Fall 2013 YA Scavenger Hunt and a Chance to Win Hardcover ELEGY!

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This tri-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are THREE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the RED TEAM--but there is also a blue team and a gold team for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

 

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the red team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!). 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

 

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by October 6, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST

This lovely lady is the fabulous Julie Cross, author of the Internationally Bestselling Tempest Trilogy, a young adult science fiction series which includes Tempest, Vortex, and the final installment Timestorm (St. Martin's Press).  She's also the author of Letters to Nowhere (8/13), a mature young adult romance set in the world of elite gymnastics, as well as several forthcoming young adult and new adult novels with publishers like Sourcebooks, HarperCollins, and St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books.  Julie lives in central Illinois with her husband and three children.  She's a former gymnast, longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former Gymnastics Program Direction with the YMCA.  She's a lover a books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres.  Outside of her reading and writing credibility's, Julie is a committed - but not talented - long distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar weather survivor, expired CPR certification card holder, as well as ponytail and gym shoe addict.

 

Find out more information by checking out the author website or find more about the author's book here!  And now, for the....

 

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT!

 

 

"From the International Bestselling Author of the Tempest Series...

Set in the tough world of Elite Gymnastics...

I've gotten used to the dead parents face. I've gotten used to living with my gymnastics coach. I've even adjusted to sharing a bathroom with his way-too-hot son. Dealing with boys is not something that's made it onto my list of experiences as of yet. But here I am, doing it. And something about Jordan--being around him, talking to him, thinking about him--makes me feel like I can finally breathe again. That's something I haven't been able to do lately. He knows what it feels like to be me right now. He knows what it's like to wonder--what now? I think about it constantly. I need answers. I need to know how to get through this. In the gym, if you're struggling, you train harder, you do drills and conditioning. How do I work hard at moving on? At being on my own? And what happens if I might be...maybe...probably falling for Jordan? I mean we live together now. That can't happen, can it? But kissing him...well, let's just say it's not an easy activity to forget."

 

 

Now what you've been waiting for during this entire post: an exclusive excerpt from Julie's new young adult novel, Letters to Nowhere:

Jordan blocked the door, his eyes on me, waiting for an explanation. “What?” I said, all innocent.

            He shook his head. “Nothing. Just wondering where you went. A couple of guys in my class made this cool light show thing for the science fair. We’re about to watch it.”

            “You and Stevie?” I said, then I closed my eyes wishing I’d had an ounce of my usual self-control.

            “Karen—” he started.         

            “Come on.” I turned my back to him, heading out the door. “Let’s go watch the light show science experiment thing.”

            He dropped the subject of Stevie and followed behind me. I felt Jordan’s arm brush against mine as we walked down the steps to the basement where Tony had the alpha and omega of home theaters. The room was crowded with students and cups and booming voices, but Jordan managed to capture my attention. Standing close behind me, he whispered, “Are you worried about me and Stevie?”

            I shrugged and kept my eyes on my two teammates standing across the room, talking to a few of the girls I’d met at the last party. Blair was chugging Kool-Aid mix like someone dying of thirst. “Why would I would be worried? I like Stevie. She’s my teammate.”

            Suddenly all the lights went out, leaving the room pitch-black. A few screams erupted, followed by laughter and someone shouting that it was supposed to get dark. The laser designs appeared on the ceiling, causing everyone to look up. Pink, blue, and green neon shapes streaked across the ceiling. I could see them clearly, but it was still so dark in the room that I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. Which is why I jumped and let out a yelp when someone’s arm snaked around my waist from behind.

            “Shh,” Jordan said, speaking right into my ear. “It’s just me.”

            I sucked in a breath, feeling my heart fly, goose bumps popping up on my neck where his breath had hit my skin. The first thought in my head was please don’t walk across the room and do this to Stevie.

            He gently tugged me closer until my back pressed against his chest. One of his hands rested on my stomach, and the other fumbled around in the dark for a minute before drifting down my arm. He laced his fingers through mine and slowly lifted our hands until I felt my knuckles touch his lips.

            If my heart was racing before, it was sprinting now. This totally broke our friend code and I didn’t feel an ounce of desire to point that out. I just wanted to sink further into him and for the lights to never come back on.

            The light show blurred above me, electronic classical music filled the dark as I leaned against Jordan, my head falling back onto his shoulder. His nose grazed my neck and I suddenly felt hot all over—in a good way. Like heat enveloped me from all sides.

            “Jordan…?” I whispered into the dark.

            “Shh,” he said again. “I know the rules. No kissing.”

            I wasn’t going to say that. Not even close. We needed to abolish that rule this very moment. I turned my head slightly toward him and ran into his mouth before I even had a chance to decide to kiss him. I lifted my hand and gripped the back of his neck, drawing him even closer. Our mouths almost couldn’t match up, the way we were angled, but I felt his fingers brush my cheek and eventually hold me in place. His lips were as soft as I remembered from the first time, and when they parted a little, I almost debated trying the whole tongue thing, but then he closed them again and pulled away.

            I turned my head forward again, and both his arms went around my waist while he planted little kisses up and down the side of my neck.

            “Karen,” he breathed.

            “Yeah.”

            “In case you’re wondering…I’m not into Stevie.”

 

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Tara Hudson, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 13. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the red team and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

 

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, Shaunta Grimes!