Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Traveling and reading are the best ways to build empathy. Last year, I designed an empathy challenge to add a zero-cost travel program to librarians' and teachers' summer reading programs.

You can read about why I created the empathy challenge at .Ìý

This year, I've tweaked the sheet and there are PRIZES!

If your teens or tweens complete a line or column of this year's empathy challenge, tell me how many (very) small prizes to ship to your school or library. If someone completes every square before August 31st, I'll ship an additional prize for them.

Also new this year: I'm offering a grand prize. At one school or library,ÌýI'll teach a writing workshop, talk about empathy, talk about authoring, or some combination of the three...at no expense to you, no matter where you live in the United States. (The travel is on me, too!) Each school or library where at least ten students complete at least one row or column of the empathy challenge is eligible to win the grand prize.Ìý

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To receive your small prizes or enter to win the grand prize, head to the

I'll be talking about my books in Chagrin Falls on October 13th and in Columbus on October 14th.Ìý

Saturday, October 13th at 1 p.m.

I'll read from Antipodes, talk about both of my YA novels and, sign copies.

Fireside Book Shop
29 N Franklin St,
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
​Sunday, October 14th at 1 p.m.

I'll read an excerpt, talk about writing life, and (probably) enthuse about how much Columbus has changed since I moved away.

The Book Loft
631 S 3rd St.
Columbus, OH 43206

Hi! I'm Michele Bacon, your host for this leg of the hunt. My realistic contemporary novels teem with rich characters and beautiful landscapes.Ìý

(If you are new to this and want to play for fabulous prizes, find the skinnyÌý)

I'm on the blue team this season, so you'll find my secret number in blue somewhere in this post. Add the numbers of the 20 members of the blue team, andÌýÌýto win 20 free books! Here they are:
​A copy of my new book (Antipodes, about an ambitious American teen forced to study abroad in New Zealand to augment her flagging Ivy League prospects) is included in the Blue Team Prize for this season's hunt, but I also am offering a separate prize: a finished copy ofÌý´¡²Ô³Ù¾±±è´Ç»å±ð²õÌýand fun swag related to the book.ÌýEntering the drawing for my bonus prize is simple: follow me onÌý! For an additional chance to win,Ìýleave a comment on this blog post naming the place you're most keen to visit. For still more chances to win, tweet about my prize.
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Now that you know what you're playing for, on to the hunt!
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This season, I'm hosting Gina Ciocca, author ofÌýA Kiss in the Dark,ÌýBusted, andÌýLast Year's Mistake.ÌýGina Ciocca graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in English, but in her mind, she never left high school. She relocated from Connecticut to Georgia, where she lives with her husband and son. When she's not reading or writing, you can find her taking long walks around the lake in her neighborhood.Ìý
​Take it away, Gina!


Thank you, Michele, for hosting me.

​The book I’m featuring for the hunt is BUSTED, my second novel, the middle sibling to LAST YEAR’S MISTAKE (Simon Pulse, 2015) and A KISS IN THE DARK (Simon Pulse, 2018). It’s a super-fun, Veronica-Mars-meets-Ten-Things-I-Hate-About-You story of Marisa, a girl who unwittingly becomes the go-to spy for catching cheating boyfriends at her high school. But things take an unexpected twist when Marisa finds herself falling for TJ, one of the boys she’s supposed to be busting.
If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may know that I am a huge Smallville fan, and that I have (somewhat unintentionally) slipped a Superman reference into all three of my published books.
For my bonus content, I wanted to share a story about the Superman references specific to BUSTED, and the Inception-like way they came full circle when I attended a Smallville panel at Dragon Con in September.

Here goes:
BUSTED, Page 114: TJ explains to Marisa why purple is known as “the imperial color:�

During the Smallville Panel at Dragon Con, Tom Welling mentioned how easy his wardrobe was as Clark Kent. It was either blue shirt + red jacket, or red shirt + blue jacket. To which Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) responded, "Why was I always in suits? And why did I wear so much purple?�
And that was when my jaw dropped. Because Tom turned to Michael and, in almost the same words TJ had used, explained why the color purple might be symbolic on a rich, powerful man like Lex Luthor:

I couldn’t believe my ears. I mean�
Plus, the exchange took place 88 pages after I slipped in a reference to Lois Lane�


� And not to mention that the loft in TJ’s barn is 100% a love note to Clark’s loft in Smallville.

So my book containing Superman and Smallville references was referenced by my favorite Superman from Smallville, and that is how a panel at Dragon Con turned into my Inception moment.
Happy Hunting! And if you’d like the chance to find the Superman references in my other books, be sure to stop by my blog!Ìý

Thanks, Gina!

What do you think, hunters? She had me atÌýVeronica Mars!ÌýI've spent 4153 hours watching the original series. Gina's series wasn't on my radar, but now copies are on hold for me downtown. Get on that!

Thanks for stopping by, hunters! Your next step is

The fabulous staff atÌýÌýis hosting my launch party tonight!

Tuesday, April 3rd, at 7:00 p.m.*
Secret Garden Bookshop
2214 NW Market St, Seattle, WA 98107
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​The event isÌý

I love scavenger hunts. Love them! In years past, 1977 and I hosted a daylong event called Bacon Hunt. Formerly known as The Amazing Scavenger Race Hunt, every Bacon Hunt incorporated elements of The Amazing Race and an epic scavenger hunt.

​Hmmm...it's about time for another one of those. Mark your calendars for May 19th, 2018.

But this post isn't about us, it's about YOU. You're on the YA Scavenger Hunt, and it is ON!(If you are new to this and want to play for fabulous prizes, find the skinnyÌý)

I'm on the green team this season, so you'll find my secret number in green somewhere in this post. Add the numbers of the 20 members of the red team, andÌýÌýto win 20 free books! Here they are:​A copy of my new book (Antipodes, which publishes TODAY!) is included in the Green Team Prize for this season's hunt, but I also am offering a separate prize: a finished copy ofÌýAntipodes and fun swag related to the book.ÌýEntering the drawing for my bonus prize is simple: follow me onÌý! For an additional chance to win,Ìýleave a comment on this blog post indicating the most gorgeous place you've ever visited. Now you know what you're playing for, so on to the hunt!Ìý​â€�
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​This season, I'm hosting bestselling authorÌýDawn Ius,Ìýauthor of three contemporary young adult novels published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)--Anne & Henry,ÌýOverdrive, and the forthcomingÌýLizzie, April 2018, as well as 15 educational graphic novels for the Alberta Canola Producers Commission, and a TV script for the forthcoming animated Nickolodeon show, "Rainbow Rangers."
â€� Dawn's newest book,ÌýLizzie, isÌýan edge-of-your-seat reimagining of one of the most chilling mysteries in modern history—Lizzie Borden.

And it releases NEXT WEEK!

I'm hosting Dawn this season, and she's eager to tell you why she was inspired to write this particular story.Ìý
I love creating writing playlists.
Ìý
In fact, I can waste hours, days, even weeks crafting a perfect combination of songs—lyrics that move me, uplift me, make me laugh or cry. The playlist becomes so ingrained in my mind that months—years even—after the book is published, those songs will still remind me of a specific scene, a line of dialogue, an action sequence�
Ìý
I broke pattern with LIZZIE though. It’s not that I wrote in silence, so much, but rather, I couldn’t come up with a collection of tunes. Instead, I replayed just one.
Ìý

Ìý
It’s maybe a bit ironic that a song about being ALIVE was my inspiration for a book that deals with a lot (a lot!) of death, but the emotion in that song is unparalleled. Whenever I hear it, I get this pit in my stomach, a sense of sadness and dread that never fully goes away.
Ìý
I kind of imagine that’s how Lizzie—at least the Lizzie Borden in my book—felt so much of her life: numb…when all she really wanted was to feel alive.Ìý

Thanks, Dawn!

You can follow Dawn or check out . You can findÌýLizzie

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You're on the Green Team's hunt, and now you're off to visit my fellow Seattle author (and poet!)Ìý! Janel and I haveÌý59Ìýfriends in common, but we've never met.ÌýI hope you've enjoyed this season's hunt.ÌýHappyÌýhunting!

Oh. Wow. So. This will be aÌýsuper secretÌýscreen shot, because this is a skirt Santa is putting in my stocking. I saw it somewhere and HAD to have it.

All women's clothing should include pockets, but a skirt with pocketsÌýmade from the Marauder's Map?ÌýÌýI had to have it.Ìý

I now own it, but cannot wear it until I am quite surprised to find it Christmas morning. I love being Santa.

I love scavenger hunts. Love them! In years past, 1977 and I hosted a daylong event called Bacon Hunt. Formerly known as The Amazing Scavenger Race Hunt, every Bacon Hunt incorporated elements of The Amazing Race and an epic scavenger hunt.

​Hmmm...it's about time for another one of those. Mark your calendars for Mary 19th, 2018.

But this post isn't about us, it's about YOU. You're on the YA Scavenger Hunt, and it is ON!(If you are new to this and want to play for fabulous prizes, find the skinnyÌý)

I'm on the red team this season, so you'll find my secret number in red somewhere in this post. Add the numbers of the 20 members of the red team, andÌýÌýto win 20 free books! Here they are:
​A copy of my first book is included in the Red Team Prize for this season's hunt, but I also am offering a separate prize: a finished copy ofÌýLife Beforeâ€� PLUS an ARC of my new book, Antipodes. Entering the drawing for my bonus prize is simple: follow me onÌý! For an additional chance to win,Ìýleave a comment on this blog post indicating your favorite contemporary YA novel.
â€� Now you know what you're playing for, so on to the hunt!Ìý​â€�

​This season, I'm hosting bestselling authorÌý, author ofÌýFamous by Default.ÌýMK has always been a voracious reader. After hitting a dry spell of reading material, she decided to write the kind of book she'd like to read.


Here'sÌý:
I wrote my first Young Adult Paranormal novel (The Reader) originally as a stand-alone. But with some coaxing (in some cases begging � lol) I decided to write a sequel. Below is an exclusive (unedited) sneak peek at the first part of Chapter One.
Ìý
Chapter One
Archer
Cannon Beach, Oregon
I should be dead.
Ìý Ìý ÌýPain shot through me like someone had pierced my heart with an ice pick.Ìý I lowered my head and closed my eyes. God, the rejection was as physical as it could get.
Ìý Ìý ÌýWhy didn’t I just stay in Samara and get blown to bits with the other Jacks? Ìý
Ìý Ìý Ìý “Are you okay?â€� A girl’s voice cut through my fog.
Ìý Ìý ÌýHow long had I been sitting on the bench staring at the ocean this time? Correction. Staring at Ann. I hadn’t been aware someone sat right next to me.
Ìý Ìý ÌýI shot the girl beside me a quick glance. Pretty. Probably eighteen or so. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. Most guys would sit up and take notice. The only girl I could see, or would ever want to look at, was a hundred yards away. With her husband. My cousin and former best friend.
Ìý Ìý ÌýI hated him almost as much as I loved her.
Ìý Ìý Ìý“Beautiful family,â€� she observed.
Ìý Ìý ÌýWhatever. I pushed down the searing pain and took a deep breath to keep my pounding heart steady. “I like to people watch. It can be entertaining,â€� I told her as I turned away from Ann and stared at the ocean. The intruder needed to leave before I snapped.
Ìý Ìý Ìý“Do you know them?â€� The girl tipped her head in the direction of my obsession.
Ìý Ìý ÌýThe words slipped out before I could filter.Ìý “I knew a girl like her a long time ago. I loved her deeply.â€� I wanted to stop but kept going. “But I made mistakes and I couldn’t fix them.â€� What was wrong with me? I hadn’t talked to anyone in two years and now I was giving this stranger my life story. I shifted my glance toward her. Two clear blue innocent eyes stared back at me.
Ìý Ìý ÌýJust a normal girl sitting with me on the bench.
Ìý Ìý Ìý“That’s too bad.â€� She frowned.
Ìý Ìý ÌýI turned my eyes back to Ann. She laughed as she dipped her son’s toes into the lapping waves.
Ìý Ìý Ìý“Did you ever try to make things right?â€� the girl asked.
Ìý Ìý Ìý“I sacrificed my happiness for hers.â€� And handed her right over to Devon, my best friend. “Painful, but worth it.â€� My thoughts drifted back to the night of the explosion. “I saved her life, but it was her who really saved mine.â€�
Ìý Ìý ÌýThe girl placed her hand over her heart. “Oh, that’s so romantic.â€�
Ìý Ìý ÌýI stifled an eye roll. It wasn’t romantic. I’d lost Ann forever. Misery rippled through me like the waves assaulting the shore a short distance away. A mortal would never understand. All of them were the same. So simplistic.
Ìý Ìý Ìý“Will you see her again?â€�
Ìý Ìý Ìý“No,â€� I said while staring directly at Ann.
Ìý Ìý Ìý“Hey,â€� the girl said softly.
Ìý Ìý ÌýI forced my gaze away from Ann to the stranger’s ice blue eyes. Unusual color.Ìý “Yeah?â€�
Ìý Ìý Ìý“I know what it’s like. You know, being alone.â€�
Ìý Ìý ÌýI almost laughed. I wanted to ask, Oh, you do? You know what it’s like to be living with people for thousands of years and yet be completely alone? To form friendships knowing there would be a day you’d have to make a choice and maybe betray them? To trust your mother only to find out she was an imposter? To finally fall in love, have it change everything, and then lose her at the last moment?
Ìý Ìý ÌýI could never get closer to Ann than I was right now, partially hidden by an ancient boulder and some beach scrub. Devon would either kill me on the spot or put me in the Colorado Compound. Out of the two choices, I’d go with death. The Jail Compound was built as an example to all The Readers. If you committed murder you were sent there for all eternity. An eight by ten box without windows or any human interaction. Only scraps of food thrown in a few times a day. Dark, musty, and cold. A living hell. I shivered remembering my last visit. Torment and the lack of hope were the only visible signs of life in the inmate’s eyes. They’d be better off dead.
Ìý Ìý ÌýI had killed my friend Marcus and betrayed the Readers, so I had a one-way ticket with my name on it. ÌýIf I killed Marcus, why couldn’t I remember it? The bench below me felt like cold marble. Atarah. She posed as my mom for over two thousand years. Pure evil. I wondered what part she played in this.
Ìý Ìý ÌýI shook off the idea. Didn’t matter. I’d never know. The Readers would never believe me anyway and Atarah was long dead. The truth died with her and all the Jacks when Samara was annihilated. All of them except for one.
Ìý Ìý ÌýAs long as I could see Ann and know she was okay was good enough for me. I didn’t need anyone or anything else. I deserved to be alone and accepted it.
Ìý Ìý Ìý“Are you okay?â€� the girl asked for the second time.
Ìý Ìý ÌýNo. “I usually sit here alone.â€� Take the hint and leave.
Ìý Ìý Ìý“Oh.â€� Her voice dropped. “It’s just that, well—â€�
Ìý Ìý ÌýThe ground beneath us began to shake. Ìý“What was that?â€� I scanned the beach and all I could make out was the short grass blowing in the breeze. Ìý“An earthquake?â€� Ann and her family were the only people in sight and continued to splash around in the shallow waves like nothing had happened. The houses behind me stood solid, no difference. Must be my imagination. But something was off. Where were all the seagulls?
Ìý Ìý ÌýThe girl lowered her head and closed her eyes. “No, no, no,â€� she gasped.
Ìý Ìý ÌýThe ground continued to shake. “I think it’s just a little earthquake.â€� I pointed behind us. “Look, the houses all look fine. No damage.â€�
Ìý Ìý ÌýShe lifted her head slowly and we locked eyes. Arctic eyes. Blue like a glacier. A chill ran down my spine.
Ìý Ìý Ìý“What’s going on?â€� I asked. In her eyes, something shimmered. What the hell?
Ìý Ìý Ìý She blinked slowly. “The epicenter is ninety miles offshore. That means you have fourteen minutes to warn Ann and her family to get to higher ground before the wave hits.â€�
Ìý Ìý ÌýI grabbed her shoulders. “What are you talking about. How did—â€� I dropped my hands. A buzzing sensation had started at my fingertips and worked down my arms. “Who are you?â€� I shouted and stood to shake out my arms.
Ìý Ìý Ìý​“I’m, I’m…no one. Forget you saw me.â€�
Ìý Ìý Ìý“The hell I will. How do you know about Ann? Is this a trap?â€� I yelled at the girl. Her eyes bulged and she shook her head. “Tell me right now.â€�
Ìý Ìý Ìý“I can’t.â€�

Thanks for reading! ÌýI should have it ready for publication by the end of 2017.Ìý? Add it to your Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ list here.Ìý

Thank you for sharing, MK!

​And thanks to you, hunters, for participating! You will find MK Harkins on herÌý,Ìý, andÌýgoodreads.Ìý You're on the Red Team's hunt, and now you're off to visit award-winning novelistÌý

Today, in lieu of Screen Shot Sunday (which is totally going to take off, I swear,) I'm posting the cover of my new novel, Antipodes, which publishes Tuesday April 3rd, 2018.

That night, we'll have a party (and cake, of course) at Secret Garden Books in Ballard. Come join us!

Antipodes is a slice-of-life story about ambitious 17-year-old Erin Cerise, whose carefully plotted life suddenly implodes just before her 17th birthday. To rescue her flagging Ivy League prospects, Erin is forced to study abroad on New Zealand’s gorgeous South Island. What began as a social exile becomes much more as Erin experiences cultural clashes and tremendous personal growth through competitive swimming, music, friendship, and--of course--love.

Yeah...that's a Magic Card. And it's one of my favorites. In our previous life (read: before 2008 was born,) 1977 and I played a lot of Magic: The Gathering.Ìý

One rainy Labor Day weekend, we bought two booster boxes so we could draft and play all weekend. (We also had more disposable income then.)

I'm not sure why I screen-shotted the Woolly Mammoths, but I know I loved the Ice Age expansion. And the 9th edition flyers. And I loved playing with blue flyers and spells, green creatures, Shocks, and Lava Axes.

We should get back to that...in ourÌýinfiniteÌý​free time.

The Internet hosts HEAPS of advice for new writers and new authors. I do not weigh in on those, because publishing is a business where your mileage may vary. I'm doing what works for me!

Today, I have a single piece of advice for new authors: think carefully about your cover art. My publisher and I agreed on the cover forÌýLife Before, and it truly fits the story, but I hadn't realized it would be everywhere. It's on my business cards, all over my website, on posters when I speak at book stores, and on name tags at book events. The cover was perfect for Xander, but I'm not really a dirty Chucks kind of girl.

Next Thursday, we're revealing my new cover. It's beautiful. I'll be buying new business cards and revamping my website as soon as possible! ​Photo credits for the above: Mira Thomt, Abra Johnson and Carlos Barradas