Welcome to the fall 2015 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!
HELP: If you're confused at any time, you can always get back on track by going to the YA Scavenger Hunt how to hunt page to read the steps. Or, go to the STUCK page for a bird's eye view of all the author's links.
There are EIGHT contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GREEN TEAM--
but there are also pink, gold, teal, orange, red, purple and blue teams for chances to win different sets of signed books!
HELP: If you're confused at any time, you can always get back on track by going to the YA Scavenger Hunt how to hunt page to read the steps. Or, go to the STUCK page for a bird's eye view of all the author's links.
There are EIGHT contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GREEN 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 prize page.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE
Directions: At the bottom of this post, 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!).
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 October 4, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
SCAVENGER HUNT POST
For my part in the YA Scavenger Hunt, I'm honored to be hosting one of my dear friends, Lori M. Lee! Lori writes riveting tales rich with vivid world building and kick a$$ characters. I'm speaking as a fangirl, not her pal. Lori knows fantasy!
Here's the official bio:
Lori is the author of Gates of Thread and Stone and The Infinite. She has a borderline obsessive fascination with unicorns, is fond of talking in capslock, and loves to write about magic, manipulation, and family.
Find out more information by checking out Lori's website. Or buy her books here.
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Today, Lori is spotlighting Gates of Thread and Stone.
"In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.
Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power."
Now, to tantalize you even more, here's a sneak peek into the final book of Lori's trilogy, Gates of Thread and Stone 3:
Something darted overhead. I startled, ducking and scanning the skies. A blast of wind ripped my hood off my head. I wrestled with the fabric, struggling to see past the hair whipping against my cheeks. I jerked my hood into place again as the rhythmic whump of heavy wings circled above. A couple steps in front of me, Kronos paused. Then he snapped back his robe, his hand darting out to grip my wrist.
Something metal, black, and winged landed in a crouch before us. My heart clawed into my throat. I went for the torch blade sheathed at my waist, but the pressure of Kronos’s fingers around my wrist stopped me from drawing it.
The creature straightened. A chill snaked through me. Every instinct I possessed told me to run. Instead, I held my breath and tried to take comfort in the fact Kronos seemed undaunted by its presence.
It stood over a head taller than Kronos and had a humanlike shape, but it was constructed from a dusky metal. Gray rods coiled through its arms, legs, and neck like muscles and wrapped around its torso like ribs. Where its eyes and nose should have been, there was only the ridged center of metal wires that radiated outward, curving around its head. Beneath the warped bits of metal that connected over its chest, a red glow emanated, as if an energy stone lay nestled within. My fingers tightened around the hilt of my blade as the creature unfurled its enormous wings, panels of scarred metal that stretched to twice its height.
Its gash of a mouth opened, hissing. Slick black saliva oozed between rotting teeth. It smelled rancid, like spoiled meat. Its body might be metal, but there was something organic inside it. Something alive.
It pointed at me with metal claws. Kronos yanked me against his side, nearly enveloping me in his robes. I stumbled, catching myself on his arm, and noticed instantly the sudden stillness—the threads encircled him like a shield, and the wind bent around him, not daring to stir even a strand of his hair.
“She’s with me,” he said. His voice vibrated through me, a physical thing that rumbled the earth.
The creature’s wings twitched. Its mouth stretched wide again. It spoke in a language I couldn’t understand, it’s high, airy voice like razors against my skin. I straightened so that I wasn’t leaning against Kronos’s side. The moment I stepped away from him, the gusting winds returned, tangling the hem of my cloak around my legs.
“She was born of this world,” Kronos said. His hand remained around my wrist. “That is all you need to know.”
The creature released a shrill scream that made me want to curl into a ball and press my palms against my ears. Then its metal wings swept downward, and the creature shot into the sky. Dust swirled around us in its wake. I pulled my wrist out of Kronos’s grip and waved away the choking dryness that coated my lungs with every inhale.
Kronos’s eye tracked the movements of the other creatures that spotted the sky. Then he gave me slight nod and turned his back to me, continuing on.
I hurried after him, careful to copy his steps. “What was that thing?” I asked.
“Border guard,” Kronos said curtly. “You are not yet fully Infinite. It felt you didn’t belong.”
I considered this. “What would it have done with me if—”
“It would be better not to wonder such things.”
Now, to tantalize you even more, here's a sneak peek into the final book of Lori's trilogy, Gates of Thread and Stone 3:
Something darted overhead. I startled, ducking and scanning the skies. A blast of wind ripped my hood off my head. I wrestled with the fabric, struggling to see past the hair whipping against my cheeks. I jerked my hood into place again as the rhythmic whump of heavy wings circled above. A couple steps in front of me, Kronos paused. Then he snapped back his robe, his hand darting out to grip my wrist.
Something metal, black, and winged landed in a crouch before us. My heart clawed into my throat. I went for the torch blade sheathed at my waist, but the pressure of Kronos’s fingers around my wrist stopped me from drawing it.
The creature straightened. A chill snaked through me. Every instinct I possessed told me to run. Instead, I held my breath and tried to take comfort in the fact Kronos seemed undaunted by its presence.
It stood over a head taller than Kronos and had a humanlike shape, but it was constructed from a dusky metal. Gray rods coiled through its arms, legs, and neck like muscles and wrapped around its torso like ribs. Where its eyes and nose should have been, there was only the ridged center of metal wires that radiated outward, curving around its head. Beneath the warped bits of metal that connected over its chest, a red glow emanated, as if an energy stone lay nestled within. My fingers tightened around the hilt of my blade as the creature unfurled its enormous wings, panels of scarred metal that stretched to twice its height.
Its gash of a mouth opened, hissing. Slick black saliva oozed between rotting teeth. It smelled rancid, like spoiled meat. Its body might be metal, but there was something organic inside it. Something alive.
It pointed at me with metal claws. Kronos yanked me against his side, nearly enveloping me in his robes. I stumbled, catching myself on his arm, and noticed instantly the sudden stillness—the threads encircled him like a shield, and the wind bent around him, not daring to stir even a strand of his hair.
“She’s with me,” he said. His voice vibrated through me, a physical thing that rumbled the earth.
The creature’s wings twitched. Its mouth stretched wide again. It spoke in a language I couldn’t understand, it’s high, airy voice like razors against my skin. I straightened so that I wasn’t leaning against Kronos’s side. The moment I stepped away from him, the gusting winds returned, tangling the hem of my cloak around my legs.
“She was born of this world,” Kronos said. His hand remained around my wrist. “That is all you need to know.”
The creature released a shrill scream that made me want to curl into a ball and press my palms against my ears. Then its metal wings swept downward, and the creature shot into the sky. Dust swirled around us in its wake. I pulled my wrist out of Kronos’s grip and waved away the choking dryness that coated my lungs with every inhale.
Kronos’s eye tracked the movements of the other creatures that spotted the sky. Then he gave me slight nod and turned his back to me, continuing on.
I hurried after him, careful to copy his steps. “What was that thing?” I asked.
“Border guard,” Kronos said curtly. “You are not yet fully Infinite. It felt you didn’t belong.”
I considered this. “What would it have done with me if—”
“It would be better not to wonder such things.”
I know, amazing right? Told you. Her world building is phenomenal. You don't want to miss her books!
In fact, I was really hoping she'd write 7 more. Yep, seven more books about Kai, Avan, and Reev would make me very happy indeed. Hear that Lori? Of course, that might have to do with the fact that I do so love the #7. ;)
Okay, that's all I have for you here. Good luck on the rest of your GREEN TEAM hunt, and don't forget to enter for the grand prize, one of each of our books (pictured below)!
CONTINUE THE HUNT
In fact, I was really hoping she'd write 7 more. Yep, seven more books about Kai, Avan, and Reev would make me very happy indeed. Hear that Lori? Of course, that might have to do with the fact that I do so love the #7. ;)
Okay, that's all I have for you here. Good luck on the rest of your GREEN TEAM hunt, and don't forget to enter for the grand prize, one of each of our books (pictured below)!
CONTINUE THE HUNT
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author here!
The walls of Ninurta keep its citizens safe.