Spring 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt

Hello and Welcome to the Spring 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt

Hello! I am Trisha Leaver, your hostess for this leg of the hunt. On this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each participating YA author, you also get a secret number. Add up the numbers, and enter it for a chance to win a major prize--one lucky winner will receive at least one signed book from each author on my team in the hunt! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online until Sunday, April 5th at noon Pacific time!

You can start right here or you can also go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage to find out all about the hunt. There are EIGHT contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or both! I am a part of the #Team Blue-- hunt down the different teams, and you'll have a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!

Looking for my exclusive bonus content? You'll have to keep searching. Somewhere on this blog hop, I've hidden two deleted scenes from THE SECRETS WE KEEP! 


Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the red team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!). Hint: the secret number is highlighted in Blue.

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, April 5th at noon Pacific time!. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, I'll introduce the author I am hosting on this hunt. 

I am super excited to be hosting...

HEATHER DEMETRIOS

When she’s not traipsing around the world or spending time in imaginary places, Heather Demetrios lives with her husband in New York City. Originally from Los Angeles, she now calls the East Coast home. Heather has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a recipient of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for her debut novel, Something Real. Her other novels include Exquisite Captive, the first in the Dark Caravan Cycle fantasy series, and I’ll Meet You There. She is the founder of Live Your What, an organization dedicated to fostering passion in people of all ages and creating writing opportunities for underserved youth. Find out more about Heather and her books at www.heatherdemetrios.com and www.darkcaravancycle.com, or come hang out with her on Twitter (@HDemetrios) and any number of social media sites.   

The book she is Showcasing in the Spring Hunt is:

I'LL MEET YOU THERE

I adored this book...devoured it in one day! Here is a bit about it:

If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be.

What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

Now for the top secret bonus material -- An I’ll Meet You There-inspired Top Ten For Broke Lovers

Since I’ll Meet You There is, at its heart, a love story about two kids in a broke-ass town, I wanted to indulge my inner romantic with a Top Ten for Broke Lovers. Whether you’re a teenager whose parents don’t have the scratch or a thirty-year-old who’s pinching pennies, you don’t need much to feel the love. These are in no particular order.

1. Star Gazing

Let’s be honest: even if you’re one of Donald Trump’s kids and can buy passage on the next rocket for space tourists, you can’t compete with the nightly celestial light show right here on planet Earth. Lovers have been starry-eyed since the beginning of time. There’s something so romantic about looking “up in perfect silence at the stars.” (Come on, if you know me, I had to throw in a little Whitman). Sky and Josh find a nice field and lay in the back of his pick-up truck, but you and your lovely can camp out in your backyard and get the same effect. The darkness makes for optimum hand-holding conditions and staring up at the vastness of the universe may just spark an intimate, bonding conversation or two. Bonus points if you can impress your love with some constellation knowledge.

2. Late Night Drive Thru

Even if I had the money, I’d choose a late night dash through the McD’s drive-thru before a fancy-schmancy restaurant dinner any day. First, you pretty much eliminate the stress of The Check. Either one of you can pay without breaking the bank, so this eliminates the stress of seeing those double-digits on the dinner menu. Let’s face it: Le Chateau du Beaucoup D’Argent doesn’t have a dollar menu. Plus, you can pick your own tunes in the car and drive somewhere nice and lonesome where the two of you can clock in some quality cuddle time. In I’ll Meet You There, Sky and Josh go to three fast food places, each trip an important milestone in their relationship. The last time they eat fast food together, let’s just say some sexy things happen.

3. Get Your Durras / Duprass On

This requires an explanation, unless you are a hardcore Vonnegut-ite. In Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut created a religion called Bokononism. In this religion, there could be a karass—a group of people who are linked in a cosmically important way. Within a karass, there can be a durras (or, duprass)—a karass that only has two people. These people lead lives that revolve around each other, so much so that when they die, it’s within a week of each other. They’re usually married. You tracking so far? Okay. So, my husband and I are totally into this concept and we created a kind of leisure activity which we decided to call Durras because we’re weird. It is this: get a splitter (they cost just a few bucks) and hook it up to one of your iPods or phones (this can also just happen in the car, as it does with Sky and Josh on a long drive on the highway).  The splitter allows you to use one device while each person can use their own earbuds. Take a walk or jump on the subway or find a nice park to sit in. Then, one of you chooses a song to play. Then the other person chooses a song and so on and so forth. The key is to try to pick something that will surprise and delight your partner and give you a chance to share music you love with them. It’s also particularly cool because say your partner chooses a Katy Perry song—in order to properly DJ and keep the flow and respect the vibe they set up, you can’t just switch it up and play Bach. So you choose something in that Katy Perry song that you want to riff off of. It could be what the song is about, or a musical theme, or just pop music. Trust me, this is great fun. Music is the language lovers speak and you don’t need a wad of cash to speak it.

4. Night Swimming

Whether it’s a pool you sneak into or a nearby creek or a moonlit beach, most places in the world have somewhere that you can take a dip. Sky and Josh make good use of the pool at the motel they work at. It’s this scene that really sets them up. If they weren’t falling for each other before then (spoiler alert: they were), they certainly did after that night. I don’t even need to tell you the benefits of being half naked with the person who makes your heat beat faster than a speeding train. Bonus points if you go skinny-dipping.

5. Dancing

In I’ll Meet You There, Sky and Josh cut a rug at Leonardo’s, a local Mexican restaurant that has a DJ and a dance floor on the weekends. Josh is a Marine who just lost a leg in Afghanistan, so dancing isn’t number one on his To Do list. But Sky knows he needs to let loose and though Josh protests, she can tell he’s not entirely unhappy to pull Sky a little closer.  Whether it’s a dance party in your room, a parking lot with your car stereo blasting, or a club without a cover, grab your sweetie’s hand and get moving.

6. Jump on the Swing Sets

In my debut novel, Something Real, Chloe and her boy, Patrick, sneak into a local park after hours for their first date. Patrick turns the apparatus into a cosy nook and treats Chloe to “convenience store ambrosia” (aka Pepsi) and they get to know one another while on the swing sets. The cool thing about parks is that it immediately gives you something to talk about if you’re on a first date, because you can just jump into childhood memories. The darkness gives you cover if things get hot and the activities—swinging, the jungle gym—are downright fun. Plus: dark corners. Need I say more?

7. Turn Your Room Into A Movie Theater

Here’s another good one inspired by Chloe and Patrick in Something Real. If you’re broke, you’ve obviously made use of your TV and laptop to watch movies, since it costs over thirty bucks to go to an actual theater. Sky and Josh watch Top Gun together in one of the motel rooms (since the movie theater is over an hour away). Besides, Sky doesn’t usually want to spend her hard-earned cash on stuff like that—she’d rather get some more cool paper to collage with—and she’s not okay with Josh always paying, even though he insists. So, instead of just sitting on the couch, turn your bedroom or living room into a movie theater by stretching a white sheet across the wall and projecting the movie onto the sheet. Projectors are mad expensive, so this only works if you can borrow one from your school or work. If that’s impossible, take your laptop and turn your car into a drive-in movie theater. Get fun snacks and make some popcorn (this can cost less than 9 bucks!). There is a scene in I’ll Meet You There that takes place at an actual drive-in, but it’s far from romantic. So don’t piss off your sweetheart before they big night if you’re going to make use of your local drive-in.

8. Take The Scenic Route

One of the ways Sky and Josh get to know one another is by going on long drives. The car is a great place to hang with your love because there’s always scenery to comment on, you can play durras (see #3), and you never know what adventures may await you. Don’t have a car? Take a bus ride or jump on the subway. To make this really fun, go somewhere neither of you have ever been. Choose a town or an area of your town to explore. Not only will you have fun, it can’t be a bust if you’re together.

9. Make A Meal Together

Sky and Josh don’t really have living situations that lend themselves to creating a culinary wonder together, but hopefully you and your honey have a kitchen you can use (and parents or siblings who won’t be downers). Choose something neither of you have ever eaten—something exotic or just plain yummy-sounding. Go to the store to get the ingredients together, then get cooking. You can also make a favorite family recipe to share with your partner. You can make the meal for just you two or host your own dinner party. One of the first things I made with my hubby was Rice Krispie treats. We were broke college kids and this was about all I could afford. We ate them with out hands, right out of the bowl, not even bothering to cut them up into squares. This makes for sweet kisses.

10. Have A Dollar Store Shopping Spree

This is another oldie but goodie from Something Real, but I can totally see Sky and Josh doing this (they just live in a town that’s so small, they don’t have a Dollar Tree). Even if you only have five bucks, you can spend at least an hour trying on goofy sunglasses, rifling through cheesy holiday decorations, or comparing off-brand products. You can combine this with number 9 and get silly décor for your dinner party, or just challenge each other to find the weirdest thing in the store and buy it. Or dare one another to buy a tacky accessory and then wear it for the rest of the day. Expect lots of laughter.

Remember, it’s not what you buy or do, it’s spending time with each other. You don’t need loads of cash to say I-really-really-really-like-you. 

I love top ten lists! And I know you will love this book!  You can buy it Amazon 

Thank you so much for visiting! While you're here don't forget to enter the bonus contest I am running exclusively during the YA Scavenger Hunt.

I will be giving away two copies of my YA Psychological Thriller CREED!  Giveaway is open internationally! To be eligible to win, enter on the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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