Hi! I’m Cindy L. Rodriguez, your hostess for this leg of the hunt. Some things about me: I have an eight-year-old daughter and a three-year old rescue mutt. I am a full-time reading teacher, and I love the three Cs: coffee, chocolate, coconut.

Welcome to the YA Scavenger Hunt! You are currently hunting on TEAM TEAL!

During this hunt, you will access exclusive content from each author and get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues to enter for the grand 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 of the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

EIGHT contests are going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! 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 I have listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the teal team, and then add them up.

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 SUNDAY, APRIL 5, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST

Today, I am hosting KRISTI HELVIG on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!

Kristi Helvig is a Ph.D. clinical psychologist turned sci-fi/fantasy author. Her first novel, BURN OUT (Egmont USA), which Kirkus Reviews called “a scorching series opener not to be missed,” follows 17-year-old Tora Reynolds, one of Earth’s last survivors, when our sun burns out early. In the sequel, STRANGE SKIES, coming 4/28/2015, Tora makes it to a new planet only to discover a whole new host of problems—and the same people who still want her dead. Order Kristi’s books through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your favorite local retailer. Kristi muses about Star Trek, space monkeys, and other assorted topics on her blog at http://www.kristihelvig.com and Twitter (@KristiHelvig). You can also find her on Facebook. Kristi resides in sunny Colorado with her hubby, two kiddos, and behaviorally-challenged dogs.

For more information check out her website, and click here for more information about STRANGE SKIES.

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

Below the cover image and novel description is an excerpt from STRANGE SKIES, so you get a sneak peek before it is released!

Caelia is the new Earth. That’s what the Consulate told everyone and, against all odds, Tora finally has made it there. Yet she can’t see the ocean from her cell in the Consulate’s containment center, and she doesn’t know what happened to the weapons her father died for and she’s risked her life to save. As she plans her escape, she runs into the last person she ever expected to see, and now Tora has a new purpose: break free, get the guns, and save her father. But first she’ll have to navigate a strange new planet, track down James (whose loyalties still remain questionable), and find Kale…before he finds her first.

Sweat drenched my body and my teeth chattered. I struggled to pull up the blanket but it, too, was soaked. Pain racked my head as I tried to figure out where the hell I was. Judging by the temperature, I was being held in a giant icebox.

When I attempted to sit up, my arms refused to support my weight. My eyes fell on a small device near my right hand, and I summoned all my energy to press its red button. The pounding in my head competed with widespread chills.

A high-pitched beeping of a nearby monitor permeated my consciousness. Goose bumps broke out on my arms as my skin registered the cold air. An extra thin blanket lay on the cot by my feet, yet I couldn’t find the strength to pull it up. My eyes had trouble focusing and I could just make out the gigantic form coming toward me. A mix of relief and hostility swirled through my brain. I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t know what it meant.

“Morning, Miss Sunshine,” the large woman grumbled. “Couldn’t even wait another hour for your dose, could you?”

I stared back at the red button under my finger. So I’d caused the beeping sound. The woman grabbed my arm as though she expected resistance, but my limb was like limp in her hand. Her dark eyes bored into me as she lifted a green med tube and pressed the tip of it to my arm. I swear she smirked as she pressed the injection trigger.

Instant warmth flooded my veins and my body relaxed. Everything felt right with the world again. Something small nagged at the back of my mind—something I was supposed to do, or remember—but the meds quickly swept the troubled thoughts away. A familiar deep heaviness settled in and my eyelids drooped. Utter bliss and peace filled me, and I yawned as the woman retreated wordlessly from the room. I couldn’t remember my own name if my life depended on it, not that it mattered. I felt great. I could stay here forever.

A deep voice echoed throughout the room as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I didn’t see anyone so maybe I was hallucinating. The voice said the same things over and over again. The Consulate serves. The Consulate protects. The Consulate weapons help us to protect you. The Consulate is your friend.

Every once in a while I’d stir awake and swear someone was in the room with me. I caught the scent of wildflowers a few times, yet when I opened my eyes, the room was empty. I drifted back into sleep but couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t really alone.

I tried to clear my thoughts but whatever meds the woman gave me made my brain feel like mush. I remembered being injured and aboard a ship. A Consulate ship. The Consulate must have saved me from something and brought me here. Was this Caelia?

The Consulate is your friend.

I stared up at the faceless voice. The Consulate must be helping me to get better. Then why was that woman so unpleasant? And why couldn’t I remember anything?

And don’t forger to enter the contest for a chance to win lots of books! See the graphic below for all of the books you can win from the Teal Team authors! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is:

23

Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the teal team, and you’ll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest to win ALL the books, you need to check out the next author: Lori M. Lee.