giveaway

Welcome to the Spring 2017 YA Scavenger Hunt!

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It's time, once again, for the YA Scavenger Hunt! Are you ready to enter to win lots and lots of books? I thought so! Here's what you need to know: 

Somewhere in this blog post, I've hidden an important number. Collect all of the secret numbers of the authors on TEAM PINK and add them up. (Don't worry—you can use a calculator!) Then, fill out the entry form HERE. People who have the correct number will be entered to win a copy of every book from TEAM PINK! 

The contest is 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, APRIL 9, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Find out more about the entire hunt—including what other authors/teams are participating—by visiting the YASH home page. 

Meet the Author!

This time around, I'm hosting Kim Briggs, author of the STARR FALL series. Kim once smashed into a tree while skiing. The accident led to a concussion, a cracked sternum, temporary notoriety as a sixth grader returned from the dead, and the realization that fictionalized accounts are way more interesting than just slipping on the ice.

An unhealthy obsession with conspiracy theories combined with a love of travel and happily ever afters led Kim to write her YA novel, Starr Fall, which released in November 2016. The second book in the series, Starr Lost, came out in January 2017, and Starr Gone is coming in June 2017—all with Inkspell Publishing. Kim's novella, Avalanche, is part of the Valentine Kisses Anthology and released February 14, 2017.

About Starr Fall: 

On the run from the Organization, Starr never planned on falling in love.

Starr Bishop's the complete package. A perfect smile, brains to match, and a winning attitude. Boys want to date her and girls want to be her. She's the type of girl you want to hate, if only she wasn't so damn likable. But don't worry, she's not interested in your boyfriend. Boys are one complication she can live without.

When the Organization decides she's not only the model student but also the ideal assassin, Starr'll need a lot more than high test scores and extracurricular involvement to get herself out of that commitment. Dark, moody, and dead sexy Christian Evergood is the last person she'd expect—or even want-to come to her rescue. From opposite ends of Webster High's social hierarchy, their lives collide in one electrifying moment. Christian isn't the Goth loner he pretends to be, he's a part Cherokee, All-American boy who wants to be a hero, Starr's hero. Christian makes Starr forget that the Organization is after her, but nothing will stop the Organization from collecting their top recruit.

By the way, the spot for junior class president just became available.

Bonus content: 

Kim's excited to share an excerpt from Book Two, Starr Lost! Enjoy... 

GOTH GIRL CORNED

CHAPTER NINE

Di

I tried to catch Frank by himself coming into school this morning but that was an epic fail. Between his harem of ex-girlfriends vying for another chance and Little Red attached to his arm, I’ll never catch him alone. Why did Christian ask for him anyway? Mr. Joe Cool Jock is the last person Christian would want to be friends with. Starr’s got to be with him.

I wonder how that’s going. Christian’s always acted as if Starr’s mission in life was to make his existence miserable. A vendetta of sorts. Then I told him what happened to her and he went all Superman.

Oh. My. God. There’s another one of those Jesus Freak grief counselors from that crazy new church in town. Between them and the pigs showing up at school and Beans, I can’t get a moment’s peace.

How the hell do I talk to Mr. Hollywood by himself? Someone like me can’t just go up to Webster’s royal court without violating at least a dozen archaic codes of social interaction, and today is one day I don’t want to draw unwanted attention. Whatever Christian and Starr got themselves into is freakishly colossal, and I won’t be the one to fuck it up.

I follow two basketball knuckle draggers down the hall. I’m almost to homeroom when they split ranks. One lumbers down the stairs to the dungeon—appropriate I know. The other cuts off toward the cafeteria—probably wants to eat a few freshmen in between classes.

Wait a second.

I stop in the middle of the hallway. One person makes the mistake of knocking into me. A claw swipe and a hiss sends the clumsy thumb sucker and the rest of Webster’s peons running for their lives.

I watch the knuckle dragger cut the breakfast line, and it gives me an idea. I rip a flyer off the wall and scribble a message on it. Just as I finish, Mr. Hollywood and Little Red stroll down the hall.

I shove the flyer in his free hand. “Hey, check out this band.”

He winks as he flashes his cheesy smile. I roll my eyes and walk away. We may be on opposite ends of Webster’s social hierarchy, but he never changes.

The morning drags on period after brutal period. Contemporary Issues used to be my favorite class—that is until Starr and Christian disappeared. Now New Lifer Tammy dominates every discussion, including weather updates, with her conservative agenda. I’ve taken to sharpening my fingernails into points. And don’t even get me started about Chemistry with Morris. That should be self-explanatory. Of course, English Lit’s all right. I miss Starr, but One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest sorta reads like my personal memoir.

When the bell finally releases us, we scamper like Pavlov’s dogs to the cafeteria. A few underclassmen fall victim to a well-placed shove as I barrel down the stairs, but no one dares complain. No one wants an up-your-junk meeting with my Docs.

Your next steps...

Still on the YA Scavenger Hunt? There are two things you'll need to move forward. One: My secret number—42. And two: Your next stop on the Hunt. Head to Claire LaZebnik's website for more great book content and goodies! 

And don't forget that somewhere on the TEAM PINK hunt, you'll find bonus content related to my second book, HOW IT FEELS TO FLY, which came out last year.

Oh, and one more thing: ***GIVEAWAYS!***

First, Kim is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card, plus a signed copy of STARR FALL, to one lucky winner! Here's the Rafflecopter: 

Second, I'm excited to give away signed hardcovers of *both* of my books, plus swag, to one winner! Use this Rafflecopter to enter:

Happy Hunting! 

~Kathryn

Ready to Go on a Scavenger Hunt?

The YA book blogger community is truly awesome, and so when Montana from The Book Belles (www.thebookbelles.blogspot.com) got in touch to see if I wanted to join an online scavenger hunt featuring 2016 Young Adult Contemporary titles, I said yes without hesitation!

Here's the deal: Below, you'll get exclusive interview content from author K.C. Held, whose debut, HOLDING COURT, comes out on March 1. After you read about HOLDING COURT, you'll get a link to another author's blog, where you'll learn about another book—and so on, and so forth. Somewhere along the way, you'll come across an interview with me about HOW IT FEELS TO FLY! Each post will also have a code word hidden somewhere in it. Collect all of the code words and go HERE before end-of-day Wednesday, January 27, for a chance to win a great prize pack! 

Oh, and at the end of this post, I'll also be giving away an ARC of HOW IT FEELS TO FLY. I'd ***love*** for you to enter! 

About HOLDING COURT:

Sixteen-year-old Jules Verity knows exactly what's in store at her new job at castle-turned-dinner-theater Tudor Times. Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool over the ever-so-tasty—and completely unavailable—Grayson Chandler. Except that it's not quite what she imagined.

For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there's the dead body she finds that just kind of...well, disappears. Oh, and there's the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome"—spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.

The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson's attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson's interest might not be as courtly as she thought. In fact, it's starting to look suspicious...

About K.C. Held:

K.C. HELD was born and raised in California with stopovers in Honduras, Mexico, and France. Married to her high school sweetheart, and mom to two avid bookworms, she holds an MFA in costume design and has worked as a freelance costumer in opera, theater, film and television. Although she once spent a summer working in a castle, there were no dead bodies involved.

K.C. is represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Her debut young adult novel, HOLDING COURT, will be published by Entangled Teen on March 1, 2016.

The Interview: 

1) Congrats on your debut! Is HOLDING COURT the first book you wrote, as well as being the first you published? What was your path to publication like? 

K.C.: Thank you! I wrote most of HOLDING COURT during a frenzied two week period after finally realizing it was time to break up with my first book. I wanted to write a YA mystery that combined elements from TV shows, movies, and books I love: the Stars Hollow feel of Gilmore Girls, the interconnected affect of Amélie, the impossible romance and quirky characters of Pushing Daisies, the fast-paced mix of humor and mystery in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, and a heroine who was a whip-smart wisecracker like Buffy and Veronica Mars. I put it all in a blender, reblended it a few times, and HOLDING COURT was the result. Which makes it sound like a smoothie rather than a book, but that’s essentially how HOLDING COURT came about!

2) I love the idea of a supernatural mystery set at a period dinner theater. Did you write Tudor Times based on personal experience? If not, what's the craziest summer job you ever had? 

K.C.: I would’ve loved to have had a job at a period dinner theater! I did have a summer internship in textile conservation at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California, which was crazy awesome, and there are definitely parts of the castle in Tudor Times that were inspired by Hearst Castle. 

3) What sets your main character, Jules, apart from her peers? (I mean, aside from the whole "psychic prophesy" thing mentioned in the book's teaser...) Do you tend to write protagonists who share a lot of characteristics with teen you, or are they very different?

K.C.: While Jules’s gift is something no one else has, she’s like me, and everyone I knew as a teen, in that there’s something about herself that she desperately wishes she could change. I’m not sure what other characteristics we share besides the fact that we’re both tall people who love vintage clothing and the movie The Princess Bride. Also, as a teen I once had to dress up in the same costume Jules has to wear at her job. But the less said about that, the better. :)

4) What are you most excited about heading into your publishing debut? 

K.C.: I can’t wait to see how it feels to hold a physical copy of HOLDING COURT in my hands!

5) What are you working on next? 

K.C.: “Another mystery,” she said mysteriously.

Your next scavenger hunt stop: 

Did you find the code word hidden in this post? Hint: I put lots of asterisks around it. :)

Once you've got it, head over to author Kim Culbertson's blog: http://kimculbertson.com.  

Want to win an ARC of HOW IT FEELS TO FLY? 

It's December! If You're Holiday Book-Shopping, This Post Is For You.

I know my blogging has been sporadic at best recently, and I promise there are more book-recommendation posts coming your way soon. (Spoiler alert: I have been reading a LOT of amazing things!) However, today's post falls into the promotional camp. 

I've heard from several family friends that they're buying THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND for people for Christmas—and I am so very grateful! As a way to say thank-you, I want to send anyone who buys DISTANCE this holiday season a signed bookmark and a DISTANCE sticker. I'll also give away up to five DISTANCE water bottles. (They're awesome—I use mine all the time!) Add the swag to your holiday gift—or keep it for yourself as an "I'm an awesome gift-giver" pat on the back. No judgment here! 

To collect your book swag, all you have to do is email me through this page. Tell me how many copies you're giving away and include your mailing address. You can also tell me who you're giving the book to—I'd love to hear all about it. Then, I'll get your items in the mail in time for holiday gift-giving! 

I'll keep the window open until December 15—that way, I'll still have time to get to the post office in time for a pre-Christmas delivery. On the 15th, I'll pick the water bottle winners as well. 

So Happiest of Holidays to all who celebrate, and thank you so much for making 2015 a wonderful, book-filled year! 

~Kathryn 

It's Time for the Fall 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt!

Are you ready to enter to win a WHOLE LOT of books? Here's what you need to know: 

Somewhere in this blog post, I've hidden my favorite number. Collect all of the favorite numbers of the authors on TEAM PURPLE and add them up. (Don't worry—you can use a calculator!) 

Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the entry form HERE. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify to win a copy of every book from TEAM PURPLE. 

The contest is 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 4TH, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

There are EIGHT 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, GOLD TEAM, ORANGE TEAM, PINK TEAM, BLUE TEAM, TEAL TEAM, and a GREEN TEAM! Check out each team for a chance to win eight different sets 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. 

Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, I’ll introduce the author I am hosting on this hunt: Courtney Alameda! 

Courtney Alameda has spent her entire career trying to con and cajole people into reading great books. A veteran bookseller and librarian, Courtney now spends her days writing thriller and horror novels for young people. Her debut novel, SHUTTER, was hailed as a "standout in the genre . . . [and] sure to please thriller fans" by School Library Journal. Her forthcoming novel, PITCH DARK (Fall 2016), is a genre-blending science fiction/horror novel in the vein of Ridley Scott's film ALIEN.

Courtney holds a B.A. in English Literature with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Brigham Young University. She is represented by the talented John M. Cusick of Greenhouse Literary. A Northern California native, she now resides in Utah with a legion of books and a five pound cat who possesses a giant personality. 

Courtney made a video about a paranormal experience she had while researching SHUTTER. Without further ado: 

Oooh, so spooky! I have to confess, I am a wuss about scary situations, so I will not be following in Courtney's footsteps anytime soon... :) 

Here's what you need to know about Courtney's book, SHUTTER: 

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat—a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever. 

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before...or die trying. 

Lock, stock, and lens, she’s in for one hell of a week.

Still on the YA Scavenger Hunt? There are two things you need to move forward. One: My favorite number—42. And two: Your next stop on the Hunt. Head to Gina Ciocca's website for more great book content and goodies! 

Still with me? I'm excited to be doing a giveaway of my own, as a thank-you for joining the Hunt! Happy reading... 

~Kathryn 

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND is three months old! Let's celebrate.

I can't believe my book baby is three months old!! How time flies. 

I've been wanting to do a giveaway for a little while now, and this seems like the perfect opportunity. There's a rafflecopter below with all of the details! What will you win? I'm giving away five DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND water bottles. (They're great—I use mine all the time.) One lucky grand-prize winner will also get a signed hardcover copy of the book! There are several different ways to enter, and the contest runs through Friday, so you'll have lots of time to join in the fun. 

Now I have to get back to revising my next book! Happy reading to all! 

~Kathryn