Winter YA Scavenger Hunt, and Enter to Win EVERNEATH

I'm so excited to be a part of today's YA Scavenger Hunt!

As part of the hunt, I get to host the amazing Jocelyn Davies. Also, I have some secret content floating around out there that you'll get to find as well. This secret content is only available to Scavenger Hunt participants, and it involves a first kiss. And Nikki. And Jack. And their first kiss. And, if you read to the bottom, you'll see I'm giving away an ARC of EVERNEATH!

Each author on the hunt is hosting another author’s bonus material AND a link to the next step of the hunt. Take a couple of hours and work your way through the entire circuit collecting the words in red and entering all of the different contests you find along the way.

In one day, you could be entered in like 30 different contests! But only if you complete the circuit. And no matter where you start, you can do the full circle.

Today, I'm featuring Jocelyn Davies, whose book A BEAUTIFUL DARK looks just awesome.

About Jocelyn:

Jocelyn Davies edits young adult fiction at a publishing house in New York, a job that has allowed her to cultivate a keen interest in all things angsty, hilarious, and/or unrequited. She is a graduate of Bates College, and lives in an apartment overflowing with books. A BEAUTIFUL DARK is her first novel.

And now about A BEAUTIFUL DARK, which came out in September from HarperTeen:

On the night of Skye's seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites;like fire and ice;Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye's life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can't help falling for, and Devin, who she can't stay away from, the consequences of Skye's choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

Doesn't her book sound amazing? You can order it here:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Indiebound

Jocelyn explains her BONUS MATERIAL:

The scene on page 341, between Skye and Asher in the adirondak chair on the deck, originally took place in Skye’s bedroom, at night. I love the final scene so much, and it turned out to be one of my very favorites in A Beautiful Dark. But there was something about the intimacy of Skye touching Asher’s wings here—wondering if, or when, she might get her own—that I found really hard to let go of. What do you think?

--Jocelyn

BONUS SCENE:

Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped a plush towel around me, and wiped my hand across the mirror above the sink. This girl stared back at me. She had wet black hair, a pink mouth twisted in confusion, and silver eyes. Not grey. Silver.

When I emerged from the bathroom in my tank top and pajama pants, wet hair pulled back from my face in a clip, Asher was still waiting for me on the bed.

“So, I was thinking,” he said as he flipped through an issue of Teen Vogue that had been lying on my nightstand.

“Again?” I asked.

“Do you want to hear it or not?” He put down the magazine and looked me straight in the eye.

“Amaze me,” I said.

I could tell he was trying not to grin.

“The whole point of the Rebellion is so that we can live by our own rules. That’s the entire reason we jumped.”

“If my history lessons have served me correctly,” I said, my heart speeding up, “then yes. I do believe you’re right.”

“And I know that Devin doesn’t have any choice, and I see how much that hurts him. And I know you’re stuck between two choices, and you don’t exactly have a conscious say in the matter. Your powers will take over when it really matters. They’ll lean towards whichever side your unconscious is leaning, or so we’re led to believe.” Would they really? I wondered. Which side is that?

“But I have a choice, Skye. I have the power to choose whatever I want. And I’ve never known what I’ve wanted, more. I choose you. And the rest, we’ll figure out.” He gulped. “I know you walked away last time, so all I’m asking you to do is just think about it.”

I looked at him, the way his mouth turned up at the corners, even though his eyes stayed so serious. He had a little dimple near the left side of his chin. I had the strangest urge to touch it.

Would I get hurt again? Almost certainly. But was it worth it?

A hundred, thousand times yes.

“No thanks,” I said. “Pick again.”

He smiled.

“Come here,” he said.

I ran over to the bed and jumped on him. He grabbed my arms and pinned them above his head, so that, for a second, it felt like I was flying. Flash, my father lying on his back, holding me up on his knees when I was a little kid. Flash, arms outstretched, pretending I was soaring through the air. Faster than a speeding bullet, he’d say.

Asher smiled. “What are you thinking?” I fell off of his knees onto my side, and pulled him on top of me. His immense weight pressed into me, and it was hard to breathe for so many reasons.

“I want to see something,” I said. “Will you show me?”

“What exactly are we talking about here?”

I took a deep breath.

“Unfold your wings,” I said.

He looked at me funny. Slowly, he let his wings uncurl from his back, covering us in a canopy as I lay beneath him. The black feathers glistened and shimmered in the low light. Carefully, I reached out my hand, and brushed the tips of my fingers along the underside of one wing. Asher shivered.

“What are you doing,” he whispered.

“I would be okay with a pair of these,” I said softly.

The light in Asher’s eyes changed. He drew his wings in and rolled off of me, pulling me to him. He wrapped his arms around me so that there was no space between my body and his, and squeezed me close. I felt the heat of his chest against my back. His breath rose and fell. I couldn’t see him, but I knew he was doing his, trying-not-to-smile, doing-a-bad-job-of-hiding-it thing. Or maybe he was smiling for real.

YA SCAVENGER HUNT CONTEST

As an extra bonus we’ve put together a puzzle with one keyword found on each website. Complete it and you will be eligible for a fantastic GRAND PRIZE which will include signed editions of books, signed bookmarks, jewelry, and many more exclusive gifts with at least one gift from EVERY AUTHOR!

Directions: Search for the 37 keywords—one on each Scavenger Hunt website—that are highlighted in RED. When you are finished, go here to the puzzle form, where you will find a list of scrambled keywords. List your keywords in the same order as the scrambled ones—from #1 - #37—and paste that list into the entry form.

Rules: To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed puzzle form before noon on Dec 4th Pacific Time. All the keywords must be included and you must include your full name and address. Entries sent in without name and address will not be considered! The contest is international.

And my own mini contest (U.S. Only):

Enter to win an ARC of EVERNEATH!

To enter:

1. Find my bonus material floating around out there in the Scavenger Hunt.

2. Figure out the answer to the following question:

Which class is Nikki (Becks) (the narrator) late for?

3. Email me the answer: brodiashton (at) gmail (dot) com. Put "YA Scavenger Hunt" in the subject.

4. Leave a comment and tell me you emailed me (but don't give away the answer!). Otherwise, your email might get caught in spam, and I won't know to look for it.

So really it involves finding my bonus material and sending me an email.

Phew. That was quite the experience.

Are you ready to go to the next website on the Scavenger Hunt? Click Here.