ŷ������

Telling someone her writing is private and secured with a password is an agreement. If you have administrator's access to that writing and read it despite the agreement, you have gained illegal access. And lost my trust.��

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.

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 skinny��)

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, and����to win 20 free books! Here they are: ​A copy of my book is included in the Red Team Prize for this season's hunt, but I also am offering a separate prize: a��Life Before�� prize pack. Entering the drawing for my bonus prize is simple: follow me on��! For an additional chance to win,��leave a comment on this blog post indicating the best contemporary YA book you've read recently. Now that you know what you're playing for, on to the hunt!��
​This season, I'm hosting Kristi Helvig,��a Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist turned sci-fi/fantasy writer. You can find her musing about space monkeys, Star Trek, and other random topics on her blog and . Kristi resides in sunny Colorado with her hubby, kids, and behaviorally-challenged dogs. Find out more about Kristi .��
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�� Kristi is one of��the authors of��OFF BEAT: Nine Spins on Song.��​​Inspired by favorite songs, nine fantasy and science fiction authors spin tales of adventure, intrigue, mystery, and horror.��You can find OFF BEAT.
Today, Kristi is sharing the story inspiration for her next book,��The Boy Who Wasn’t There.��I'll let her tell it:
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When Wicked Ink Books decided the next anthology would involve writing a short story inspired by a song, I thought it was a cool idea but had no clue what song I wanted to use. As I’ve said before, I’m hugely inspired by music, and my BURN OUT series was partly inspired by a song which caused a vivid dream that became the foundation of the series. That particular song was Center of the Sun by Conjure One and it gave me chills when I’d heard it, which doesn’t often happen to me.
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Anyway, I told my husband I needed song inspiration and the next night, he walked up and slipped headphones over my ears, saying I needed to hear a song. I’d heard Imagine Dragons before and loved them, but had only heard the songs that were played on the radio. The song he played for me was��Amsterdam, and it was the first time since hearing the Conjure One song that I got literal chills while listening. I closed my eyes, and saw a guy in a dark hoodie standing in a downpour in the middle of a street in Amsterdam. In that moment, I knew this was the song, and that my story involved a boy with a troubled past searching for redemption in the streets of Amsterdam. This idea merged with my own trip to Amsterdam with my sister in my early 20’s. One afternoon, my sister and I got lost and ended up in the red light district. We could not find our way out and I remember being shocked at the girls in the windows who looked my age or even younger. I’d grown up in the suburbs where all the teenage girls did “normal�� things like go to school, join student government, play sports, etc. so I wondered in what alternate reality could I have ended up in a window. One of my all-time favorite movies is Sliding Doors, and I always think about how your life can end up completely different based on just one decision or one circumstance being different.
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So my story is about Max, the guy in the hoodie, and a girl in the window, Skye, and how circumstance throws them together in a way that threatens both their lives but also offers hope. The ending of the story is the most personal thing I’ve ever shared in my writing because it happened to me, but that’s a story for another time. I hope you enjoy The Boy Who Wasn’t There and the other stories inspired by song by the fabulous authors in OFF BEAT: Nine Spins on Song. I’m giving away a copy of OFF BEAT on my blog stop at so make sure you stop by to enter.

Thank you for sharing, Kristi!

And thanks, hunters, for participating! Now you're off to visit , author of It's a book I could have used as a teen. I can count at least 23 cases of unrequited love in my own life. And I probably only had eight or nine cases or requited love. My stats aren't great...but I got it right in the end!

Click��

This season's YA Scavenger Hunt is now closed. I had heaps of fun planning and playing this year; did you?

Prize notifications will be out soon.

I hope you had a great hunt, and that you join us next spring for the next installment. Until then, HAPPY READING!

AHello hunters!��​The YA Scavenger Hunt is on! If you want to play for fabulous prizes, find the skinny

I'm on the blue team. You'll find my favorite number highlighted in blue somewhere in this post. Add the numbers of the twenty members of the blue team, and to win 20 free books! These ones:
A copy of my book is included in the Blue Team Prize for this season's hunt, but I also am offering a separate prize: a Life Before�� prize pack. Entering the drawing for my bonus prize is simple: follow me on ! For an additional chance to win,��leave a comment on this blog post indicating the best YA book you've read recently. Now that you know what you're playing for, on to the hunt! This season, I'm hosting Julie Reece, author of One Summer with Autumn.����
​��​Julie writes YA stories, many of which are inspired by life in the southeastern states where she grew up. She's passionate about family, friends, animals, underdogs, and writing, but bubble baths and dark chocolate make the list, too.

Julie writes romance and fantasy, including Crux, The Artisans , The Paladins (Artisans #2) , and Tidal Whispers ..

​Her latest novel,��One Summer with Autumn, publishes October 18th from Swoon Romance.
And look at that cover!��It looks swoony, right?

Here's the scoop on Julie's new book:

Seventeen-year-old Autumn Teslow arrives at her father’s job fair knowing she’ll never measure up to the perfect image of daddy’s little girl—her twin sister.��

Wearing anger management issues like a second skin won’t help Autumn win her dad’s approval for the big trip she’s been planning—or meet his condition that she successfully complete a summer internship for college.��​Autumn’s cool unravels when her sister lectures against disappointing the family again. And when a young, bearded guy steps through the crowd to settle the growing argument between siblings, Autumn lashes out, dubbing him a “Duck Dynasty wannabe.”��

At Nineteen, Caden Behr is clueless as to why his man parts are threatened by the fearsome girl before him. He'd only come to find an intern for his recreational equipment company, not break up a girl-fight between two sisters.��

Unfortunately, the only candidate left is the girl who just told him off. Without her, he’ll never prove to his CEO mother that he’s ready for more responsibility.��

Autumn and Caden agree that if they can keep from killing one another, they can use one another to get what they want and then never have to see each other again. Which is what they want.��

Until it isn’t.��
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Because despite her best efforts to scare him off, and his fading desire to push her into the lake, they’re beginning to enjoy the time they spend together. But pride is a hard habit to break. And if neither will admit their changing feelings, they could lose a whole lot more than one summer.
​Wowsers! With that, I'll turn it over to Julie!


Hey everyone!
I’m so excited to be a part of YASH 2017 this Fall. I guess every writer has a moment or two where they dream about their book becoming a movie. I can’t imagine how cool it is to see your characters come to life on the big screen. Now, as a writer, I put words to paper but I’m actually a super visual person. I can see my characters clearly in my head. It’s nearly impossible to find an actor or model to perfectly replicate the person in your mind, but I tried to find some very pretty people who would play the parts well, I’m betting.

Want to see? Okay, thanks! I’ll introduce you.��Dream cast of characters coming up. And here we go ��
​Meet Autumn, played by the fabulous Zoey Deutch. In addition to being a moody, artsy type girl, Autumn has some anger management issues. She has plenty of reasons for this fact, and her defense is often a snarky, tough exterior. I don’t know her, but I have a feeling Zoey is feisty enough to pull that off well.
​Meet Silas, played by Marlon Teixeira. Silas is too handsome for his own good and that might be true of Marlon as well. *fans face* Silas skates by on humor, charm (and a solid dose of denial), but he’s had some heartbreak and is a bit lost. He’s hoping a deal with the unpredictable Autumn will turn things around this summer. I think Marlon and Zoey would have the right chemistry, don’t you?
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​Next we have Sydney, Autumn’s twin sister played by gorgeous Olivia Holt. Confused by the dissimilarities between sisters? You’re not alone. It’s part of the problem. Olivia looks so sweet, right?�� But it also seems to me as if she’s got a secret or two in that smile. Maybe not all her secrets are nice. That’s why she’s perfect to play Sydney.
​Okay, and now we have Piper, played by the lovely Caroline Sunshine. Piper has been friends with Silas since they were babies. Their families are close and their moms are best buds. But Silas and Piper are just friends, right? Right ��? Uh oh.
​This is Quinn played by the handsome Grey Damon. Quinn is big brother to Silas and the oldest of the family’s three boys. Quinn is smart and helps run the family business. He also has the unfortunate habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. He’s cute and easily forgiven, but man, can he ever make things awkward.
​Meet Quinn’s beautiful bride Jesse, played by the equally beautiful Bella Thorne. When Silas overcomplicates things with Autumn, Jesse tries to mediate. She may be a tad bossy in her new role as big sister, but her insights about Autumn are spot on. Silas would be wise to pay attention. I think Bella could play the understanding older sibling perfectly!
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In my dream cast, I’d have Evandro Soldati in the role of Dexter, Silas�� middle brother. He’s so hot it hurts, a prankster and all-around trouble. Evandro’s smile has the same sort of irresistible charm. I think he’d make a fantastic Dex.
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​Last but never least, this is Alexander, played by Richard Harmon. Alex is Autumn’s guitar-playing ex-boyfriend. And because her life isn’t complicated enough, Alex has something he wants to talk about, never mind it’s just not a good time. As an artist myself, I love the sculpted bones in Richard’s face. He’s got swagger to spare. And since you’re never quite sure whether to trust Alex or not, I think Richard’s cool vibe would serve the character very well.
​That’s it, you guys. At least, those are the main players on my story. I hope you enjoyed learning a little about my characters (and the actor/model eye candy I’d choose to play them) as much as I enjoyed dreaming about them. Ha ha.

Here’s a fun Pinterest inspiration board I created for my story. If you want to see more, just click on the link below:

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And if you should read the book, thank you in advance. I’d love for you to drop me a line on , or my and tell me what you think. I truly hope you have fun and enjoy the story.
XOXO
Julie��


Thanks for playing, hunters!��​Your next stop on the blue team hunt is !

For years, I’ve had a cadre of early readers: a computer programmer, a YA librarian, a middle-school English teacher-turned-attorney, and one author. The Four have edited each of my manuscripts, first as the story is forming, and then as I am polishing the last draft. These people know all my writing tics and weaknesses, and together they spot every mistake.


I love them dearly.


Lately, though, they aren’t enough. The Four are professionals with families and—you know—their own stack of books to read! It would be unfair to ask them to read every paragraph I revise on a whim (except my spouse. Sorry, 1977.)


This summer, in my search for something more, I sought local writers who were willing to read YA and adult contemporary work. Lucky for me, my Seattle neighborhood teems with writers of all stripes.
Now I am one of six. We submit work to one another monthly and gather to critique and talk craft. Together, we write fiction, memoir, and creative nonfiction. We’re penning novels, essays, short stories, book-length memoirs, and personal histories.


If you are a writer, find a critique group. Right now. My critique world has changed my (writing) life.
Each month, five other writers review 2000 �� 5000 words I have written. When a character veers off course, they know. When I contradict myself, they know. When my writing is unclear, imprecise, offensive, or plain,��they know.


Having another writer critique a manuscript in progress is invaluable. Five others is heavenly.


We five writers approach the table with completely different perspectives. I bring the grammar, syntax, and spelling (and, let’s be frank: those things can be taught.) Kristina sees the world in images and metaphors; I’m trying to borrow her glasses. Meg is a deeply-feeling person, and is emerging as the sounding board for emotionality in a piece. Ruth focuses on structure and story, so she harnesses the big picture. Elisabeth knows when I’m breaking rules and challenges my characters�� motivation. Mary Jean knows details—what is superfluous, what is missing, and what could add to a character or story.


We complement each other. Participating fully forces me to abandon my word-count goal two or three days each month. That sacrifice is absolutely worth it.


Each month, I send my words off into the void and file the work I receive in return. For ten days, their work is a gift. When I need a break from my characters, or when I cannot write another word without clearing my head, I can read a short story, an essay, or a chapter written by these women I now call friends. And we all are better for it. Our work is better for it.


My manuscript in progress is now a whole different beast. In addition to being grammatically correct and character driven, it has feeling. It boasts a strong and nuanced structure. It includes—GASP—metaphors and imagery. It is rich and full, without overflowing. And I couldn’t have done that alone.



��
This post originally appeared on the Team Rogue YA blog.

While cleaning up my blog categories, I realized I used to write about "cake." That must have been before the whole author thing got real. (Since it "got real," my life consists of family and book-related stuff, and why-the-hell-am-I-doing-anything-not-related-to-this-book-or-the-next-book? Anxiety reigns.

But this week, there was cake. This Tuesday, I turned in my final edits for Life Before, and I celebrated with coconut cake. I'd tasted this cake at our school auction last weekend, and NEEDED more. . .but I didn't need the coconuts all over the outside. Turns out, the coconut is for show, but cardboard on the lips.

Live and learn. There will be no coconut cake at the launch party. (But there will be cake. From�� no less. Come for the chitchat, stay for the cake.

Elegantly written and heartfelt,��Tell Me Three Things��is Julie Buxbaum's YA debut.

Her characters are complex, their histories are heartbreaking, and the weight of their losses anchor the first half the book.

What I most want to say would spoil the book, so instead: read this book. It's charming.
Elegantly written and heartfelt,��Tell Me Three Things��is Julie Buxbaum's YA debut.

Barely two years after her mother's death, Jessie relocates to Los Angeles to live with her new stepmother and attend an elite school with her stepbrother. Jessie has no allies until a secretive classmate contacts her online. Her mystery friend becomes her confidante and, eventually, something more. But who is he?

Buxbaum's characters are complex, their histories are heartbreaking, and the weight of their losses anchor the first half the book.

What I most want to say would spoil the book, so instead: read this book. It's charming.


From ŷ������:

What if the person you need the most is someone you’ve never met?����
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week��of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short),��offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live��with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

The best relationships change your life. Shannon M. Parker’s beautifully written debut demonstrates that the worst relationships are just as powerful. Any teen who wants love in their life would do well to read it.

From the first few pages, readers know where Zephyr and Alec will wind up. Frankly, I questioned Parker’s choice to preface the story with a scene from the very end, but now—weeks later—I realize she’s brilliant. Because readers know where they’re headed, the book becomes a case study on abusive relationships.

Readers will feel Zephyr’s agony acutely. Zephyr’s missteps—sometimes subtle, sometimes overt—will compel readers to lead her by the hand away from Alec. Readers will want to befriend Zephyr.

Parker’s prose is great. Her friendships ring true, and she strikes the right tone throughout. In addition to being a good read, the book is two things: a cautionary tale to enter relationships with eyes wide open, and a love letter to teens who have experienced abusive relationships. The book is, itself, a hand reaching out to them.����


From the Publisher:
In this gripping YA debut, high school senior Zephyr Doyle is swept off her feet—and into an intense and volatile relationship—by the new boy in school. THE GIRL WHO FELL is a powerful and important read that School Library Journal calls, ��(a)n invaluable addition to any collection. (SLJ *STARRED REVIEW* January 1, 2016)

His obsession.
Her fall.

Zephyr is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and leaving her small town for her dream school, Boston College.

But love has a way of changing things.

Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team’s starting goaltender, Alec. He’s cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn’t judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities—he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can’t control, something she doesn’t want to control.

Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, and overwhelming, and �� terrifying?

But love shouldn’t make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn’t make you feel guilty—or worse, ashamed.

So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it’s time to take back control of her life.

If she waits any longer, it may be too late.
From the Publisher:
In this gripping YA debut, high school senior Zephyr Doyle is swept off her feet—and into an intense and volatile relationship—by the new boy in school. THE GIRL WHO FELL is a powerful and important read that School Library Journal calls, ��(a)n invaluable addition to any collection. (SLJ *STARRED REVIEW* January 1, 2016)

His obsession.
Her fall.

Zephyr is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and leaving her small town for her dream school, Boston College.

But love has a way of changing things.

Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team’s starting goaltender, Alec. He’s cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn’t judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities—he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can’t control, something she doesn’t want to control.

Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, and overwhelming, and �� terrifying?

But love shouldn’t make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn’t make you feel guilty—or worse, ashamed.

So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it’s time to take back control of her life.

If she waits any longer, it may be too late.

Starting in mid-November, our calendars and hearts are chockablock full: Thanksgiving, three family birthdays, gingerbread houses, baking, gift choosing and wrapping and giving, advent calendars, endless treats, homemade gifts, projects, school plays, parties, family visits--and that's on top of our normal, weekly activity.

Among all the holiday activities, the Book Angels Program is my favorite. When we lived in Illinois, we trekked to����every December. Their Book Angel Program invited patrons to buy books for local children in need, and we loved choosing books that other children might love.

When we moved to Seattle, our local bookshop,��' holiday giving program was defunct. Christy McDanold, the shop owner, and her staff no longer had sufficient time to run the program.

But I did. Last year, we reinstated the program and provided books for 84 children in our community.��

This year, three local schools provided children's names and book preferences. (As you might imagine, I keep a spreadsheet!)��My girls chose their angels first, and spent a while poring over bookshelves, finding the perfect titles. My parents and sister were in town when I hung the angels, so this was a family affair.

We wrapped our books to display in store, and hung 117 paper angels throughout the shop. We invited patrons to choose books, and then the magic happened.

People in our neighborhood opened their hearts and wallets to provide books for children in need. Many customers bought multiple books for their chosen children. All told, people gave more than twelve dozen books to local children.

We had piles and piles of books!��My dear friend, Kristina Cerise, accepted pizza and beer as payment for helping wrap all those gifts. (Kristina blogs--often hilariously--about motherhood .)��

Nine days before Christmas, I delivered those precious parcels to an elementary school, a middle school, and a K-8.�� I wore a Santa hat and blasted Christmas music as I drove around NW Seattle (but was totally calm and hatless inside schools, I swear.) My heart was full to bursting; delivery day was my favorite day of the year.

My family's emphasis on charitable giving and literacy dovetail perfectly in this program. I love helping people in my community, and I love bringing people to books. I hope children enjoy the books they receive. I hope their holidays are a little brighter.

And I hope to do it all again in eleven months.
��


*Photo credit: Me. It's all me. You can tell, because they're not very artful! I wish I had a photographer's eye.

Okay, procrastinators, you have four days until Christmas. Usually, my spouse shops for Christmas presents the day before we exchange gifts, so I know all about your time crunch. Advanced procrastinators, I'm here to help you with your shopping. (This will mostly help you with your holiday gift buying for people like ME.)

I've included items for your sweetie's brain (books and games), body, heart, soul, and community. �� �� Let's go!

Brain Let's start with the part that matters most. If you and your sweetie are the types to play board games, try Akrotiri from Z-Man Games. It's my favorite new two-player game. (I gave it to my partner for his birthday.) The theme is exploration in Ancient Greece; gameplay combines tile placement, hand management, and pickup & delivery.��


��

�� ​If computer games are more your speed, you MUST try "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes." One person, the defuser, handles a bomb (on your computer. Relax. It's a game.) Everyone else shares the bomb-defusal manual and provides advice to the defuser. This game is all about communication and keeping your cool. Buy it on , and don't forget .

�� ��If your sweetie is a reader, I have two recommendations. Printz winner,��I'll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson was my favorite Young Adult Book this year. Told from the perspectives of twins Jude and Noah, this beautiful, compelling story studies familial relationships, sibling rivalry, and passion. (If you want other YA that's just as good, read John Green's first novel,��Looking for Alaska,��or Rainbow Rowell's��Eleanor & Park.��Together, these are my top three YA works.) In stock
Etta and Otto and Russell and James, by Emma Hooper, is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. "Eighty-three-year-old Etta has never seen the ocean. So early one morning she takes a rifle, some chocolate, and her best boots and begins walking the 3,232 kilometers from rural Saskatchewan, Canada eastward to the sea. As Etta walks further toward the crashing waves, the lines among memory, illusion, and reality blur." It's a story of longing and self-discovery.

​Find it in your local bookstore,
�� Emma Straub's The Vacationers��is just fun. Plugged as,��An irresistible, deftly observed novel about the secrets, joys, and jealousies that rise to the surface over the course of an American family’s two-week stay in Mallorca," it's a quick and satisfying examination of who we are and who we pretend to be. It also is��in stock And one more game, for good measure. If you're more inclined to play games with many friends, try Hanabi. In this cooperative card game, you and 1-4 friends are putting on a huge fireworks display, but you need to launch the spectacle in the right order. Difficulty: you know which fireworks your friends have, but not your own. And you can provide only minimal information to your friends. In this game, again, if you fail, you blow up. (sorry.) Find it in your shop, or

Body If your sweetie is a runner (or trying to be a runner), the Brooks LSD Lite Jacket IV is the gift. It's the lightest waterproof breathable jacket I've found, and I love it. Bonus: it folds up into its own pocket. I'm a sucker for that. If you can't find it locally, can ship to you.




�� Thriftware hand warmers from Kavu, made from recycled wood. You know this is one of my favorite things, because I bought them for my own stocking. They're all different. Mine don't look exactly like that, but you can't have mine anyway, because they're MINE. Buy your own��









​H�𲹰���
​Blue Q makes sassy products, like NSFW socks. BUT, if you don't mind a bit of sass in your shoe, check our their super-fast shipping. They are friendly above the ankle (I love my job!) but often include colorful in-the-shoe commentary (Ha Ha Just Kidding.) The one featured here is TAME. The best gifts aren't "things" at all. Feed your recipient's heart and soul with an experience instead.��
��
�� I love working in the kitchen, so I find cooking and baking courses pretty awesome. Be mindful: some cooking classes involve observation only, so be specific when you're hunting: you want a hands-on class. In Seattle, that means If I had infinite free time for practice, I would want violin lessons. (I'm saving that for my 2018 Christmas list, when all the children are in school.) Maybe your sweetie is passionate about violin, piano, ballet, or ceramics. It's never too late for any of those things. Help your sweetie start today.
��
Soul
If you can go all-out, with an unlimited budget, send yourself (and your sweetie, of course,) to �� Whistler, B.C. for a week. The scenery is breathtaking, the skiing spectacular, and pizza (at Fat Tony's!) is fabulous. Whistler also boasts a fabulous little bookstore, Armchair Books, that has everything you could possibly need for cozy nights in.

Community
If I'm being honest, I have everything I need, and your sweetie might, too. Consider instead making a donation in his or her name to help people aren't as lucky as we are. People in our country and aroudn the world are in constant need of food, water, and shelter. If you don't enjoy research and just want to give, try , which is working to eradicate poverty and hunger through sustainable, values-based holistic community development. Or donate to .��