Welcome to FALL 2019 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! In addition, both Jen and I and the authors we’re hosting are having giveaways in conjunction with the hunt. Read all the way to the bottom for details.
My name is T.H. Hernandez, and my co-author, Jennifer DiGiovanni are your hosts for this leg of the hunt. How does the hunt work? I’m glad you asked! Follow the authors from blog to blog, gaining access to exclusive content from each author, and collecting the clues. Add up the clues, an
d enter for our prize — one lucky winner will receive one book from each author (or co-authors) on the hunt in my team!But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 120 hours!
If you landed here first, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to get all the details about the hunt. There are FOUR contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one of them or all of them! We are part of the PURPLE TEAM — but there are also teams for RED,GOLD,andBLUE, each with 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.
Looking for our exclusive bonus content? You’ll have to keep searching. Somewhere on a PURPLE TEAM blog are two bonus scenes from PROM-WRECKED, one from Owen’s point of view and another from Jordon’s. Keep searching for a sneak peak inside the brains of the girls’ love interests.
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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 PURPLE TEAM, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator).
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 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
On this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each participating YA author, but you also get a secret number. Add up the numbers, and enter it for a chance to win a major prize–one lucky winner will receive at least one book from each author on my team in the hunt! But play fast. This contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online until noon PST on Saturday, October 6th!
Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, I’ll introduce the author I am hosting on this hunt.
This season we’re hosting…
Jessica Therrien and Joe Gazzam
Author Jessica Therrien
About Jessica
Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult series Children of the Gods. Her trilogy has been translated and sold through major publishers around the world. Aside from her Children of the Gods series, Jessica is also the author of Carry Me Home, a contemporary YA novel, and a kid’s picture book called The Loneliest Whale. Her newest YA release, The Mercenary’s Daughter, will be out on March 31, 2020. .
Synopsis CARRY ME HOME is a fictional novel inspired by the true story of a teenage girl’s involvement in several Mexican gangs in San Jose and Los Angeles. The members of her crew call her, Guera, Spanish for “white girl” and it doesn’t take long for her to get lost in their world of guns and drugs.
* * *
Lucy and Ruth are country girls from a broken home. When they move to the city with their mother, leaving behind their family ranch and dead-beat father, Lucy unravels.
They run to their grandparents’ place, a trailer park mobile home in the barrio of San Jose. Lucy’s barrio friends have changed since her last visit. They’ve joined a gang called VC. They teach her to fight, to shank, to beat a person unconscious and play with guns. When things get too heavy, and lives are at stake, the three girls head for LA seeking a better life.
But trouble always follows Lucy. She befriends the wrong people, members of another gang, and every bad choice she makes drags the family into her dangerous world.
Told from three points of view, the story follows Lucy down the rabbit hole, along with her mother and sister as they sacrifice dreams and happiness, friendships and futures. Love is waiting for all of them in LA, but pursuing a life without Lucy could mean losing her forever.
Ultimately it’s their bond with each other that holds them together, in a true test of love, loss and survival.
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THE MERCENARY’S DAUGHTER by Jessica Therrien and Joe Gazzam
About the Book Title: THE MERCENARY’S DAUGHTER Authors: Jessica Therrien and Joe Gazzam Publisher: Acorn Publishing Release Date: March 31, 2020 Genre: New Adult/Young Adult Suspense/Thriller Links: Goodreads
Synopsis When Special Ops recruit, Tara Kafee is dishonorably discharged, there’s only one place to go—Home.
But there’s more waiting for her there than she’s ready for.
It’s been four years since she’s been back and ten since her mother walked out on the family never to be heard of again.
She’s determined to rekindle things with her father and keep him close. That is, until he goes missing.
Soon after stumbling upon a safe room full of weapons, fake passports, and a mission’s dossier marking a target in Cuba, she reluctantly accepts the help of her angsty teenage brother. He’s the only one she can trust, so together, the two set out for Havana.
Tara is determined to get her father back, whatever it takes, but things are never easy when you’re the mercenary’s daughter.
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Bonus Giveaway from Jessica Therrien and Joe Gazzam
Don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books, including a copy of PROM-WRECKED by me and Jennifer DiGiovanni, CARRY ME HOME by Jessica Therrien, and more! To enter, you need to know that my secret number is 2. Add up all the numbers of the authors on the PURPLE TEAM and you’ll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
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Continue the Hunt
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, Pintip Dunn!
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Gift. Here’s a line from Chapter 3 of SUPERHERO HIGH, releasing in 2018.
I remember Ronny’s present and yank the gift out from under my seat. I settle the pale blue bag with crumpled gold tissue paper on my lap and undo the curly navy and white ribbons she attached with care. My BFF, a sixteen-year-old Martha Stewart.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Rough or Tough. Here’s a line from Chapter 1 of THE RESISTANCE, book 5 in The Union Series, from Evan’s POV.
“Oh really. Is it tough being held against your will? Are these conditions too rough for you, Draya? Maybe you’d prefer a concrete closet where you can sleep in your own shit.”
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Sweet. Here’s a line from Chapter 8 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Cyrus’s POV.
“You’re sweet and brave and a lot of other things I admire in girls, but…I’m not…over…someone else.”
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Door. Here’s a line from Chapter 6 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Evan’s POV.
Halfway down, he halts in front of a windowless door and pulls it open, shoving me inside.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Sit, Sat or Seat. Here’s a line from Chapter 10 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Evan’s POV.
A soldier approaches, carrying a thick metal rod. A small white scar cuts across his square jaw that sits below thin, pursed lips.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
I haven’t participated in #1LineWed in quite a while, but I’m back to editing, The Invasion, my current WIP and ready to play again! Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Under. Here’s a line from Chapter 1 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Cyrus’s POV.
Blondie gasps as the full extent of my injuries becomes visible and takes a step back, as if I’m contagious. “Holy hell,” she says under her breath.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Work. Here’s a line from Chapter 1 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Cyrus’s POV.
Behind that door is an answer, ending two months of uncertainty, because this limbo shit isn’t working for me.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Earth or Dirt. Here’s a line from Chapter 46 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Evan’s POV.
My face buried in his shoulder, I inhale his scent of soap, sweat, and earth. He smells like Cyrus, like home.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Sky. Here’s a line from Chapter 1 of my WIP, a young adult superhero novel, Superhero High.
The sky is a cloudless crystal blue, as if the weather knew today was a day to celebrate and reigned in the usual mugginess.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Line. Here’s a line from Chapter 6 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Evan’s POV.
His dark eyes narrow into slits, his thin lips press into a tight line.His next blow isn’t to my stomach, though, this time he aims at my face.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Page 6, 16, or 160. Here’s a line from page 16 of my WIP, a young adult superhero novel, Superhero High.
As much as I know I should leave, I can’t tear my eyes away from my boyfriend boinking Valerie Whitehall.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Late. Here’s a line from Chapter 3 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Evan’s POV.
Chase drapes an arm over my shoulder, but it’s too late, the soldier has already seen my Uprising tattoo.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Anger. Here’s a line from Chapter 28 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Cyrus’s POV.
My fingers brush against the angry scars on her back, and she freezes at the same time I do.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Opening Lines. Here’s the opening line from chapter 2 of my WIP, a young adult superhero novel, Superhero High.
Screw house arrest, I’m going to that party. I head into my closet and change into my black stretchy miniskirt, a cropped white tank and sheer lace T.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Pretty. Here’s a line from Chapter 6 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Cyrus’s POV.
Once the Uprising figures out who was behind the attacks on the camps, we’re all pretty much screwed.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Pull. Here’s a line from Chapter 4 of The Invasion, book 4 in The Union Series, from Cyrus’s POV.
“Hey, asshole!” The big dude beside me glares, sleeves rolled to his elbows, his shirt gaping between buttons where it’s pulled over his extended belly.
You can see previous week’s themes and lines here.
Every book requires research, some more than others. Part of the fun of setting The Union Series in the future was the ability to make up my story world according to my own rules. This is true of science fiction, fantasy and a number of other genres. Authors get to define the political structure and the rule of law. While this can reduce the amount of research required over historical fiction or a contemporary thriller, it doesn’t eliminate the need altogether.
Even though The Union Series is set in a fictional future, I still wanted as much authenticity as possible, meaning I needed to do my homework. Not only did I need to investigate current technology, but where this technology is likely heading, and how much the collapse of the world’s largest economy might impact its advancement.
Those were the safe searches I conducted, the ones unlikely to raise any red flags if the NSA is monitoring my internet usage. But The Uprising is about a counter-revolution, war, hand-to-hand combat, shootings, blowing stuff up. In order to make sure my plot remained plausible, I had to Google where someone could get their hands on black-market weapons, how to set explosives, and a few other things I won’t mention to avoid spoiling anything, but you get the idea.
My editor posted the above image on my Facebook page, saying we both needed a coffee mug or T-shirt with this printed on it. I know why I need it, but wasn’t sure why she did, until she explained that she always does her own research to make sure what I’ve written is accurate.
I had no idea she went to such lengths. It’s one thing to put your own future freedom on the line for the sake of craft, but it’s above and beyond the call of duty to take that risk for a client, even if said client is also family. At least if they come for me, I’ll have someone I know to hang out with. Plus, we both know a few cool new skills thanks to some scary internet searches.
I’ve never considered myself to be particularly strong. I’m average. Average height, average intelligence, averagely overweight, average hair color, I’m even the average age most women are when they are diagnosed with breast cancer. I’m the very definition of average. But being average doesn’t prepare you for the fight of a lifetime. Suddenly, just muddling through isn’t good enough any more. Millions of average women around the globe learn this message the instant their doctor gives them the devastating news.
Someone asked me one time if I asked myself, “Why me?” My honest answer was, “No.” Because why not me? I’m average. Average women get diagnosed with breast cancer every single day. Getting diagnosed is average, but fighting it is anything but average. Battling cancer is hard — it’s not for the weak. Average men and women don capes and become Above Average Man/Woman. Because the average cancer patient has a family, friends, a job, bills, and responsibilities along with a bed we can’t seem to get out of for days on end if chemo is involved. The list of side-effects from the drugs we’re on is longer than the list of drugs themselves (which really is something impressive in and of itself).
Cancer robs us of the big things everyone sees, like our hair, healthy skin, a little extra body fat, nice nails, eyelashes, and eyebrows. But it takes so many more things that are less visible. It takes our ambition, our appetite, our energy, our ability to think clearly, it monkeys with our potassium levels, white blood counts, blood calcium levels, and platelets. It makes our food taste like tin, so even if we wanted to eat something, it all has a metallic tang like an old rusty can of rainwater found on the side of the road.
I’ve met so many amazing people in my treatments. All fighting different forms of this heinous disease. The one thing I’ve noticed about all of us, regardless of age, gender, quantity of hair, or length of our journey, is that cancer has not robbed us of our will to fight. Even when someone is hanging on for the drug trial that might only buy them time, they want that last chance and hold onto hope that it will allow them to live long enough to make it to the next trial which might just be the cure.
No matter how much strength we find within ourselves or our fellow fighters, we need those who matter the most to us. Our friends and families who are there for us, stroking our hair, sending a hot meal, offering to pick up our kids, dropping a card in the mail to ensure we know they’re thinking about us, making us laugh with YouTube videos, these are the real moments that keep us going. And those behind them are the real superheroes. .
Welcome to Spring, 2016 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!
Author T.H. Hernandez
My name is T.H. Hernandez, and I’m your host for this leg of the hunt. How does the hunt work? I’m glad you asked! Follow the authors from blog to blog, gaining access to exclusive content from each author, and collecting the clues. Add up the clues, and enter for our prize — one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt per team!But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 5 days!
If you landed here first, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to get all the details about the hunt. There are NINE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one of them or all of them! I am a part of the GREEN TEAM — but there are also teams for BLUE,GOLD,ORANGE,PINK,PURPLE, RED,SILVER,andTEAL, each with 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 page.
Looking for my exclusive bonus content? You’ll have to keep searching. Somewhere on a GREEN TEAM blog is chapter 1 from The Invasion, the fourth book in The Union Series. It picks up right after where The Uprising ends, so if you want a little something to tide you over until The Invasion releases later this year, start hunting.
Before you go, be sure to check out the amazing author I’m hosting, the supremely talented Michelle Madow.
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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 GREEN TEAM, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator).
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 April 3, at noon PDT. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
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MIchelle Madow
Author Michelle Madow
Today, I am hosting Michelle Madow. Michelle writes fast-paced YA (young adult) fiction that will leave you turning the pages wanting more!
Michelle grew up in Baltimore, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she writes books for young adults. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.
The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals Series #1) by Michelle Madow
About the Book Title: The Prophecy of Shadows Series: Elementals #1 Author: Michelle Madow Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing Release Date: January 26, 2016 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Synopsis “Harry Potter meets Percy Jackson with an added twist of teenage angst, hormones and uncertainty… I am officially HOOKED!” -Kim T. Goodreads Reviewer, ★★★★★
When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly… she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers — and, to her dismay, by Blake — the school’s notorious bad-boy.
Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.
When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious elemental powers. But the comet has another effect — it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town… and possibly the world.
USA TODAY calls Elementals a “must read!”
“Elementals is full of wonderful magic and myths!” -5 Girls Book Reviews, ★★★★★
“They weren’t joking around when they said ‘Fans of Percy Jackson will love this!’ It’s like I stepped back into Rick Riordan’s Universe but saw a completely different side of it at the same time.” -Mel Goethals Reviews, ★★★★★
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Exclusive Content In the Elementals series, the witches use their magic by channeling different colors of energy from the Universe around them. I’ve included a short excerpt from the book where the magic system is explained to give you a better idea about how their abilities work. Then, you can see the full list of the different energy colors and what they can do—this list has never been seen before!
Short Excerpt: “There’s energy everywhere.” Chris moved his hands in a giant arc above his head to demonstrate. “Humans know that energy exists—they’ve harnessed it for electronics. The difference between us and humans is that we have the power to tap into energy and use it ourselves, and humans don’t.” He smiled at me, as if I was supposed to understand what he meant. “Make sense?”
“Not really,” I said. “Sorry.”
“It’s easier if you relate it to something familiar,” he said, speaking faster. “What happens to the handle of a metal spoon when you leave it in boiling water?”
“It gets hot?” I said it as a question. This was stuff people learned in fifth grade science—not high school homeroom.
“And what happens when it’s plastic?”
“It doesn’t get hot,” I said slowly. “It stays room temperature.”
“Exactly.” He grinned at me like I’d just solved an astrophysics mathematical equation. “Humans are like plastic. Even if they’re immersed in energy, they can’t conduct it. Witches are like metal. We have the ability to absorb energy and control it as we want.”
“So, how do we take in this energy?” I asked, since I might as well humor him.
“Through our hands.” Chris turned his palms up, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He looked like a meditating Buddha. Students snickered, and Chris re-opened his eyes, pushed his sleeves up, and sat back in his chair.
“O-o-kay.” I elongated the word, smiling and laughing along with everyone else.
Darius cleared his throat, and everyone calmed down. “We can conduct energy from the Universe into our bodies,” he said, his voice full of authority. Chills passed through me, and even though I still didn’t believe any of this, I sat back to listen. “Once we’ve harnessed it, we can use it as we like. Think of energy like light. It contains different colors, each relating to an aspect of life. I’ve written them on the board. The most basic exercise we learn in this class is to sense this energy and absorb it. Just open your mind, envision the color you’re focusing on, and picture it entering your body through your palms.”
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Exclusive content – the list of energy colors and their meanings
Red—confidence, courage and love
Increased confidence
Increased attraction/desire
Orange—adventure, trouble
Increased strength
Increased enthusiasm
Yellow—happiness, intellectual
Increased focus
Increased memory
Increased happiness
Green—growth, success, luck
Opens your mind
Helps you be more aware of your options
Increased luck
Blue—calming, truth, peace
Increased calmness
Can make others more willing to tell the truth
Can help you see the truth/open flow of communication
Violet—imagination, creativity, balance
Helps generate ideas
Increased imagination
Increased acceptance
Deepens mood
White—a combination of all the colors. It’s the hardest to use/control because it involves gathering all the colors.
Clears the mind
Renews the spirit
Removes a spell on an object
Gray—murky, muddled
Brings about confusion/disorientation
Makes someone sad/depressed
Brings about negativity
Powerful witches can use it to compel others
Black—illegal to use
Makes the victim feel like they’re being put through extreme physical torture
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Bonus Giveaway from Michelle Madow Michelle is giving away the e-version of her entire Transcend Time Saga for FREE to everyone who wants it! To claim your free books, CLICK HERE, fill out the form, and they’ll be sent straight to your inbox.
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Don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books, includes a signed copy of The Union by me, Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 5. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the GREEN TEAM and you’ll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
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Continue the Hunt
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, Kimberly G. Giarratano!
Today’s theme for 1 Line Wednesday, sponsored by RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter is Gift. Here’s a line from Chapter 3 of SUPERHERO HIGH, releasing in 2018.
Every book requires research, some more than others. Part of the fun of setting The Union Series in the future was the ability to make up my story world according to my own rules. This is true of science fiction, fantasy and a number of other genres. Authors get to define the political structure and the rule of law. While this can reduce the amount of research required over historical fiction or a contemporary thriller, it doesn’t eliminate the need altogether.
I’ve never considered myself to be particularly strong. I’m average. Average height, average intelligence, averagely overweight, average hair color, I’m even the average age most women are when they are diagnosed with breast cancer. I’m the very definition of average. But being average doesn’t prepare you for the fight of a lifetime. Suddenly, just muddling through isn’t good enough any more. Millions of average women around the globe learn this message the instant their doctor gives them the devastating news.
If you landed here first, go to the 
