YA Scavenger Hunt Spring 2019!
Hi! I am author Lee Ann Ward, and 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! On 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!
And, don't miss out on my BONUS GIVEAWAY on the bottom of this post! I will be giving away a copy of my books GLIMPSES OF WILDERNESS and THERE IN THE MOON MIST to 2 lucky winners, and 1 lucky winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are FIVE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GOLD TEAM--but there is also a red team, a blue team, a green team, and a purple team 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 listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the gold 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 Sunday, April 7th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
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I am pleased to be hosting:
Author--J. Anderson
J. Andersen likes to write books, but doing so means slaying the dragons of procrastination while trudging through piles of laundry to make it to the computer. This small town, stay at home mom and former English teacher may be a world builder by day and a superhero by night, but that doesn't mean she can ignore making dinner or driving the kids to music lessons.
Here's some Bonus Material from Ms. Anderson:
Inspiration Board- Behind the scenes stories
Hello everyone! I’m so excited to be a part of YASH again this spring. I’m going to share a bit about the behind the scenes stories from The Breeding Tree, book 1 of my Destiny By Design, YA, dystopian series.
As with any story, there are always bits and pieces of the author’s life that sneaks in. Here are a few from The Breeding Tree:
BLACK THUMB
In THE BREEDING TREE, I’ve created a character who decorates the street corners of the Hidden City with silk flowers. I created this idea to fulfill a fantasy of mine. You see, I hate gardening. Despite my mother’s attempts to change me, I am a true black thumb. I think it would be wonderful to have my house decorated with fake flowers. They never die. They look beautiful all year long. It’s brilliant! My mother cringes at this idea, and I’m pretty sure my hubs took over the gardening because he was honestly afraid I’d really do this fake flower idea.
SCONES
When I was little, my mother went back to school. This left my dad the responsibility to feed me and my two brothers. My dad is far from a chef, but when he created a soup recipe that made us all want to barf, my brother came to the rescue and bought pizza. In his later years, my dad has improved. He has mastered the art of the cranberry orange scone.
In THE BREEDING TREE, Micah brings Kate a pumpkin scone as one of his first gifts for her. I wish I could give you one of these scones or even one made by my dad’s hands, but let’s be honest…I’d be more likely to eat all 39 of them myself than to risk sending these beauties through the mail.
CHARACTERS
People ask me where I get inspiration for my characters and if I base them on people I know. The answer is yes, sort of. There are lots of my friends and family hidden in my books. Gran in The Breeding Tree was a combination of my Gram and Gramps My Gramps had a gold tooth and my Gram.
Jaxon is my brother, Matt, whose gift of sarcasm can put anyone to shame.
Mostly I use names and descriptions of people.
Like this quote taken from the second book comes from my niece, Kailah, whose smile is as unique and beautiful as she is: “She smiles broadly at his instruction, revealing a slightly crooked smile that pulls up higher on one side. It might be awkward for some, but it fits her face.”
Or this one, which is how my grandfather used to wipe his nose. Weird, I know, but I get nostalgic thinking about it. – “Once he’s got everything in order, he removes a handkerchief from his back pocket and wipes his nose back and forth before returning the filthy rag to his pants. Something about the gesture comforts me. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen Silas make the very same movements a thousand times. Like a habit from long ago, now lost to improved medicine. Whose nose runs around here? Nobody gets colds anymore; those viruses were eradicated long ago. But knowing what I know about Dennard’s ancestry, it must be a gesture adopted from his grandfather, one of the first generations of our new improved society. Not all habits can be easily broken.”
I love putting these pieces of me and my life into my stories. It makes them meaningful for those who know me to be like, “oh, I know what she’s referring to there.” It also makes me wonder what parts of the stories I read are from the author’s real life. Might be a good question to ask them.
ABOUT THE BREEDING TREE:
"When seventeen year old Katherine Dennard is selected to become a “Creation Specialist” in Sector 4, the opportunity sounds like a dream come true. But Kate soon discovers the darker side of her profession – the disposal of fetal organs and destruction of human life. It makes sense, really. In a society where disease and malformations don t exist, human perfection demands that no genetic “mutants” be allowed to live. For Sector 4, “survival of the fittest” is not just a theory – it’s The Institute’s main mission.
When Kate discovers that The Institute is using her DNA to create new life, her work gets personal. In order to save her unviable son, she’ll have to trust Micah and his band of underground Natural Born Rebels. The problem is, if The Institute discovers her betrayal, the next body being disposed of could be hers."
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Isn't she fabulous? I know I can't wait to read this book! Hey, don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books by me, Scarlett Kol, Kim Briggs, and many more!
To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 11.
Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the gold team and you'll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
BONUS GIVEAWAY from Lee Ann Ward
How would you like to win an autographed copy of my novel THERE IN THE MOON MIST or GLIMPSES OF WILDERNESS, or a $25 Amazon Gift Card? Simply follow my BookBub Page between now and April 8th. Three lucky winners will be drawn at random. Winners will be announced here, on my blog, and on my FB author page on April 8th. Good luck!
CONTINUE THE HUNT
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, KB Anne. Good luck!
Lee Ann Ward
