02 Apr 2015
Young Adult 54 Comments
04/02/2015 ecmyers
Team
scavengerhunt450Welcome to the Spring 2015  YA Scavenger Hunt! This event is organized by author Colleen Houck as a way for readers to get exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors… and a chance to win some fantastic prizes! In this hunt, you not only have access to exclusive content from each author, you also get clues at each stop for the scavenger hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize — one lucky winner will receive a book from every author in my team! But play fast: This contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!
Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are eight contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all of them! I’m part of the GOLD TEAM — but there are seven other chances to win a whole different set of signed books from a different team!

If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, including links to all the participating authors and a full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage.

 

 

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Look for my favorite number “hidden” somewhere below in gold. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the Gold Team, and then add them up. This number is your secret code to win the grand prize!
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 5, 2015, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
SCAVENGER HUNT POST
Today, I am pleased to be hosting Margo Kelly on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt! Her novel sounds like it’s right up my alley — a fun and dark thriller about online gaming and the hidden dangers of the internet. I really hope no one gets 86ed in her book! Here’s more about her and her work:
About Margo Kelly
margo_kellyMargo is a native of the Northwest and currently resides in Idaho. A veteran public speaker, Margo is now actively pursuing her love of writing. Who R U Really? is her debut novel published by Merit Press (an imprint of F+W Media) in September 2014. Margo welcomes opportunities to speak to youth groups, library groups, and book clubs.
Margo Kelly loves to be scared … when she’s reading a good book, watching a good movie, or suffering from the hiccups. She loves writing thrillers for young adults and hopes her stories give you the goose bumps or the itchies or the desire to rethink everyday things. Margo is represented by the not-so-scary, but totally awesome, Brianne Johnson of Writers House.
who_r_u_really_coverAbout Who R U Really?
Thea’s overprotective parents are driving her insane. They invade her privacy, ask too many questions, and restrict her online time so severely that Thea feels she has no life at all. When she discovers a new role-playing game online, Thea breaks the rules by staying up late to play. She’s living a double life: on one hand, the obedient daughter; on the other, a girl slipping deeper into darkness. In the world of the game, Thea falls under the spell of Kit, an older boy whose smarts and savvy can’t defeat his loneliness and near-suicidal despair. As Kit draws soft-hearted Thea into his drama, she creates a full plate of cover stories for her parents and then even her friends.
Soon, Thea is all alone in the dark world with Kit, who worries her more and more, but also seems to be the only person who really “gets” her. Is he frightening, the way he seems sometimes, or only terribly sad? Should Thea fear Kit, or pity him? And now, Kit wants to come out of the screen and bring Thea into his real-life world. As much as she suspects that this is wrong, Thea is powerless to resist Kit’s allure, and hurtles toward the same dark fate her parents feared most. Ripped from a true-life story of Internet stalking, Who R U Really? will excite you and scare you, as Thea’s life spins out of her control.

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

From Margo:

“What creates a villain? Is he or she born that way? Do outside influences lend to the development of an evil persona? Here’s a glimpse into how the predator in Who R U Really? came to hate all women. I wrote this piece of flash fiction as an exercise to get into the character’s head and understand him better. (Note that his name was changed in the final version of the novel).”

“Never Hit a Woman”
By Margo Kelly

Michael’s mother carried her handbag in the crook of her arm and tugged Michael along, gripping his ear with her hand.  Michael looked up at her as she strode out of the principal’s office. She smiled and greeted each person they passed in the hall. He stumbled when his oversized sneaker snagged the tattered hem of his pants leg, but his mother kept him upright with her firm grip on his ear. She continued her smooth stride out the elementary school’s main door, wearing her platform shoes and short tight skirt. Her bleached blond hair glistened in the humid Georgia sunshine, but not a drop of perspiration escaped her tight face.

She marched him to the car, parked cockeyed, and released Michael’s ear. He stood motionless as she opened the back door to the sedan and glanced around the parking lot. Michael bent to get into the car, and she slapped him hard alongside his head.

“STUPID!” she said.

Michael grabbed his face where the lingering sting caused the blood to throb inside his head. Without a word, he finished getting into the car. She slammed his door. Michael watched as she situated herself in the front seat. She adjusted the rearview mirror with her slender fingers. His mother made momentary eye contact with him, but he looked away.

She drove the car out of the parking lot and asked, “What were you thinking?”

Michael hesitated. He knew if he gave the wrong answer, he’d pay for it later. He said nothing, but replayed the incident in his mind. 

Sally, not the prettiest girl in his fifth grade class, wore her brown hair long and straight. Her clothes were cheap and out of style, much like Michael’s. That’s why he thought he stood a chance with her. He needed a friend. Sally never volunteered answers in class. She seemed shy, perfect. However, when he approached her at lunch time and asked if he could sit and eat with her, she laughed out loud. Too loudly. She drew the attention of the other kids. They all turned and watched.

She spoke to Michael in full southern drawl. “Well, bless your lil’ heart. Meager misfit Michael wants to eat with lil’ ol’ me?” Sally stood, leaned close, and hollered, “Not today. Not in this life time. Not ever!” She turned so fast, her long hair flipped Michael in the face. The other kids burst out laughing.

Chanting rose from the laughter. “Meager Misfit Michael. Meager Misfit Michael.”

Small statured and bone skinny, Michael lunged toward Sally and tackled her. With one hand, he gripped her hair. The other, he cocked backward and made a fist. Before he connected the blow, the principal pulled him off Sally. The principal hauled Michael to his office and immediately called his mother. For an hour, the principal lectured Michael about the virtue of women and how he should respect all women including the girls his own age. They faced each other across the large oak desk and waited for Michael’s mother to arrive.

“A man should never hit a woman,” the principal said and looked at Michael over the rims of his spectacles.

“Yes sir.” But Michael could think of plenty of reasons to hit a woman.

His mother’s voice yanked him from his frustrated memories.

“Answer me,” she said. “Why’d you tackle that poor girl? Whatever possessed you?” His mother focused on him in the rear view mirror. This time, he held her gaze.

“They made fun of me,” Michael said.

“Why on earth would they make fun of you?”

Michael knew he should stay quiet. This couldn’t end well for him.

“Answer me.”

“They make fun of my clothes, my hair, everything about me, every day.”

“There’s nothing wrong with your clothes or your hair. Did you tell them that? Or did you just pounce on that poor thing? I swear, Michael, you over react to every little thing. You need to stand up for yourself and grow a backbone.”

Michael spoke without thinking. “How can I when I have to wear clothes from the thrift store? I look stupid. My sisters cut my hair. You spend all our money on yourself and your daughters. You don’t spend any on me.” The air inside the car became frigid as Michael realized what he’d done. He stopped breathing for a moment, hoping that if he didn’t disturb even the air around him, maybe the moment would pass without punishment. His mother didn’t move a muscle. And then, suddenly, she swerved the car over to the side of the road, got out of the car, and opened Michael’s door.

“Get out!” she said. Michael did as he was told. She put one manicured finger in his face and said, “Don’t like your clothes? You don’t have to wear them.” And with strength he usually only felt behind her hits, she gripped the collar of his shirt, and ripped it right off him. “Take your pants off.”

“No. Please. I’m sorry.” Michael wished his father hadn’t left them. He knew his father wouldn’t let her treat him this way. And yet, he couldn’t blame his father for wanting to get away from this awful woman. Michael wished his father would’ve taken him away also. His mother continued yelling at him, telling him to take off his pants and his shoes. Tears streamed down Michael’s face as he refused. She slapped him.

“You can walk home,” she said and got back into the car. She hit the accelerator so hard gravel bit into Michael’s bare chest. He stood there and watched her drive away.

© 2015 Margo Kelly

___________________________________________
CONTINUE THE HUNT
To continue in the hunt, you need to check out the next author!
Don’t forget to add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the gold team to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of our books.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed meeting Margo Kelly and reading her bonus poem. Keep an eye out in the rest of the hunt, and you’ll find an exclusive deleted/alternate chapter from my latest book, The Silence of Six…
___________________________________________
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! BONUS GIVEAWAY
I’m also pleased to offer an additional giveaway of an Audible audio book of either Fair Coin or Quantum Coin — winner’s choice!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

,

ecmyers

I'm a YA author who spends too much time on the internet.

Comments (54)

  3. Aila

    Hmm a hacker handle?
    I’d say “thvg” (like “thug,” but I think hackers like to use symbols and numbers?) Apparently thug means “royal assassin” in some language or the other, and essentially I’m assassinating the hold on your computer or software, get it? Haha, I tried.

  4. Christy Bess

    f1tb()()kl0vR .. Thanks for the giveaway :D

  6. Melissa H.

    M155PH1R3

    I use MissPhyre as pretty much everything from my gamertags to the name for my blog, so I would have to do some form of it as a hacker, too haha

    Thank you for the giveaway and for participating in YASH!!!

  7. cassidy

    seven, gecko or hex (from mind games by teri terry)

  9. Joana Felício

    Princess13Unicorns (no one would think it was me)

  12. Aditi

    TheLabyrinth

    I don’t know why- its just always intrigued me! Thanks for the opportunity!

  13. Melody

    I didn’t even know what a hacker handle is :P
    From previous comments, and with my fabulous deduction skills (har har har) it’s kind of a username? I’ll just type string of random alphabets and numbers.
    Something like this: at6h46haq8e4rth6bd

  15. Dominique Cobb

    I can’t wait to check out all these awesome authors!!! :) :)

  22. Katherine Adams

    I would totally have something nerdy like TheDoctor or Bowtiesarecool :)

  23. Denise C.

    My hacker handle would be iloveunicorns. Who would notice that you’re a hacker with that? Haha

  24. Barbara Gordon

    hahaha – my handle would be… PineappleButterscotch

  25. K Fox

    My handle would be i.c.ur.info – Right to the point and basically says what I would be doing. : )

  26. Karina Hernandez

    My hacker handle would be Phoenix.

  29. Kim Waters

    Hmmm, maybe something like wh33lz, haha!

    Thanks for taking part in YASH and for the giveaway!

  30. Sharon

    Hacker handle – how about L8rG8r
    Thanks for being a part of YASH

  31. karen chappell

    Im not sure, but something like witchy woman ur majick kitten!
    not good at this stuff!

  34. Kassiah

    Great post! My name would be HackedByYourMom Thanks for participating in the YASH! xo

  35. Merisha Abbott

    magickfingers would be my handle

  39. Monica R.

    PandaCakes; it’s innocent yet disturbing! >:D

  41. Natalia Warthen

    Hm… I don’t really know… I guess it would have to be something that doesn’t relate to me at all, so probably just a long string of numbers and letters.

  44. Sarah Kalaitzidis

    same as always either demoncat or red_tigergirl lol!

  46. Liz

    If i were a hacker it would probably be something like’i’m_so_sorry’ or something because i’d feel pretty guilty about it:p or i’d try and think of something that throws people off the track, like USA30
    (Im not from america or 30)

  48. Carly Vaught

    Hmm probably something weird like:
    3.1415926589793238

  49. Jessica Jackson

    Bob125789997

    I would rather be just ‘Bob’, but, come on, I bet that handle would already be taken. Who wouldn’t want to be Bob?

  53. ecmyers

    Great names, everyone! Thanks for participating in the YA Scavenger Hunt and the giveaway.

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