Welcome to 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 book from each author on the hunt in our team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!
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 homepage.
Scavenger Hunt Puzzle
Directions: Below, you'll notice that we've listed our favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the teal 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 April 3, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
Scavenger Hunt Post
Today, we are hosting Wendy Higgins for the YA Scavenger Hunt! We are super thrilled about this because we are HUGE fans of Wendy's work! (Cynthia's personal favorite is her book about--wait for it--hot leprechauns, SEE ME. But seriously, that book is AH-MAZING! We can't wait to read her newest, THE GREAT HUNT!)Here's some information about Wendy:
 |
Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NY Times bestselling author of the SWEET EVIL series from HarperTeen, the high fantasy duology THE GREAT HUNT, and her independently published Irish Fantasy SEE ME.
After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until achieving her dream job as a full-time writer. She now lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her family.
After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until achieving her dream job as a full-time writer. She now lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her family.
Find out more information by checking out Wendy's website!
Check out Wendy's books here!
And here's a peek at the gorgeous cover of her new book: *drools*
Wendy Higgins reimagines a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale with The Great Hunt, a dramatic, romance-filled fantasy with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.
When a monstrous beast attacks in Eurona, desperate measures must be taken. The king sends a proclamation to the best and bravest hunters: whoever kills the creature will win the hand of his daughter Princess Aerity as a reward. The princess recognizes her duty but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger—she was meant to marry for love—until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. And while there’s no denying the fiery chemistry between them, Princess Aerity feels that Paxton’s mysteriousness is foreboding, maybe even dangerous.
When a monstrous beast attacks in Eurona, desperate measures must be taken. The king sends a proclamation to the best and bravest hunters: whoever kills the creature will win the hand of his daughter Princess Aerity as a reward. The princess recognizes her duty but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger—she was meant to marry for love—until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. And while there’s no denying the fiery chemistry between them, Princess Aerity feels that Paxton’s mysteriousness is foreboding, maybe even dangerous.
Exclusive Content -
Here's the exclusive content that Wendy sent over just for you:
An Abridged Version of Chapter
One with Pictures from the Vantage Point of the Great Beast
Wendy Higgins lives on the eastern shore of Virginia, on a
peninsula nestled between the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The forests
and waterways of the eastern shore provided much inspiration for her newest
book, The Great Hunt. Wendy has
pieced together bits from the first chapter and combined them with pictures she
took herself. This is how she imagined the beast’s slow approach of Wyneth and
Breckon as they shared a seemingly private intimate moment on the royal docks.
A late summer breeze blew warm over the deep and wide Lanach
Creek.
Moonlight caught the shock of Wyneth’s red-orange curls as
she let her fiancé, Breckon, lay her back on the end of the dock.
Another breeze crested down the creek from the nearby sea,
but the couple’s combined heat warded them against it.
She pulled his face to hers again, feeling brazen and greedy
for his soft lips. She hated when he left for the sea; it always filled her
with a pang of worry and longing. Wyneth urged Breckon closer.
A rustle sounded from the nearby dark woods. The couple
stilled, listening.
The noise came again like a crackle of dead leaves and
brush. Definite movement. In a rush, they sat up.
“Do you think someone’s spying?” Wyneth whispered.
“No.” Breckon shook his head, a lock of hair falling across
his worried brow. “It’s most likely a deer.” But to Wyneth’s ear, he didn’t
sound so sure.
Another abrasive rustle rom the trees caused them to break
away again. They both stood.
In the darkness, a large shadow moved within the mossy trees
as they swayed. Wyneth grabbed Breckon’s arm, and he stared intently into the
trees. His dagger, which she hadn’t seen him unsheathe, glinted in the
moonlight.
“Who’s there?” Breckon called. “Show yourself!”
The trees stilled. Even the bugs and frogs stopped their
chatter. It was too quiet. Wyneth’s heartbeat quickened.
Just as Breckon was about to sheathe his dagger, a deep
snort sounded from the trees.
“Stay here,” Breckon ordered. “I’m going to scare it off.”
“No!” She grabbed for his hand and he kissed her forehead,
gently prying himself away.
Before he could take two steps from her, the dark shadow in
the trees resolved itself into a gigantic creature on the sandy walkway.
It was taller than any man, standing on its hind legs.
Wyneth questioned her own sanity as she stared in disbelief. Its body was
massive, the size of a bear, with wiry hair like nothing she’d ever seen. Its
face was as ugly as a boar’s. Tusks curled up around a dripping snout, sharp
teeth shining.
The long length of the dock separated them from the thing,
but it was not far enough for her. Not nearly far enough.
The great beast let out a roar, forcing a startled scream
from Wyneth. Breckon bit out a curse. The thing charged down the dock; she felt
the heaviness shake the wood beneath her feet with each landing.
Breckon had no plans to run from the beast. He grasped
Wyneth’s waist and push her backward with all his might. She felt herself
flying through the air off the dock, all breath leaving her lungs as her body
submerged with a crash into the cold water.
When her wet face hit the air and she gasped for breath, it
only took a moment for her to turn toward the growling sounds and see the
monster reach for Breckon, towering over him.
Skies above!
“Breck!”
“Swim!” He angled himself to avoid the beast’s mouth. “Get
help!”
Wyneth snapped from her fear-induced stupor and the instinct
of flight kicked in. She couldn’t fight this thing with Breckon, but she could
do what he’d commanded: get help. She turned and swam with all her might.
After swimming nearly a hundred yards, her body was numb
when she reached the dock on the other side of the creek. She pulled herself
up, panting for air and cursing her wet, heavy garments. Her eyes scanned the
water, but it moved at the same calm, slow speed as always. Then she allowed
her eyes to seek out the dock beyond…
To find out what happens, please check out The Great Hunt!
Enter the Contest
And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books and more! To enter, you need to know that our favorite number is 3. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the teal team and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
Continue the Hunt
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author! Click here!
Enter The Extra ARC Giveaway
In honor of this special event, we're going to give away 1 extra ARC of MY LADY JANE. Just follow the directions in the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
