To help us celebrate the launch of the print version of Spirited, Leap Books has the $8.99 ebook version on sale for $.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. All proceeds from the anthology will be donated to charity. Read more about that charity, 826 National, here.
We're also featuring each of the 13 anthology authors over the next few weeks on our blog. Learn more about the superstars behind Spirited--talented authors who are willing to donate their time and talent to help encourage literacy and writing. We'll also include some sneak peeks at their stories.
And if you'd like to know a few more secrets about each author, read some early posts on the Spirited Facebook page and Leap Books blog. Anyone who posts a link to one of those secrets will be entered in a drawing for a free book. You may leave a comment or question for each author for an additional entry for a print copy of Spirited.
One winner will be drawn after all 13 blogs about the authors are posted. Enter as often as you'd like by linking to author secrets or leaving comments or questions.
And if you're in the Alberta, Canada, area, you can attend a live launch party with three of the authors: Judith Graves, Dawn Dalton, and Hallie D. Lilburn on April 21. Exciting details below:
Teen interviewer Anna interviews Leap Books author Kitty Keswick:
When did you know that you wanted to be an author?
I have always written stories. I wrote to escape, to entertain myself, to get the stories that were in my head...out. I write from my dreams and if I don't work on the stories that I'm dreaming about ("they" can be very persistent), I don't sleep until I do. I started out as a journalism major because I enjoyed writing. I didn't care that much for non-fiction and switched my major. The idea of being a novelist was always in the back of my head. I had been writing full-length stories since high school. It was until 2004 that I started to do something about it and joined RWA (Romance Writers of America). There I learned more about the craft and started attending conferences and sending out queries.
Have you always specifically liked supernatural stories?
Yes and no. My stories have supernatural elements, but they are more character driven and based in folklore and mythology.
Do you consider romance a necessary component in all your stories?
Yep. I am and always will be a romantic sap. It's a blessing and a curse. Love can be wickedly cruel and totally earthmoving amazing. There's always something to write about when love is involved, good or bad. Love changes you, it shapes you. Whether it's for better or worse is up to you.
What is your favorite genre of stories to read?
Right now, it's mysteries and sci-fi. It changes. I am re-reading One for the Money and Game of Thrones.
Why did you choose to write young adult books instead of adult books or children's books?
I wrote general romance first. Several novels and got close. I had many editors tell me they liked my character building and worlds and snarky humor, but felt my voice was a little young for general romance. I took their advice and went back to my roots, YA. I started writing, really writing as a teen. I used the basic elements of those stories to formulate my YA novels. I keep a dream journal and often get my ideas from my dreams. Freaksville started out as a strange conversation between two best friends.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Study your craft, never stop learning. Read. And never give up.
More about author Kitty Keswick:
Kitty Keswick has been an Anglophile since age four when she saw Robin Hood and fell head over heels in love. As she grew up on her grandfather’s California vineyard, Kitty’s imagination was her best friend. At a very tender age, she started writing her stories and reading them to the grapes.
Kitty now lives with a bossy tabby cat and maybe even a few ghosts. She spends her days with Werewolves, Valkyries, Vamps and other creatures that go bump in the night.
Her books:
Having a family whose skeletons in the closet lean toward the paranormal is not a topper on anyone’s list. Sophomore Kasey Maxwell is busy juggling the typical teen angst. Add visions, ghosts, and hairy four-legged monsters into the mix and you get FREAKSVILLE. It’s a wonder Kasey has survived.
Sixteen-year-old Kasey Maxwell left Freaksville behind when her family moved from California to rural Pennsylvania. But she didn't leave her troubles behind. As her Valkyrie side grows, the spirits become more haunting. When her visions turn bloody, Kasey must trust new support systems—paranormal ones.
Get entombed in stories of Egyptian treasures, shudder at tales of malevolent spirits, and become enthralled with the adventures of witch-hunters, ghost seekers, and lost souls. From steampunk to cyberpunk, our collection spans past, present, and future hauntings. One story actually leaps off the page with 3D augmented reality. Go ahead. Turn the page if you dare. We won't tell if you sleep with the light on. Because after all, there's no rest for the wicked.
Leap Books is excited to present the work of two new artists (watch for another artist profile coming soon) on our upcoming book covers. First up is the work of Italian artist Gaetano Pezzillo.
1) Leap Books discovered your work via the site, DeviantArt.com, can you tell us a bit about how this artistic community functions?
DeviantArt is a great community. It features an incredible amount of amazing artists and every possible kind of art that you can imagine. Everyone can share his/her own creations and the feedback is just amazing. It's very rewarding and it's a great chance to socialize and to learn new things every day. And even if you are not an artist, it's still a beautiful community for everyone who loves the art, from traditional to digital, from artisan crafts to poetry and manga art... A must in my opinion.
2) What is photomanipulation?
Well, it’s basically the art of combining and editing different photos or photographic elements to create something new. It can be a simple photo retouch or a complex composition, you really have infinite possibilities. Sometimes it involves additional techniques, like digital painting for example. In every case it requires a photo-editing software, good quality pictures taken by others or by yourself and lots of patience J
3) How did you get your start with this unique form of photography?
In the last few years I saw many beautiful pictures on the Internet, they were so real yet so unreal, and most of them had such big emotion and stories to tell. I was stunned when I learnt how they were made. So one day I thought: “This is a thing I want to learn, I have something to say and this can be a beautiful way of doing it”. My first works were obviously kind of ugly, and I still believe I have much to learn, but this is what I love about photomanipulation: you always learn, every single time.
4) How would you describe your work? Gothic? Paranormal?
Most of my works can be described as Dark, in a good way, I hope. There’s always something to tell about our darkest emotions, and sometimes a picture can speak more than words. It gives me the chance to explore what’s in the deep of my soul and probably of all our souls. But of course other works I’ve made are more “good”.
Another of Gaetano's works
5) Any advice for burgeoning digital artists?
Digital art is often spotted by popularity. It’s becoming a global phenomenon, so you can experience many difficulties to get noticed, especially at the beginning. That’s ok, because the most important thing is to make something that you can be proud of. If you do, you’ll grow with the desire of making always better and that’s the best thing for an artist of every media. Remember to grow with your style but don’t let anything untried. And most of all, let everything be your inspiration.
About the Artist
I was born in Naples, Italy. I became interested in digital art in the last few years, learning everything from myself and finding inspiration in the world of music, literature, movies, fairytales, videogames and folklore. My works fall mainly into what is usually called dark-fantasy style and they share surreal atmospheres that recall dreamy world and universal feelings. I love to create, alter, distort and blend together apparently irreconcilable elements. But most of all I love to arouse intense emotions in people who see my works.
An anthology of ghostly tales by Maria V. Snyder, Candace Havens, Shannon Delany, Jill Williamson, Linda Joy Singleton, Heather Kenealy, Judith Graves, Kitty Keswick, Dawn Dalton, Carmen Tudor, John W. Otte, Halli Dee Lilburn, and Mark Finnemore
ISBN-13--978-1-61603-020-9
Edited by Kat O'Shea
Haunted houses. Haunted hearts. And a past that refuses to die. . .
Leap Books summoned best-selling paranormal and dreadfully talented debut authors to conjure up Spirited, a haunting collection of 13 tales guaranteed to keep you up all night.
Get entombed in stories of Egyptian treasures, shudder at tales of malevolent spirits, and become enthralled with the adventures of witch-hunters, ghost seekers, and lost souls. From steampunk to cyberpunk, our collection spans past, present, and future hauntings. One story actually leaps off the page with 3D augmented reality.
Go ahead. Turn the page if you dare. We won't tell if you sleep with the light on. Because after all, there's no rest for the wicked.
All proceeds from the sale of SPIRITED will be donated to 826 National.
Print book available exclusively from the Leap Books store.
"Judith Graves created an incredible cast of characters with her first of this series: Under My Skin, and I enjoyed them even more in Second Skin....But Second Skin, WOW...I simply love the progression of Eryn's story. There is a love triangle, danger and mystery throughout this book making it a definite page-turner. There are a lot of secrets surrounding Eryn....There are still so many questions to be answered and I can't wait for the next book in this series: Skin of My Teeth."
Intrigued? You can find Second Skin at Leap Books and Amazon. Better hurry, the Amazon website says, "Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way)."And watch for specials on the Leap Books site during March Madness from March 21 to 31.
If you'd like an autographed copy, keep an eye on Judith's website and blog for info about her Gothic Tea Party Book Launch. Open to the public. Even better, sign up for her newsletter for info and great giveaways.
For her new release, author Judith Graves is going on tour. Join the celebration of the official launch of the second book in the SKINNED series, SECOND SKIN.
During the month of March Judith will be doing interviews and guest posts on some fabulous blogs, as well as features on her own site. It will be a month of giveaways, SWAG, and great conversations.
In honor of Second Skin’s major theme, FACING YOUR DARKEST FEAR, she’ll look at what scares us – from horror films, fiction, phobias, folklore and the beasties that haunt our dreams. Thankfully, she'll only talk about others' sheer terror – Eryn and her monster-hunting crew are the ones who get thrown to the wolves.
Here’s the line up of blog stops and author thus far:
