Fall 2015 YASH

 

Great books are in the hunt this time around, I can feel it! With so many authors and so many new books, who wouldn't be excited? I know of at least 23 I already want to read. But, first things first, let me explain what the hunt is. In the lovely Mrs. Houck's words:

"Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt 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! I am a part of the PINK TEAM--but there is also a blue team, a gold team, a green team, an orange team, a red team, a teal team, and a purple for a chance to win a whole different set 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.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the pink team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!). 

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 October 4, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered."

SCAVENGER HUNT POST

GILLIAN BRONTE ADAMS is a sword-wielding, horse-riding, coffee-loving speculative fiction author from the great state of Texas. During the day, she manages the equestrian program at a youth camp. But at night, she kicks off her boots and spurs, pulls out her trusty laptop, and transforms into a novelist. She is the author of Orphan’s Song, book one of the Songkeeper Chronicles, and Out of Darkness Rising.

You can find more information on Gillian and her books here:

~ Her website
~ Twitter
~ Facebook

~ Buy her book

THE BOOK

Who Will Keep the Song Alive?

Every generation has a Songkeeper – one chosen to keep the memory of the Song alive. And in every generation, there are those who seek to destroy the chosen one. When Birdie's song draws the attention of a dangerous Khelari soldier, she is kidnapped and thrust into a world of ancient secrets and betrayals. Rescued by her old friend, traveling peddler Amos McElhenny, Birdie flees the clutches of her enemies in pursuit of the truth behind the Song’s power.

Ky is a street–wise thief and a member of the Underground—a group of orphans banded together to survive . . . and to fight the Khelari. Haunted by a tragic raid, Ky joins Birdie and Amos in hopes of a new life beyond the reach of the soldiers. But the enemy is closing in, and when Amos’ shadowed past threatens to undo them all, Birdie is forced to face the destiny that awaits her as the Songkeeper of Leira. Book one of the Songkeeper Chronicles.

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

Gillian has provided us with a behind-the-scenes with Amos McElhenny. *swoon* If you've read her book, she offers tips.

 

Folks who have read my novel Orphan’s Song tend to settle on Amos McElhenny as their favorite character. He is a travelling peddler, formerly from the Westmark, a boggy moorland on the coast of Leira, so he has a bit of a salty tongue, if you catch my drift. He can be a bit brusque, and he’s not the man to back down from a fight, but when it comes down to it, there’s little he cares for more than seeing that his wee lass, Birdie, is kept safe … and how can you find fault with that?

     As part of a joke in a recent blog post—a joke, mind you—I made a comment about how Amos might meet his doom in the course of a story, and the response quite literally blew me out of the water! Quite honestly, I feared for my life.

     Because Amos is also one of my favorites, I couldn’t resist the change to give you all a bit of an insider’s look into his character. You see, Amos has a bit of a penchant for inventing curious insults and phrases. Some are taken from the seafaring culture that he grew up in, but even those Amos generally manages to tweak just enough to make them wholly his own. So ladies and gents, you are about to get a crash course in How to Talk Like Amos McElhenny!

Boggswoggle

This is a word that any aspiring young Amos McElhenny imitator must learn to master, as it is one of his favorites. By definition, boggswoggle is something that exists only in the realm of the fantastic, i.e. something so impossible that it could not, by any stretch of the ordinary imagination, be assumed to be true. Or it is something that is deceptive. A mirage. False.

     In this context, it is often used by the Waveryders of the Westmark to describe the hazy shapes seen rising from the water during the late watches of the night. In fact, popular stories place the origin of this expression in sailors’ superstitions about the mysterious boggles and boogies that haunt the open waves.

      Example: “Of course not,” he blustered, but she saw the truth in his downcast eyes. “It’s sheer boggswoggle. Foolish twiddle twaddle and drivelin’ poppycock. Ye’re imagining things.”

Bloodwuthering blodknockers:

Generally assumed to be an expression of extreme dismay or disgust. Blodknockers are a form of enormous leech that infest the marshy grasses surrounding the bogs of the Westmark. When full grown, blodknockers are the length of an index finger and have a pale, grubby white appearance. Blodknockers differ from ordinary leeches in that blodknocker venom contains a powerful sedative, and although the bite of one blodknocker will rarely bring down a man, a dog or smaller animal may well succumb to it.

     Blodknockers, however, are rarely solitary creatures. Many an unwary traveler has stumbled into a nest and later been found drained of blood. Needless to say, those of the Westmark regard blodknockers as the worst type of pest and frequently burn the edges of the bogs known to be infested.

     The origin of the phrase bloodwuthering blodknockers is commonly attributed to Amos McElhenny after the loss of a pack beast to a blodknocker nest.

     Example: He swept his cap from his head, bowed to the tavern and its inmates, and stalked out into the night, thoroughly disgusted with himself and the whole evening. “Bloodwuthering blodknockers!”

Charbottle

Common Waveryder name for peat that has been dredged from the bogs and dried for fuel. When burned, it gives off a distinct aroma that permeates any food or drink cooked or warmed over the fire. Generally associated with warmth and home and comfort, though one could also associate it with ash and mud and decay. Scholars debate whether Amos’s use of the phrase in reference to his donkey Balaam was intended as an insult or a term of endearment, but that is another discussion for another day.

     Example: He kicked at Balaam with his free foot. “C’mon! Get up, ye earth-shatterin’ lump of charbottle.”

Bilgewater

Another Amos McElhenny favorite, bilgewater is generally an expression of frustration. For those with any seafaring knowledge, little explanation is needed to understand the origin of this phrase. The water that fills the bilges of a Waveryder ship is generally the foulest and dankest water imaginable. Those unlucky sailors who happen to land “bilge” duty can expect miserable, wet, back-breaking and often futile seeming hours at the buckets or pump for the duration of their watch.

     Example: He looked up into the incredulous glares of tavern-goers gathered in a semicircle around his table. Bilgewater! That didn’t look good.

Congratulations, my friends! Once you master these four expressions, you will be well on your way to being able to talk like the self-proclaimed master of insult, Amos McElhenny. You may not, however, be well on your way to winning friends and influencing people. The cost of being a rough but loveable character, eh?

*Note: All examples taken from Orphan’s Song, book one of the Songkeeper Chronicles.

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Gillian Bronte Adams, and more! Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the pink team and you'll have  the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, Kate Karyus Quinn!