FALL 2020 Young Adult Scavenger Hunt

It’s that time of the year, and I’m so excited to be part of the Young Adult Scavenger Hunt (YASH) yet again, where you can enter to win tons of books by your favorite authors. This time is especially bittersweet because it’s the last ever YASH which has been a bi-annual event first organized by the awesome 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! So enjoy this last hunt and give a shout out to Colleen for her hard work!

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 book from each author on the hunt in my team! I am beyond excited to be part of #TEAMRED and see all the awesome books you can win below! Aren’t they pretty? Need help on how to play? Go here.

SCAVENGER HUNT Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve hidden my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the RED 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 entry by the time noted below. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

This fall, we three teams of twenty authors each, and each team is assigned a color: red, blue, and purple. You can enter the hunt on all 3 teams if you want. The blog hop begins Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 29th at 12 pm Pacific Time and comes down on Sunday, Oct 4th at noon Pacific Time. It’s easy to play, and go to  the YASH website where you’ll find a list of all the authors participating as well as an answer sheet you can print off to gather the info you’re hunting for and to keep track of any bonus contests you may have entered.

Remember: Make sure to read all the way through this post to get the secret number, and to enter the bonus contest at the end of this post where I’m giving away an extra ebook copy of my newest urban fantasy, KILLER POINTE.

EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT: I’m thrilled to be hosting author D.S. Murphy on this leg of the hunt!

ABOUT D.S.: Derek Murphy lives in castles and writes YA dark fantasy and science fiction. He wrote his MA Thesis on Harry Potter and his PhD dissertation on Paradise Lost, and believes that “words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.” When not dreaming up epic tales with dragons, aliens, vampires, mermaids and fallen angels – either hunting or falling in love with each other – he prefers to be sipping espresso and half buried in a pile of books and kittens. Find out more about Derek on Twitter and Facebook.

The book D.S. is featuring on the hunt is Taste of Vampire, the first book in the Kingdom of Blood and Ash series.

Toxic air. Vicious Beasts. Poisonous ash falling from the sky. That’s what awaits anyone brave enough to traverse the electrified fence of the compound I grew up on. My only chance at freedom is the arrogant—and oh so handsome—Prince Damien.

Every girl wants to marry him—except for me. But, when our weekly ration of healing elixir isn’t enough to save my mother, giving myself to Damien is my only hope. But not everyone within the citadel is pleased with our elite masters… and me? I’m the key to demolishing the whole system.

Taste of Vampire

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT: D.S. has several exciting things to share with you: first, the cover reveal for Throne of Vampire! Isn’t it gorgeous?

But that’s not all! D.S. wanted to share a deleted scene from Book 3 with you readers:

My head buzzed as the fading elixir withdrew from my veins. The light was too bright and there was a shadow over my bed. I pulled back in surprise, until my vision focused on Jasmine’s long curls. She was sitting next to me with a tin bowl of soup.

I recognized features of the long, furnished room built with the same black volcanic rock of the mountain, with richly woven back carpets and drapes that gave off a musty, spicy scent. The room was empty, expect for us, and my head felt clear for the first time in days.

“Camina?” I asked.

“She’s fine,” Jasmine said. “You know it would take more than riding down a cliff on a demon goat to slow her down.”

“And the others?”

“Exploring the compound. With the king dead, Damien is basically in charge, at least officially. The guards don’t seem to like it, but he is elite after all, it’s not like they can move against him.”

“He’s up?” I asked, with a sigh of relief.

“Since yesterday,” Jasmine nodded. “We fed him, a lot, but you know how they recover once they’ve tasted blood. He’s in the cellars, avoiding the sunlight, but he’s safe. It’s you everyone’s been worried about.”

I nodded, visions and memories flitting in front of my vision like hummingbirds in the dappled light from the window. Damien attacked his father for me, and then I killed him. I was everything they said about me and more, a terrorist. A monster.

The light.

I pulled myself up and stumbled to the window. I hadn’t imagined it. The sky was blue and filled with white puffy clouds. Near the horizon, a thin silver crescent hung like a fishing hook.

“Is that the moon?” I asked, nearly holding my breath.

Jazmine nodded, squeezing my shoulders.

“It’s over,” she said softly. “No more compounds, no more choosing ceremonies. This time, we get to decide. So tell me, what would you like to do first?”

My mind immediately went to Damien, and I bit my lip, filled with guilt and shame.

A few days ago, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see him again.

I’d given myself to Trevor, because of all that he’d suffered, all that he’d done for me.

I never considered a future where I could choose who to love, but if I had, I never thought it would be the elite who chose me as his blood companion. A war was coming, and Damien was the enemy.

“What do you want?” Jazmine asked, stepping forward. “A lot of people are going to start asking this of you, to make decisions, to make plans. Before the circus starts, unless you want to be pulled into someone else’s agenda, you need to make your own choices.”

“Honestly I have no idea,” I said, pulling my dark hair out of my eyes. My face felt sticky and hot, and although someone had tried to sponge me down, most of my skin was still bruised and stained with dirt and blood.

“A shower then,” Jasmine said, pulling me up. “It’ll help you think.”

I caught her wrist but kept my feet firmly planted.

I would have to choose.

As long as I didn’t move, I was still free.

“I feel like one of those death moths we saw earlier,” I whispered. “Going from flower to flower in search of nectar, never satisfied. Maybe I’ll end up in a ball of fire too, my wings burnt to a crisp.”

“Maybe we both will,” Jasmine said with a smirk. “We don’t know what’s going to be waiting for us back at the citadel. It’s not like there’s going to be a smooth transition of power.”

I nodded again, chewing on my lip.

Damien was the crown prince now, but the other elite wouldn’t slither away into the darkness, just because we’d gotten rid of the ash machines. The other compounds were in danger, and I knew instinctively that things were going to get worse before they got better.

Jasmine handed me a towel and a bar of soap and pushed me down the hall towards the bathrooms.

“What about you,” I asked, pulling up the thin night gown and catching my reflection in the mirror. I was thin, and pale, but still in one piece, which was a miracle. I ran my finger down the long scar across my abdomen where the king had stabbed me.

“What about me?” Jasmine repeated, watching me carefully.

“How did you know what you wanted?”

She crossed her arms and met my eyes in the mirror. For a moment, neither of us spoke.

“It’s a little like the thirst,” Jazmine said finally. “It’s not a decision you make. It’s something you feel. Sex is always a choice, or at least it should be. It complicates relationships, but it doesn’t have to. Love, is never a choice. I’m probably more attracted to men, to be honest. But Camina, I love that girl fiercely. Even if it doesn’t make sense. Even if it’s going to make life harder, for both of us. Because I’m my best version of my self when I’m with her, and I don’t want to be anything less.”

I dropped the towel and stepped into the hot shower, feeling the warm water wash away the sweat and grime. I felt like an insect shedding its skin and becoming something new.

Jasmine’s words weren’t an answer, but at least they were a compass. The anxious thoughts melted away, leaving only one, which I repeated with conviction.

Who did I want to be?

This is a sneak peek at book 3 of my vampire dystopian series, Kingdom of Blood and Ash. Grab book one free or join my reader group for ARC’s when it’s live!

A huge thanks to D.S. for stopping by on the hunt to give us a sneak peak at his new cover which is so gorgeous that it makes me want to do 11 cartwheels!

EXTRA BONUS PRIZE on this blog stop: I’m giving away an ebook of my newest urban fantasy novel, Killer Pointe, in which a dancer plans to fund her dreams of Juilliard School in this world by serving as a hired assassin in a parallel fairytale world. Just enter a comment below by the end of YASH and I will choose one using a random number generator. Get an extra +5 entries by signing up for my newsletter here and just mention that you did that in the comment. You can check out my exclusive bonus material (the dance move that inspired my battle scene) over at fellow #TEAMRED author, MELANIE HOOYENGA.

NEXT BLOG STOP ON #TEAMRED:

You’re doing great! Now, go on to next stop on the hunt with the lovely Kaitlin Bevis.  Good hunting!

Killer Pointe Release Day!

Ballerina by day. Assassin by night.

Hello lovelies!

I’m so excited to announce the release of my new urban fantasy novel, Killer Pointe. All books are a labor of love and I couldn’t have finished this one without the support of my amazing family and friends. In addition to my own daughter being a dancer, my youngest sister danced professionally in a ballet company and helped immensely with the technical aspects involved in this book. She didn’t even bat an eye when I told her I needed a ballet move that could take someone down! Congrats to Cheri R. who won a $50 Amazon gift card in the pre-order contest and to Shannon C. who won a paperback copy of the book.

Here is a little bit about Killer Pointe:

Here are the two most important things to know:

1.I am going to be a professional dancer.
2.Every fairy tale you’ve ever read is a lie.

A prince didn’t rescue Rapunzel from her ivory tower nor did a huntsman save Little Red Riding Hood from a voracious wolf.

I did.

The men might get all the credit for it but I’m the one who makes bank. Sure, the official versions of these stories are altered in books but I’m good with that. I have bigger goals—like Juilliard School type goals.

Shifting between my world, with its ballet classes and homework, to the parallel world of Liralelle, with its witches and trolls, can be jarring at times but I’ve gotten the hang of it. That is, until the day a troll crashes my Sleeping Beauty audition and I’m asked to kill the most fearsome witch of all. Yet the pay for this final job will cover my entire Juilliard tuition—if only I can live long enough to make it there.

If you love urban fantasy and assassin ballerinas sound like your kind of thing, you can grab a copy here! Happy reading and hope you enjoy it! Also, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter on the sidebar for info on upcoming books for 2020. 🙂

Pre-Order Giveaway for New Urban Fantasy Killer Pointe

Killer Pointe cover

Hi all! It’s been awhile and I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this crazy time. I’m so excited to share my new cover for my upcoming urban fantasy novel, Killer Pointe, which releases 5/20/20. If you know me, you know that one of the things I am is a dance mom (though not the cray-cray kind as depicted on the popular show). My daughter, now a teen, has been dancing since age 4, so I’ve spent countless hours at various dance rehearsals, performances, competitions and conventions. The dancers all work so incredibly hard and I am in awe of their dedication and perseverance. This book is dedicated to them.

Here is a little about Killer Pointe:

Ballerina by day. Assassin by night.

Here are the two most important things to know:
1.I am going to be a professional dancer.
2.Every fairy tale you’ve ever read is a lie.

A prince didn’t rescue Rapunzel from her ivory tower nor did a huntsman save Little Red Riding Hood from a voracious wolf.

I did.

The men might get all the credit for it but I’m the one who makes bank. Sure, the official versions of these stories are altered in books but I’m good with that. I have bigger goals—like Juilliard School type goals.

Shifting between my world, with its ballet classes and homework, to the parallel world of Liralelle, with its witches and trolls, can be jarring at times but I’ve gotten the hang of it. That is, until the day a troll crashes my Sleeping Beauty audition and I’m asked to kill the most fearsome witch of all. Yet the pay for this final job will cover my entire Juilliard tuition—if only I can live long enough to make it there.

Pre-Order Contest: Since the book is partly about dance, I have an option for the pre-order contest in line with that. So, if you pre-order the book anytime before the release date on 5/20/2020, you can enter to win your CHOICE of either a $50 Amazon gift card OR a $50 gift card to the online store Discount Dance (my daughter LOVES that store).

How to Enter: Go to the button below to pre-order (both ebook and paperbook are available), or click here. Just email me proof of your pre-order (without personal payment info) to kristi (at) kristihelvig.com. I will announce the winner on the release day.