Welcome to my blog, YA hunters! I'm Kate Karyus Quinn.
I'm the young adult author of several books, most recently the MOUNT OLYMPUS ACADEMY trilogy which is co-written with Demitria Lunetta and Marley Lynn. Click below to find out more!
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| VAMPIRE ACADEMY meets PERCY JACKSON! CLICK TO FIND OUT MORE! |
Also, a few weeks ago I was super excited to release an anthology, BETTY BITES BACK: STORIES TO SCARE THE PATRIARCHY that I helped edit along with Mindy McGinnis and Demitria Lunetta. We also all have our own stories included in the anthology.
But you're here for the hunt, so let's get to it.
I'm on....
I am also hosting a wonderful author here on my blog today, but before we can get to her exclusive content, we need to review the rules first.
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 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 completed entry form by Oct 6th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
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 several contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the RED TEAM--but there is a whole rainbows worth of other teams, so make sure to check them all out 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.
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.
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Okay, now that we've taken care of that, let me introduce you to the lovely Courtney Alameda!
Seventeen-year-old Kira Fujikawa has never had it easy. She’s bullied by the popular girls in school. Her family ignores her. And she’s also plagued with a secret: She can see yokai, the ghosts and demons that haunt the streets of Japan. But things accelerate from bad to worse when she learns that Shuten-doji, the demon king, will rise at the next blood moon to hunt down an ancient relic and bring the world to a catastrophic end. Find out more information by checking out the Courtney's website or find more about the author's book here!
Click here to pre-order SEVEN DEADLY SHADOWS!
You can also find Courtney on Instagram and Twitter! -->Instagram: @courtneyalamedabooks -->Twitter: @courtalameda
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Hey there, Courtney Alameda here, co-author of SEVEN DEADLY SHADOWS!
I’m delighted to introduce you to Kira Fujikawa, a third-year high school
student, Shinto priestess, and our plucky heroine. Kira’s not like the other
girls her age: she can see and interact with the yokai, the monsters and ghosts of ancient Japan. And as you’re about to see
from this sneak peek, the yokai rarely leave her alone . . .
With a nod to Shiro, I turn to the
afternoon’s work: sweeping. Endless
sweeping. The Fujikawa Shrine is one of the larger shrines in Kyoto: it boasts
two courtyards, an assembly hall, a teahouse, gardens, and dormitories for the
priests, and that’s to say nothing of the magnificent main shrine itself. And
while Grandfather employs groundskeeping staff to keep the shrine immaculate,
he still expects me to sweep the leaves. I suppose he thinks it builds
character.
It doesn’t. It builds calluses, lots and lots of calluses. Which I suppose gives my palms more character, now that they have little white seeds planted at the root of each finger.
The hours of sweeping and the calluses are all worthwhile. Someday, Grandfather will teach me the ancient art of onmyōdō, which will give me power over the yokai demons and onryō ghosts who threaten our way of life. For a girl who has spent her days in the unwanted company of nightmares and monsters, my greatest wish is to be able to banish them at will. Despite my near-constant pleas, Grandfather says I will begin my training at twenty-one, when I become old enough to formally inherit the shrine. For now, he focuses on my martial arts training and lets me observe rituals, business transactions, greet patrons, and, of course, sweep.
As the sun drops toward the horizon, a chill creeps into the air. Patrons wave to me as they exit the shrine, on their way to warm homes and hot meals. Some will return to work, no doubt. The shadows lengthen and the place empties of everyone, except for the priests, my sister, and me.
I’m tidying the gatehouse when I spot something small sitting under the first torii gate.
Curious, I descend the grand staircase, taking the steps two by two. A small origami fox sits at the bottom of the staircase, alone. When I pick the fox up, a child starts singing a folk song in the distance, her voice carried by the wind:
Kagome Kagome . . . circle you, circle you . . .”
My bracelet grows warm. I glance over my shoulder, expecting to see Ami giggling behind one of the gateposts. She graduated from children’s kancho-style mischief at five. Now six, she’s seen enough variety shows on TV to have learned a more sophisticated style of pranking.
“Ami?” I ask. No answer. Tree branches click in the breeze. The air tugs the loose hairs at the nape of my neck, and the small of my back prickles. My body senses something’s off, but my mind can’t figure out what. “Hello?”
The stone steps lie empty, but I feel as though a thousand eyes have turned on me, their gazes brushing up against my skin, my hair, and my chest. Fear uncurls against the base of my spine, something eyeless and primal. I back away from the steps and whirl, running up the steps, through the gatehouse, and toward the shrine.
The origami fox pricks the inside of my palm as I reach the top. I double over, panting. When I look over my shoulder, nothing waits in the gate below. I tell myself there isn’t anything odd about finding a piece of origami at a Shinto shrine. It’s an offering, not a warning. At worst, it’s a child’s prank.
It’s fine. Everything
is fine. I tuck the origami fox into my pocket. The sun slides ever farther
down the sky, glittering through the tree branches.
Twenty minutes later, I finish sweeping the main courtyard. As I head back to the office to change, a little flash of white catches my eye. I pause and gasp: a second origami fox sits on a large, flat stepping-stone near the big pond’s edge. Had I missed this second fox earlier? No, I’d have noticed something so obviously out of place.
The breeze clangs through the wooden ema boards on nearby racks. I jump, my pulse ringing like Grandfather’s old landline phone, and then roll my eyes at myself. I pluck the fox off the stone to carry him back to the office. It is, after all, just a bit of folded paper I can cage inside my fingers.
In the distance, cars rumble and honk, and the trees filter
people’s shouts and laughter down to a comforting hum. Beneath it all, the
child’s song continues: “Kago no naka no
tori wa . . . the bird in the cage . . .”
Closer now.
“Ami?” I halt and turn in the courtyard. “If this is another prank, I’ll make you walk yourself home tonight! In the dark!”
Giggles echo through the shrine. With a tsk, I slip my hand into my pocket, expecting to feel the paper’s sharp points prick my fingers.
But my pocket is empty.
The first fox is gone.
SEVEN DEADLY SHADOWS arrives January 28,
2020 from HarperTeen!
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And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Courtney Alameda, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 88. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the red team and you'll have all 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! To continue the hunt go next to Julie Eshbaugh's blog.
BUT WAIT!! We're not quite done here just yet! I'm giving away ebook copies of TWO young adult anthologies, the first TWO books in the Mount Olympus Academy trilogy, and one romantic comedy, perfect for fans of chick lit.
To enter simply click on the Rafflecopter below!
To enter simply click on the Rafflecopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
