IWSG & Brenda Drake, Author of Assassin of Truths, on Character Growth

Once again, we arrive at the first Wednesday of the month, where the Insecure Writer Support Group poses a question for us to ponder. Thank you to this month's co-hosts - Stephen Tremp, Pat Garcia, Angela Wooldridge, Victoria Marie Lees, and Madeline Mora-Summonte! This month's questions is: 

What do you love about the genre you write in most often?

PARTICIPANTS

I write in a few genres, but I'll go with writing fantasy-adventure for middle grade. Writing adventure into a story, especially for this age group, gives me a sense that even the unthinkable is possible. I love discovering what new twist my subconscious stirs into an old conflict or life-challenging theme. Add fantasy into that mix, and I find explosions of possible ideas. So much so that often I can't make up my mind which idea to choose. *This may or may not be the reason I haven't finishing The Shifting Hollow - book II in the Motley Education series.*

So writers tell me: Have you ever found yourself with too many ideas for a novel? How did you sift through them and choose? Did you map out more than one tale using these ideas?

FEATURED POST!

GOODREADS

Assassin of Truths (Library Jumpers #3)

By Brenda Drake 

Publication Date:  February 6, 2018
Publisher:  Entangled Teen

The gateways linking the great libraries of the world don’t require a library card, but they do harbor incredible dangers.

And it’s not your normal bump-in-the- night kind. The threats Gia Kearns faces are the kind with sharp teeth and knifelike claws. The kind that include an evil wizard hell-bent on taking her down.

Gia can end his devious plan, but only if she recovers seven keys hidden throughout the world’s most beautiful libraries. And then figures out exactly what to do with them.

The last thing she needs is a distraction in the form of falling in love. But when an impossible evil is unleashed, love might be the only thing left to help Gia save the world.

Amazon | Amazon.com.au | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Entangled

Let's give Brenda and her brand new book baby a warm Alleyway hello!

Brenda has been gracious enough to share a bit of her writerly wisdom with us. I posed this question to her: 

What was your method for 'growing' Gia throughout her search and what are some ways young writers can use to emotionally grow and mature their characters from the beginning of a story to the end?

Gia’s growth in the Library Jumpers series starts with Thief of Lies, continues during Guardian of Secrets, and then finishes with Assassin of Truths. In the first book, Gia, though athletic, feels unstable after being pulled into the Mystik world. By the end of the book, she’s gain some strength. 

The opening of the second book has Gia trying to fit into her new role as a Sentinel (magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books) and searching for the Chiavi (seven keys). She’s dealing with new relationships, a deteriorating relationship, and trying to get herself out of some sticky situations. When we reach the end of the book, she’s ready to take charge and do what she has to save both worlds.

In the third and final book, Gia almost has all the Chiavi and is ready to fight for what’s right. She takes charge and is on more steady ground. She gets beaten down several times but she keeps getting up. She’s a warrior and is ready for the final battle even though she has little chance of winning the fight.

Interesting, the book covers for the series shows Gia’s growth. The first book has Gia’s back to us as if she’s uncertain about things. The cover for the second book has both her and a guy on it. She’s a little more confident, but she needs help still. The guy represents support. With the third book, we find Gia alone on the cover again. She’s facing us and is ready for the battle.

When writing a series, you have to start out with your protagonist facing a problem and uncertain how to solve it. In book two, your protagonist must learn something from book one and grow more confident or stronger, but not steady in her new role yet. Book three should show your protagonist taking control and ready for the change/battle/romance/whatever the problem was in book one. Show your reader the character’s mindset in the beginning, middle, and end. At each point, there should be some growth and the series should end with the character changed for the better. Don’t make your character’s growth too fast. She should change gradually over the entire series. 

Is there a character in a book or series you’ve recently read that you feel had a great character growth? 

Great question & fabulous advice! Readers - any answer for Brenda?

Other Books In The Series

GOODREADS

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother's animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. With kids of all ages populating Brenda's world, it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical for both younger readers and the young at heart. And because she married her prince charming, there's always a romance warming the pages. Her favorite books are The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Kings Row by Henry Bellamann, and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. When she's not writing, she hosts workshops and contests for writers such as Pitch Wars and Pitch Madness on her blog, and holds Twitter pitch parties on the hashtag, #PitMad. In her free time, Brenda enjoys hanging out with her family, haunting libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or just reading someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads  

TOUR SCHEDULE

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RIGHT KISS, WRONG GUY by Natalie Decker ~ Release Day Celebration!

Here's a YA book you are going to want to read! I read the first book in this series. It. Was. Fabulous. It was one of those young adult romantic reads that kept my attention the entire way through. I can't wait to read this one.

AMAZON | GOODREADS

RIGHT KISS, WRONG GUY (Offsides #2)

by Natalie Decker

Publisher: Swoon Romance
Release Date: January 23, 2018

You'd think a girl with the most romantic name in the world would have her pick of boyfriends. 

But Valentine's Day sucks when you're single. Just ask Juliet Valentine, whose last name happens to also be the name of the most dreaded made-up holiday ever. 

A romantic at heart, this year is especially hard on Juliet. Her sister, Layla, is in a new relationship, her mom's match-making business is doing great, and her school's new fundraiser is "Love-Grams."

Juliet's miserable, a little jealous, and lonely. 

Quarterback Jared Black is the most popular guy in school. A star athlete, Jared tops the most-eligible bachelor list year after year. But to Juliet Valentine, he's all but invisible. She isn't impressed. 

Jared's never had to work hard to get the attention of a girl before. Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and he's determined to ask Juliet out. After all, if Tyler can win over Layla, Jared ought to have a shot with Layla's sister.

Unlike Tyler and Layla, charm, flattery and good looks won't work on Juliet. So with the V-Day dance coming up, Jared uses the school’s Love-Grams to let Juliet know how he feels. Should be simple enough, right?

Wrong. Each attempt ends up either in the trash or thrown in someone's face. Juliet won't play his game.

Now, without a date to the dance Jared realizes it’s going to take a Hail Mary to win the girl of his dreams.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

GOODREADS

Natalie Decker is the Author of Rival Love. She loves oceans, sunsets, sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going, which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn’t her favorite time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books. She’s a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and her awesome dog infinity times infinity. If she’s not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out with her family and friends, then she’s off having an adventure. Because Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it amazing!

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

TOUR SCHEDULE

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What's your thoughts about book series? Do you like series or solo novels better?

IWSG~Year in Reflection

We all know the holiday season is a time of reflection. A time to be grateful for our successes, ponder our failures, and pledge to do better. It's also a time to celebrate all that life is. Because, despite what the evening news will tell you, there really is good in the world.

I consider The Insecure Writer's Support Group one of those goods. It's a cyber space where writers of all walks and talks come together to celebrate a love of literature and each other. I've decided to answer this month's optional question:

As you look back on 2017, with all its successes and failures, if you could backtrack, what would you do differently?

Backtracking - for me, at least - implies regret, and I try to live my life without the possibility of regret.

How do I do that? I see successes and failures with no beginnings or endings. They are a constant evolution of me. Failures are a time of learning. Successes are a time to be grateful that the opportunity presented itself to me in the first place and that I persevered enough to achieve a goal.

"A mistake is not a mistake if a lesson is learned." 

A lesson I've learned over this past year is one I've always struggled with - giving myself permission to be proud of a goal reached. In this case (for this year) it would be that I had a second novel published. And another lesson I still battle with - accepting the fact that because of health reasons I've had to slow down - a ton. That's why you don't see me blogging as much or almost at all.

For more or to participate

I don't talk about it much, and I sure as heck will not bore you with it now. Point being - I'm still evolving, learning self-acceptance and patience with myself. Funny how the theme of self-acceptance flows through both my novels. :)

Thank you goes out to this month's co-hosts: Julie Flanders, Shannon Lawrence, Fundy Blue, and Heather Gardner!

A FEW REMINDERS

My MARKED BEAUTY Release Party Kindle & More Giveaway ends in six days. There's still time to enter and share! I'll be announcing the winners across social media sites on December 15th. 

ENTER GIVEAWAY

The It's Snowing Books $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway will be open until December 27th! There's still time for you to enter this one, too.

GO HERE TO ENTER
OR HERE FOR MORE INFO

Good luck, everyone! This is possibly my last post of the year. Not sure, but just in case I want to thank you all for always being supportive, for being the voice of reason, and for being inspiring. I hope that in some small way I've encouraged you, too.

Have a wonderful holiday season. And to those to whom it applies: Have a very Merry Christmas!

YA~The November Girl with Lydia Kang

Ready for more wistful YA? Great! Because I've got a fantastic new release with an enchanting cover, the voice of a storm, and . . . a boy. Not to mention the author is here to talk about Nature personified, and wait until you read her explanation. I love it!

GOODREADS

The November Girl 
by Lydia Kang

Publication Date: November 7, 2017

Publisher: Entangled Teen

I am Anda, and the lake is my mother. I am the November storms that terrify sailors and sink ships. With their deaths, I keep my little island on Lake Superior alive.

Hector has come here to hide from his family until he turns eighteen. Isle Royale is shut down for the winter, and there's no one here but me. And now him.

Hector is running from the violence in his life, but violence runs through my veins. I should send him away, to keep him safe. But I'm half human, too, and Hector makes me want to listen to my foolish, half-human heart. And if I do, I can't protect him from the storms coming for us.

Amazon | Amazon Australia | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

Nature Personified

by Lydia Kang

When I wrote Anda’s character, who is a creature half human, half of the Lake, I had to reconcile the very human sentiments, like love, wants, needs, and heartache, with the very non-human realities of nature. Nature doesn’t care who lives or dies—it’s all part of a cycle that just is. A dying moose or deer feeds a hungry wolf, and a old wolf’s death feeds the molds, microbes and a tree upon whose roots it died.

One thing I made a very conscious choice about was having Anda feel this cycle of life, in way which caused her both pleasure and pain. I’m not going to explain in what ways, because it’s in the book! But this linking of emotions to an otherwise emotionless cycle is something that is the backbone of why Anda acts the way she does, and has set up rules for herself for survival that are both necessary but also incredibly harmful, both to herself and others. 

TOUR SCHEDULE

For more of THE NOVEMBER GIRL Blog Tour follow the image:

Lydia Kang is an author of young adult fiction, poetry, and narrative non-fiction. She graduated from Columbia University and New York University School of Medicine, completing her residency and chief residency at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. She is a practicing physician who has gained a reputation for helping fellow writers achieve medical accuracy in fiction. Her poetry and non-fiction have been published in JAMA, The Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Great Weather for Media. She believes in science and knocking on wood, and currently lives in Omaha with her husband and three children.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

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~JUST A QUICK REMINDER~

My KINDLE FIRE HD 7" Giveaway is open until December 12th. 

Enter for your chance to win one of these prize packages & enter the special prize FOR WRITERS ONLY - a First Five Page Critique from me! 

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

I'm absolutely fascinated by personification. (I may or may not have done this myself with the second book in the Motley Education series. *nodshead*) What do you think about it? Writers: have you done it? Would you? 

IWSG~NaNo & Win a Kindle Giveaway!

This month's Insecure Writer Support Group question is a great one:

Win or lose, do you usually finish your NaNo project? Have any of them gone on to be published?

I'd love to say I've championed at least one of the WriMo's - NaNo, JuNo, PbNo, etc... But, alas, I have not. I have, however, attempted it twice; the second time with a little success. I began my middle grade novel, Motley Education, during the first (and last) time I participated in JuNoWriMo. As you already know, the novel was released October 2016. 

For me, the real question is why can't I stay to task and write that much wordage on demand? Not sure, really. I think I'm the type of must-keep-busy person with lists and sticky notes posted everywhere. But, most of those consist of tasks that benefit others - my four kids, ailing parents and in-laws, & the hubster and our new dealership. Writing is solely for me. I've always had a hard time to justify me-time. Anyone else have this problem?

The remainder of this post is a simple reminder and repost of the giveaway I currently have going on. Feel free to skip, reread, enter, or share! YES, please share! I'm hoping to get to 5,000 entries. I already have 3,500. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, cheer, and goodwill throughout my publishing journey. I have lots of brand-spanking new insecurities popping up since my second book released, but I'll save those for next month. 

XOXO

You are invited to Marked Beauty's Release Party Giveaway!

Read on or following the bouncing links for more details & to enter!

LINK, LINK. LINK

What better way to celebrate a book birthday then by a giveaway! There are many ways to enter, which you'll find below. You can win an iTunes, Amazon, or Starbucks gift card, an authentic Vera Bradley Little Crossbody in Cobalt Tile, an assortment of bookish swag, and even a KINDLE Fire HD 7"! The giveaway runs from release day, October 17, 2017 to December 12, 2017. Winners will be announced via social media December 15, 2017. 

​

*No purchase necessary to win* 

However, if you have read Marked Beauty or purchase it and read you can earn extra entries by posting a review on any major online retail bookstore and Goodreads! All the information you'll need is in the form below.

BUT there's more...

FOR WRITERS!

Writers who enter can WIN a first five pages critique from yours truly!

I can't wait to read one of your pages! 

Thank you for being part of #TeamBeauty and for helping me celebrate!  

 Ready to start the party?

ENTER To Win Now!

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For more or to participate!

It's My Book Birthday! #MarkedBeauty Has Left The Nest!

Here's my Two-Week TOUR SCHEDULE

It's official! #MarkedBeauty is out in the wild. This book has had one twisted journey to gaining a birth date, and you've been with me through it all. I'm so excited it's finally available to you.

To celebrate, I have not one but two giveaways going! So make sure you scroll down to enter both.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Blurb:

Uncovering hidden secrets can sometimes kill you . . . or worse, steal your soul.
​
Anastasia Tate has a secret. She can feel the emotions of others through their life energy auras. Not a welcome gift for a teenager. Especially when a sinister presence begins stalking her.
​
Viktor Castle also has a secret. He’s tasked with protecting humanity yet cursed by an ancient evil to destroy it.
​
After Viktor saves Ana’s life, her abilities grow stronger. Drawn together, she senses Viktor has answers to lifelong questions. Only he shuns her at every turn, knowing he has saved her only to put her in more danger. As Ana struggles with her attraction to Viktor, he tries everything to bury his unexpected feelings for her. But they must find a middle ground. For only together can they combat the dark forces threatening both their lives . . . and their souls.

"With some of the best imagery I've ever read, MARKED BEAUTY will have you desperately flipping pages to find out what happens with Ana and Viktor--who are both mysteriously endearing and an absolute delight to cheer for."   - Elana Johnson, USA Today Bestselling Author 

"Marked Beauty is a compelling, magical masterpiece that hooks you from page one and doesn’t let go. Ana and Viktor's story is a timeless tale you'll want to read over and over!" -Natalie Decker bestselling author of the YA romance series Rival Love

"Vividly rich in detail, this compelling read has a tension-filled romance that leaves you turning pages and wanting more. A must-read for paranormal fans." -Kristin Smith, bestselling author of Catalyst

AMAZON | B&N | iTUNES | KOBO | SMASHWORDS

GIVEAWAY #1: 

Marked Beauty Blog Tour Giveaway

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY #2:

You are invited to Marked Beauty's Release Party Giveaway!

Read on or following the bouncing links for more details & to enter!

LINK, LINK. LINK

What better way to celebrate a book birthday then by a giveaway! There are many ways to enter, which you'll find below. You can win an iTunes, Amazon, or Starbucks gift card, an authentic Vera Bradley Little Crossbody in Cobalt Tile, an assortment of bookish swag, and even a KINDLE Fire HD 7"! The giveaway runs from release day, October 17, 2017 to December 5, 2017. Winners will be announced via social media December 7, 2017. 

​

*No purchase necessary to win* 

However, if you have read Marked Beauty or purchase it and read you can earn extra entries by posting a review on any major online retail bookstore and Goodreads! All the information you'll need is in the form below.

BUT there's more...

FOR WRITERS!

Writers who enter can WIN a first five pages critique from yours truly!

I can't wait to read one of your pages! 

Thank you for being part of #TeamBeauty and for helping me celebrate!  

 Ready to start the party?

ENTER To Win Now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just a reminder to check my right sidebar for other giveaways I'm involved in right now. There's so much bookish awesomeness going around for Halloween!

Again, thank you for being with me on this journey. It means so much! 

SEIZE TODAY & #YA Author Pintip Dunn

TOUR SCHEDULE

Welcome to another edition of Wistful YA!

Today I have an extremely talented writer and all-around wonderful person. Psst...she also happens to
be a New York Times Bestselling author. *applause* 

Meet her latest book baby:

Amazon | Amazon.com.au | Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.ca | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Entangled

Goodreads 

Seize Today (Forget Tomorrow #3)

by Pintip Dunn

Publication Date:  October 3, 2017
Publisher:  Entangled Teen

Description:
Seventeen-year-old Olivia Dresden is a precognitive. Since different versions of people’s futures flicker before her eyes, she doesn’t have to believe in human decency. She can see the way for everyone to be their best self-if only they would make the right decisions. No one is more conflicted than her mother, and Olivia can only watch as Chairwoman Dresden chooses the dark, destructive course every time. Yet Olivia remains fiercely loyal to the woman her mother could be.

But when the chairwoman captures Ryder Russell, the striking and strong-willed boy from the rebel Underground, Olivia sees a vision of her own imminent death…at Ryder’s hand. Despite her bleak fate, she rescues Ryder and flees with him, drawing her mother’s fury and sparking a romance as doomed as Olivia herself. As the full extent of Chairwoman Dresden’s gruesome plan is revealed, Olivia must find the courage to live in the present-and stop her mother before she destroys the world.

Hi Pintip! I can't even come up with the words to say how excited I am to have you here. I love this story! So let's start by you giving the readers a brief idea of how you structured the inner force of this story from book 1 to this book? 

All three books revolve around the concept of future memories. In short, a future memory is a vision that your future self sends to your younger self. It is meant as a guide, so that your younger self can make the right decisions and focus his or her energies most efficiently. No reason to pursue your dream to become a professional basketball player, for example, if you're meant to be an accountant.

Hmm...logical.

In FORGET TOMORROW, every seventeen-year-old receives a future memory on his or her birthday, and all of society is structured around these visions. Future memories are scanned by prospective schools, employers, even spouses. They are more than just a recommendation; they serve as a guarantee.

My heroine, Callie, has been waiting for her future memory all her life, but when she receives it, she sees the unthinkable -- her not-so-distant future killing her little sister. The actions she takes threatens the invention of future memory.

REMEMBER YESTERDAY takes place ten years later, and society is trying to re-build itself now that future memory no longer exists. Jessa and the rest of the Underground do their best to prevent its invention -- but when they fail, they have to deal with the deadly ramifications.

SEIZE TODAY picks up six months later. Future memory is back in place, but it no longer looks the same as it did ten years previously. Rather, people are getting sick as a result of its receipt. Olivia and her friends discover an unintended consequence of future memory that threatens their very world -- and their very existence.

Wow, you did a fantastic job of moving the story forward and creating a complex world full of surprises!

When I read the first paragraph of your book blurb, it made me think of people I know who just can't give up on someone even though they've done them wrong or been mean or are cruel to others. Olivia has to be a hopeful person, but that must be exhausting. Does this sort of thinking fit in with Seize Today? Or how does it differ?

Exhausting is the right word! Olivia holds the weight of the world on her shoulders -- not just one world, but all the possible worlds! She is a precognitive who sees not just one future, but all of them -- every single pathway that a person's future might take, flickering before her eyes.

She is a hopeful person, but I don't think it's accurate to say that she is one of those people who never learns from the cruelty of others. Rather, because she literally sees the goodness of others play out in alternate pathways, she doesn't have to put blind faith in human decency. She's realistic about the likelihood of a person "reforming" because she knows the exact likelihood of that happening. Her belief in her mother is certainly shaken throughout the course of the book, but ultimately, her initial optimism will prevail.

What would you like readers to take with them from this story and the entire series?

From the first book to the last, this series is about fighting for your future. It suggests that no one can tell you who you're going to be and what you're capable of -- not even your future. I hope my readers will feel inspired to reach for their potential -- and be the strongest, bravest, and most capable version of themselves.

What a powerful message to send to young adults.

What's it like to write a book #3, and how do you feel that the story is at its completion?

Seize Today was the most difficult book I've ever written. Not only did I have to tie up all the loose ends of the series, but my heroine, Olivia, is a precognitive who sees everything! It was quite a challenge to keep the twists and turns surprising to Olivia, from whose POV the story is told, when she should've foreseen them!

Another challenge was the number of characters who had to have a strong presence. Book 1 features Callie and Logan, while Book 2 stars Jessa and Tanner. Seize Today focuses on Olivia and Ryder. Even though each book has a new couple, I knew that my readers would be looking for the previous characters they got to know in earlier books. Thus, each book got progressively more difficult. While Book 2 had to include enough mention of Logan and Callie to satisfy my readers, Book 3 had to give page time to Callie, Logan, Jessa, and Tanner, in addition to the main characters Olivia and Ryder! That's a whole lot of characters to squeeze into a huge plot with limited pages.

At the same time, however, the biggest sense of accomplishment I've ever felt is when I finished SEIZE TODAY, and I am so proud of this body of work. I really am. That's not something we're allowed to say very often, but when I look at these characters and this world and these intertwining stories I've created, that's how I feel: proud.

Give a sneak peek into what readers can expect from you next.

I am so excited about my new sci fi series, FIT TO DIE, which launches next June. This was actually the first book I sold, and I put my whole entire heart into the writing of it. The reason it is only coming out next year is because my publisher wanted FORGET TOMORROW to be my debut, and we had to publish all three book in that series first.

FIT TO DIE is about a world where nutrition can be transferred via a pill, and society is split into Eaters and Non-Eaters. Princess Vela has been tasked with finding someone "fit to die" so that her father the king may continue to live...only to discover that the best candidate is the boy she's loved all of her life.

I cried buckets of tears while writing this book, and I absolutely can't wait to share it with my readers!

Oh I bet! Congratulations on reaching the finish line. It's been such a pleasure having you visit us. Thank you, and all the best to you always.

Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D.
at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. Pintip's debut novel, FORGET TOMORROW, won the RWA RITA® for Best First Book. In addition, it is a finalist for the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire, the Japanese Sakura Medal, and the MASL Truman Award. THE DARKEST LIE was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. Her other books include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, the novella BEFORE TOMORROW, and GIRL ON THE VERGE. She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com

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Don't forget to enter! 

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What do you think about the idea of future knowing? 

YASH 2017 Fall Edition! YA Books to #WIN!

Welcome to this year's fall Young Adult Scavenger Hunt!

*thick wooden door panels crack and clunky hinges clank as I open the door*

Hi! I'm so glad you've stopped to visit me. Come on in. 

I'm S.A. Larsen, but feel free to call me Sheri.

I'll be your guide for this stop of the hunt.

~HERE'S A FEW FACTS ABOUT ME~

My favorite holiday is Halloween.🍂🎃

I love the color black.

👻Cemeteries are cool.

I write middle grade & young adult books because 

being a tween or teen is hard and fictional stories 

are a safe place to escape and think about life. 

💀💀💀

You are currently hunting on TEAM ORANGE.

Excited to hear about the exclusive bonus contest I've added to this leg of the hunt? You'll have to search for it. I've hidden six capitalized/colored words somewhere within the text below. When you put them in the correct order, they make a sentence that shares an important message from my upcoming YA release MARKED BEAUTY. (You may or may not have just read two of the words you'll need.) Before you go look, check out the amazing author I'm hosting and read over a few rules:

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE RULES

*A brief intro for 1st time hunters: 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. 

Write down all the secret numbers for one team, total them, and submit the answer to BE entered for the grand prize. There are 7 teams participating this year (TEAM RED, TEAM BLUE, TEAM ORANGE, TEAM GREEN, TEAM GOLD, TEAM PINK, & TEAM PURPLE) each with 20 author members! Think of all the books you could win. You can collect the numbers for just one team or you can do it for every team and enter in all 7 giveaways! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 120 hours! 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.

Below, you'll notice that I've hidden my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the orange team, and then add them up. (If math is not your thing, #highfive! It's not mine, either. So feel free to phone a mathematical friend.) 

PSST...MY SECRET NUMBER STANDS OUT IN LIGHTS.

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 SUNDAY, OCT 8th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

I am super excited to be hosting 

KAT ROSS!

ABOUT KAT:

Kat Ross worked as a journalist at THE United Nations for ten years before happily falling into what she likes best: making stuff up. She's the author of the dystopian thriller SOME FINE DAY, the FOURTH ELMENT fantasy triology (The Midnight Sea, Blood of the Prophet, Queen of Chaos), and a  new gaslamp mystery series. She'll never forget the first time she read The Shining. At age ten, she went on a camping trip in the Adirondacks with her mother. She was reading by flashlight in the tent at the moment it dawned on her that redrum was murder backwards. She didn't sleep for the rest of the trip. 

She's still a huge fan of horror, along with fantasy and sci-fi and mysteries, or all of those combined, especially if they're funny too (any recs for her?). Kat doesn't eat meat because she like animals. Mostly, she eats a lot of this. 

THE BOOK KAT IS SHOWCASING IS...

PSST...me, again. I was so mesmerized by her cover, I discovered how many words make up the series sentence at the top of the cover - 

Just looking at her cover made me want to find out more. So I peeked. ARE you ready to see what I found?

ABOUT THE BOOK

Gladiator meets Romeo and Juliet in this "Spellbinding Fantasy" (Kirkus Reviews) set in ancient Persia. As a girl and her demon pursue a deadly foe across the arid wasteland of the Great Salt Plain to the glittering capital of Persepolae, she's forced to question his slavery - and her own loyalty to the empire. Book I of the Fourth Element Trilogy.

TOP SECRET BONUS MATERIAL!

Sneak Peek at NOCTURNE - 

Nazafareen woke to the creaking of ropes. The ship swayed from side to side like a cradle rocked by an overly enthusiastic giant. She didn’t know how long they’d been aloft. There was no wind, but the air burned her cheeks, a damp, penetrating cold unlike anything she had ever experienced before, its needle claws finding every gap in her cloak. 

She hadn’t planned to reveal herself until they reached Samarqand, and not even then if she could find a way to quietly sneak off the ship, but the pendulum-like motion and occasional sudden, brief drops made her stomach roil. Nazafareen swallowed hard.

I will not vomit, she said to herself. I will not.

She peered between the bags of sand. The captain of the wind ship had his back to her, standing with his legs braced wide on the deck. He wore a quilted brown coat that came down to his knees and thick fur-lined gloves. As she watched, he peeled one off and took a handful of something gritty from his pocket, tossed it into the air and muttered words under his breath. The ship gave a small lurch. He nodded and put the glove back on, steadying himself on one of the ropes.

Forks of blue-white lightning illuminated the surrounding clouds, followed almost immediately by a shattering cymbal crash of thunder. The ship moved in tandem with the wind so she couldn’t judge its speed, but Nazafareen had the impression they were going very fast. She wondered how far away the ground was. Then the deck gave a sudden, violent lurch. Her head snapped back into one of the sandbags and a small cry of pain escaped her lips.

She was shaking her head to clear it, pinpoints of light dancing in her vision, when the canvas cloth she hid beneath was yanked back. Eyes widened in shock as the captain registered the stowaway aboard his vessel.

Now that she saw his face, Nazafareen realized he was closer to her own age, or even younger. He had fine-boned, delicate features, with a mop of chin-length black hair and smooth cheeks that looked like they’d never seen the edge of a razor. 

“How in the name of the Holy Father did you get here?” he demanded. 

Nazafareen crawled out, joints complaining from so many hours in a cramped space. She tried on a penitent smile and found her face to be as stiff from cold as the rest of her.

“I’m sorry, really, but I needed to leave and your ship was the only way out. I’ve no money to pay for passage, but perhaps I can work it off—” 

The boy cut her off. “Are you human or daeva?”

“Human,” she answered quickly.

His relief was clear. “What were you doing in the darklands?”

Nazafareen had already concocted a story, which she related with just enough detail to be convincing but not so much that she’d be caught in an obvious mistake. She was from a flyspeck village in Solis, nowhere he’d ever heard of, and ran away when her father pledged her to a much older distant cousin who smelled of onions. She’d hoped to find work as a housemaid in a city, but got lost and went the wrong way, wandering across the Umbra until the daevas of House Dessarian found her. 

“I’d only been there a little while, while they decided what to do with me.” She grasped a rope and held on for dear life as the ship lurched again. “When you came, I thought I’d save them the trouble.”

He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it distractedly. “You could have asked first.”

“I was afraid you’d say no,” she replied, and that was the truth.

“What’s your name?”

“Ashraf.” Darius said it had been her sister’s name.

“All right, listen, Ashraf. My name is Javid and I’m sorry for your troubles, but by all rights, I ought to bring you back. What if the daevas think I kidnapped you?”

Nazafareen paled. “They won’t think that, I swear! I did tell one of them where I went, and she agreed it was for the best. Please don’t turn around. You don’t understand—”

“I said I ought to.” He studied the clouds, heavy with moisture and churning like a vast grey whirlpool. “If I’d found you earlier, perhaps. But it’s too much of a risk now. I got lucky with fair weather on the journey over, but the hot currents from the deserts of Solis meet the cold winds of Nocturne in the Umbra. It’s notorious for storms.” He grinned, revealing crooked white teeth. “I hope you have a head for heights.”

Add THE MIDNIGHT SEA to your TBR List.

This story sounds amazing!

Interested in holding your own copy in your hands?

You can buy it HERE.

And for more on Kat, follow her Website, Facebook Page, & Twitter account. 

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