Best Selling Books by Tom Leveen

The night before going on trial in a sensational felony case that has ruined her life, sixteen-year-old Tori Hershberger receives a random phone call from a stranger contemplating suicide and she begins a race against time to save him.

"When Pelly sees her best friend, who disappeared six years ago, in a coffee shop with a strange man, she''s determined to discover the truth of her friend''s disappearance and rescue her from her current captor"--

Danny’s parents yanked him from the art school that let him wear a kilt and listen to bands that no one’s heard of. Now he’s starting sophomore year at the public high school—the one with the gymnasium at the heart of the building and the glorified athletes who rule it all. The smart thing would be to blend in, but Danny has always been about making statements. Brady just wants to get out. Go to college, play football, maybe reach the NFL. He definitely wants to stop waiting for his deadbeat mother to come home, sleeping on park benches, and going to bed hungry. But first he has to lead the team to the championships. It all adds up to a lot of stress. So who can really blame him when he and the football team turn their aggressions on the new freak? Even the quarterback needs to blow off steam sometimes. Coach turns a blind eye to his players’ crimes—because this year, they’re going to State. But maybe if Coach had paid more attention they could’ve caught it before it all happened. Maybe it could’ve been avoided. Maybe. With quick cuts between a large cast of unforgettable characters, and razor-sharp plotting, Tom Leveen takes readers on a countdown to an inevitable, horrifying act. This gripping novel offers an intense, smart perspective on the tragic, toxic mindsets behind the celebrated American sport and the monsters it creates.

Now you see him... Jim never thought of himself as the hero type. When his girlfriend and her daughter are targeted by a disfigured assailant who''s been popping the eyes out of his victims, Jim becomes the only person with a chance to save them. The first victim is Jim''s best friend Travis, who is attacked and blinded in his home and overpowered by the grisly intruder. Travis''s elderly father is assaulted next, then his mother. That leaves Travis''s only living relatives: his daughter Darla, and his ex-wife, who police assume are targeted as the next victims. Jim quickly agrees to protect them as best he can, neglecting to tell his buddy that he and Travis''s ex- already have a relationship on the side, and that Jim is beginning to love Darla like his own kid. As police race to find and stop the assailant, Jim discovers it''s far too late: someone''s lying in wait, and what he -- or they -- want is the last thing Jim could ever have expected . . . ...now you don''t.

Sent to a private religious school? Oh, hell . . . When hopelessly ADHD smart-ass Jon Matthew -- who wants nothing more than a good laugh and to needle anyone older than 16 -- is sent to a private religious high school after getting in a little trouble, he must toe the line for the first time in his life, or else end up "in one of those bad-kid camps in the desert where they make you dig for treasure.” To make it to graduation, he enlists the help of Bill, a big dork who is loyal to a fault; Molly, the dark-souled skater who carries a heartbreaking secret; and Lauren, a dangerously asthmatic girl who Jon’s crushing on but who tries way too hard to be one of the cool kids. Against overwhelming odds (a.k.a. "teachers"), Jon powers through his education while his mouth puts him on a daily razor''s edge of getting booted out. Just when it looks like he''s pulled off a miracle and won''t be sent away, a tragedy knocks Jon’s world on its axis. Suddenly all his jokes and sarcasm aren’t as helpful as he used to think. He''ll have only those new friends to keep from losing his mind, his school, or his heart.

In an effort to put her family back together, a teen struggles to discover what happened to her mother who disappeared during a ghost hunt in this haunting novel from the author of Party, Sick, and Shackled. Five years ago, Abby Booth’s mom, cohost of a ghost-hunting reality show, went missing while filming in a “haunted” cave in Arizona. Since then, Abby’s life has all but fallen to pieces, most notably because of her dad’s deep depression and how they’ve drifted further and further apart. But now, at sixteen, Abby has decided that things will change. She plans to go to the same cave where her mom and the crew went missing and to find out, once and for all, what happened there. With the help of the cohost’s son Charlie, and two of his friends, Abby sets off on a quest for answers…but when the group ends up finding, what they stumble across in that dark, primordial cave in Arizona, is nothing they could have ever imaged. Abby was investigating a possible haunting…she never expected that there could be something worse.

After graduating from high school, aspiring artist Amanda "Zero" Walsh begins a relationship with a drummer, which helps her come to terms with her feelings about herself, her falling out with her best friend, and her parents'' personal problems.

She''s not what he thinks. He''s not what she needs. In stunningly raw, relatable prose that upends the idea of the manic pixie dream girl trope, Tom Leveen does more than just talk: he tells the story of a less-than-perfect "dream girl" and the equally flawed boy who worships her. Tyler has been crushing on Becky since he started high school, but didn''t get the guts to talk to her until long after he already found himself dating Sydney, a quintessential good girl whose patience for Tyler''s unrequited love is thinning. After publishing a story about Becky in a prestigious magazine, Tyler decides tonight -- halfway through their senior year -- he''s going to come clean to Becky, with whom he has become good friends. But "Open For Business Becca" has some not-so-secret secrets Tyler''s been denying, and there''s no way Tyler''s dream girl can ever be what he needs her to be. Instead, he just might discover how far he''s willing to go to break his own heart.

Friends. Family. Monsters. Urban legends of a murderous figure called Springheel Jack date back to the 19th century. What 16-year-old Baylee is about to learn is that “he” is most certainly for real…and not alone. Baylee and her older brother Elijah are orphans, their parents brutally murdered in what appears to be a random act of violence along an empty Nevada highway. Living now in another state with friends of the family they hardly know, the two teens do their best to build new friendships: shy Elijah with a small and loyal group of gamers, and quiet Baylee with exactly one tomboy skater friend, Krista...plus a strikingly beautiful and kind boyfriend Baylee won''t tell anyone about. When Elijah suddenly gets his first girlfriend and Krista is picked up by a new boyfriend, both of them cease talking to Baylee. Determined to prove the two new kids are bad somehow, maybe even criminal, Baylee follows them out to the desert one night, and finds her worst fears are nothing compared to the bloody, gruesome truth. And her secret beau is right at the center of it... As Elijah slowly turns into something dangerous and otherworldly and Baylee''s adoptive family moves to put her into a psychiatric health facility after she tells the truth about what she knows, Baylee turns to the only people who might be able to Elijah human again: her brother’s nerdy RPG gamer friends.

As eleven different high school students recount, in their own voices, events before, during, and after the same end-of-year party, the stories intersect and combine in unexpected ways.

Relates how one boy--who had friends, enjoyed reading, playing saxophone in the band, and had never been in trouble before--became a monster capable of entering his high school with a loaded gun and firing on his classmates, as told from the viewpoints of several victims. Each perspective is written by a different writer of young adult fiction.

For family. For vengeance. Tanin, a desert elf whose grown up in a peaceful desert enclave, is the only member of his clan not killed when White Riders ravage his town. They take few prisoners, but one of them is his betrothed, Memine. Orrock of Guar has become a monk, taken in by a race of creatures not his own for the past ten years. With his training complete, he is sent back into the world to discover his creator''s will for his life . . . never anticipating that he would be challenged to revert to his former barbaric nature to serve his god. Despite crippling panic attacks after seeing the carnage back home, Tanin swears to track down the White Riders and rescue Memine. With Orrock''s help and the aid of two other odd companions, he may stand a chance of finding the Riders somewhere in the wilds of Kassia . . . if his guide is truly leading the way . . .

Rejection e-mails from agents and editors clogging your inbox? Getting the same rejection slips over and over again? It could be pacing, plot, narrative engine . . . or maybe what your characters say just isn''t getting the job done. Outstanding dialogue is often the difference between a good book and a great book. How does yours stack up? With nine books published with imprints of Random House, Abrams, and Simon & Schuster, and more than twenty years of experience as an actor and director, author and writing teacher Tom Leveen guides you through everything you need to improve your writing, make your dialogue shine, and get your book noticed and talked about by readers, agents, and editors alike! & bull; Learn how to start with a great plot and conflict to form the foundation of awesome dialogue & bull; Discover actors'' techniques to give your characters strength and purpose & bull; Improve on setting scenes and building relationships between characters and more! What people are saying about Tom Leveen''s dialogue, voice, and character: Party "I must say that I''m absolutely in awe of Leveen''s ability to build such distinct and totally believable voice for eleven characters [protagonists] in one novel." fortheloveofya.com Zero "Well written, with a distinct and fantastically done voice, Zero is an unflinching must read." agoodaddiction.blogspot.com "[H]is voice is fresh and strong and consistent." scratchingcat.wordpress.com "Part of what makes the book, and the voice, believable is Leveen''s ability to channel a teenage girl and make her real. It''s all there-the insecurity, the bravado, the conflicting feelings about sex, the sense that your whole life is in front of you, which is both exhilarating and paralyzing." The Phoenix New Times manicpixiedreamgirl "[I]t''s the relationships between the novel''s teenage characters that are the real standouts. Tyler''s crass banter with his buddies, his snarky but supportive relationship with his sister, and his botched dealings with both Becky and Sydney are entirely realistic." Publisher''s Weekly "Tom Leveen has a unique voice and writes interesting male characters, so I was intrigued to check out his latest book manicpixiedreamgirl. Leveen''s characters are usually creative types and not the typical leading men you see in YA. . . . I thought the male voice in manicpixiedreamgirl was very strong and unique." thereadingdate.com Random "Author Tom Leveen presents a powerful story with a plot so real, readers will be gripped from the very first page." readingjunky.blogspot.com Sick "[Leveen] really nails the ''guy'' dialogue as well-it is gross, colorful, and at times, downright funny." VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) "In an exciting take on the zombie novel, Leveen ... shifts to horror while maintaining his trademark complex relationships and character-driven storytelling." Publisher''s Weekly "Tom Leveen''s voice is truly one of the best elements..." blog.homoeoteleuton.com Shackled "The prose is tight and the dialogue lends emotion to the character''s mental state, properly complementing this plot-driven setup." School Library Journal ..".impeccably written with true-to-life dialogue and characters I can relate to..." literologie.com

Outstanding dialogue is often the difference between a good book and a great book. How does yours stack up? With seven books published with imprints of Random House, Abrams, and Simon & Schuster, and more than twenty years of experience as an actor and director, author and writing teacher Tom Leveen guides you through everything you need to make your dialogue shine!~ Learn how to start with a solid plot and conflict to form the foundation of awesome dialogue~ Discover actors'' techniques to give your characters strength and purpose~ Improve on setting scenes and building relationships between characters~ and more!

Nicht bloß die Detectives Sam und Twitch folgen dem neuen Bösewicht Soul Crusher, der seine Opfer einen qualvollen Tod sterben lässt. Auch Spawn Al Simmons bekommt es mit dem Gasmasken-Mann zu tun. Die komplette Storyline in einem düsteren Band – mit einem brandneuen Gegner für den höllischen Antihelden!

As Spawn''s costume begins to form, it comes with new powers. But will Al be able to handle those powers?

FOR THE GOOD OF THE STATE… Danai Liao-Centrella rose to prominence on the gladiator world of Solaris VII before being sent to McCarron’s Armored Cavalry, where her victories on innumerable battlefields garnered her the position of shàng-xiào of the Second MAC. Her brother, Capellan Chancellor Daoshen Liao, now uses Danai as a powerful chess piece in his relentless quest to conquer Terra—despite her opposition to his ruthless tactics. On the remote world of Sheratan, a violent resistance has formed, threatening Daoshen’s march toward Terra. Assuming command of the Liao forces there, Danai discovers that diplomacy is sometimes a dead-end. But achieving peace may cost more than she is willing to pay… As Daoshen’s ambitions grow ever more expansive and his tactics ever more destructive, Danai is promoted to jiāng-jūn of the MAC to keep her out of Daoshen’s way. Robbed of any real power, Danai is forced to reckon with the Celestial Wisdom’s overreach and its cost to the Confederation in treasury, faith, and blood. There are eyes on Daoshen’s crown. Rumors of a mad king. And a plot to have Danai ascend to the Capellan throne… In the end, blood will rise… For the good of the state…

Even though the doors to Heaven and Hell are locked, there''s enough evil on Earth to keep Spawn busy. But without his full powers, Spawn will have to find a way to fight his enemies without getting himself killed again. With art by fellow Image founder, ERIK LARSEN (issues #263-266) and veteran SPAWN artist, SZYMON KUDRANSKI (issues #267-275), this 12-issue trade paperback ushers SPAWN into a bold new era.

WIN OR FALL… For Douglas, Jade Falcon Elemental cadet, there is no choice—he must succeed in becoming a warrior or die trying. Unfortunately, he is perilously close to falling—right out of his sibko. Consistently at the bottom of his class, everyone around him—from his trainers to his fellow sibkin—believes he will not survive his Trial of Position, and should quit before he is killed. But Douglas knows he is destined to be a Jade Falcon warrior. And when he meets a man with a checkered past who promises to show him the true ways of the warrior, Douglas embarks on a dangerous path that might bring him the victory he craves…or utterly destroy him in a brutal trial where sudden death is everywhere…

Includes SPAWN RESURRECTION, and SPAWN #251-300, collected for the first time in FULL COLOR and featuring some never-before-collected issues! TODD McFARLANE unleashed his signature creation, SPAWN, in 1992. In doing so, he created the most successful independent comic book in history. Join Spawn in SPAWN COMPENDIUM, VOL. 6 as he discovers the true meaning of becoming a Hellspawn and settles on a path of bloody revenge in search of a way back to his humanity!

TODD McFARLANE unleashed his signature creation, SPAWN , in 1992. In doing so, he created the most successful independent comic book in history. Join Spawn in SPAWN COMPENDIUM, VOL. 6 as he discovers the true meaning of becoming a Hellspawn and settles on a path of bloody revenge in search of a way back to his humanity! Collects SPAWN RESURRECTION and SPAWN #251-300, collected for the first time in FULL COLOR and featuring some never-before-collected issues

In Band 21 der SPAWN ORIGINS COLLECTION steigt Al Simmons alias Spawn in die Hölle hinab, um seine große Liebe Wanda zu retten. Doch wer dem Teufel den Krieg erklärt, muss es nicht nur mit zahlreichen widerwärtigen Kreaturen aufnehmen, sondern auch den zweischneidigen Angeboten Satans widerstehen können ... Und das ist nur der Anfang dieses großartigen Sammelbandes!

Al Simmons gibt alles, um Cyan zu beschützen. Auch Terry, den zweiten Mann seiner verstorbenen Frau, rettet er aus den Fängen seines Entführers. Gleichzeitig erscheint ein neuer Bösewicht auf der Bildfläche: Der Soul Crusher!

"[T]he scariest book about hope and love that I''ve ever read." Amazon reviewer Braden''s parents should have been imprisoned for the abuses they perpetrated on him as a child. But that''s the past, and Braden''s moved on. Wife, kid, nominal success as a novelist-and no contact with his parents for years. The two of them have moved out of state, and Braden is secure with his own family in a new home. Several years of therapy have helped, too. Pushing forty, life is at last treating Braden well. Then a box of his books is accidentally-and mysteriously-delivered to his childhood home. Ignoring his own best judgment, Braden swings by the old place with his three-year-old, Josiah, to pick up the box. In and out, super fast, no big deal. The house has other ideas. Apparently infected somehow by the traumas his parents put him through, the house traps Braden and Josiah with its lone occupant. It begins turning Braden''s long buried memories into corporeal horrors that threaten not only his fragile, still-recovering psyche, but the childhood of his only son. As Josiah begins to age before his father''s eyes and inanimate objects take on lives of their own, Braden struggles to uncover what exactly the house wants from him. Or if it is, in fact, the house that''s haunted.

Brian and his friends are not part of the cool crowd. They''re the misfits and the troublemakers. So when a deadly virus breaks out, they''re the only ones with a chance of surviving. The virus turns Brian''s classmates and teachers into bloodthirsty attackers. This event will test everything they thought they knew about themselves and their classmates.

Murderers, ghosts, and dinosaurs, oh my . . .From humorous to dark and something in between, this brief collection of horror short stories will give you the just the right chills . . .Killer-ConYour favorite murderers have conventions too, you know. But will so many masked serial killers all in one place get along?AloneAfter dying during gym class, a disgruntled spirit discovers it can impact the physical world and take revenge on its tormenters.Dinosaurs DownstairsTip: Don''t yell at your neighbor the T-rex, even if he did crush your new car.

Her only way out is with the boy who will turn on her . . .In the middle of a sudden epidemic that deforms its victims and creates bloodthirsty hunters of everyday people, high school senior Laura Fitzgerald becomes trapped in a classroom with a freshman boy she''s never met . . . and who has suffered a bite from one of the infected students.The day started normally enough, with her ex-boyfriend, Brian, ditching class with his friends while Laura stayed on campus and tried to control her frequent panic attacks. But today was going to special: today she was going to tell Brian that she''d been slowly reducing her medication and learning to control her panic naturally.Then all hell breaks loose in the school gym. Kids turn into grotesque beasts who feel no pain, maiming and killing the uninfected. Laura fights her way to a classroom with another student, who reveals that he''s been bitten by one of the sick kids . . . and he doesn''t feel well.With both their lives on the line, Laura must fight the overwhelming symptoms of her panic disorder to get him medical attention and both of them to safety, not knowing if anyone is coming to save them.Ever.

A monster under the town. Friends and family in danger. The weirdest first week of school ever¿ 12-year-old skater Mike Boone is the new kid in the eerie small town of Hastur, Arizona. His house is ancient and creepy, he''s left all his friends behind, and Hastur doesn''t even have Wi-Fi! Things take a terrifying turn when Mike uncovers a hidden basement-and an ancient book crackling with dark power. That night, a shadowy creature looms over his sleeping dad. By morning, his dad is in the hospital, struggling to survive. Answers lie in the secrets Hastur has buried for centuries-secrets about Mike''s family, the town''s founders, and the grimoire that has mysteriously vanished¿ With his little sister Emma and a group of brave (and, um¿odd?) new friends, Mike sets out to uncover the truth that could save his dad. But as the grimoire''s dark power begins to twist his friends into unspeakable monsters, Mike discovers a cosmic beast stirs beneath Hastur, twisting reality into its own warped dimension. Hastur is just the beginning-the entire world could be next. With the fate of his family, friends, and Earth hanging in the balance, and time running out, Mike faces an impossible choice: To stop the madness, he must embrace a dark magic he barely understands-and risk becoming a monster himself. From award-winning author and former early literacy specialist Tom Leveen comes a spine-chilling middle-grade horror novel packed with friendship, family bonds, and heart-pounding suspense!

In this anthology, six horror authors revisit some of their most infamous zombie characters, resurrecting the undead. Contributing authors to Z Resurrected are some of horror''s best, who have each carved a distinct path in the world of zombies: Dana Fredsti, Tom Leveen, Joe McKinney, Eric A. Shelman, Mark Tufo, and T.M. Williams.

Ellie is the brainy, ambitious treasurer of her high school''s Astronomy Club, with dreams of winning the Science Olympiad to improve her odds for getting much-needed scholarships. Jack is the star of the drama department, used to standing ovations, but craving approval from his indifferent parents. Ellie and Jack couldn''t be more different-which is very clear when a school play makes them work together! Forced to perform onstage with Jack to save a failing grade, Ellie can barely tolerate Jack at first. But Jack''s passion for acting sparks something in her, and soon their rehearsals are full of more than just Shakespearean lines. As Ellie struggles with her fear of relationships, and Jack fights his feelings after a painful breakup, they both realize they might be perfect for each other-if they can just stop getting in their own way. But when jealousy, insecurities, and family pressures threaten to pull them apart, Ellie and Jack will have to decide whether they''re willing to risk it all for love-or exit the stage before the curtain even rises. Set in the carefree days of the early 1990s, Stars of the Show is a heartfelt, swoon-worthy romance for fans of John Hughes teen flicks.

How hard is it to not get kicked out of private school? Sophomore Jon Matthew finds out fast in this hysterical novel by award-winning author Tom Leveen (*Party; Sick; Shackled...which is kinda weird when you list them like that*). Extremely intelligent and hopelessly attention-deficit Jon got suspended from his school for smoking pot on campus. His parents decide he needs more discipline and enroll him at Christ Lutheran Academy. To be fair, Jon does have a choice: He can instead be sent to a bad-kid boot camp in the deserts of Utah. He chooses the academy. But only under protest, he points out. [You''ll find he points a lot of things out.] Bristling under the relentless scrutiny of the principal and the other uptight teachers, Jon manages to pull together a loose coalition of allies to help keep him from getting expelled: Molly, a goth-at-heart loner burdened by a tragic event in her past; Bill, who has an epic crush on Molly but doesn''t know how to talk to her; and Lauren, the girl who Jon will do anything for, but who is herself trying to become a Cool Kid instead of seeing the real friendships she already has. Slowly realizing his old stoner buddies aren''t quite as fun as he remembered, Jon grows closer to his new friends as they unite against a tyrannical and hopelessly out-of-touch school staff. When Jon discovers his parents can''t actually afford the boot camp, he''s faced with a choice: Raise total hell at CLA to get himself kicked out and return to his old school . . . or buckle down, bite his tongue, and stay close to his new friends. On the verge of making his choice, Jon tragically loses one of the people he loves most, which would seem to make his decision to go or stay at CLA a no-brainer. Very often, though, the head and the heart - and, hell, maybe God too - have very different ideas about the future. A LITTLE INSURRECTION NOW & THEN will - underscore will - upset certain readers as it looks at modern American Christianity through the eyes of a kid who uses biting humor to navigate teenage anxieties about friends, sex, death, and God. But it also does what this author does best: Tell the truth about adolescence with gripping dialogue and wholly realistic characters. [And it''s seriously funny.]

Write a better book by watching classic films from the ''70s, ''80s, and ''90s!Why would an award-winning novelist and university-level writing instructor use movies as examples in his class instead of classic works of fiction? Frankly, because most people haven''t read classic works of fiction, but most writers have seen or are culturally aware of many movies that came out between 1970 and 1999. Join author Tom Leveen (known for How To Write Awesome Dialogue! For Fiction, Film, and Theatre) for a quick run-down of several great movies and mine them for tips that you can use in your own novel, no matter the genre, to help you land that agent or kick your indie novel up a notch or two!Struggling with dialogue? There''s a movie for that! Protagonists not making an impact on readers? There''s a movie for that! Not sure how to use the story''s environment to support a theme? Yep, there''s a movie for that, too! Whatever your need to make your fiction shine, How To Write Your Novel By Watching Movies First has a solution. Whether you are just starting out or are a seasoned pro looking for some new creative juices, this book will give you a whole new toolkit to chose from.It includes fun tips for writers of all genres that can give your manuscripts the boost they need to help you land an agent, an editor, or a legion of die-hard fans. So c''mon, writers! Grab the popcorn and let''s go to the movies!

A collection of horror stories from Tom Leveen, Bram Stoker Award finalist and former writer for the Spawn comic book series.

He''ll sacrifice anything to save them...even his humanity.The world became aware of them sixty years ago: people with remarkable physical and sometimes psychic power, often with terrifying deformities. Most folks call them deviants or use slurs like "deev."They call themselves omnihumans.For Sergeant Manic Cruce, hunting deviants isn''t just a job, it''s a personal calling.As an officer of the national Normative Policy Division, or N.P.D, he believes that deevs are a threat to the very fabric of society. He does his best to see to it that they''re rounded up and locked away in order to protect the average Joe. He loves his job, and he''s damn good at it. He''d wipe ''em all off the face of the earth if he could, because every deev out there is a threat to mankind, including his only child-even if she is a naïve college girl devoted to protecting the civil rights of the very deviants he arrests.Manic''s world -- and identity -- get turned inside-out when a deviant he''s just eliminated turns out to be one of the good guys, using his supernatural powers to protect children from ruthless traffickers. Manic takes up the dead man''s mantle to play guardian angel...Deep in the concrete labyrinth that the traffickers use as their base of operations, Manic''s clarity of purpose is thrown into chaos. Humans, he learns, can be far worse than any deviant. And protecting those most innocent may not only cost him his life...but his own humanity as well.Award-winning novelist, former writer for Spawn, and Bram Stoker Award finalist Tom Leveen introduces you to a world far too much like our own in this gritty, supernatural noir novel.