Hey guys! Welcome to the 11th
YA Scavenger Hunt!
I’m L.A. Starkey, or Laurie Starkey, you’re lucky host for this leg of the hunt!
Reader’s Group ~ Amazon ~Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads
I have three pen names, but the only one you’ll
get outta me is Kate Thomas.
I love books almost more than anything, my family
of course pulling ahead – slightly.
I can sing and do often. I love chocolate.
I write like my life depended on it – FAST!
I own an etsy shop. Check it out… you know you wanna.
You are currently Hunting ON:
Looking for exclusive bonus content? You’ll have to keep searching.
But, first, a few rules.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE RULES
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 October 5, at noon Pacific Standard Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
LINK to the YASH Website for farther instructions!!
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 noon PST on Sunday, October 5th!
There are EIGHT contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the PINK TEAM but there is also a RED TEAM, GOLD TEAM, PURPLE TEAM, BLUE TEAM, ORANGE TEAM, TEAL TEAM & GREEN TEAM!
Check out each team for a chance to win six different sets of signed books!
Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, I’ll introduce the author I am hosting on this hunt.
Denise Jaden’s novels have been shortlisted or received awards through the Romance Writers of America, Inspy, and SCBWI. The first draft of her debut novel, Losing Faith (Simon & Schuster), was written in 21 days during NaNoWriMo 2007 and she loves talking with writers and students alike about her Just-Get-To-The-End fast-drafting process. Jaden’s other young adult novels include Never Enough (Simon & Schuster) and Foreign Exchange (an Editor’s Pick from Evernight Teen). Her non-fiction books for writers include, Writing With A Heavy Heart and Fast Fiction. In her spare time, she home-schools her son (who is also a fast drafter of fiction) and dances with a Polynesian dance troupe. Find out more at Denisejaden.com.
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads
The book Denise is showcasing in the YA Scavenger Hunt this season is
A Christmas Kerril
Haunted by the memory of the worst of her divorced parents’ public Christmas blowouts, Kerril, will do almost anything to avoid the upcoming tinsel-filled season. Unfortunately, a teacher with a grudge casts Kerril as the lead in the school’s holiday production. To add to the misery, she will star alongside ultra-awkward Adam as her love interest. Wanting to ditch the play, Adam, her parents, and Christmas altogether, Kerril accepts an invitation to take off to a cabin with her ultimate dream crush, Perry – only Perry may not be the guy she hoped he was, and it’s not until she’s left Adam behind to fend for himself onstage that she realizes he might just be the guy of her dreams.
In this modern take on a holiday classic, high school junior, Kerril, faces her past, present, and future to be reminded of the good in others, and in herself.
Only $0.99 until October 15th!!
TOP SECRET – BONUS MATERIAL FROM DENISE!!
The Making of a Cover, by Denise Jaden:
My newest YA novel, A Christmas Kerril, is out this month, and with the YA Scavenger Hunt, I’d like to share a little about the process of choosing my cover art for this novel. But first, a little bit about the book:
In this modern take on a holiday classic, high school junior, Kerril, faces her past, present, and future to be reminded of the good in others, and in herself.
Haunted by the memory of the worst of her divorced parents’ public Christmas blowouts, Kerril, will do almost anything to avoid the upcoming tinsel-filled season. Unfortunately, a teacher with a grudge casts Kerril as the lead in the school’s holiday production. To add to the misery, she will star alongside ultra-awkward Adam as her love interest. Wanting to ditch the play, Adam, her parents, and Christmas altogether, Kerril accepts an invitation to take off to a cabin with her ultimate dream crush, Perry – only Perry may not be the guy she hoped he was, and it’s not until she’s left Adam behind to fend for himself onstage that she realizes he might just be the guy of her dreams.
“A fun and unique new twist on a classic Christmas story that lovers AND haters of the holiday will enjoy!” – Rachel Shane, author of Kasey Screws up the World.
“Denise Jaden’s talent for creating believable and compelling characters shines in A CHRISTMAS KERRIL. I stayed up way too late reading this contemporary YA take on the classic Christmas story, completely caught up in the characters’ challenges, secrets, friendships, and romances. Highly recommended!” – Shari Green, author of Following Chelsea
As you can see in the above photo, the final artwork for the cover gives a feeling of Christmas, certainly of winter, as well as an essence of coming of age with a hint of romance. As soon as I saw this, I thought it was perfect for the story, and the font is even reminiscent of the original Dickens’ version of A Christmas Carol, which this story is modeled after.
That said, it was not my initial concept for the cover art. I sent my cover designer, Steven Novak, a brief email, along with a few pictures. I indicated that I would love something that matches my brand of books with Simon & Schuster:
I shared with the designer a bit about the flavor of the book, and a few more pictures I had found around the internet that I thought *could* be the right feeling for my book.
But, boy, it’s a good thing I’m not my own graphic designer! Steven came up with what I feel is a MUCH better concept and color scheme. Here, again, is the final version, which I’m incredibly happy with.
Please don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Denise, and many more! To enter, you need to write down my favorite number, find all the other numbers on the PINK TEAM add them up, and you’ll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize! My latest project is below…
Thank you so much for visiting my website! While you’re here don’t forget to enter the bonus contest I am running exclusively during the YA Scavenger Hunt.
Feel free to enter my rafflecopter below to win a physical copy of my Soul Keeper Series box set! Just click on the rafflecopter image below and follow the instructions!
If your enjoy my Soul Keeper Series, be sure to join my Newsletter group for a special never before seen short story on the Prophecy that started it all.
Good luck everyone!
Laurie Starkey
I have written 
books to date!
Ready to move on to the next link in the hunt? Then head on over to visit author Jennifer Tressen’s page.
L. A. Starkey Author 
I love reading dystopian because I find it so crazy what people will do to survive or how much of a power trips governments are on. Thanks for the giveaway.
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You bet!! Thanks for stopping by!!
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I love to read mystery/thrillers because I like to be surprised!
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Awesome!! Hope you love it.
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