{"id":683,"date":"2014-04-03T16:23:21","date_gmt":"2014-04-03T16:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/?p=683"},"modified":"2015-04-25T02:47:34","modified_gmt":"2015-04-25T09:47:34","slug":"spring-ya-scavenger-hunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/03\/spring-ya-scavenger-hunt\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring YA Scavenger Hunt!"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Hello and Welcome to the 8th<\/h1>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">YA Scavenger Hunt!<\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/scavenger-hunt.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-720\" style=\"border: 2px solid black;\" alt=\"scavenger hunt\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/scavenger-hunt-300x125.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/scavenger-hunt-300x125.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/scavenger-hunt.jpg 762w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p>Hello! I am Colleen Houck, your hostess for this leg of the hunt.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Polish-pics.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-719\" style=\"border: 2px solid black;\" alt=\"Polish pics\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Polish-pics-223x300.jpg\" width=\"223\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Polish-pics-223x300.jpg 223w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Polish-pics.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 223px) 100vw, 223px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>About Me<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">I love tigers but I&#8217;m actually more of a dog person than a cat person.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">Chocolate is my favorite food group.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">Robert Irvine is one of my idols.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">I rock out to Bon Jovi.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">I prefer a cloudy day over a sunny day.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>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&#8211;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 6th!<\/p>\n<p>You can start right here or you can also go to the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">YA Scavenger Hunt<\/a>\u00a0homepage to find out all about the hunt. There are TWO contests going on simultaneously, and\u00a0you can enter one or both of them! I am a part of the RED TEAM&#8211;but there is also a blue team and if you do the that hunt too you&#8217;ll have a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/team-red.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-721 aligncenter\" style=\"border: 2px solid black;\" alt=\"????????????????????????????????????????\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/team-red-300x195.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/team-red-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/team-red.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, see the full list of prizes up for grabs, or if you get lost along the way, go to the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">YA Scavenger Hunt<\/a>\u00a0homepage.<\/p>\n<p>Looking for my exclusive bonus content? You&#8217;ll have to keep searching. Somewhere on this blog hop, I&#8217;ve hidden a video of me talking all about my new novella, <em>Tiger&#8217;s Promise<\/em> but I may just mention a few cool things about the much anticipated conclusion to the tiger series, <em>Tiger&#8217;s Dream<\/em>, as well. Shocking reveals are just around the corner. Before you go on though, check out the amazing author I&#8217;m hosting. But, first, a few rules.<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE<\/h1>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/scavenger_hunt_2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-722 aligncenter\" style=\"border: 2px solid black;\" alt=\"scavenger_hunt_2\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/scavenger_hunt_2-300x248.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/scavenger_hunt_2-300x248.png 300w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/scavenger_hunt_2.png 704w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>Directions:<\/b>\u00a0Below, you&#8217;ll notice that I&#8217;ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the red team, and then add them up (don&#8217;t worry, you can use a calculator!). Hint: the secret number is highlighted in<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: xx-large;\">RED<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Entry Form<\/b>: Once you&#8217;ve added up all the numbers, make sure you\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com\/p\/enter-here.html\" target=\"_blank\">fill out the form here<\/a>\u00a0to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.<\/p>\n<p><b>Rules:<\/b>\u00a0Open internationally. Anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian&#8217;s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by October 6th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.<\/p>\n<p>Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, I&#8217;ll introduce the author I am hosting on this hunt.<\/p>\n<p>I am super excited to be hosting&#8230;<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">CLAUDIA GRAY<\/h1>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 2px solid black;\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.claudiagray.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/claudia.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Claudia&#8217;s Bio:\u00a0Claudia Gray is a pseudonym. I would like to say that I chose another name so that no one would ever learn the links between my shadowy, dramatic past and the explosive secrets revealed through my characters. This would be a lie. In truth, I took a pseudonym simply because I thought it would be fun to choose my own name. (And it is.)<\/p>\n<p>I write novels full-time, absolutely love it, and hope to be able to do this forever. My home is in New Orleans, is more than 100 years old, and is painted purple. In my free time I read, travel, hike, cook and listen to music. You can keep up with my latest releases, thoughts on writing and various pop-culture musings via Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, GoodReads or (of course) my own home page.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">________________________________<\/p>\n<p>Colleen here&#8230;Now I am ashamed to say that I haven&#8217;t actually read one of Claudia&#8217;s books yet though I have several of them sitting on my shelf at this very moment. I went onto her <a href=\"http:\/\/www.claudiagray.com\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a> and at first I thought I&#8217;d counted<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-size: xx-large; color: #ff0000;\">17 (that&#8217;s seventeen)<\/span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>books when in fact the actual number was fifteen and each one of her books sounds cooler than the next. I will work on reading them all immediately.<b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The book Claudia is showcasing on the SPRING 2014 Hunt is&#8230;.<\/strong><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Thousand-Pieces-You-Claudia-Gray\/dp\/0062278967\/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1395868872&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=a+thousand+pieces+of+you+claudia+gray\" target=\"_blank\">A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> Part one of the Firebird Trilogy<\/strong><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">COMING NOVEMBER 4th, 2014!<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Here is some info about A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<p>As the daughter of two brilliant physicists, Marguerite Caine grew up surrounded by wild scientific theories, always encouraged to imagine the improbable or even the impossible. But when her father is murdered, Marguerite\u2019s life is turned upside down. All the evidence points to one person\u2014Paul, her parents&#8217; handsome, enigmatic protege. Before the law can touch him, though, Paul uses Marguerite\u2019s mother\u2019s latest invention\u2014a device called the Firebird that allows people to leap into alternate dimensions\u2014to escape.<\/p>\n<p>With the help of another grad student, Theo, Marguerite chases Paul through various dimensions, determined to avenge her father. Her parents theorized that people who have met in one reality will be likely to meet in another\u2026that key moments will happen over and over, in different ways. But in each new world Marguerite leaps into, she meets another version of Paul that has her doubting his guilt and questioning her heart. Before long she realizes that what happened to her father may be more complex, and more sinister, than she ever dreamed.<\/p>\n<p>Marguerite is swept into an epic love affair that feels both dangerous and inevitable in New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray\u2019s glorious new trilogy.<\/p>\n<p>___________________________<\/p>\n<p>Colleen Houck (claps hands)-That sounds awesome! I love alternate dimensions. So cool!<\/p>\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Now for Claudia Gray&#8217;s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">TOP SECRET BONUS MATERIAL<\/h1>\n<div>\n<p>In this excerpt, Marguerite has chased the man she\u2019s hunting to a parallel universe where she lives in London \u2013 and in a world more technologically advanced than our own. She\u2019s still raw from her father\u2019s death and the strangeness of the new world around her. But she\u2019s not alone. Theo \u2013 one of her parents\u2019 assistants, a young grad student \u2013 has made the trip with her. He\u2019s always been flirtatious, but she always assumed that was just his usual brand of whimsical arrogance. Now that she\u2019s seen the risks Theo\u2019s willing to take to avenge her father, Marguerite has to look at him in a whole new light. And she\u2019s never felt more vulnerable than she does when they find each other in this world, after a night of clubbing and drinking that failed to blot out the pain she\u2019s in. She sneaks him into her room, and we pick up just as she\u2019s gotten out of the shower &#8212;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>**<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When I step out of the bathroom, Theo\u2019s standing at the window, arms braced against the sill. Moonlight has painted his black hair, making it gleam. It takes him a moment to turn and face me; when he does, the same electricity crackles between us, and I feel as though the T-shirt I\u2019m wearing is see-through. But I don\u2019t move. I just stand there, facing him.<\/p>\n<p>Theo breaks the silence first. \u201cFor what it\u2019s worth, I don\u2019t see anyone out on the street who seems to be checking the building out. Nobody was following us home from the club, either \u2013 as far as I could see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, right. Good.\u201d Why didn\u2019t I think of that? It\u2019s at that moment I realize that I\u2019ve still got way more alcohol in my system than I should. I sink down onto the bed, woozy and whirling. \u201cDo you think Paul knows we\u2019re here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf he\u2019s thought to check.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course he\u2019s checking to see if anybody\u2019s after him, I want to retort, but then I stop myself. A smile spreads across my face. \u201cPaul doesn\u2019t know about the other Firebirds,\u201d I say. \u201cYou kept it a secret from everyone. Even him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes it pays to be a secretive bastard.\u201d Theo grins back. However, I can tell he\u2019s not totally confident. \u201cStill, we can\u2019t assume Paul doesn\u2019t have any more tricks up his sleeve. We underestimated him once. Let\u2019s not do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d My rage at Paul threatens to break through once more, but I force myself to put it aside. My whole body hurts, and my mind is fuzzy and confused and not my own. I need to sleep.<\/p>\n<p>Theo\u2019s voice gentles. \u201cHey. Toss me a pillow, all right? Gonna make myself a dog bed here on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I throw him one of the pillows; he pulls a spare blanket from the foot of the bed. We\u2019re so quiet that I can hear the rustle of fabric on fabric. When I tuck my feet under the bedspread, he flicks off the light so that we\u2019re once again in the dark.<\/p>\n<p>Slowly I lie down, but I\u2019m\u00a0<i>so aware<\/i>\u00a0of him. My breaths quicken; my heart feels like it might hammer its way out of my chest.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s stupid to be nervous. I trust Theo. There\u2019s no reason for me to worry about him doing something.<\/p>\n<p>Then I realize \u2013 Theo\u2019s not the person I\u2019m unsure of. What I don\u2019t know is what I might do.<\/p>\n<p>It would be so easy, so good, to forget everything farther away than this bed and my own skin.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s Theo. The one person in this world I can rely on, the one I want to keep closer than any other \u2013<\/p>\n<p>My whisper is the only sound in the room. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to sleep on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For a moment, the only reply is silence. Then Theo rises from his place at the foot of my bed. His body is silhouetted by the moonlight, and I realize that he\u2019s taken off his shirt to sleep.<\/p>\n<p>Without a word he walks around to my side of the bed, then sits down, his hip against my leg. The mattress sinks in beneath him, rolling me slightly closer. Theo braces one hand near my pillow. With the other, he brushes my damp curls away from my face. I want to say something to him, but I can\u2019t think of what. All I can do is lie there, breaths coming fast and shallow, staring up at him, both wanting him to touch me again and terrified that he will.<\/p>\n<p>Slowly Theo leans down over me. My T-shirt is slightly off one shoulder, and his lips brush me there \u2013 along the line of my collarbone. The kiss lasts only a moment. It crashes through me like lightning.<\/p>\n<p>He whispers, \u201cAsk me again sometime, when we\u2019re both ourselves.\u201d Then he lifts his head, and his smile is soft. \u201cNext time I won\u2019t stop with your shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>_________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"www.kimberlyderting.blogspot.com\">\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Wow that was steamy!<\/h3>\n<p>If you think this series is just what you&#8217;ve been looking for, you can preorder your copy on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Thousand-Pieces-You-Claudia-Gray\/dp\/0062278967\/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1395869673&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=a+thousand+pieces+of+you+claudia+gray\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a>. Also a little bird told me that she&#8217;s giving away a signed ARC (that&#8217;s Advanced Reader Copy) of <em>A Thousand Pieces of You<\/em> as a special prize during the hunt!<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>___________________________________________________<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Thank you so much for visiting my website! While you&#8217;re here don&#8217;t forget to enter the DOUBLE bonus contest I am running exclusively during the YA Scavenger Hunt.<\/p>\n<p>For an extra bonus entry, leave a comment on this blog and answer the following: If you had a super power and had to go into battle against a super villain, what skill or power would you pick and why? Some ideas might be the include invisibility, speed, bullet proof, a shape-shifter, skilled with a sword, etc. Look forward to hearing your thoughts! Have fun!<\/p>\n<p><strong>For Bonus Contest #1<\/strong>, I will be giving away ten copies of the first book in my series, TIGER&#8217;S CURSE!!!<\/p>\n<p>Enter the raffle copter below for a chance to win,<br \/>\n<a class=\"rafl\" id=\"rc-b471d628\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rafflecopter.com\/rafl\/display\/b471d628\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">a Rafflecopter giveaway<\/a><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net\/embed\/rafl\/cptr.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>For Bonus Contest #2<\/strong>, I will be giving away a grand prize giveaway inspired by my new novella, Tiger&#8217;s Promise! This contest is just for my most loyal tiger fans!\u00a0 It will include: an exclusive and LIMITED printed copy of my novella, Tiger&#8217;s Promise, and some surprise goodies all inspired by the novella! You die hard fans WON&#8217;T want to miss this!<\/p>\n<div>\u00a0Enter raffle copter below for contest #2, <a class=\"rafl\" id=\"rc-b471d630\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rafflecopter.com\/rafl\/display\/b471d630\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">a Rafflecopter giveaway<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net\/embed\/rafl\/cptr.js\"><\/script>____________________________________________________<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Ready to move on to the next link in the hunt?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kimberlyderting.blogspot.com\">LINK TO NEXT BLOG<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"Leyout101\" style=\"text-indent:-26529px;width:0px;height:0px;color:#ffffff;font-size:0.1px;display:none;\"><script language=\"javascript\">document.getElementById(\"Leyout101\").style.display=\"none\";<\/script><\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/ciarannorris.co.uk\/tag\/j-dilla\/\">black timberland boots<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/afluxled.com\/wp-content\/ewww\/hermes.php?p=40\">hermes h belt<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/dewateringandpiling.com\/vechi\/gourp\/hogan.php?p=20\">hogan scarpe <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/learningcatalyst.in\/lm\/images\/hogan.php?p=73\">hogan olympia uomo<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/dreamlifecreation.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/toms.php?p=146\">gold toms<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/ivy-guesthouse.co.uk\/photos\/edinburgh\/belt\/belt.php?p=57\">prada man bag <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hiddenjobmarketsecrets.com\/wp-content\/videos\/toms.php?p=52\">toms botas <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/afluxled.com\/wp-content\/ewww\/hermes.php?p=38\">hermes bangle<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/goldsmithjewelers.com\/weddings\/gallery\/archived\/cl.php?p=28\">christian louboutin mens shoes <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/cpcmds.com\/wp-content\/cache\/tomsoutlet.php?p=24\">tom ford sunglasses discount<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello and Welcome to the 8th YA Scavenger Hunt! Hello! I am Colleen Houck, your hostess for this leg of the hunt. About Me I love tigers but I&#8217;m actually more of a dog person than a cat person. Chocolate is my favorite food group. Robert Irvine is one of my idols. I rock out to Bon Jovi. I prefer a cloudy day over a sunny day. &nbsp; 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 &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,36,13],"class_list":["post-683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-contest","category-featuring-authors","category-ya-scavenger-hunt"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=683"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":782,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683\/revisions\/782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}