YA Scavenger Hunt
WELCOME TO THE 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 my team!
But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 120 hours! (That's this Sunday!)
Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are seven contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GREEN TEAM—
--but there are also RED, ORANGE, GOLD, BLUE, PURPLE, and PINK teams (each with 20 authors). Enter each of those for a chance to win a whole different set of 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.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE
Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've hidden my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the green team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator).
HINT: THE SECRET NUMBER IS HIGHLIGHTED IN GREEN!
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, October 8, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
I’m super excited to be hosting…
MELANIE HOOYENGA
While not a fan of matching Day-Glo outfits, Melanie's been skiing since she was five and always points her tips up while exiting the chairlift. She lives in the land of lake effect snow -- also known as west Michigan -- with her husband Jeremy and Miniature Schnauzer Owen, and is always looking for ways to enjoy the outdoors. This novel, her fourth, inspired her to purchase her first helmet. Find out more information by checking out Melanie’s website or learn more about her book, THE SLOPE RULES, here! (And read the blurb and her bonus scenes below.)
ABOUT THE BOOK
The book Melanie is showcasing for the scavenger hunt is the award-winning YA sports romance THE SLOPE RULES, which is like Grease meets Mean Girls.
Fifteen-year old Cally accepted her fate as one of the guys, so when she meets Blake, a hot snowboarder who sees her for more than her aerials on the slopes, she falls fast and hard. But their romance can only last as long as vacation.
Or so she thinks.
A twist of fate—well, her Dad opening another brewery in a new town—lands her in Blake’s school, but the charismatic boy she fell for wants nothing to do with her, and worse, the Snow Bunnies, the popular clique, claim her as their newest recruit.
Cally must learn to be true to herself—all while landing a spot on the ski team and figuring out who she is without her old friends. And when she finds out what Blake is hiding, she learns the rules on the slopes apply to more than just skiing.
(Sara's note: Doesn't THE SLOPE RULES sound so good? As a YA contemporary writer living in Colorado, in the 303, I’m especially excited to be hosting this contemporary YA that features snowboarding!)
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT!
Melanie is sharing some awesome exclusive content, which includes TWO BONUS SCENES from Blake's perspective!
BONUS SCENE #1 - BLAKE – THE ANNOUNCEMENT
My phone buzzes in my back pocket. My hand itches to check it, but I’ve got to get this table its order before they lose their minds. The guy’s checked his watch every time I’m near them and the woman’s guzzling her water like she’s a fricking camel. They should have worn a sign when they walked in that says No Tip for You.
But I bust my butt because Dad would kill me. And Mom would give me that disappointed look that’s a million times worse than Dad. Truthfully, I like my job, even though I wasn’t given a choice about working here. It keeps money in my wallet and pays for my season pass to Eldora.
I set their meals in front of them then escape to the kitchen to check my phone. It’s a text from Cally, but Mom raises an eyebrow at me for having my phone out before I can read it so I duck into the walk-in fridge. Cally crashed into my life last week over break and no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about her. Which is stupid because nothing more can happen.
When we met, I couldn’t believe someone as incredible as her would give me a second look, but we got along right away. And she somehow liked me. But she’s from Vermont so we knew no matter what we felt for each other, it couldn’t last. Then she found out she’s moving to Colorado. For a hot second I let myself imagine us being together—kids date people from other schools all the time—but I lied and told her I live in California. It was stupid. An impulse to make myself sound cooler than I am, and now I’m stuck with it.
I swipe my phone to read her text.
You sitting down?
I lean against the cold steel wall. Yes.
So you know how I’m super girly?
Girly, no. Beautiful and funny and an amazing kisser, yes. I smile, remembering how her hair would fall against my face when we kissed. Sure.
I’m going to be a butterfly.
I don’t follow.
My new mascot. Dad just told me where I’m going.
No.
My stomach drops and bounces off the grimy floor.
The only thing working for me is she can’t see my face. Thank god she’s not one of those girls who insists on video chat over texting. I swallow hard as I type my reply. Where’s that?
The Monarch Coyotes. So a butterfly and a wolf-thing. It’s in Louisville, outside Boulder.
My vision blurs and I have to fight to catch my breath. There is no way. NO WAY. I look around the cramped space, as if seeing it for the first time. It’s all familiar, but I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience. Boxes fill the wire racks from floor to ceiling and blocks of cheese line the opposite wall. But it’s like I don’t belong.
Blake?
I wrack my brain for something to say. Anything—as long as it’s not the truth. It doesn’t sound so bad.
Except it is.
I grip one of the wire racks, the cool metal biting into my hand. The shelf creaks and I relax before it collapses on top of me. I run my finger over the boxes. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. To have everything literally fall all around me while my world is crashing inside my head.
Because in a couple weeks Cally will be going to my school and she’ll find out the truth.
BONUS SCENE #2 - BLAKE - HER FIRST DAY
The second bell rings and I force myself to close my locker and head to class. There’s no putting this off. I hate being late—a quality Mom has beaten into me since I was little—especially to English, but I sweet-talked one of the women in the front office to tell me Cally’s schedule and unless something changed since first period, she’s already in there.
In my class.
When she told me she was moving here, I panicked. After the conversation in the walk-in fridge I stopped answering her texts, even when it was clear she was upset. But it hasn’t been easy for me. I wasn’t lying when I said I’d never met anyone like her, and the way things are going here I don’t think I ever will again. She probably already hates me, but as soon as I set foot in Ms. Simpson’s class, whatever she’s feeling is going to be so much worse.
I pause in front of the door.
It’s now or never.
I turn the knob, shaking my head so my hair falls in my face, and step inside. “Sorry, Ms. Simpson.” I head straight for my seat without looking up. Luke’s smirking at me from his seat behind mine. He’s never met Cally but he’s seen her picture and from the way he keeps nodding to the row by the far wall, I know she’s got to be sitting there.
“Blake, I’d hoped we’d get started on the right foot this semester.” The disappointment in Ms. Simpson’s voice makes me look up. She catches my eye and I feel even worse.
I slump into my seat, determined to stare straight ahead, but it’s like there’s a beacon inside Cally calling me to her. Like a siren from The Illiad or something. I don’t know if I can pretend she’s not affecting me.
But if I’m having an affect on her, she’s doing a good job hiding it.
She stares straight ahead, her long hair covering her face, but I know she saw me. I’m tempted to text her, to apologize for being such a dick, but Ms. Simpson is strict about phones in class and I’ve already pissed her off showing up late. I prop my head on my hand and try to concentrate on the lecture, but I can’t stop staring at Cally.
She’s really here.
In Colorado.
And she hates you, the voice in my head reminds me.
Luke kicks me leg and I twist around to look at him.
“You gonna talk to her?” he whispers.
“Now?”
He rolls his eyes.
“I dunno.”
“The longer you wait the worse it’s gonna get.”
Ms. Simpson clears her throat and I turn around. I glance at Cally, hoping to catch her looking at me, but it’s like she’s frozen in her seat. Her finger slowly twirls her hair, something I remember her doing when she’s nervous.
I close my eyes. How did I screw this up so bad? The most perfect girl ever landed in my lap and now she’ll probably never talk to me again. I open my eyes and she’s still twirling. My fingers itch to rush to her side and run my fingers through her hair. To kiss her, right here in front of everyone. Heat rushes through me at the memory of the last time we touched. In the parking lot before I dropped her off, we kissed like we’d never see each other again, and I haven’t stopped thinking about her since.
When the bell finally rings I hesitate before getting up.
Luke punches my shoulder. “Now,” he says as he passes me.
I stand just as someone shouts in the hallway. Cally looks at me and I start to smile, but I can’t tell if she’s happy or pissed and I lose my nerve. I hurry up the aisle and out the door without another look, and that’s when I hear her say my name. It’s not loud or angry, and it comes out a question. She’s standing ten feet from me. Staring at me.
A flash of blond hair behind her catches my eye and I take a step back. Brianna fixes her Medusa glare at me as she gets closer. Words are on my tongue—Cally’s name, an apology, a hello—but I freeze. It’s not that I’m scared of Brianna, but if they’re already friends, any hope of Cally forgiving me is gone.
Brianna hooks her arm through Cally’s and yanks her down the hall, their heads pressed close together.
I watch them walk away, hoping Cally will look back, but she never does.
The weight on my chest is a million times worse than when we said goodbye over Thanksgiving. Because this time it’s my fault.
WHAT is going to happen between Blake and Cally?!? Are you as excited as me to read more of THE SLOPE RULES and find out? Here's how you can get your hands on the book...
You can buy her book HERE!
You can add THE SLOPE RULES to your TBR list on Goodreads!
Check out more on Melanie's Website, Twitter, or Facebook pages and sign up for her Newsletter so you’ll never miss out on any important book news or updates.
And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books by me, Melanie Hooyenga, and more! Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the GREEN TEAM and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize.
CONTINUE THE HUNT
Ready to move on to the next link in the hunt? Then head on over to visit author Kim Chance’s page. To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the...
Tweet #YASH
Happy Hunting!
