“I took hold of that scourge -filled ship and crushed it between my limbs, hurtling it into the second sun, the red one that gave me strength. But I was too late." Terraformer
Colleen's blog
YASH Winners Announced
October 11, 2016
A huge thanks to all who participated in last weeks October YA Scavenger Hunt, it was so much fun!
There were a TON of prizes both on the YASH website and also on the authors’ websites so I hope you took advantage of the amazing opportunities.
Please check the YASH website for a complete list of all the winners at yash.rocks.
For those who participated in my bonus giveaway, I held a contest for 5 lucky participants to receive both Reawakened and Recreated book set. And. . . the winners are,
Grace, Carrie Lee Ardoin, Emily Krouk, Jaime Heller, and Megan Coppadge
I’m Linda Louise, one of the bloggers on this website and Colleen’s little sister. I’m just a girl in her mid-thirties who feels thirteen when I play outside with my boys, fifteen when I sing my heart out listening to tunes while driving by myself, and sixty five when I go out past ten at night. I have a thing for junior mints, Mt. Dew, shrimp and kale (though not all at once) and I have a crush on Superman. I still get girlish butterflies when I read Twilight, cry when I read These is My Words, and smile from ear to ear when I read Anne of Green Gables. I have nightmares about aliens on a regular basis and I have a bad habit of midnight snacking. I love everything sports, except golf (although can that honestly be considered a sport??), and I hate anything that slithers, hisses, or stings. I have a problem with giggling at inappropriate moments and I sometimes wish life was a musical. I love science, hate math, love Dr. Seuss, and hate olives. My family is my world and my joys come from their happiness. I’ve learned I don’t know much about anything and I live for a good adventure, naps, cuddles, stories, exceptional food and The Shire.
When the fall wind blows across the warm summer air,
and the leaves come alive as they dance in the cool breeze,
the landscape gently rolls from shades of green to oranges, reds, and pinks.
The smells of morning dew, chimney smoke and cinnamon are sweet to my soul.
There is a magic in the Autumn air that I can feel in the gentle rain, I can
sense in the setting sun, I can hear in the crunch beneath my shoes.
Fall is here and with it, Halloween, a fun and exciting time of the year and one of my favorites!
I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite Halloween movies that I try to enjoy each and every holiday. In no particular order, my Halloween shows:
Little Shop of Horrors. Why? The songs are awesome & Rick Moranis.
Harry Potter. Why? The first film is so Halloween it’s perfect.
It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Why? It’s a classic.
Something Wicked This Way Comes. Why? It scared the heck out of me when I was a kid.
E.T. Why? I loved the trick or treating scene.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (cartoon). Why? It’s another classic.
Ghostbusters (Old One). Why? Rick Moranis again and its classic and funny.
Ghostbusters (New One). Why? Chris Hemsworth dancing in the credits.
Edward Scissorhands. Why-Vincent Price and Johnny Depp. Enough said.
Hocus Pocus. Why? That song.
The Nightmare Before Christmas. Why? The music and the creepy creatures.
Wallace & Gromit: the curse of the were-rabbit. Why? It is fun to listen to kids giggle and watch Wallace.
Frankenweenie. Why? I have a weenie dog.
Hotel Transylvania. Why? Adam Sandler as Dracula.
Monster House. Why? I could totally relate to the kids.
Goonies. Why? Sloth and Chunk
The Haunted Mansion. Why? Eddie Murphy and the graveyard song.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series. Why? It started a great show that I truly enjoyed!
Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Why? I know it’s not a Halloween movie but the boat ride always scared me.
Thriller the music video. Why? It’s Michael Jackson and if you haven’t seen it, watch it!
I’m Linda Louise, one of the bloggers on this website and Colleen’s little sister. I’m just a girl in her mid-thirties who feels thirteen when I play outside with my boys, fifteen when I sing my heart out listening to tunes while driving by myself, and sixty five when I go out past ten at night. I have a thing for junior mints, Mt. Dew, shrimp and kale (though not all at once) and I have a crush on Superman. I still get girlish butterflies when I read Twilight, cry when I read These is My Words, and smile from ear to ear when I read Anne of Green Gables. I have nightmares about aliens on a regular basis and I have a bad habit of midnight snacking. I love everything sports, except golf (although can that honestly be considered a sport??), and I hate anything that slithers, hisses, or stings. I have a problem with giggling at inappropriate moments and I sometimes wish life was a musical. I love science, hate math, love Dr. Seuss, and hate olives. My family is my world and my joys come from their happiness. I’ve learned I don’t know much about anything and I live for a good adventure, naps, cuddles, stories, exceptional food and The Shire.
Looking for my exclusive bonus content? You’ll have to keep searching.
Somewhere on this blog hop, I’ve hidden three things; the cover reveal for REIGNITED, the novella in the REAWAKENED series, a cover reveal for REUNITED, book three in the REAWAKENED series, and a sneak peek from REIGNITED! Before you go looking for them, check out the amazing author I’m hosting.
But, first, a few rules.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE RULES
DIRECTIONS: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on TEAM GOLD, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!)
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, OCT 9th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
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 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, April 3rd!
There are SIX contests going on simultaneously as well as a bonus contest and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GOLD TEAM but there is also a RED TEAM, BLUE TEAM,ORANGE TEAM,PURPLE TEAM,&GREEN TEAM! Check out each team for a chance to win nine different sets of signed 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.
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…
Selene Castrovilla!
About Selene:
Selene always knew she was a writer, from the time she held a pencil. But when she was a teenager she was filled with so much self-doubt that she stopped writing for over ten years. That’s why she makes it her mission to inspire people to live their dreams.
Selene loves quotes, and her house is filled with them: on magnets, in frames — even right on the walls! She posts daily quotes on her Facebook page.
Selene’s mantra is Gandhi’s “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” For her, that change is love. Selene does all things with love, most especially her writing. Her books ask the question: “Why do people hurt each other?”
Selene gives out “Happy Clams” to her fans, and if you contact her through her website and ask for one, she’ll send it to you!
Selene has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School, where she was lucky enough to study with Jacqueline Woodson!
The book Selene is showcasing is MELT!
Colleen here: I counted the bricks on the cover and, if I’m right, there are
In case you’re as curious about the story as I am, you’re in luck!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Melt is a brutal love story, set against the backdrop of The Wizard of Oz. Sixteen year old “good girl” Dorothy just blew into the small town of Highland Park – where the social headquarters is Munchkinland (Dunkin’ Donuts.) There, she meets Joey – a “bad boy” who tells no one about the catastrophic domestic violence he witnesses at home. Can these two lovers survive peer pressure, Joey’s reputation, and his alcoholism? And then there’s his family’s secret – about to be unleashed.
Told in dual first person, Joey’s words are scattered on the page – reflecting his broken state. Dorothy is the voice of reason – until something so shattering happens that she, too, may lose her grip. Can their love endure, or will it melt away?
Melt is based on true events. It is both a chilling tale of abuse, and a timeless romance. It will hit you like a punch in the face, and also seep through the cracks in your soul.
TOP SECRET BONUS MATERIAL STRAIGHT AHEAD!
Bonus Material!
Selene is currently at work on Unpunished, Book Three of The Rough Romance Trilogy. So many questions! Can we find redemption, and what is its cost? Can love conquer all, and can it last? Can a person ever get away from the horrors of the past? Selene doesn’t know the answers until her characters experience them.
Here’s a sneak preview of the final Rough Romance book!
Joey
I wake up in the dark. Black out curtains, blacked-out mind. All this blocking, still no relief. The bright, shining pain, it sears right though. Here comes the sun. I know it’s out there waiting, all its truths splayed out in full view on my front lawn that’s seen better days, only the lawn misses Pop and his fanatical maintenance. Yeah, there is is again. That name. I clamp my eyelids, squeezing every bit of defiance I can muster. I bury my head in the cheap feather pillow, the untrimmed ends stab my face.
Twisted in my sweat sheets, wound up like a tangled yo-yo no-one wants, I think of another name. The name that hurts me even more. Why does love rip through us so much, isn’t it supposed to heal us? Pleas spew from my mouth.
“Come back. Come back, Doll. Please.”
My heart smashes against my chest cave, solitary confinement it can never escape, but it keeps getting bruised up trying.
I get more worked up, panting, clawing. My eyes squeeze themselves shut, like the answer is contained in my tunnel of vision and I just can’t let it out.
Somehow, my brain says. Somehow I’ll find her.
Then that bitch the sunny truth beams her ray in: I did find her.
I just never bargained for what came next.
You can now add MELT to your TBR list on Goodreads!
And don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me and many more! Just check out all these books on team gold,
To enter, you need to write down my favorite number, find all the other numbers on TEAM GOLD,add them up, and you’ll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
Thank you so much for visiting my website! While you’re here don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter bonus contest I am runningexclusively during the YA Scavenger Hunt. Five lucky winners will receive the first and second book in my REAWAKENED series, REAWAKENED AND RECREATED! Good luck everyone!
Enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win,
Ready to move on to the next link in the hunt? Then head on over to visit author Stacie Ramey’s page.
New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she's not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.