Authors are some of the most generous people I know. So many fellow authors have helped me along the road to publication by offering advice, critiques, and contacts. If it weren't for their assistance, I wouldn't be where I am today--able to make my living by writing. I only hope that I can do the same for others.

But they aren't only generous with their time and advice, they're willing to give monetarily as well. Several groups have come together to use their talents to help Japan. Here are some auctions to help those affected by the tsunami:

Authors for Japan
Genre for Japan
Write Hope
Writers for the Red Cross

I'd like to highlight one other group of children's authors, illustrators, and publishers who have banded together to help Japanese children. They've donated goods and services that are being auctioned at Children's Authors and Illustrators for Japan. Everything from books to prints to editorial services are available.

Even if you're an adult author, you can take advantage of some great critiques by well-known agents and editors going up for bidding over the next few weeks. Keep an eye out as postings are added daily.

If you're a YA author, Leap Books editor Kat O'Shea is offering three critiques. If you've been dying to submit to Leap Books, here's your chance. Normally they take only agented submissions, but the authors that Kat critiques can submit manuscripts to Leap Books. Watch for Auction #67 posted today.

Want a critique by agent Ammi-Joan Paquette? Or from Liz Waniewski from Dial? They'll be coming up later this week.

And while you're at the website, be sure to look at all the other terrific items up for auction. And don't forget to collect one of these great badges to show your support.

Once in a Blue Moon...

Once in blue moon, a publisher comes along who does things in an innovative way. Leap Books opened their doors on the night of the blue moon, expecting something magical to happen.

And it did...

We launched our authors in the direction of their dreams. Now we invite you to take a LEAP with us. You'll be glad you did.

Watch for some great new releases this month at Leap Books. And take advantage of the BLUE MOON special to get a 10% discount off any purchase.

Feed Your Addiction

In the past few weeks, we've celebrated Teen Read Week. Tomorrow is National Bookstore Day. And this month is NaNo, National Novel Writing Month. With all this emphasis on writing and writers, it's evident that people care about books and reading. Most of us wouldn't be writers if it weren't for our love of reading.

My addiction to reading extends to everything under the sun. I'll even peruse every word on a cereal box if nothing else is handy. As an elementary student, I constantly got in trouble for reading books hidden my desk. And at home I hid under the covers with a flashlight to finish those final pages of an exciting novel. Did you do the same?

Why not share that passion with a favorite teen?

Leap Books is offering online Exclusives--free mini-books with pages that turn--all zooped up with fun graphics to enhance the reading experience. Share them with your favorite teens, or enjoy them yourself.

Many websites offer book excerpts to whet your appetite. Others offer short stories to showcase their writers' work. Some of our Susquehanna Writers have free reads or book excerpts online. I hope they'll post the links to share the fun. And feel free to leave links for your favorite free online reads, so we can check them out. The only thing readers like better than reading is sharing books they've enjoyed.

Can You Judge a Book by Its Cover?

What do the Bible, Mein Kampf, Harry Potter, Lady Chatterly's Lover, Doctor Zhivago, Grapes of Wrath, and Alice in Wonderland have in common? Well, for starters, they've all become classics. But they also have another common link. At one time or another, someone sought to ban them.

Books are often banned for their contents, but how many have been banned for their covers? Seems that’s the problem author Bonnie J. Doerr is facing.

The cover in question is on Island Sting (Leap Books, January 2010). Doerr, a former Science teacher, planned her fast-paced eco-mystery series for classroom use. Each book in the series features a different endangered animal and is accompanied by lesson plans for use across the curriculum. Doerr, who won a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) grant for her first book to be used in environmental education, did in-depth, on-location research for each book, and many educators have praised the book’s content.

But will her new, edgy cover mean that rather than supplementing the science curriculum, the book will be banned by schools?

If some teachers have their way, it will.


The teachers’ objections? Bullet holes and blood. Some cited school shootings and violence as a reason for not wanting this book in the classroom.

No author wants a reputation for promoting violence. But what if the book in question is about violence? In this case, a poacher is killing the endangered Key deer. The background of the cover is designed to resemble the Caution: Endangered Animal Area signs found in Key West, Florida, the book’s location. The bullet holes suggest the danger as do the swerving tire tracks and fleeing deer tracks.

So the cover seems appropriate for the subject matter. And Leap Books queried teens about the cover and found it particularly attracted the interest of teens who indicated that they rarely read. Here's hoping teachers recant and select the book for its content. They might be pleasantly surprised to find reluctant readers snatching up the book. And isn't that every teacher's goal--to get students to read more?