Author Kitty Keswick appearing October 1, 2011

You're Invited!

This week author Jacqueline Horsfall is launching her latest book, For the Love of Strangers. For those in the Corning, NY, area, here are the exciting details:

EVENT:  Book Launch, For the Love of Strangers by Jacqueline Horsfall

DATE:  Saturday, February 19

TIME: 1:00 – 3:00

LOCATION: Southeast Steuben County Library, 300 Nasser Civic Center Plaza, Corning, NY

Open to all book lovers. Kids welcome. Food, fun, and friendly book chat. Free parking.

So come and join the fun. If you can't make the launch, stop by the library to get a copy of the book. Click the link above for directions.

The library has set up a “Meet the Author” display, with all of Jackie's books, and featuring For the Love of Strangers.

More about Jackie's release:

Philoxenia. When the police call using this code word, 16-year-old Darya knows she will be sheltering strangers: women with missing teeth, dislocated jaws, black eyes—and stalking husbands.

Other strangers—nonhuman—seek Darya’s protection too, whispering from the depths of the forest in voices only she can hear. If she obeys the voices, she risks her adoptive mother’s rage, the taunts of a surly island boy, and the wrath of her community. If she refuses the voices, a primeval species faces extermination.

What if you discovered your birth fulfilled an ancient prophecy?

What if you were destined to save an entire wild species?

Would you heed the call?

Bonnie J. Doerr in Winston-Salem, NC

Author Bonnie J. Doerr signed book recently at Edward McKay bookstore in Winston-Salem, NC.

Here's a snap of Bonnie at her appearance with some fans.


For more about Bonnie, the Key deer, and green teens, visit BonnieBlogsGreen.

Wow, Check Out Voracious Readers' Window!

If you're heading to NY for BEA (that's BookExpo America, for those of you who aren't familiar with this huge gathering of the book world), take a gander at this window. Pictures of all the Class of 2k10 authors and their books are on display. How cool is that?

And best of all, you'll see 3 Leap Books titles in that window. Isn't that fab?? Freaksville by Kitty Keswick, Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr, and our newly arrived Under My Skin by Judith Graves. You can meet all three authors in person at BEA or at the Voracious Reader (details below). And be sure to get an autographed copy of all the hottest debut books of 2010.

Thanks for the great publicity, Voracious Reader! And we hope you have a whole host of hungry readers mobbing your store for this event on May 26.

Talk of the Town

If you weren't in Cold Lake, Alberta, this weekend, you missed out on some great fun. Yep, that's author Judith Graves at the mic, ready to sing about her book characters, accompanied by the all-girl band, Shenanigans.

A singer/songwriter, Graves is multi-talented, which she had an opportunity to demonstrate not only through song, but during her book reading. You can catch some of the fun here or at Graves' Wolfy Chicks blog:

Wow! Lots-a Books

The town of Cold Lake, Alberta, is getting prepared for the big day. The vendor who will be selling books at the launch party is Lots-a Books. So far, the books are selling fast. They may be all sold out before the party. Here's all they have:

Not much left, as you can see, on their once-full display table. More books are winging their way to Canada, but will they arrive in time? The town of Cold Lake is rallying behind their hometown author, and a signboard outside the store (see below) has been luring the locals in. If you live in the area, you might want to hurry in to get one of the last few copies before they're all sold out.

Not to worry if you miss out, as you can still order the books from Leap Books, and we'll ship them right out to you. Be sure to check out our spring special rates and enter the coupon code at checkout. The books are also available from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and through major distributors, such as Ingram and Baker & Taylor.

So what's all the excitement about? Is it the cool gothic art by Val Cox that decorates the pages? Or is it the engrossing story of Eryn McCain written by Judith Graves? Most likely it's both. Check back all this week for some sneak peeks at the art and excerpts from the novel. Today we'll just tantalize you with the first lines from the book:

I ran as if my life depended on it.

Maybe it did.

Who needs to stay alive and why in this cold northern Canadian town of Redgrave? A town infested with paranorms...

Is it possible? Can it be? Does the fictional town of Redgrave resemble Cold Lake? The thought is chilling. If so, maybe it's the paranorms who've been snapping up those books before the humans find out their deep dark secrets.What has author Judith Graves revealed about them in the pages of her book?

Vamp thrall...wolven vs. werewolves...

witches and warlocks...and other beasties of the night romp through the pages of Under My Skin (UMS). Get your copy to discover the hidden magick buried in Redgrave. Or perhaps, Cold Lake?

You'll meet many Beasties of the Night at Judith Graves' launch party on Saturday Night, April 24, 2010. Stop in for cake and drinks, great music, and an autographed copy of UMS. And maybe you'll discover some paranorms in disguise...

Under My Skin Launch Buzz

Although we've experienced production delays for Under My Skin (UMS), author Judith Graves is hard at work prepping for her launch party now rescheduled for April 24, 2010.

Judith worked with artist Lauri Ansell, who set the stage for the party by painting larger-than-life images of Eryn, the main character of UMS, and other details from the book. The original art from the books was done by graphic artist Val Cox. Val's cool art can be viewed to the left. Val created images of the UMS characters that enhance the book pages.

Now Lauri has translated some of those images onto the walls of Bean Trees, a coffee house in Alberta, Canada. If you happen to live near Cold Lake, why not take a stroll by to see the artwork, or feel free to drop in at the launch party. The more the merrier. And you'll get to hear Judith sing along with some of her former bandmates, who now perform with all-girl band Shenanigans.

If you aren't in the area, you can still enjoy the fun via Judith's vlog. Almost as good as being there in person. And Judith, your US fans are expecting another vlog on the night of the launch!

Here's the vlog:



You can view the vlog full size at YouTube and find out more about Judith and the launch party at the Wolfy Chicks blog.

Ever Been Snogged??

First kisses are magical, aren't they? Or maybe not...

If you're with the person of your dreams and you're prepared for that special moment, that first kiss can be heaven. But what if you're Kasey Maxwell--the heroine of Freaksville by Kitty Keswick--and you're taken totally by surprise?

Here's a sneak peek at Kasey and Josh’s first kiss in Freaksville:

“Have you ever been snogged?” Josh asked.

“What? Ohmigosh no! It sounds awful!”

“Really? I should like to prove you wrong.” His voice dropped an octave lower.

He placed his hands at my waist and tugged me closer. I stumbled slightly, then steadied myself on the solidness of his chest. His lips brushed mine. The sensation of a million little fingers tickled my entire body. At first, I didn’t know what to do. I followed his lead and relaxed as much as I could. I squeezed my eyes shut and immersed all thoughts in the task. My brain liquefied into slush.

It was finally happening, the moment I had waited for! Cue the choir and the bright lights! 

His skilled tongue darted out and licked my lips, urging them open. Josh smiled against my mouth. Suddenly, something slick flicked against my teeth.

Whoa! I sooo didn’t see it coming. Otherwise, I would have eaten a case of Tic-Tacs.

The kiss deepened and so did his tongue’s advances. Shocked by the tongue tango, a murmur escaped me as I concentrated on not biting off such a nimble instrument.   Relax, breathe, breathe.

Josh's hands traveled up my side, creating more chills, and found my face. His mouth continued to work mine as his fingers rubbed tiny circles on my cheeks. He was skilled in the art of snogging. If his kisses got any hotter, my fillings would melt.

Gad! Did I remember to floss? Flossing was important. What if I had a chunk of something gooey between my teeth and it fell off? Ack ! I can’t think about…whoa!

Want to read more? Get your copy of the book NOW at our online store. And don't forget to take advantage of our BLUE MOON special.

And for even more fun, share the story of your first kiss. Was it good, bad, or so-so?  Author Kitty Keswick will be sending an autographed copy of Freaksville to one lucky commenter this week. So respond to any of our posts about Kitty throughout the rest of the week and you might be our lucky winner.