Thursday, April 3, 2014

YA Scavenger Hunt 2014!

Welcome to the YA Scavenger Hunt! Woohoo



I'm super stoked to be a part of this hunt! This cool annual event was organized by the awesome Colleen Houck to give readers exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some amazing prizes! In this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt--a secret number. Add up the numbers and enter to win the sweet prize--a signed book from each author on my team! Woot! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours only! 72 hours of awesome! Hunt ends this Sunday April 6 at noon PST!


You can start right here or go to the YA Scavenger Hunt home page. There are TWO contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or both! I'm part of the BLUE TEAM--go TEAM BLUE!!!-- but there is also a red team for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!





Looking for my exclusive bonus NIL content? Yay!

Somewhere on this blog hop, I've hidden a bonus scene from Thad's POV. Cool, right?! Before you skip off to find it, check out the amazing author I'm hosting below!

But first, a few rules . . .




THE SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE






Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number in BLUE. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the blue team and add them up (feel free to 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 Sunday, April 6, 2014 at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information won't be considered.:(

OFFICIAL SCAVENGER HUNT POST

Phew! Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, on to the post! I'm super stoked about the author I'm hosting today. She's the lovely & talented . . .



SASHI KAUFMAN!



Sashi Kaufman is a middle school English and science teacher who lives in Portland, Maine with her husband and daughter. She is the author of The Other Way Around (Carolrhoda Lab, 2014) and also an amateur trash picker.

The book Sashi is showcasing on this year's YASH is THE OTHER WAY AROUND, which just came out last month! Here's the cover:




Sweet, right?! LOVE!!!



Now for the synopsis:

Andrew has seen a flash of his future. (Dad: unfinished PhD. Mom: unfulfilling career. Their marriage: unsuccessful.) Based on what he's seen, he's uninspired to put a foot on the well-worn path to the adulthood everyone expects of him. There must be another way around.

After a particularly disastrous Thanksgiving (his cousin wets Andrew's bed; his parents were too chicken to tell him his grandmother died), Andrew accidentally (on purpose) runs away and joins the circus. Kind of.

A guy can meet the most interesting people at the Greyhound station at dinnertime on Thanksgiving day. The Freegans are exactly the kinds of friends (living out of an ancient VW camper van, dumpster diving, dressing like clowns and busking for change) who would have Andrew's mom reaching for a third glass of Chardonnay. To Andrew, five teenagers who seem like they've found another way to grow up are a dream come true. But as the VW winds its way across the USA, the future is anything but certain.

The path of least resistance is a long, strange trip.

Sounds amazing, I know!!! AND JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU READ THE BONUS MATERIAL.:)

It's time for the TOP SECRET exclusive scoop that Sashi shared with me. It's an alternative ending of her book! (Be careful...*spoiler alert* We're talking about the ENDING of Sashiu's wonderful debut...so her exclusive context *may* be a little spoilery. Just wanted to warn you, okay? :D)

Ok, here you go! In Sashi's words:

At the end of my book – a road trip novel in which the main character takes off for weeks of rebellion with a group of teens living in a VW van and scavenging for food out of dumpsters – the main character heads back on the road to meet up again with his love interest.


In the original version of this ending I wrote that his mother, while dropping him off at the airport hands him a poem. The poem was from his grandmother’s funeral which took place while he was off on his adventures. The poem I picked for this was one of my favorites called “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver. The poem is all about loving who and what you love and not judging yourself for it.


To me adolescence is all about finding what and who you love. And often it’s about making a lot of mistakes in that process. And since so much of life is trial and error I’ve always felt like it’s really important to be forgiving of yourself in that process –even though and perhaps because, it’s not something I’m that good at doing personally.


When I originally submitted the manuscript to my agent she told me I should change
the ending because rights to the poem would be so hard to secure. So, that version of the ending is long gone but I thought I would share the poem. Even though they’re not my words they were important words to me in drafting an ending. Even though I couldn’t use the poem itself I like to think the words were still influential in the end of Andrew’s (my main character) journey.
Poem: "Wild Geese," by Mary Oliver from New & Selected Poems (Harcourt Brace).


Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Ahhhh... I <3 bonus material!!! Thanks Sashi! If you're intrigued, you can 
learn more about Sashi and her wonderful debut novel on her website. You can also find Sashi on Twitter at @sashikaufman.  

CONTINUE THE HUNT

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win heaps of signed books by me, Lynne Matson, and more authors you'll love! To enter, you need to know that 27 may be the best number EVER. I'm not kidding. My wedding anniversary is May 27 and so is my sister's . . . and I can eat 27 Thin Mints in less than the time it takes to complete this Hunt (this last one may or may may not be true.;D) Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the blue team and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

To keep going on your quest for world domination the hunt, you need to check out the next author
, Maureen McGowen! :)


BUT BEFORE YOU GO...

Last but not least, I'm so glad you stopped by! And to say thanks for stopping by my blog, as a bonus #YASH giveaway, I'm giving away a NIL swag pack AND a secret YA Valentines book!:) Enter below, and don't forget to tell me in the comments which YA Valentine books you're most excited about! Good luck!
xo
Lynne

92 comments:

  1. My favorite number is 27 too! My birthday is the 7th month the second day. Then two of my siblings were born on October 27 (different years), and another on November 27. That has to be lucky!

    Thanks for participating! I kind of want to read ALL of the 14 Valentines, but I'd definitely start with No Place To Fall by Jaye Robin Brown, because she gave me some excellent writing advice and a critique of my pitch during #PitchWars in December. Now I'm very curious about her novel, and I want to be sure I read it after all the help and encouragement she offered me. :)

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    1. OMG-LOVE!!!!! And listen to this: my oldest son was born on October 27 too--how crazy is that?! 27 rocks.:)

      And congrats on the #PItchWars success--and JRo is AWESOME as a coach and as a writer. I've been fortunate enough to read her book, and it was AMAZING. NO PLACE TO FALL is totally worth the wait! :)

      Thank you so much for stopping by!:)

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  2. I definitely want to read Daughters of Chaos by Jen McConnel and The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes. I'm so happy I found them!

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  3. I'm really looking forward to SNOW LIKE ASHES.

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  4. Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate! The ultimate Valentine's day book as there is both sorrow and happiness, not just one type of lovey-dovey story. Thanks so much for participating in the hunt:)

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    1. I read that and it's awesome! LK is fantastic.

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  5. Can't wait to read Snow Like Ashes!

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  6. I want to read Daughter of Chaos, and Fire & Flood

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  7. ooh I want to read all of them, esp. Nil by you. :D I just found out about it b/c of the hunt! I love finding new authors to look out for. Thanks for the giveaway and for being part of the tour.

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    1. Yay! Thanks Tiffany! :) And thank you for stopping by! Happy reading!

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  8. I can’t wait to read any of them, especially Nil, Prisoner of Night and Fog and many others :) Thanks for the amazing giveaway!

    Rabiah

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    1. Thank you Rabiah! I kinda like NIL too ;) and I thought PON&F was incredible.:) Happy hunting!

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  9. I am so excited to read a lot of them! Nil, The Murder Complex, Tabula Rasa, Burn Out, Landry Park, and Prisoner of Night and Fog are the ones that I am extra excited to read!

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    1. Guess what Shannon? LANDRY PARK is the sekrit Val book I'm giving away! Good luck!!!! And thanks for the NIL shout out!:)

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  10. I can't wait to read The Art of Lainey, Nil and The Break Up Artist!

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    1. Thanks Amy! :) Of course I love NIL, but I also adored both The Breakup Artist and the Art of Lainey. MICAH = *swoony* :)

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  11. I want to read just about all of them, but I'm most excited for NIL, SNOW LIKE ASHES and THE ART OF LAINEY! Thanks for the giveaway! Yay for YASH!

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  12. Since I haven't read NIL yet, obviously NIL, Tabula Rasa, The Murder Complex and Burn Out

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  13. I'm excited for The Art of Lainey and NIL. They look awesome! Thanks so much for participating in YASH!! :D

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  14. The Die for Me trilogy by Amy Plum! :)

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  15. The one I'm the most excited for is Prisoner of Night and Fog. Others are Landry Park and NIL :) Thank you for this awesome giveaway.

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  16. Do I have to pick just one!!! I want to read them all ;) Nil, Defy and Snow Like Ashes are high up there. All are on my wishlist though :)

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  17. Just gonna pick one and say I'd like to read Snow Like Ashes because I'm a sucker for epic fantasy and YA mashups ;D Thanks for the giveaway and for participating in the YA Scavenger Hunt! :D

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  18. I'm so excited for Prisoner of Night and Fog!

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  19. I haven't read any of them yet, sadly. But most of them are already on my to read list, and the rest are sneaking their way on the list now. If I had to pick just one, I'd say Prisoner of Night and Fog, only because it was personally recommended to me by a good blogger friend who swears I will enjoy it. But they all look great.

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  20. Landry Park but the others look just as good.

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  21. Besides NIL of course, I'm excited for The Break-Up Artist, The Art of Lainey, and Snow Like Ashes!

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  22. NIL is my favorite, and I'm not just saying that - it was amazing! But I also liked Defy and Summer on the Short Bus, and I'm reading Burn Out now. I can't wait for Prisoner of Night and Fog, The Break Up Artist, and especially The Murder Complex!

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  23. IM REALLY EXCITED FOR SNOW LIKE ASHES!!!!

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  24. I'm really excited about Snow like Ashes and Nil

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  25. I have a long list but looking forward to NIL for sure!

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  26. I am so excited for Snow Like Ashes!!!

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  27. I am so excited for Snow Like Ashes and NIL :)

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  28. We read (and LOVED) DEFY and read LANDRY PARK, too. Super excited for THE BREAKUP ARTIST, THE ART OF LAINEY, SNOW LIKE ASHES, and NO PLACE TO FALL. SO many awesome books!

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  29. All of them look so good! I already read Defy and really liked it. I am probably most excited to read The Art of Lainey because it looks really cute!
    -Jules

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  30. I am most excited for No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown!

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  31. I am excited about Snow like Ashes, by Sara Raasch

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  32. 1110cg
    I am excited to read Janette Rallison's valentines day e-book package.

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  33. Defy sounds awesome! Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  34. I would love to read No Place to Fall and The Art of Lainey :)
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway :)

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  35. I really want to read the Art of Lainey, it looks really good!

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  36. Besides wanting to read NIL, I'm really excited for The Murder Complex! :)
    Thanks for an awesome giveaway and for taking part in the scavenger hunt! xx

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  37. I wouldn't mind reading Defy, or Nil :3

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  38. I reeeeeaaally want to read Nil!! It looks so exciting:) Other than that, maybe Defy. :)) xx

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  39. hmm, tricky seeing as in WAles, we don't seem to get half of the books in the shop but.. 'NIL' and 'The Murder COmplex'! P.s> thanks for doing YA

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  40. many books i want to read in YA Vanlentine. Nil and Prisoner of night and fog have to be my two choices.

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  41. Thank you for the epic giveaway!!! ;D

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    1. I am exceptionally excited for Nil. (BIG fan of LOST, so...)

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  42. I'm excited to read Nil and The Murder Complex!

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  43. I've only read Defy so far but the book was amazing!! But I'm so so excited to read the other books as well, especially Nil and Prisoner of Night and Fog!

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  44. No Place to Fall and The Art of Lainey :)

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  45. Oh there is so many!! I have been very excited about Nil and Dorothy must die ^^

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  46. OMG theres too many i want to read tham ALL!!!! id probably say NIL, defy and laundry park are the top of my list!!

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  47. I'm excited the most for Nil & The Murder Complex :) But it's really hard to choose, they all sound awesome !!!

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  48. This is an awesome giveaway, thanks so much! So, yeah, I pretty much want to read EBERY YA Valentines book - that's not evidence of a problem, is it?! ;-) I've read DEFY and LANDRY PARK, and I pre-ordered SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS, so obviously I was excited about those! But I'd say the next ones I'm super excited about are SNOW LIKE ASHES, NO PLACE TO FALL, DAUGHTER OF CHAOS, and NIL!!! Can't wait to read all of these!

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  49. I'm looking forward to reading Daughter of Chaos, Prisoner of Night & Fog, Defy, Snow Like Ash, NIL and Landry Park

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  50. Thanks for the extra giveaway! The YA Valentine books I'm most excited about are Nil and Burn Out =]

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  51. Thanks for the bonus giveaway! I'm looking forward to Defy and NIL

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  52. Uhh, Burn Out, NIL,Tabula Rasa, The Art of Lainey, and Snow Like Ashes! Those are the ones I don't have that I'm excited about. :D

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  53. I am most excited for Landry Park, The Art of Lainey and The murder complex.

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  54. I can't wait to read Prisoner of Night and Fog - love historical fiction.

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  56. I want to read Daughter of Chaos and definitely Nil! Thank you for this giveaway! :)
    -Cindy C.

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  57. I'm actually reading Daughter of Chaos right now! Witches, magic, AND Greek mythology?? Totally in love!

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  58. I'm most excited about Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate because I have read a lot of her stuff and it is amazing.

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  59. I can't wait to read Nil, Silver Shadows, and The Winner's Curse! Thanks for the bonus giveaway! :)

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  60. All of them! That's the point of debuts though right? Wanting to read all of them. Thanks for participating in YASH!

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  61. I'm intrigued by Defy, The Murder Complex, and Defy. Thanks for being awesome!

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  62. I can't wait for Nil, Defy and The Art of Lainey!! They all sound soo good!

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  63. Thanks for the awesome giveaway! Would it be wrong to say I'm excited for ALL THE BOOKS?! Because I totally am! To be more specific I really need to read Nil and the Art of Lainey, like now! And I recently read Defy and LOVED it! I'm going to the bookstore today so hopefully some of my dreams shall come true! Thanks so much for participating in YASH! Great post! :-)

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  64. I've already read The Art of Lainey and The Break Up Artist and loved them both! I'm really excited about reading Landry Park, Defy, and, of course, NIL!

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  65. I am super excited to read NIL, Landry Park and The Murder Complex!

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  66. Guess How Much I love You by Sam McBratney

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  67. Oh my goodness, there are so many books on that list that I want to read! Snow Like Ashes, The Murder Complex, The Art of Lainey, Daughter of Chaos, Landry Park! And I LOVED NIL! <3
    Thanks for the giveaway! :D

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  68. I have quite a few books that I want to read. Most of them are sequels that aren't coming out until later today or next year. :( Ensnared by A.G. Howard and Oblivion by Kelly Creagh are the two at the very top of the list!

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  69. I'm really looking forward to Nil (since I haven't had a chance to read it), Burn Out, Prisoner of Night and Fog, The Murder Complex and Snow Like Ashes.
    Thanks for a giveaway! :)

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  70. The Break Up Artist. It looks AMAZING! in a kind of messed up kind of a way.

    Thanks for the giveaway (kashtastic on rafflcopter)

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  71. I'm really excited about SNOW LIKE ASHES - sounds right up my alley!

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  72. I'm really looking forward to reading The Art of Lainey and Landry Park!

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