I love scavenger hunts. Love them! In years past, 1977 and I hosted a daylong event called Bacon Hunt. Formerly known as The Amazing Scavenger Race Hunt, every Bacon Hunt incorporated elements of The Amazing Race and an epic scavenger hunt.

​Hmmm...it's about time for another one of those.

But this post isn't about us, it's about YOU. You're on the YA Scavenger Hunt, and it is ON!

(If you are new to this and want to play for fabulous prizes, find the skinny here.)

I'm on the red team this season, so you'll find my secret number in red somewhere in this post. Add the numbers of the 20 members of the red team, and enter the contest to win 20 free books! Here they are:

​A copy of my book is included in the Red Team Prize for this season's hunt, but I also am offering a separate prize: a Life Before​ prize pack. Entering the drawing for my bonus prize is simple: follow me on Twitter! For an additional chance to win, leave a comment on this blog post indicating the best contemporary YA book you've read recently.

Now that you know what you're playing for, on to the hunt! 
​

Today, Kristi is sharing the story inspiration for her next book, The Boy Who Wasn’t There. I'll let her tell it:
 
When Wicked Ink Books decided the next anthology would involve writing a short story inspired by a song, I thought it was a cool idea but had no clue what song I wanted to use. As I’ve said before, I’m hugely inspired by music, and my BURN OUT series was partly inspired by a song which caused a vivid dream that became the foundation of the series. That particular song was Center of the Sun by Conjure One and it gave me chills when I’d heard it, which doesn’t often happen to me.
 
Anyway, I told my husband I needed song inspiration and the next night, he walked up and slipped headphones over my ears, saying I needed to hear a song. I’d heard Imagine Dragons before and loved them, but had only heard the songs that were played on the radio. The song he played for me was Amsterdam, and it was the first time since hearing the Conjure One song that I got literal chills while listening. I closed my eyes, and saw a guy in a dark hoodie standing in a downpour in the middle of a street in Amsterdam. In that moment, I knew this was the song, and that my story involved a boy with a troubled past searching for redemption in the streets of Amsterdam.

This idea merged with my own trip to Amsterdam with my sister in my early 20’s. One afternoon, my sister and I got lost and ended up in the red light district. We could not find our way out and I remember being shocked at the girls in the windows who looked my age or even younger. I’d grown up in the suburbs where all the teenage girls did “normal” things like go to school, join student government, play sports, etc. so I wondered in what alternate reality could I have ended up in a window. One of my all-time favorite movies is Sliding Doors, and I always think about how your life can end up completely different based on just one decision or one circumstance being different.
 
So my story is about Max, the guy in the hoodie, and a girl in the window, Skye, and how circumstance throws them together in a way that threatens both their lives but also offers hope. The ending of the story is the most personal thing I’ve ever shared in my writing because it happened to me, but that’s a story for another time. I hope you enjoy The Boy Who Wasn’t There and the other stories inspired by song by the fabulous authors in OFF BEAT: Nine Spins on Song. I’m giving away a copy of OFF BEAT on my blog stop at www.kristihelvig.com/blog so make sure you stop by to enter.

Thank you for sharing, Kristi!

And thanks, hunters, for participating! Now you're off to visit Sarvenaz Tash, author of The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love. It's a book I could have used as a teen. I can count at least 23 cases of unrequited love in my own life. And I probably only had eight or nine cases or requited love. My stats aren't great...but I got it right in the end!

Click here to keep hunting!

Hello hunters! ​The YA Scavenger Hunt is on! If you want to play for fabulous prizes, find the skinny here.

I'm on the blue team. You'll find my favorite number highlighted in blue somewhere in this post. Add the numbers of the twenty members of the blue team, and enter the contest to win 20 free books! These ones:

A copy of my book is included in the Blue Team Prize for this season's hunt, but I also am offering a separate prize: a Life Before​ prize pack. Entering the drawing for my bonus prize is simple: follow me on Twitter! For an additional chance to win, leave a comment on this blog post indicating the best YA book you've read recently.

Now that you know what you're playing for, on to the hunt! This season, I'm hosting Julie Reece, author of One Summer with Autumn. ​
​ ​

Autumn’s cool unravels when her sister lectures against disappointing the family again. And when a young, bearded guy steps through the crowd to settle the growing argument between siblings, Autumn lashes out, dubbing him a “Duck Dynasty wannabe.” 

At Nineteen, Caden Behr is clueless as to why his man parts are threatened by the fearsome girl before him. He'd only come to find an intern for his recreational equipment company, not break up a girl-fight between two sisters. 

Unfortunately, the only candidate left is the girl who just told him off. Without her, he’ll never prove to his CEO mother that he’s ready for more responsibility. 

Autumn and Caden agree that if they can keep from killing one another, they can use one another to get what they want and then never have to see each other again. Which is what they want. 

Until it isn’t. 
​
Because despite her best efforts to scare him off, and his fading desire to push her into the lake, they’re beginning to enjoy the time they spend together. But pride is a hard habit to break. And if neither will admit their changing feelings, they could lose a whole lot more than one summer.

​Wowsers! With that, I'll turn it over to Julie!


Hey everyone!
I’m so excited to be a part of YASH 2017 this Fall. I guess every writer has a moment or two where they dream about their book becoming a movie. I can’t imagine how cool it is to see your characters come to life on the big screen. Now, as a writer, I put words to paper but I’m actually a super visual person. I can see my characters clearly in my head. It’s nearly impossible to find an actor or model to perfectly replicate the person in your mind, but I tried to find some very pretty people who would play the parts well, I’m betting.

Want to see? Okay, thanks! I’ll introduce you. Dream cast of characters coming up. And here we go …

​That’s it, you guys. At least, those are the main players on my story. I hope you enjoyed learning a little about my characters (and the actor/model eye candy I’d choose to play them) as much as I enjoyed dreaming about them. Ha ha.

Here’s a fun Pinterest inspiration board I created for my story. If you want to see more, just click on the link below:
https://www.pinterest.com/julieareece/one-summer-with-autumn/
 
And if you should read the book, thank you in advance. I’d love for you to drop me a line on Twitter, Facebook or my blog and tell me what you think. I truly hope you have fun and enjoy the story.
XOXO
Julie 


Thanks for playing, hunters! ​Your next stop on the blue team hunt is L. H. Nicole!

For years, I’ve had a cadre of early readers: a computer programmer, a YA librarian, a middle-school English teacher-turned-attorney, and one author. The Four have edited each of my manuscripts, first as the story is forming, and then as I am polishing the last draft. These people know all my writing tics and weaknesses, and together they spot every mistake.


I love them dearly.


Lately, though, they aren’t enough. The Four are professionals with families and—you know—their own stack of books to read! It would be unfair to ask them to read every paragraph I revise on a whim (except my spouse. Sorry, 1977.)


This summer, in my search for something more, I sought local writers who were willing to read YA and adult contemporary work. Lucky for me, my Seattle neighborhood teems with writers of all stripes.
Now I am one of six. We submit work to one another monthly and gather to critique and talk craft. Together, we write fiction, memoir, and creative nonfiction. We’re penning novels, essays, short stories, book-length memoirs, and personal histories.


If you are a writer, find a critique group. Right now. My critique world has changed my (writing) life.
Each month, five other writers review 2000 – 5000 words I have written. When a character veers off course, they know. When I contradict myself, they know. When my writing is unclear, imprecise, offensive, or plain, they know.


Having another writer critique a manuscript in progress is invaluable. Five others is heavenly.


We five writers approach the table with completely different perspectives. I bring the grammar, syntax, and spelling (and, let’s be frank: those things can be taught.) Kristina sees the world in images and metaphors; I’m trying to borrow her glasses. Meg is a deeply-feeling person, and is emerging as the sounding board for emotionality in a piece. Ruth focuses on structure and story, so she harnesses the big picture. Elisabeth knows when I’m breaking rules and challenges my characters’ motivation. Mary Jean knows details—what is superfluous, what is missing, and what could add to a character or story.


We complement each other. Participating fully forces me to abandon my word-count goal two or three days each month. That sacrifice is absolutely worth it.


Each month, I send my words off into the void and file the work I receive in return. For ten days, their work is a gift. When I need a break from my characters, or when I cannot write another word without clearing my head, I can read a short story, an essay, or a chapter written by these women I now call friends. And we all are better for it. Our work is better for it.


My manuscript in progress is now a whole different beast. In addition to being grammatically correct and character driven, it has feeling. It boasts a strong and nuanced structure. It includes—GASP—metaphors and imagery. It is rich and full, without overflowing. And I couldn’t have done that alone.



​
This post originally appeared on the Team Rogue YA blog.

While cleaning up my blog categories, I realized I used to tag many posts "cake." That must have been before the whole author thing got real. (Since it "got real," my life consists of family and book-related stuff, and why-the-hell-am-I-doing-anything-not-related-to-this-book-or-the-next-book? Anxiety reigns.

But this week, there was cake. This Tuesday, I turned in my final edits for Life Before, and I celebrated with coconut cake. I'd tasted this cake at our school auction last weekend, and NEEDED more. . .but I didn't need the coconuts all over the outside. Turns out, the coconut is for show, but cardboard on the lips.

Live and learn. There will be no coconut cake at the launch party. (But there will be cake. From http://www.rosellinisweets.com/ no less. Come for the chitchat, stay for the cake.

Elegantly written and heartfelt, Tell Me Three Things is Julie Buxbaum's YA debut.

Her characters are complex, their histories are heartbreaking, and the weight of their losses anchor the first half the book.

What I most want to say would spoil the book, so instead: read this book. It's lovely.

Barely two years after her mother's death, Jessie relocates to Los Angeles to live with her new stepmother and attend an elite school with her stepbrother. Jessie has no allies until a secretive classmate contacts her online. Her mystery friend becomes her confidante and, eventually, something more. But who is he?

From Goodreads:

What if the person you need the most is someone you’ve never met?  
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

The best relationships change your life. Shannon M. Parker’s beautifully written debut demonstrates that the worst relationships are just as powerful. Any teen who wants love in their life would do well to read it.

From the first few pages, readers know where Zephyr and Alec will wind up. Frankly, I questioned Parker’s choice to preface the story with a scene from the very end, but now—weeks later—I realize she’s brilliant. Because readers know where they’re headed, the book becomes a case study on abusive relationships.

Readers will feel Zephyr’s agony acutely. Zephyr’s missteps—sometimes subtle, sometimes overt—will compel readers to lead her by the hand away from Alec. Readers will want to befriend Zephyr.

Parker’s prose is great. Her friendships ring true, and she strikes the right tone throughout. In addition to being a good read, the book is two things: a cautionary tale to enter relationships with eyes wide open, and a love letter to teens who have experienced abusive relationships. The book is, itself, a hand reaching out to them. ​


From the Publisher:
In this gripping YA debut, high school senior Zephyr Doyle is swept off her feet—and into an intense and volatile relationship—by the new boy in school. THE GIRL WHO FELL is a powerful and important read that School Library Journal calls, “(a)n invaluable addition to any collection. (SLJ *STARRED REVIEW* January 1, 2016)

His obsession.
Her fall.

Zephyr is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and leaving her small town for her dream school, Boston College.

But love has a way of changing things.

Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team’s starting goaltender, Alec. He’s cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn’t judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities—he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can’t control, something she doesn’t want to control.

Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, and overwhelming, and … terrifying?

But love shouldn’t make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn’t make you feel guilty—or worse, ashamed.

So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it’s time to take back control of her life.

If she waits any longer, it may be too late.

Starting in mid-November, our calendars and hearts are chockablock full: Thanksgiving, three family birthdays, gingerbread houses, baking, gift choosing and wrapping and giving, advent calendars, endless treats, homemade gifts, projects, school plays, parties, family visits--and that's on top of our normal, weekly activity.

Among all the holiday activities, the Book Angels Program is my favorite.

We invited patrons to choose books, and then the magic happened.

People in our neighborhood opened their hearts and wallets to provide books for children in need. Many customers bought multiple books for their chosen children. All told, people gave more than twelve dozen books to local children.

We had piles and piles of books! My dear friend, Kristina Cerise, accepted pizza and beer as payment for helping wrap all those gifts. (Kristina blogs--often hilariously--about motherhood here.) 

Nine days before Christmas, I delivered those precious parcels to an elementary school, a middle school, and a K-8. 

The best gifts aren't "things" at all. Feed your recipient's heart and soul with an experience instead. 
​

Soul
If you can go all-out, with an unlimited budget, send yourself (and your sweetie, of course,) to   Whistler, B.C. for a week. The scenery is breathtaking, the skiing spectacular, and pizza (at Fat Tony's!) is fabulous. Whistler also boasts a fabulous little bookstore, Armchair Books, that has everything you could possibly need for cozy nights in.

Community
If I'm being honest, I have everything I need, and your sweetie might, too. Consider instead making a donation in his or her name to help people aren't as lucky as we are. People in our country and aroudn the world are in constant need of food, water, and shelter. If you don't enjoy research and just want to give, try Heifer International, which is working to eradicate poverty and hunger through sustainable, values-based holistic community development. Or donate to my local food bank in Seattle. 

Last week, I prepared a brief reading for Ballard's It's About Time writers' series. I usually choose fiction for readings, but I wrote a short nonfiction piece for this event. (My on-the-spot comments are in parentheses.)
​

​COMPANY OVERVIEW
I am Michele Bacon. My people--who are scattered across the globe--include computer scientists, attorneys, librarians, nonprofit executives, a playwright, an author, a doctor, a college student, expats, and a mother-of-three who I befriended at the beach when we were six.
 
I relocated to Seattle 19 months ago with my husband and three children. Eighteen months before that, we moved from the Midwest to Christchurch, New Zealand knowing literally no one and—bonus—my youngest was three weeks old. Prior to that, we lived in Wheaton, Illinois, one of the most conservative, and religious cities in the country. (I am neither conservative nor religious.) Prior to that, I lived in four cities in Ohio, briefly in Provo, Utah, and for years in Chicago.

As culture bifurcates and our interests diverge into niche markets, it becomes more difficult to find people who fit. For the better part of two decades, I have engaged in an endless loop of befriending amazing women in an effort to find a best friend in my back yard. (It’s worse than dating.) I have made many friends in Seattle, and am presently looking for "the one."
 
JOB TITLE
Best friend
 
REQUIRMENTS

• Female
• Approx age 32 – 45, preferably with young children.
• Height, weight, hair, eyes, ethnicity, education, culture unimportant.
• Compulsion to geek out over at least one of the following: board games, writing, Sherlock, Harry Potter, numbers, science, The Amazing Race, novels, or projects—all types
• Passion for something, no matter the subject.
• Reasonable cache of interesting, lewd, or hilarious life stories
• Faults and vices may be numerous, but should not include chemical addition, chronic complaining, cheating, cutting down other women, or committing grammatical atrocities
• You must not be a jerk.

 
RESPONSIBILITIES

• Engage in friendship largely in person and via email; phone conversations will be a rare occurrence.
• Tolerate my obsessions and peccadillos (They are many. I am sorry. My partner will commiserate with you, probably over beers.)
• Accept that we will not, under any circumstances, go to the gym in tandem. (And don’t ask. I go to the gym alone and hate every minute of it. And if you see me naked in the locker room, please do not initiate a lengthy conversation.)
• Spend long days at Golden Gardens or similar, digging for sea creatures, building dams, splashing in the water or attempting to converse while chasing our children around said activities.
• Accept that I have a complicated relationship with my family of origin.
• Entertain my wild ideas for upcoming manuscripts (They may depress or anger you. It’s okay, though; only something like five percent will become real books.)
• Commit to regular meetings, or occasional meetings, or meetings whenever we can squeeze them in. (I’ll meet you for tea at 7 a.m. or for 29 minutes between when you drop off one kid and pick up another. Whatever works.)

 
COMPENSATION

• A mad problem solver at your disposal
• Excellent conversation, with very occasional humor (I can be very, very funny, but only twice a year.)
• Small surprises delivered to your front porch or back porch or mailbox. Include with your application a delivery point for your surprises. (And then act surprised, okay?)
• Generosity of spirit, time, heart space, and listening ears (or problem solving, your choice.)
• Ample baked goods, to include: brownies, croissants, lasagna from scratch, and flourless chocolate cake
• Long days at play, tolerance for your obsessions, partnership in your wild ideas, and understanding that your relationship with your family of origin also is complicated. 

 
PROCEDURE
Apply at michelebacon.com. I will evaluate candidates on a rolling basis. Cover letters that include the word “irregardless” or promise to “give 110 percent” to our friendship will be shredded and recycled. Candidates must live in Seattle. I will give special consideration to qualified applicants living within a 20-minute walk of my house.