Blogmania Winners

Thanks to all the terrific people who left comments during Blogmania. And to all our new friends!!

Stop by on Sunday, September 19th for the list of prize winners.

Blogmania Is Here!!

Thanks for joining us for Blogmania today. Be sure to check out all the great prizes at the official site. More than $38,000 in prizes will be given away on Sept 15-16. Only 2 days to enter.

We hope you'll friend us and leave a comment for a chance to win the following prizes:

3.1 MP digital video camera;
4X digital zoom,
1.5 color LCD screen,
includes USB cable and
audio/video cables $90.00 value

Leap Books gift certificate $10.00
Plus 3 Leap Books $46.00 value

Handmade glycerin soaps in a beautifully
decorated Victorian padded box $35.00

We're glad you stopped by. Be sure to visit Leap Books website for Free Reads, great new books for teens, and fun activities for schools and book clubs.

http://www.leapbks.com/exclusives/ofdh.html

FREE READs:

http://www.leapbks.com/exclusives/mpdav.html

Here are a few upcoming events for Leap Books:


OCT. 4

Kat O'Shea, Editor-in-Chief of Leap Books, is teaching a workshop Handling Backstory the Right Way.

Here's the blurb:

You only have a paragraph or two to capture an editor’s or reader’s interest. If you don’t draw readers in quickly, it’s hard to make a sale. Get your story off to a more exciting start by eliminating backstory. Discover how to identify backstory, when to cut it, where and how to use it effectively.

WHEN: Oct 4 - Oct 31
COST: $15 for Premium Members
$25 for Basic & NON-Members

So head on over to Savvy Authors to register.

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Throughout October, author Judith Graves will be available for visits:

October 2010: Young Alberta Book Society TALEBLAZERS Lit Fest. Touring schools and libraries across Alberta, discussing my journey from singer/songwriter to Young Adult paranormal fiction author. I explore what makes fiction to DIE for, how to develop characters that ROCK, and how to REVAMP your  work (revision with BITE!). She'd love to meet all students, library staff, and teachers from across the province. Book her now: www.yabs.ab.ca

 Here are two of Judith's scheduled appearances:

October 5: Red Deer College Confluence Campus (Rocky Mountain House, AB).

October 22:  Author visit in Grimshaw, AB.

Meet Judith Graves Tonight

DON'T FORGET: You can see author Judith Graves tonight!

September 14th: Backstage with A YA Writer (Cold Lake Public Library, Alberta, Canada, 6 pm): Sponsored by the Cold Lake Public Library and the Writer’s Guild of Alberta.

“Get a glimpse at what it is to be a young adult author and the steps to get there.”

Backstage with a YA Author

Check back at 11:00 p.m. tonight for info on the swag Leap is offering for Blogmania on Sept. 15-16.

The Writers Guild of Alberta and the Cold Lake Public Library present:

Backstage with a YA Author

A Talk and Reading by Judith Graves

Cold Lake, AB – In celebration of Alberta Art Days, the Writers Guild of Alberta and the Cold Lake Public Library are hosting an event with Young Adult author Judith Graves on September 14th, 6:30 pm, at the Cold Lake Public Library—Grand Centre Branch (5513B - 48 Avenue, Alberta, Canada).  This event is free and open to the public.

Judith will be reading from her latest book and talking about her journey to publication, providing the audience with a glimpse of what is like to be a published writer of young adult fiction – and the steps to follow to get there. A question-and-answer period wraps up the session.

A firm believer that Canadian teen fiction can be sexy, action-packed and snarky, Judith writes paranormal stories with attitude. Her debut novel, Under My Skin, was released in March 2010 with Leap Books. The sequel, Second Skin, will be available in 2011.

This event is part of the project “Backstage with a Writer”, a partnership developed between the Writers Guild of Alberta and several libraries in rural Alberta. Presented with the support of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the project includes, among others, sessions scheduled to take place in Black Diamond (novelist Betty Jane Hegerat), Grande Prairie (travel writer Ted Bishop), Lacombe (memoir author Janice Williamson), Olds (nonfiction author Brian Brennan), Rocky Mountain House (poet Shirley A. Serviss), Spruce Grove (screenwriter Scot Morison) and Vegreville (playwright Conni Massing).

Celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year, the Writers Guild of Alberta is the largest provincial writers’ organization in Canada, and was formed in 1980 to provide a meeting ground and collective voice for the writers of the province. Alberta Arts Days – an annual celebration to showcase Alberta artists of all types – aims to encourage Albertans to discover, experience and celebrate the arts.

For more information, please visit:

www.writersguild.ab.ca, www.library.coldlake.ab.ca, www.judithgraves.com, or www.culture.alberta.ca/artsdays.  

Countdown to Blogmania--3 days to go

Block off September 15-16 on your calendar and get ready to snag lots of great merchandise. Blogmania is a chance to friend lots of new blogs and to gain fabulous prizes.

It's a weekend long extravaganza where you leave comments on as many participating blogs as you can. Each blog will be offering at least $100 worth of merchandise as prizes. Pretty cool, huh?

Wondering what the prizes will be? Leap Books is participating, and we'll be offering one grand prize worth $100, plus other prizes for commenters. And watch for these Blogmania signs that will be popping up all over the Internet. Check back on Sept. 13 for a sneak peek at the great swag we'll be offering.

Today's the Day

See author Bonnie J. Doerr and 40+ other authors at Bookmarks 2010 in Winston-Salem, NC. 11 a.m. on September 11, 2010:

bookmarksbookfestival.org

Interested in Writing Mysteries?

Leap Books author Bonnie J. Doerr will be speaking on a panel this weekend at Bookmarks 2010 in Winston-Salem, NC, at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 11 at the Millenium Center. Also appearing on the panel are New York Times bestselling authors John Hart and Erica Spindler.

Here's the blurb about the panel: 

Writing a Mystery with Bonnie J. Doerr, John Hart and Erica Spindler 11:00 - 11:45 am In honor of the On the Same Page Program’s pick for 2010, The Maltese Falcon, written by Dashiell Hammett, the featured writers will discuss how they approach writing a mystery.

For more great programs, click here.