SPIRITED Final Cover and Press Release

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T AKING A W ICKED L EAP FOR L ITERACY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Leap Books digs the importance of literacy – and they've unearthed 13 haunting tales to help spread the word. After all, there's no rest for the wicked.

More than a dozen young adult paranormal fiction authors are contributing to Spirited, a collection of steampunk, cyberpunk and downright spooky stories guaranteed to get your heart racing. Proceeds from the anthology will be donated to National 826, a literacy-based charity.

"Leap Books tends to lean towards the eccentric and snarky, so when we found an organization that's a little off-the-wall and dovetails with our goals – reading and writing – we couldn't resist," says Spirited editor, Kat O'Shea. "One of our goals is to get teens excited about books. What better way to do that than to offer stories by some of their favorite authors?"

The anthology features supernatural tales by bestselling writers such as Maria V. Snyder, Candace Havens, Shannon Delany, Linda Joy Singleton, Heather Kenealy and more.

"I was amazed at how many well-known authors were willing to carve time out of their hectic schedules to benefit charity," says O'Shea.

For bestselling author and leading entertainment journalist Candace Havens, Charmed & Dangerous (Berkley), the chance to be a part of Spirited was a no-brainer. Trying her hand at a ghost story was something she's wanted to do for a long time, and as the emcee for several literacy charity events, she hears amazing stories of literacy inspiration all the time.

"When my first novel came out, one of the nurses at my doctor's office bought my book for her daughter," she says. "The daughter was in her 20s and had never read a book all the way through. She read mine and told her mom she wanted more. She didn't know books could be so fun. A story like that will get you through those tough writing times."

As a school library technician, Judith Graves, Under My Skin (Leap Books), has seen the power of literacy awareness, promotion and support at work, and believes any organization that offers this is worthy of heralding.

"When I heard that the Spirited anthology had a paranormal theme and that proceeds would go to a literacy-based charity, I was ready to claw my way onto the roster," she says. "Luckily, my story made the cut and no editors were harmed in the making of this anthology."

That's not to say there aren't a few deaths involved. Albeit fictional. With the e-book launch slated for October 31, 2011, Spirited is the perfect read for young thrill-seekers. While many of the featured authors will be hauntingly familiar to fans of the paranormal, readers will be invited to discover new authors venturing into the genre.

New York Times Bestselling author Maria V. Snyder, Poison Study (Mira), says the opportunity to write for Spirited offered a creative challenge. "The subject or theme of an anthology is usually not within my comfort zone of fantasy and science fiction, and I always have fun playing in someone else's sandbox."

Leap Books is also thinking outside of the coffin with this release. In addition to a macabre and eclectic collection of stories, Spirited will feature some unique graphics, including AR (augmented reality) in a cyberpunk/dystopian story by award-winning author Shannon Delaney, 13 to Life (St. Martin's Griffin).

"Readers will be able to hold the story icons under a webcam to see some cool 3-D effects," says O'Shea.

Spirited manifests October 31, 2011, in e-book format, followed by a print edition of the anthology unleashed in March 2012. Copies can be summoned by pre-order via the Leap Books website at  HYPERLINK "http://www.leapbooks.com" www.leapbooks.com.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK AN INTERVIEW WITH ONE OF THE SPIRITED AUTHORS PLEASE CONTACT :

Dawn Ius or Judith Graves Cathleen Cartwright

Bridge Social Media Leap Books

HYPERLINK "mailto:bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com" bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com cathleencartwright@leapbks.com

Ph: 780.938.2034 Ph: 717.497.0632

HYPERLINK "http://www.bridgesocialmedia.blogspot..." www.bridgesocialmedia.blogspot.com www.leapbks.com

HYPERLINK "http://www.bridgesocialmedia.com" www.bridgesocialmedia.com www.leapbks.blogspot.com

B ACKGROUNDER

Founded in 2009, Leap Books is a shiny new publisher specializing in teen and tween fiction.

Proceeds from the sale of Spirited will benefit 826 National, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting students, ages 6-18, to improve their writing skills. The 826 mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. For more information, please visit HYPERLINK "http://www.826national.org/"www.....

Spirited is not the only charity project Leap Books is doing. All of their authors have causes they care about, so Leap Books supports them in reaching out to others. October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and they're donating 20% of the sales from For the Love of Strangers by Jacqueline Horsfall to the Domestic Violence Awareness project. Horsfall's book is about sixteen-year-old Darya, who helps her adoptive mother run a shelter for abused women. Leap Books is also donating free copies of For the Love of Strangers to shelters along with a frameable copy of "Libby's Lament," a poem from the point of view of a young abused mother, and a booklist for teens on domestic/relationship abuse. The poem and booklist are also available to any teens who would like them. Just send an email to  HYPERLINK "mailto:info@leapbks.com" info@leapbks.com.

Leap Books is also offering a free copy of Stakeout by Bonnie J. Doerr to any environmental organizations who are working to save sea turtles. In Doerr's eco-mystery Stakeout, teens endanger their lives to capture the poacher of sea turtle eggs.