First of all, I am pleased to announce that I will be appearing at two more bookstores in the area this fall!

Saturday, August 21, 2pm

Desinations Booksellers

604 East Spring Street * New Albany, Indiana

Saturday, September 11, 4pm

Carmichael’s Bookstore

2720 Frankfort Avenue * Louisville, KY

I must be straightforward and report that there will not be cake.  (I know! And you were told there’d be cake!)  However, there will be something pretty much as good: a chance to win a free classroom visit from an author!  (Well, this is good if you are a parent, teacher or librarian.  If you are a childless plumber not taking any extension classes anywhere, I imagine that this offer doesn’t appeal as much as cake.  But moving on…)

It’s pretty simple: come to a Nice and Mean event (I will read and dazzle you with my super-secret strategy for spritely Q&A), and if you are a parent, teacher or librarian, you can enter a drawing to win a classroom visit from me. I’ll talk about the process of becoming a writer, discuss the skills that are crucial to being an artist (revision and attention to detail–sound familiar, teachers?), and answer questions.  (I can also read from the book, but often, the Q&A takes a while.)

What if you’re thinking, Oh woe, I do not live near enough to attend, so I cannot enter the drawing! or I am occupied both of those days!  Fear not.  Next month or so, I will hold a drawing online for those interested in a Skype visit.

Go, go, Nice and Mean!  See ya real soon!

Just wanted y’all to know that the second part of my middle-grade story, Not That Girl, is available online at http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100809/FEATURES06/308090003/-1/COMICS/

They have part 1 there, too, in case you missed last week’s.  This week, you will learn the deep and hidden meaning behind the line, “Where’s your butt?”

Enjoy!

The serialized story I mentioned, Not That Girl, is now available online!  Especially if you’re a fan of Marina and Sachi, I hope you’ll check out the adventures of Jackie, Mel, Zoe and Becky, four best friends who prepare for the beginning of eighth grade–and some big changes.*

*Teaser/synopsis courtesy of the Louisville Courier-Journal.  I used to be good at writing those for my own work.  But I just tried to write one for this and it stunk so badly that I just went to the hard copy and ripped it off.  Thanks, Editor Dave!

Having long admired fellow mid-souther Shelli Johannes Welles’s blog, Market My Words, I am a bit agog to find myself on it.  (Well, I answered the interview questions; I can’t be that surprised.)  So if you still have a yen to hear my thoughts, you can head on over there to see what I said.   More importantly, though, you can read the other entries and pick up marketing tips! 

In other news, I went to The ALA C onference (American Library Association) this weekend in DC, and it was awesome!  I can’t wait to post pics and share tales.  Preview: teens weighing in about YALSA picks; book-cart drill team; Will Shortz.

I also look forward to telling you about how I’m seriously considering killing of one of my characters (meaning editing her out, not killing her in the book) and how great that will be if it’s the right choice.  But I must return to said manuscript and reread in its entirety today, so back to’it, missy!

Today, I am proud to have a guest post in Lindsey Leavitt’s monthlong series, “The Impact Initiative.”  Her middle-grade novel, Princess for Hire, has a theme of making an impact on people, and to integrate that into own life, Lindsey invited fellow writers onto her blog to talk about things that have made an impact on them.   She’s also giving away copies of her book, and I have kicked in a Nice and Mean as well.  So you can go and be enlightened and win free stuff.  Not bad for an internet break!

A note about Lindsey: first, she has one of the funniest writing voices on the web.  I’m sure you’ll agree when you check out her blog.  Second, at any good bookstore, you will find me and Lindsey together.  No, not in person, although if could clone ourselves and be constantly selling our books–cool.  (Or creepy?  Yeah, no, definitely creepy.)  I just meant that she is LEAvitt and I am LEAder, and our books like to hang out together, as pictured below.

I must confess that I hadn’t read many Impact Initiative entries until last night, when I sat down to write mine, but ohh!  These are seriously good pieces.  They’re diverse and true and memorable.  I encourage you to go read them all, and then pressure Lindsey to turn them into a book.  Because I know she doesn’t have a lot going on right now.  (Kidding!  Kidding!)

Thanks, Lindsey, for making an impact on me.  

Now, go read!

The Louisville press has been very generous to me with their time and affections!  Click here to read Erin Keane’s article, the cover of the Courier-Journal Sunday Arts section, “The angst of 13: Writer catches voice, reality of tweens.”

My favorite part:

“[Leader did not] set out to change the world in which [her characters] would live. Even when the story is resolved, there’s no evidence that Marina and Sachi will overcome their differences and social ranks to become best friends forever. She might not be writing about vampires, but Leader knows the difference between middle-school fantasy and reality.

‘I wasn’t trying to make it a manual for girl empowerment. I’ve seen books where the author tries to do that, and in addition to being unpleasant to read, it kind of tanks the story line,” she said. “I really wanted to write something that felt real. The characters aren’t going to start integrating their lunch tables in the end. That just wouldn’t happen.’

And the LEO (Louisville Eccentric Observer) wrote a luffly plug for my reading here Louisville on Friday:

Local author Jessica Leader is basking in the glow of the reviews for “Nice and Mean,” her recently published novel of cooperation and ambition among the middle school set. This first book by the former New Yorker and Actors Theatre teacher has landed a prominent place among recommended children’s titles for summer reading. Leader has multiple area events scheduled throughout the summer, but the Hurstbourne Borders gets first crack with a signing party Friday evening. The author gets high marks for her ability to capture the tween voice while piling on realistic conflict, and she can be expected to lead an engaging and entertaining event for an age group that should be encouraged to read at every opportunity. If you’ve got a tween, by all means, drag ’em away from the video screens and get ’em here. —T.E. Lyons

Congratulations to Miss Kallie, the winner of the Nice and Mean Giveaway contest! Miss Kallie will win a signed copy of Nice and Mean, her first choice of the books in the giveaway, and lots of fun swag.

Send me an email (jess@jessicaleader.com) and let me know which book you would like as well as your mailing address. I will mail it sometime early next week.

Thanks to everyone who voted in the polls, shared comments about nice and mean characters, etc.! You made my launch week fun. And if you need anything further from me, well, you know where to find me.

Coming soon: reports from the book parties. Nice friends and pretty pictures!!

Hey, everyone!  Thank you so much for taking part in the Nice and Mean blog tour! 

Don’t forget–to win the Grand Prize that includes your very own copy of Nice and Mean, you have to leave a comment on this blog tallying up your points.  I will announce the winner by Wednesday, June 16th.  Get out your calculators, my friends!

It’s been so fun to read your thoughts throughout the week, especially your own favorite Nice or Mean characters (thank you, Page Flipper!) and your thoughts on whether you are nice or mean (GreenBeanTeenQueen.)  

Thanks, too, to my wonderful hosts, who went along for the ride and occasionally had to battle Blogger.  The Story Siren, Green Bean Teen Queen, The Page Flipper, Reading in Color and Laurens Crammed Bookshelf are great!

This whole week, in fact, has been great.  The NYC book launch party brought friends from all walks of life, including two kids I met on a research trip last year who journeyed into the city just for this!  I’m looking forward to uploading pictures etc.

Now, though, I’m off to throw a wedding shower for my best friend.  She has been so wonderfully supportive throughout the whole book-launch process, and I can’t wait to shower her with a very cool game I’ve devised. 

Have a good Sunday, everyone!

ps We have one winner so far from the blog tour stops–Caitlin  Can’t wait to connect with the other winners!

I posted last night about the awesome bloggers who are hosting me on the Nice and Mean Release-Week Blog Tour.  Now learn how you can win a copy of Nice and Mean in the Nice and Mean Grand Prize Drawing which includes everything you’d win in the other contests (pictured below; described here), plus a personally inscribed copy of Nice and Mean!  You can also win swag from the top photo by winning the Battle of Wits.  More on that in a minute.  First, pretty pictures of the prizes.    

Grand Prize winners get their choice of these!

I think you’re going to like Nice and Mean.  I mean, of course I do; I wrote it–but still.  There’s the heartache of a friend thinking you’re not cool enough for her.  The headache of a friend thinking she’s cooler than she is.  The stomach ache of having to work on a cool project (video!  hello!) with someone who just does not get you and the soul ache (okay, that’s kind of cheesy, but bear with me) of screwing everything up and being abandoned —and trying to put things back together.  I hope you’ll sign on to read it and can’t wait to chat with you about it.  

 For now, though, I want to know, from your votes in the poll to the left,  

Who are your favorite nice and mean characters?  

You’ll hear mine on Wednesday at The Page Flipper, but I have a feeling yours will make me go, “Yeah!”  

And that leads us to the contest.  How do you earn points to win?  By commenting, here there and everywhere, about all things Nice and Mean.   

Earn points when you do the following:  

  -Comment on the blog tour (hosts listed here; one point earned for each comment)  

 -Spread the word about the blog tour on Twitter, FB or your own blog (one point for each nugget of word-spreading) 

 -Vote in the polls (over there, to the left!) for your favorite nice and mean characters, then explain your choice in the comments (one point for each comment, and multiple comments are a-okay)  

The Battle of Wits: If you nominate the character who is voted Nicest Character or Meanest Character, you win the swag in the top photo!  How do you do this?   

-Email me (jess@jessicaleader.com) to include a new character in either poll (Some of the ones you see were my suggestions to get you started.)  The earlier you enter, the more likely people will vote for your guy or gal. Get on it!  That doesn’t earn a point, but you’ll earn if you…  

-Comment on this blog to explain why your character(s) should win  

 - Tweet or post on Facebook about the contest and your supreme entry, (#nice&meanwits#).  Go, team You!  You’ll accumulate points as you try to persuade people, so in theory, you could become the Grand Prize winner, too.  I wonder what I would do then?  Maybe…two copies of Nice and Mean–one to keep, one to share?

** -Stop by this blog by Saturday, June 12^th to report your points.   

I can’t wait to hear who you nominate!  And hey–thanks for stopping by.  So Nice of you!   I Mean it!

Nice and Mean to be released this week!

Ooooh, I am so absolutely excited for the launch week of Nice and Mean and for my blog tour!  I feel so lucky to have landed with these hosts.  They asked fun questions and their blogs are quality, I’m telling you—quality.  So here’s where I’ll be on each day of the week, and I hope you’ll stop by to Win Valuable Prizes (more on that below):

Monday at The Story Siren: My Road to Publication and Other Rocky Tales[Edited to add on Monday morning: Blogger issues are delaying this one, but we hope to be up by lunch.]

Tuesday at Green Bean Teen Queen: My Worst Memory of Being Assigned to Work With Someone…Unpleasant

Wednesday at The Page Flipper: My Top Five Nice and Mean Characters

Thursday at Reading in Color: What was it like to write from the point of view of an Indian-American girl?

Friday at Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf: What’s Unique about Nice and Mean and getting The Call

 Now, what are these prizes I speak of? 

Sweet, sparkly, shmancy--YOURS

Amazing books you can have for free!

And what are those objects in the picture, in case I can’t read the fine print or wonder what’s in the snack bag?

You’ll have to stop by the blog tour hosts.  They have their own super-secret winner-picker methods that even I am not privy to.  But let me tell you, if you find a suspicious number of entries from people named, I don’t know, Shmessica Deader, or Princess Shmoopie Freader, it might be because I am trying to win back some of those coconut candies.  I am serious.  The Dr. Pepper lip gloss may be cool and the pens divine, but those coconut candies can make any situation a thousand times better.

In the next post, you’ll see how you can win the Grand High Poo-Bah Prize: all the things pictured here plus a signed copy of Nice and Mean itself!

Thanks for your interest in Nice and Mean.  Let’s get this party started!