author. She's picked a lock, toured a maximum security prison, studied karate and learned to ride a horse - all in the name of fiction. Not sure if this is your particular brand of poison? It will be if you read her thrilling series about a young woman who becomes a poison taster (how do you even get THAT job?) Or her brilliant books about a magician who can capture magic inside her glass creations. This talented writer has a black cat named Valek and loves to travel. In fact, you may have read one or two of her travel articles. 

AUTHOR 3: Chances are, you haven't read this SPIRITED contributor's blog about books, video games and movies--because if you had, he'd have to change the title from "Least Read Blog." But we'd bet you will check out his debut novel, Failstate, which launches early 2012. The story is about a superhero who is competing on a reality TV show. Sounds fun, right? He's a husband, a father, a sci-fi writer, a bookstore and library terror, an all around geek--and at 6'6", a towering giant! 

Good luck!

Next SPIRITED Ghosthunters post: Sunday, October 23, 2011

Ghosthunters take note: Week 2 of SPIRITED contest starts today!

We're giving you a chance to figure out which authors will be featured in Leap Books' latest release, SPIRITED - Ghosthunters style!

So, how did you do with last week's clues? Still working on them? Refresh your memory here.

This hauntingly good book stars some of the best young adult authors to die for. Your mission? Use your paranormal spidey senses (or your trusty EMF detector) to decipher the information.

Email your responses to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com by noon, October 31, 2011. Correct answers for each author will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a copy of SPIRITED. Winners will be announced November 1, 2011.

Hint: Follow the Spirited Twitter and Facebook pages...you never know what extra clues you might unearth.

Ready for round two?

AUTHOR 1: Looking for the inside scoop on Hollywood? This author can help. She's one of America's leading entertainment journalists, hobnobbing with the likes of Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, George Clooney and Tom Hanks. She even wrote a biography on Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her novel writing career began in 2008, when a friend suggested she give it a try. Good thing. She's gone on to pen six best-selling novels for Berkley, and now writes for the Blaze line of Harlequin. In her spare time (ha!), she's the Vice President of the Television Critic's Association. 

AUTHOR 2: This SPIRITED contributor is guaranteed to get under your skin. She writes teen fiction to DIE for. A lot of teen fiction, actually. Aside from numerous personal projects, this prolific (and uber talented) author is co-writing several series with two of the other writers featured in Spirited. Isn't that LOVELY? Part writer, part musician, and full time geek, this author loves tragic romance, werewolves, vampires, magick...and her two Labrador retrievers, Willow and Higgins. 

AUTHOR 3: If writing's your passion, this young adult writer can help. She's part of two great groups - Novel Teen, a site where reviewers, writers, and critics take a look at good, clean teen fiction; and Teenage Authors, a fabulous resource for youth interested in making their writing dreams come true. Raised in rural Alaska, this author admits to having a fondness for Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Her latest novel will be published December, 2011.

Got it figured out? Email your responses to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com. Remember, each correct answer gets your name in the draw for a chance to win a copy of SPIRITED.

Good luck!

Next SPIRITED Ghosthunters post: Sunday, October 16, 2011

Win a copy of the SPIRITED anthology!

Who are the masterminds behind Leap Books' latest release, SPIRITED anthology? Here's your chance to figure it out - Ghosthunters style. 

This hauntingly good book stars some of the best young adult authors to die for. Each week, a new blog post will offer clues to help you figure out who they are. Your mission? Use your paranormal spidey senses (or your trusty EMF detector) to decipher the information. 

Email your responses to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com by noon, October 31, 2011. Correct answers for each author will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a copy of SPIRITED. Winners will be announced November 1, 2011.

Hint: Follow the Spirited Twitter and Facebook pages...you never know what extra clues you might unearth.

Ready?

1. This author redefines the short story! Her debut book won the grand prize in the first-ever cell phone novel contest by Textnovel.com. Since then, she's been spinning tales of love, loss - and, oh yeah, werewolves. Her series takes place at Junction High, where you'll be sure to run into Jess. But hopefully no spiders. This writer has more than a casual fear of arachnids. 

2. Remember Sweet Valley High? This SPIRITED anthology contributor certainly does. She wrote one Sweet Valley Twins novel, and five books in the Sweet Dreams series in the 1980s. These days, she spends time writing her own books about Goths, psychics, mermaids, aliens, cheerleaders, clones, parallel worlds and ghosts - not necessarily altogether, of course. Over the years, she's amassed a collection of more than 5,000 books - most of them series. 

3. Ready to get your freak on? This author can help! She writes teen fiction with BITE...werewolf bite, that is. She published her first story - four lines about a frog - at the tender age of 8, and has been writing ever since, gathering ideas from dreams, life adventures and movies. Especially the flicks of John Hughes, well-known for his cult classics The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and 16 Candles. As a high school DJ, this writer developed an eclectic musical taste, including the works of Corey Hart. The lyrics to "Never Surrender"are taped above her writing desk. 

Got it figured out? Email your responses to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com. Remember, each correct answer gets your name in the draw for a chance to win a copy of SPIRITED.

Good luck!

Next Spirited Ghosthunters post: Sunday, October 9, 2011

Author Kitty Keswick appearing October 1, 2011

Dracula, Vampires, and Other Supernatural Powers

By Sydney Scrogham

Do you believe in miracles? Do you wish that the Twilight stories were real? What if you could come face-to-face with the supernatural and live to tell about it?

Sighisoara, Romania

Romania, as a whole, is known as Dracula’s home. On the last day of my trip, my team took a bus ride to the medieval city of Sighisoara, Romania. (Try saying that five times fast.) Stepping into the city, I felt like I was in a movie, or walking through the countries of Epcot at Disney World. Stumbling on uneven cobblestones, marveling at the pastel colors of buildings, trying to wrap my mind around how this church was built before America even existed, I tried to capture the beauty of the city on camera. I failed. There’s something about breathing the air, hearing the honking cars and screeching birds, and feeling the sun on my face with a cool breeze that a camera just can’t capture.

Dracula's birthplace

Our guide took us to Dracula’s birthplace, a bright yellow building now made into a restaurant for tourists. He told us how Vlad Dracul was known as “The Impaler,” and feared by many people. His original last name meant “Spikes,” but at some point Vlad had decided to take his father’s name from the coat of arms. The coat of arms was a dragon, and since there is no Romanian word for “dragon,” Vlad’s name simply became “Dracul.” Once the Germans heard stories of Vlad the Impaler, the truth had become twisted. As his victims were being impaled, Vlad would sit by and eat; the Germans made up the myth of Vlad Dracul drinking the blood of his victims. Voila, the legend of Dracula.

Sign outside Dracula's birthplace

As I listened to this brief snippet of history, I couldn’t help but think of all the stories on the shelves now about vampires. Why are people so fascinated with the supernatural? What is so appealing about a lover that can suck you dry before you blink? Okay, maybe that’s a bit over the top, but still—it’s like something deep inside of us knows there’s something bigger than us out there in the universe.

Vacation Bible School in one of Oradea's parks

Back in Oradea, Romania, I’d gotten to see a little taste of that supernatural in action. My team had just done a vacation Bible school curriculum in a local park with children who bubbled over with enthusiasm, much like American children. Now, breaking into our small groups, we moved out around the basketball court to ask people if we could pray for them.

My small group went to talk to an elderly couple. They reminded me a lot of my own grandparents, gentle faces with smiles, shaky hands, and soft voices. Our translator helped us talk to the woman, who told us her husband, Alexander, was sick with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Alexander’s face was like a stone—completely blank. We prayed for his healing once and didn’t see a change in his demeanor, but his wife thanked us anyway. We were getting ready to walk away when Jonathan, one of my teammates, suggested that we pray for Alexander again.

Trying not to feel disappointed, I laid my hand on Alexander’s shoulder one more time and started to pray. While we were praying, Jonathan began singing “How Great Is Our God.” I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that some of the girls in our small group were starting to back away from the prayer circle with overwhelming tears in their eyes. I couldn’t see Alexander because of the white baseball cap on his head, but I stepped away to offer one of the girls a tissue. When I looked back at everyone, I could see the lower half of Alexander’s wrinkled face. His lower lip was trembling violently with emotion, and a tear dripped off the tip of his nose. My heart swelled inside my chest, suffocating me, and I, too, began to cry out of love for a man I’d never met before. I could be his granddaughter; my grandfather could be dying, slowly wasting away with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

The fortress

Our prayers were cut short by one of our leaders telling us we needed to leave the park suddenly for safety reasons. We each hugged Alexander, who looked at us, his eyes taking us in for the first time, while he continued to sob. Our translator spoke to him, and he nodded. Alexander’s wife had told us that he couldn’t understand words anymore because of the Alzheimer’s, and I almost laughed, because he certainly understood now.

As we walked away from the park that evening, I knew I’d seen God heal a man and defy the laws of medicine and science. In a supernatural surge, all of us had ended up in tears. The funny thing about miracles is that they have a way of growing on everyone who witnesses them. The new books on the shelves staring vamps and werewolves and people with wings might not be too far off. I’ve seen it with my own eyes—the supernatural does exist.

Author Sydney Scrogham walking through the streets of Sishisoara 

Living the Dream: New Indie Bookstore

For our first installment of Leap Book authors reaching their dreams, we're featuring Kitty Keswick, writer of the Freaksville series. Kitty is not only a storyteller, she's also a booklover. In addition to her large personal book collection, she considered it a privilege to work in a bookstore. Now she's on the verge of realizing a lifelong dream: opening an Indie bookstore.

Leap is thrilled that she's taken this step during times when so many bookstores are shutting their doors. Instead, Kitty is infusing new life into downtown Logansport, Indiana, with her Some Kind of Wonderful bookstore. The store, which will also have a coffee shop, is slated to open on Main Street in the Greensfelder Building. This historic edifice has been renovated on the exterior; now work will be done on the interior to turn it into a haven for booklovers.

Greensfelder Building on Main St.

Kitty is the author of Freaksville and the forthcoming Furry and Freaked. For Indiana residents who would like to meet her in person, Kitty will be appearing at the library on October 1, 2011.