YA Scavenger Hunt Fall 2018!
Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-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 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 through October 7th at noon Pacific time!
I’m on Team Purple this round!
Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are seven contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the PURPLE TEAM--but there is also a red team, a blue team, a green team, a gold team, an orange team, and a pink team. You can enter any or all of them for a chance to win a whole different set of 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 page.
Note: The hunt is also now featuring a bonus prize. YASH chooses a select group of authors who have participated in the hunt many times and fans can add up their numbers as well, to enter for a $50 Amazon gift card. The list of those authors will be included on the YASH ENTRY page.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE
Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've hidden my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the purple 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. The hunt ends at noon Pacific Time October 7. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
SCAVENGER HUNT POST
Author Christy Sloat
Today, I am hosting Christy Sloat on my blog for the YA Scavenger Hunt!
Christy Sloat has embraced the love of reading and writing since her youth and was inspired by her grandmother's loving support. She loves adventurous journeys with her friends and can be known to get lost inside a bookstore. She is the bestselling and award winning author of fourteen novels.
Find more information by checking out Christy’s website or learn more about The Librarian here!
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
The beautiful cover of The Librarian
"He’s from 1892 England, she’s in a small library in 2017. And that's just the start of their troubles. Emme never meant to stay in Maine. She'd come only to find a librarian for her Gram's library, a custodian for the collection of mysterious books she'd promised to protect. On a dark, wintery night, alone in the library, she takes her first glance into one of the antique novels and finds herself transported to 1892 England staring into the eyes of handsome and dashing hero Jack Ridgewell."
Isn't that an engrossing summary? Sounds so fun! Today, Christy is sharing the prologue to the book. I’ve pasted it below. Enjoy!
The Librarian by Christy Sloat
Prologue
The waves lapped upon the shore as Gram and I collected seashells. It was one of our favorite traditions to do by moonlight. With my small chubby fingers, I pulled up a perfectly intact shell.
“Look, Gram! It’s beautiful,” I called to her as she ambled her way toward me. She nodded and smiled. “It’s going to be perfect for your collection, Emme. You shouldn’t let go of the perfect ones in life.”
I shrugged and kept digging until my small seven-year-old fingers were frozen from the Maine coastal winds that bore down upon us. We eventually made our way back to the library and walked up the steps to the apartment where we lived. Gram’s library was a sanctuary for me. My home now. Without her needing to tell me, I ran a bath and washed the sand from my body and hair. After I was done, I dressed myself in the warmest pajamas I could find. Gram sat at the table drinking tea and kissed me as I approached.
“You’re growing so fast, Emme. Your parents would be proud of you.” I smiled, not sure how they’d know if I was doing well or not. I saw our shells drying on the counter, knowing they’d be dry and put away in our jars by the morning.
“Now off to bed with you,” Gram told me as she playfully tugged my hair. I kissed her cheek and went to my room.
During the night, something woke me from a deep sleep. I sat up hearing whispered voices from somewhere outside my room. I padded across the floor, being careful not to wake Gram, and peeked outside my door. Nothing.
Opening my door wider didn’t reveal the noise either. I grabbed my robe, knowing just where to look. I had to be fast or she’d catch me, so I swiftly went out the door of our apartment, down the stairs, and into the library. The noise got louder and revealed a man’s voice.
As I got closer to the small room where Gram did her important paperwork, I saw a man standing with Gram. He was handsome and tall compared to my gray-haired, short Gram. She slumped into her chair and he remained standing.
“Well, what if I don’t want that future for her? Do I not have any say in the matter?”
He rubbed his chin. His back was now facing me, and it was then that I noticed his peculiar type of attire. He wasn’t wearing clothes that normal men wore; in fact I had never seen anyone wear pants like his. He looked like an explorer from one of my books with his pants tucked neatly inside of his boots.
“I’m afraid neither of us has a say; it’s entirely up to Emmeline. If she grows up and begins reading the books, then she will know whether or not she wants to do it. You mustn’t hold her back from her legacy.”
They were talking about me! I crouched down, hiding in the shadows, hoping to figure out what they were discussing. As it was, I was so confused.
“You can’t make her protect them, Harold. She will have a choice. She’s my granddaughter!” Gram was angry now, and no one wanted to be around her when she was like that.
Harold backed up a step and slowly took off his funny hat. “I know how you feel—”
Gram snorted. “No, you do not. I have lost my son and his wife. I will not lose her. It is too dangerous. She will have a different life than that.”
“Your son didn’t die because of the gift, Mavis. And you cannot travel. But it will go to her and you know it. Someday you will no longer be here, and she will have to protect your legacy.”
She made another noise with her nose and said, “My legacy wasn’t something I chose, thanks to you, Harold. I think you meant well, but you and I both know how dangerous this is. Traveling through time to protect history isn’t something that—” She stopped abruptly and focused her eyes onto where I was currently crouched. “I think we have company.”
I froze. She could see me. I wasn’t as hidden as I thought I was. And Gram was always good at seeing me when I thought I was being sneaky.
“Emmeline, come here.”
With wobbly legs I walked into my Gram’s forbidden office, and Harold never turned around to meet my gaze. Instead, he stood still and faced only Gram.
“What have I told you about sneaking around at night?” Gram asked sternly.
“Umm … not to,” I said shakily, almost in tears.
“Now get your tushy back upstairs and into bed.” I did as she said, never once looking at the man in the eyes.
As I walked back to my room, my brain tried hard to figure out what they were speaking about. Traveling through time? Legacy? It was confusing for a seven-year-old to know what those words meant. I would ask her about it in the morning. If I didn’t have the nerve to do that, then I would look it up in the library.
But as I felt sleep pull me back under, I had already forgotten the whole conversation and the words in which I was to learn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isn’t that a great opening? And Christy is being so generous with YASH readers, she’s sharing the first three chapters of the book! Click on this link to keep reading!
And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books by me, Christy Sloat, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 99. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the purple team and you'll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
My favorite number is 99!
ENTER MY PERSONAL GIVEAWAY
Would you like an additional chance to win a hardcover copy of Obsidian and Stars? Then use the Rafflecopter below to enter! (Also, since Obsidian and Stars is a sequel, the winner will have the option to choose a hardcover of Ivory and Bone if they don't have it yet.) I'm excited to offer this additional giveaway to add to the prizes you can win on the YA Scavenger Hunt. Also, it's INTL!
CONTINUE THE HUNT
Thank you so much for visiting my site! To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author. It's JC Welker! You can go to her stop on the hunt by clicking here.