Vampires Go to College?

Serious about vampires? Looks like they are in the UK. Headlines from today's Telegraph say "University to Hold Vampire Conference." So does that mean vampires from all over the world will be at this conference? Wouldn't that be cool--a whole campus filled with bloodsuckers?

The title of the conference is Open Graves, Open Minds: Vampires and the Undead in Modern Culture. And what will they learn? Most likely they won't be studying calculus or philosophy. Although biology and anatomy classes might be of interest. Or maybe they'll choose from seminar topics. What do vampires need to learn? How to choose the proper victim? How to suck blood without leaving a trace? How to select the proper flatware and distinguish silver from platinum?

Sorry to disappoint you, but it's actually a literature conference about the new sexy teenage vampires in novels and why YAs find them so appealing.That's easy enough to understand: Who doesn't like hot guys, bloodsuckers or not?

So if you find them enticing, you'll want to check out Judith Graves' Under My Skin. Here's a snippet from the book:

    I shifted closer, entranced by the minty scent rising from his blood. Hunger pangs twisted my stomach as if I hadn’t eaten for weeks. I pressed myself against his body. My lips parted. I sighed against his warm skin. Wade turned his face up for me, like he wanted me to take his lifeblood, feed on his flesh.
    I almost fell for it.
    Vamp thrall.
    I gasped, fighting his seductive glamour. His grey eyes stared into mine. Mesmerizing. Inviting…
   Don’t forget devilish. The voice of reason brought me back from the brink.
   And evil.

And kudos to the University of Hertfordshire for coming up with such an appealing subject for a conference.

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.

Sunshine Award

Leap Books received a Sunshine Award. Now it's up to us to pass it along. That's hard to do, because we know so many wonderful bloggers. We'd love to give an award to each and every one of them. But we're only allowed to select a dozen, so we hope those bloggers will spread the sunshine by passing the award along.

We want to give a special thanks to bloggers who have gone out of their way to promote Leap Books and spread the word about our upcoming releases.
A special shout-out to:

Mel     http://hefollowedmehome.blogspot.com/

Dark Faerie Tales  http://darkfaerietales.com/

Teens Read Too  http://www.teensreadtoo.com/

La Femme Readers http://lafemmereaders.blogspot.com/

Mundie Moms http://www.mundiemoms.blogspot.com/

The Book Butterfly http://butterflybookreviews.blogspot.com/

YA Books Central Blog  http://yabookscentral.blogspot.com/

Ellz Reads http://ellzreadz.blogspot.com/

Princess Bookie http://www.princessbookie.com/

Book Lovers, Inc. http://book-lovers-inc.blogspot.com/2010/01/interview-iwth-class-of-2k10-when-did.html

Read this Book http://readthisbook.wordpress.com/

The Story Siren http://www.thestorysiren.com/2010/02/january-winner-2010-debut-author.html

To pass on this award, select 12 bloggers you think are spreading sunshine and comment on their blog. Link to the person who gave you the award, and pass on the kudos.

We have many more bloggers to thank, especially those who hosted author Judith Graves this month. Watch for more posts about all the wonderful sites she visited.

And for everyone who is eagerly awaiting a copy of Under My Skin, production glitches have backed up the release date a few weeks, but if you've ordered a book from us, we'll see that you get the very first, hot-off-the-press copies! Thanks for your patience, but we're trying to get every detail perfect before we send it off into the world.

Sassy Voice

Thanks to Teens Read and Write for a great review of Freaksville. Here are a few of the many glowing comments:

If you like a sharp, snappy female protagonist embroiled in danger, mystery and action, Freaksville is for you.

The strongest thing about the story is Kasey's sassy voice. And talk about energy. This girl has got plenty and it leaps from the pages with a manic pace....

Kasey is a screech. Her sarcastic wit had me laughing often, and she is full of spunk and determination. She and her best friend Gillie have a wonderful relationship, open, honest and loyal. Having boys enter the picture didn't interfere with their love for each other....

It's a good, lighthearted read with funky characters, a hefty dose of paranormal and layers of mystery weaving throughout. I'd recommend it, especially for younger teens and anyone who loves all things British. 

 
 Of course, we here at Leap Books love Kasey, too, and think she's fab. And the art by Canadian graphic designer, Val Cox, just adds to the fun.

Pick up a copy now and enjoy a 30% discount during our Leap Books Spring Special** anytime between 3-20-10 and 5-1-10. Just type in the special code: SPR30 when you check out!

Here's the link for Freaksville, but you can order our other titles, too, including the soon-to-be-released Under My Skin by Judith Graves. If you love all things paranormal, these are not to be missed.

**NOTE: Coupon not valid with any other discounts, including booksellers discounts.

TaleBlazers Festival

Author Judith Graves will be part of the Young Alberta Book Society's TaleBlazers Festival, which runs from October 4-29, 2010. Schools and libraries can host author visits.

And what better month to have a visit from a paranormal author than October?? Under My Skin is filled with wolven, witches, vamps, and otherworldly beasties, so it's the perfect Halloween treat. 


"Every fall the Taleblazers Festival tours the province giving hundreds of literary presentations to Albertan children in communities large and small, getting them fired up about literacy, sparking their imaginations, and giving them stronger literacy skills for a brighter future." To find out more about TaleBlazers and the Young Alberta Book Society, check out the website: http://www.yabs.ab.ca/TaleBlazers.asp.

Leap Books is proud to have authors who are working hard to promote literacy. If you'd like to host any of our authors, please contact Cathleen Cartwright at marketing@leapbks.com.

Virginia Festival of the Book

Author Bonnie J. Doerr will be speaking at this event, which begins tomorrow (Wed., March 17, 2010) and continues through the weekend.  She's part of a panel of children's and YA authors who will be discussing their path to publication:

Pub Day: Getting Published -- Picture Books to Young Adult

Sat. March 20th, 2010 - 12:00 PM

Laura Rennert (Buying, Training and Caring for Your Dinosaur), Deborah Heiligman (Charles and Emma), Bonnie Doerr (Island Sting), Emily Ecton (Night of the Living Lawn Ornaments), and Ruth Spiro (Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist) share their stories.

Moderated by: Fran Cannon Slayton

Location:
Omni Hotel
Room: Preston
235 West Main Street
(434)971-5500
 
More exciting events and highlights of the programs can be found here:

http://www.vabook.org/site10/program/view.php

If you love books, this is the place to be this weekend. Be sure to stop by and say "hi" to Bonnie. She'd love to meet you. She'll be autographing copies of her latest release, the eco-mystery,  Island Sting.

Island Sting Charmers Winners and More...

Author Bonnie J. Doerr’s back from the Florida Keys with lots of stories to tell. We’ll be featuring some of them over the next few weeks. But right now, we have an important announcement.

Ta, da… Drum roll please…

The winners of our Island Sting Charmers contest are:

LiLi is the lucky winner of the Key necklace!
Congratulations, LiLi!




And the winners of the Island Sting charms are:

Erica – the lobster charm

Jill of The O.W.L. – the hook


If you contact us at contests@leapbks.com with your mailing addresses, we’ll send these out to you.

For those who didn’t win, don’t despair. We have more contests coming up. Keep an eye on our next debut author, Judith Graves of Under My Skin. She can be seen around the blogosphere all month. Check out the calendar at the Wolfy Chicks website to see where she’s appearing. And watch for the special contests she’s holding. This week she’s been featured on He Followed Me Home and several other blogs. Leave a comment on any of the blog posts for a chance to win. And let us know which post was your fav. Your name will be entered in a drawing for additional Judith Graves swag.