Wednesday, April 1, 2015

WIN FREE BOOKS & A $10 AMAZON GIFT CARD!!!

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 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!

And just for fun, I'm also giving away a $10 AMAZON GIFT CARD (just fill out the rafflecopter form at the very bottom of this post to be eligible to win!)

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

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.

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 GOLD 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 April 5th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
SCAVENGER HUNT POST


Today, I am hosting Sarah B. Larson on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt! Sara's debut YA fantasy novel, DEFY, released in January of 2014 from Scholastic. Sara lives in Utah with her husband and three young children. She writes during naptime and the hours when most people are sleeping. Her  husband claims she should have a degree in "the art of multitasking." On occasion you will find her hiding in a bubble bath with a book and some Swedish Fish or some mint chocolate truffles. She is represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary.

Find out more information by checking out the author website or find more about the author's book here!

Twitter and Instagram: @SaraBLarson


The King's English - (For Signed copies of DEFY OR IGNITE) http://www.kingsenglish.com/search/apachesolr_search/IGNITE%20Sara%20B.%20Larson

IGNITE: 



EXCLUSIVE CONTENT


Synopsis of DEFY: 

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Synopsis of IGNITE: 
(Spoilers for DEFY)

In the kingdom of Antion, peace has at long last been restored. Now that King Hector's reign of terror is over, the newly crowned King Damian, along with his most trusted guard, Alexa, must focus on rebuilding Antion and reclaiming the hope of their people. But the wounds of the past are no as easily mended as Alexa and Damian had hoped. And to further complicate matters, Alexa still harbors a secret love for Damian, a love she refuses to acknowledge for the sake of Antion, and for the sake of the king himself.

When new threats to the kingdom surface--including an assassination attempt on Damian--blame is cast on the once-friendly nation of Blevon. Alexa knows things are not what they seem, however, and once again the fate of her country hangs in the balance. Will Alexa be able to protect her king and find the true enemy before it's too late?

Filled with romance and treachery, magic and violence, this stunning sequel to Defy whisks readers off on another thrilling adventure.



Q&A with Alexa about her childhood: 

What do you remember of growing up in Antion—before that awful day when you lost your parents?

Well, I remember my parents and Marcel, mostly. My family and the jungle. We lived in a small village and the jungle was everywhere, a constant threat. Growing up I remember sitting behind our home, staring at the trees and vines and bushes, certain I would see a snake or a jaguar if I watched long enough. The trees were like monsters to me then, tangled, bent, and enormously tall, with vines dripping from their branches that always seemed to be reaching for me. The leaves that would fall to the ground were bigger than my father’s hands. Sometimes they were even bigger than our heads. Marcel would pick them up and toss them at me when we would play, shrieking, trying to make me think there was a huge bug on them or something, just to frighten me. 

I remember my mother singing to us at night, to drown out the sounds of the insects and the howls of monkeys and the rain on our thatched roof, which would keep me awake. I remember my father giving me my first sword, and how I’d practice for hours and hours. I would often continue training long after Marcel had given up and gone inside for the day. At first, it was because I wanted to beat him, but soon I realized that becoming skilled at using a sword and a bow and arrow brought me comfort. It let me feel like perhaps I had the power to protect myself from the things I feared. I never knew then just how true that would end up being.

Did you father ever talk about where he was from? Did he tell you about Blevon or the war? 

My father was a quiet man, and he didn’t like to talk about his own childhood much. He almost never brought up the war. Even though he trained us nearly every day, the thought of the war reaching us there, in our tiny little village, seemed impossible—at least to me. My parents tried to protect us from what was going on while simultaneously preparing us for what might come. What I knew about the war I learned mostly from listening to them talk at night when they thought I was asleep. The village was very small, as I said, and there were lots of listening ears. We kept to ourselves for the most part because the other villagers were nervous around Father. I didn’t realize until I was older that it was because he was Blevonese—because they were suspicious of him. And us. What kind of father trained his son and daughter to master a sword and any other weapon possible at such a young age? Thankfully, mine did. But no, to answer your question, I knew very little about his life. I wish now that I had asked him more about it. That is one of my greatest regrets.

You and Marcel worked hard from a young age to become the amazing fighters that you were. It sounds like there wasn’t much time for silliness. Did you ever relax and just have fun? Or play any pranks on anyone? 

We did work hard and life wasn’t easy living where we did, even without all of the extra training we did. It was a constant battle to keep the jungle at bay, just to keep our roads and homes clear from the constant vegetation that was always trying to take over, or to keep our livestock safe from predators. But we were still children, and there were plenty of times when we acted like it. I remember once, Marcel found a particularly large vine that almost looked like a snake and cut it down. He convinced me to sneak over to Tanoori’s home with him and wait for her to come outside and then throw it at her. I’d never heard her scream like that in my life. Marcel loved to scare people. That’s probably why I was so terrified of snakes, because he was always doing things like that to me, too. At least when we were younger. Things changed quickly after our parents died. He never tried to scare me again after that.

Is it difficult for you to talk about your family

Yes. I miss them. Every single day I wish things had been different. I wonder what my life would have been like if my parents had lived. Or if I’d been able to save Marcel. But I also know there’s no changing the past and it doesn’t do any good to dwell on it. I have to focus on those I love who are still alive—and do everything I can to keep them that way.

*         *          *

 And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Megan Shephard, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 111893. (I know it's big! Sorry!) Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the GOLD 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!
-->http://www.juliecrossbooks.com/index.html

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4 comments:

  1. UnknownApril 4, 2015 at 12:28 AM

    Just have to say, I really like your number. It's my birthday :3

    ReplyDelete
  2. GracieApril 4, 2015 at 5:49 AM

    Thanks for being a part of YASH!

    ReplyDelete
  3. KassiahApril 4, 2015 at 12:00 PM

    Great post! Thanks for participating in the YASH! xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anglik DjilahApril 4, 2015 at 5:42 PM

    I made a mistake with my twitter account, it is without the "f"

    ReplyDelete

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