Welcome to the latest edition of the YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by Our Glorious Leader, 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 ALL the good prizes. At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, but you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues (this part is important), and you can enter for our grand 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!
Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are SIX contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the RED TEAM also known as “Team Sexy” — but there is also a blue team, a gold team, an orange team, a red team, and an indie team, and you should make the circuit on each and every team for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!
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 page.
This little scene from Bree’s section in Let’s Get Lost was one I had a lot of fun writing.
Bree is a runaway teen, hitchhiking through Kansas when the mysterious Leila picks her up in her bright red car. They hit it off, aided by a little bit of lawlessness that starts with candy bars and, after too much time in Leila’s AC-less Plymouth Acclaim, ends up with a “borrowed” car. This scene takes place while they’re on their joy ride. It ended up getting cut fairly early in the revising process, but I loved the crazy composer in the Mercedes, as well as the thrill of the race. It was cut for pacing, and because it was too repetitive from other scenes. Also the hints of Hudson (the character in the first section of the book) were a little too obvious. But I still picture it as part of Leila and Bree’s adventures, and I think readers might enjoy this glimpse at other shenanigans the two girls could have gotten themselves into.
Enjoy, and always seize the Tuesday. — A.A.
* * *
It was dusk now, about an hour since they’d taken the car. Bree started the car and pulled out onto the street, headed away from downtown. She noticed Leila looking through her phone. “Expecting a call?”
“No,” Leila said. “Just thinking of someone.”
“Ooh. Someone special?”
“Everyone’s special,” Leila said with a wry smile. She put the phone back in her pocket. “Come on, it’s been a while since we got into trouble. Let’s go find some more.”
A few blocks later they were stopped at a red light when a car pulled up next to them. It was another Mercedes, royal blue, its windows reverberating from the music inside. A man in his fifties was at the wheel, waving his hand vigorously in the air like a composer. His thin, white hair flapped with each motion and the girls couldn’t help but laugh. He noticed them and offered a smile, then went back to his wild composing.
“See? Everyone’s special,” Leila said.
“He sure is,” Bree said.
A few seconds later, they heard the sound of the other Mercedes’ engine cutting through the night. The driver was smirking as he composed. He turned to them and raised his eyebrows a couple of times.
“I bet that’s exactly what he looks like when he eats ice cream after sex,” Bree said.
Leila laughed but didn’t turn away from the neighboring Mercedes. He looked up at the still-red traffic light and revved his engine again. “Bree, our day means nothing if we don’t drag race this man and beat him.”
Bree was about to respond when the light turned green. Leila screamed for her to go and Bree stepped on the accelerator but nothing happened. “Leila, why won’t the car go? I’m asking it to go. Why won’t it do as it’s told?” The blue Mercedes was roaring ahead.
Then Bree realized she was pressing down on both pedals. She released the brake and the car jolted back into motion with a loud screech of the tires. Bree could imagine a layer of rubber being literally peeled away by the road and she finally understood where the expression had come from.
She stepped as hard as she could on the gas, as if it was her enemy, as if it deserved to be crushed. Leila was shouting something that could have been, “Go,” but could just as easily have been a guttural battle cry.
They were closing the gap, but the composer’s car was still in front. Through the back windshield, she could see his hand waving back and forth, like a checkered flag, declaring itself the victor.
“Do not let him win,” Leila yelled.
Then Bree felt the gas pedal hit the floor of the car. The engine growled as if in pain and then picked up so suddenly it was as if something had shoved them from behind. The speed was palpable.
Up ahead was a traffic light. It was still green, but Bree could see the flashing red numbers of the crosswalk signal counting down. They were almost even with the blue Mercedes when the light turned yellow. He started to slow, but Bree left the pedal right where it was, as if suffocating its last breaths. She couldn’t help but turn away from the road to look at his expression as they passed him by. A horn blared at them as they shot past the intersection.
Bree only slowed down when she saw his headlights come to a stop in her rearview mirror, when she knew they had won. There was a second of pause as she and Leila recuperated from their rallying cry during which the only sound was the air conditioning humming through the car. Then they burst out into the victorious laughter and whooping that was quickly becoming the soundtrack of their day.
Awesome, right? And don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Adi Alsaid, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 88. (It was my parents’ secret code when they were dating; they would say “88” to each other in public, because there are eight letters in “I love you.” Say it with me: AWWWWW.) Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the red team and you’ll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
You know you want that poster! So take a moment to let me know what sort of alternate universe you'd find interesting, then return to the glorious YA Scavenger Hunt!
131 responses to “The Fall 2014 YA Scavenger Hunt HAS BEGUN!!”
I think I would want to visit one where I lived in London and it was a setting like Jane Austin times!!!! I have always been curious about that time period and I think it would be fun to visit!!!
A regency dimension, hmm? I like it. 😀
I would really want to visit the ancient Greece city/state of Sparta! I have recently read some very interesting information about the spartans and would love to see all of it with my own eyes! So maybe a reality where the spartans took over the world??? 🙂
And may i say that that is a ridiculously gorgeous cover for ATPOY?
That’s a fascinating idea! And so glad you like the cover. 😀
I’d love to visit Aerling World,it would be awesome!
… I will have to Google this. You are entered!
Hmm, how about an alternate universe where humans were considered mythological creatures? That could be pretty interesting. 🙂
The question is — considered mythological by whom? HMMMMMM. You’re entered!
in my world…everyone would sparkle. 😀
Disco dimension!
The world of Supernatural would be awesome, so I could be a hunter with Dean and Sam 😀 Thank you for the giveaway 🙂
All things creepy and crawly! (Or shirtless, if you are talking about Dean & Sam.) You’re entered!
I would love to be in alternative universe, between old wild west (because of the cowboys and horses) and a futuristic world in space!( I want a hover/ some type of flying machine)
BTW, I have been wanting to read Fateful, ever since I read the first couple chapters! Thanks for the cool giveaway.
I can one hundred percent promise you hoverships. 😀 Will think re: the Old West! And you are entered. 🙂
Can the alternative universe be the victorian London? I love historical romance and young adult so the mix would be amazing!
There’s a sort of Victorian era — and a London — but they don’t intersect in the first book. But so many other things do. Your vote is counted!
I would love to visit an alternate world where humans had powers like talking to animals, telekinesis, etc…
Many people would like a world with powers! I must consider this. 😀
I would like to see one where dinosaurs still exist.
Dinosaurs still abounding! I like this idea. 😀
If I’m being completely honest right now, I want to visit an alternate universe where homework and tests don’t exist and there’s plenty of time to read.
The universe with plenty of time to read would be a really good one to visit – I agree!
I’d love to visit an alternate universe similar to the one in Daughters of Smoke and Bone (demons, beasts, and magic), minus all the killing and war.
Demons and beasts might demand war — but maybe not? Anyway, you are entered!
I think I’d like to visit an alternative universe where each continent floated in the sky instead of being surrounded by water they would be surrounded by clouds and the only form of travel would be hot air balloons! I think that would be awesome!!! 🙂 Thanks so much for the giveaway!
Oooh, fascinating! A vote for hot air balloons. You’re entered!
Maybe an alternate universe where I have some kind of cool power
Cool powers requested! And you are entered.
That is a VERY interesting question. I love the idea of Russia where the czars never fell out of power. (I really liked learning about the czars during history class.) Which makes me very interested in A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU.
I think it would be neat to visit an alternative world where people have powers. Like X-Men.
I hope you’ll enjoy the Russiaverse (and A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU.) And I like the superpowers world too!
The Dark Hunter World,it would be super awesome 😀
Thanks for the great giveaway 🙂
You are entered, and very welcome!
Alternate universe, hmmm…I would love to be in a universe where the Roman Empire didn’t fall, and instead had years and years of technological expansion.
(But, I’m *totally* okay with the gladiator look remaining.)
OMG I would LOVE futureRomans. And yes, gladiator look must survive!
I think that it would be super cool to go to an alternate universe where all the societal standards are flip flopped. There’s a lot of sexism in our world, so I’d love to for just one day, live in a world where men are oppressed (I’m not saying that that’s what I want in real life at all! I want the sexes to be equal!), so that I could see what it would be like to look at a poster off America’s presidents and see all women, to know what it would be like to not be crushed by dated stereotypes. I would come back here and use my experience to change the world here.
That universe sounds awesome, and I would like to go there myself. Like, now.
A world with cats, like a LOT of cats. And fearies
ALL THE CATS!
I’d like to live in a universe full of unicorns (who wouldn’t?) and chocolate (once again, who wouldn’t) 😀
I am so adding this book to my “dat cover shelf”, seriously that cover is awesome 😀
Unicorn and chocolate land! The economy might be weird there. And I am glad you love the A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU cover & hope you’ll enjoy the book as well. 😀
I’m not entering this time, but I loved A Thousand Pieces of You. Thank you so much for the giveaway.
And I would like to see a world where Hitler really didn’t exist, what our world would actually look like (though I guess I couldn’t, under the rules set in the book).
I’m so glad you enjoyed the book! Please tell everyone you ever met!
I think you could see a world minus Hitler; the question would be why there was no Hitler, and how that “why” had influenced everything else.
The cover of A Thousand Pieces of You looks totally amazing, I love it.
A Russia where the czars never fell from power is a place that I totally visit or perhaps a universe where the Egyptian pharaohs still reign.
Pharaohs would be very, very interesting. And I’m so glad you like the look of A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU!
Oh both alternate worlds sounds so cool but if I had to choose one it would be Russia where the Czars never fell out of power. Thanks for the giveaway!
You’ll have to check out the Russaiverse in ATPOY, then! You are entered. 😀
One where are main way of travel is zeppelins 🙂
… I think I can offer you some airships, actually —
A universe where everyone is treated right no matter what (:
Man, I want to go to there.
I’d love to visit an alternate universe where electricity had still not been invented… what would we even do with ourselves?! Actually that sounds pretty terrible. Maybe I don’t want to go there.
Some pre-electric universes will show up eventually – that much I can promise! But you don’t have to go. Just Marguerite.
If Richard III had won over Henry VII. I find that entire time period fascinating and have wondered about different scenarios. Thanks for the extra giveaway! (:
Ooooh, that is an alternative history I’d like to see.
Could it be a universe where I received my Hogwarts letter? Although I do think that my letter in THIS universe is just a little late. 8 years is not that much, right?
Thanks for the giveaway. If it’s not international, then please do not count my entry.
Contest is international! (Though poster would be folded in that case — sorry!) And man, I want that Hogwarts universe too.
I just think it would be fun to live in clouds 🙂
Honestly, I just want to live in an alternate universe where everything that happens in YA books happens in different parts of that universe (though the Hunger Games…) and you can go to all those parts of that alternate universe/dimension. And of course, stuff that happens in YA novels that don’t usually happen in the real world (the romance for an example, all that cheesy stuff!!) will be in this alternate dimension/universe 🙂
A YA novel with alternate universes set in yet more YA novels would be *super meta.* 😀
An alternate universe I would love to visit is Cassandra Clare’s world of Shadowhunters. Especially The Infernal Devices universe!
That’s a spooky one! (But FUN.)
mmm I would like universe where exist magic ..
Magic would be the absolute best. If I had it, I mean. I would be INSANELY jealous if it were real and I didn’t have it!
The alternate universe I would like most to visit is one where the polar ice caps were not melting due to global warming. I would love to see a world where people cared about the environment.
God, I want to go to that one too.
If I had to pick an alternate universe, I’d pick a steampunk one.
Ooh. I have always been fascinated by the Renaissance era (ok mainly the clothes) but it would still be pretty cool to have Renaissance and maybe witches in an alternate universe. It’s possible that I want witches due to Josie Angelini’s TRIAL BY FIRE, which I loved. =)
i would love to go to an alternate universe where all the good aspects of the victorian era resided. I just love all the big dresses and beautiful houses.
Yes, let’s keep all the good (aka all the pretty) and ditch the crappity racism/sexism/corsets!
I’d like to visit an alternate universe where mental illness didn’t exist.
That would be a nice one, wouldn’t it?
I have never really though about it before, but I am obsessed with Steampunk so maybe an alternative Victorian London with steampunk
I would love to live in an alternate universe where animals and humans and all different types of mythological creatures could communicate together…kind of like Narnia in a way! 🙂
I’d love to visit a universe where both individuality and peace could exist in harmony because I know it has to be possible. I feel it in my heart.
Gosh, I would like that too. You’re entered!
I wouldn’t mind being in a universe where all I had to do was sleep and read (and eat, or course; but I could eat ANYTHING and be skinny!), and when (or if) I ventured out I would always say the right thing at the right time,and the hot/good guys would always want to take me out but I wouldn’t be able to because I would be too busy reading and they would think that’s sexy. 🙂 AH! I wouldn’t mind living in this universe!……..
I just want an alternate (or real) universe with dinosaurs because DINOSAURS. And all the animals ever. That would be lovely! Oh, and an alternate universe where I have a poster of your pretty, pretty book cover on my wall. (; Thanks for the giveaway!
rachelpatrick93(at)yahoo(dot)com.
This is an interesting question! I would want a universe where I am a mutant (the X-men kind of mutant!) I would have superpowers! How cool is that?
Btw, thanks for the giveaway! 🙂
Since I’m under the huge influence of the Outlander tv show at the moment, I absolutely wouldn’t mind being in 18th century Scotland in pursuit of my own dashing Jamie Fraser. 😉
I would like the world of the dead people.
… i think it would depend on which dead people. You are entered!
I would love to visit a universe where everyone loves books and books are the main subject people talk about 🙂
I go to this universe, which I call my “twitter feed.” But no, I know what you mean; I’d like that too!
Id love to visit a universe where you could go to and you could jump into books!! How cool would that be 😉 Thanks for the extra giveaway, cant wait to read A Thousand Pieces of You!!
I’d like that one too. Thanks for entering, and I hope you’ll enjoy A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU!
I’d like that one too. Thanks for entering, and I hope you’ll enjoy A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU!
An alternate universe that is similar to Narnia!! Now that would be really cool!!
I think I’d love to visit the world of X-Men. Imagine all the good the mutants could do!
I would LOVE that universe — not only for the mutant powers, but also because I could then hit on Professor X, who does look so much like James McAvoy –
i would love to visit the alternate universe Ilona andrews build in teh kate danield series
thanks
One vote for Ilona Andrews! You’re entered. 😀
The cover of A Thousand Pieces of You is really pretty! My choice of an alternate universe that I would like to visit would probably be the Shadowhunter world from the Mortal Instruments. Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂
You are hereby entered. 🙂 And so glad you like the cover of A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU!
I think I will like to live in a world where animals weren’t threaten to extinction.
Hmmm… so many possibilities…. I want to visit a mythological world were Harry Potter exists in reality with the Throne of Glass series a reality too. Like one uber awesome place were the badassness of both realms exist together. And me I get to be there and hang out with my favorites from the books. And know all kinds of things about them and they’ll have no idea why this person just knows them so well.
ALL THE MAGIC. That would be awesome!
A society where the roles of women and men are switched around
I like it. Would men get pregnant, even?
An alternate universe, well something straight out of a steampunk novel would be pretty cool. I completely adore Steampunk Fashion except I don’t actually have the courage to wear it. I’ve love to live in a reality where I could dress like that and not have people asking me if it’s Halloween. Maybe have it be similar to Victorian England in some ways without the women being treated like morons and property part. Like with the cool balls and all of that but where women are acknowledged as equals in intelligence.
Steampunk = all the coolness of Victoriana, none of the crap. I’m with you!
An alternate universe… maybe something like a world with talking cats and where I could eat chocolate all day long without gaining weight!!
I’m with you on the chocolate, but I’m not 100% sure I want to hear what cats would have to say about us …
I’d love to visit a parallel dimension with the same people in the first one.. but inverted! So in this other dimension I’ll be a boy!! That could be very interesting!!! (and very fun) 😉
Greetings from Italy! 😀
Genderswap universe, hmm? Interesting!
I’d like to live in a universe where teleporting is possible.
Thanks for the extra giveaway!
I want to live in an alternate universe with vegetarian dinosaurs! Thanks for the giveaway!
I would love to live in a universe that was very Shire-like. Thank you for the giveaway!
Hmm…I think I would like to live in a universe much like Fifth Element…tons of different species/aliens all living in a precarious peace.
Maybe a universe with castle kind of like the medieval times
Alternate universe? One where DUMBLEDORE didn’t die. That counts, right? 🙂 But really, it would be fantastic to visit a universe where everybody could use broomsticks to fly. 😀
Can’t wait to start reading all of these lovely new (and familiar) stories!!
#DOONLOVE #YASH #TEAMREDLOVE
the Harry Potter world
Either something like steampunk Victorian England or a culture where the Greeks and Romans still live
an alternate universe where there is actually magic, like Harry Potter. or a paranormal world.
fairy world
I think it would be cool to see NYC as an alternate world with all the different culture and entertainment that goes on there.
A dimension in which King Arthur and the world of the ancient Greek gods exist side by side.
Somewhere which is a mix of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone and Avatar: The Legend of Aang.
I’d like an alternate universe where you can eat as much ice cream as you want and never gain any weight 😉
One where I had magic that would be awesome!
One where you could somehow read books faster! 🙂
Fun hunt #DOONLOVE
I think it would be cool to live in an X Men type of universe with mutants and superpowers. Of course, I want to be able to teleport 🙂
An alternative universe I’d like to visit has to include vampires with grayish and rainy days! 🙂
Thank you for this giveaway! 🙂
I’d like to live in an alternate universe where dreaming could take you to real places, or where you could make yourself travel to different places with just thoughts. And communication might be music, but that’s just because i’m a musician.
An alternate universe where chocolate is healthy (but still tastes just as good), animals can talk (maybe then I’ll find out why my cat is such a weirdo), and it’s possible to slip inside the pages of a story and actually live it (at least for a little while!).
I would love to live in a universe where animals could talk! That would be awesome! Thank you for the giveaway 🙂
I. Uhm. I am not sure, lol 😀 Or, wait. I wait want to live in the same universe as Po and Katsa, from Graceling. <3 Maybe 😀 Thank you so so much for this amazing giveaway. <3
I would love to live in an alternate steampunk world with dinosaurs… I feel like that’s a really weird place to want to live, but I personally think it sounds awesome! Thanks for the amazing giveaway and for participating in YASH! I can’t wait to read A Thousand Pieces of You! I love books with alternate universes in them! (I’ve been obsessed ever since I watched Fringe!)
An alternate universe with dinosaurs. I don’t care if it’s a pre-historic type of world with modern technology like Terra Nova, dinosaurs in the modern world a la Jurassic Park, or a world like in Dinotopia where it’s a civilized society that interacts with dinosaurs as equals. I just want dinosaurs!
I want to visit 3 different dimensions:
1st is where I get to be a human born to two vampire, but is turned into a wraith <3
2nd is where I will be a maid who luckily found a dreamy werewolf 🙂
3rd is where I will be a psychic who has a perfect vampire boyfriend 😉