Joyce Sterling Scarbrough's Blog

The Spring 2020 YA Scavenger Hunt is in the books, and it was FABULOUS! 

Congratulations to the Grand Prize winner for the Blue Team, ASHLEIGH MILLER! Congrats also to the winner of my personal giveaway, DELIA CHAVEZ, who won all three books in my True Blue Trilogy!



Thanks so much to EVERYONE who entered and followed me on Facebook, Twitter, and Bookbub!
~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

See all my books on my Web site
Follow me on Twitter
Like my Facebook Fan Page 

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 book from each author on my team in the hunt! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 120 hours!


Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are FOUR contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am part of the BLUE TEAM—but there is also a gold team, a red team, and a purple team. You can enter for each team to win a whole set of different books, plus a $50 Amazon giftcard!

And don't miss my personal BONUS GIVEAWAY at the bottom of this post for a chance to win a copy of my the other two books in my True Blue Trilogy !



If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, want to see links to all the authors participating, or want to see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE
Directions: Somewhere below, you'll find my favorite number in bold blue. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the BLUE TEAM, 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: Contest is 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 5th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST


Hello, YASH Hunters! I have the pleasure of hosting author C. Lee McKenzie! Lee loves to write contemporary/realistic novels that tackle modern issues, but she sometimes writes middle grade. They're all about fantasy and adventure. Some of her books are Sliding on the Edge, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Double Negative, Sudden Secrets, and Not Guilty. She also has a trilogy: Alligators Overhead, The Great Time Lock Disaster, and Some Very Messy Medieval Magic. Her stand-alone MG is called Sign of the Green Dragon. Lee is represented by Italia Gandolfo. 

Take it away, Lee!

MY EXCLUSIVE CONTENTIn my newest book, Not Guilty , I had a lot of favorite characters, but there was one named Buddy that was special. He was special because, not only was he a fabulous dog, but a real one. Buddy had his own website with tales about  his adventures with his favorite human, Mike. Mike posted from Buddy's point of view a lot of the time, and his take on the world was heartwarming and funny.I was so sad when Buddy died. I felt as if he and Mike were good friends of mine. I asked Mike if he would mind if I paid my own tribute to his beloved Canine Couch Potato, and he not only didn’t mind, he loved the idea. Here’s a scene about Buddy from Not Guilty.

By nature, Buddy was a people-loving retriever-mix who had come to him by some unknown chain of dog owners. He had a long history of being in and out of the pound. Their first day at the beach together, Devon found out why. Buddy hated water. He even hated wet sand under his paws. It took a lot of convincing to get Buddy on the sand that first day. Then they’d no sooner settled on the blanket when Buddy let out a yelp and hightailed it back to the asphalt. His leash whipped behind. People jumped out of the frantic dog’s way. Devon didn’t catch him until they’d run the length of Sugar Cove. Over the next few years, Buddy finally agreed to walk on the dry sand, but he never became the beach buddy Devon had imagined. And Frisbees could sail overhead all day without a single blink. He was a failed retriever, but he wasn’t a failed friend.

If you’d like to read Not Guilty at no cost, I’m giving away two copies during the YASH Hunt!
Wow, Lee! That is truly some awesome exclusive content. Check out Lee's blog here for an extra chance to win her featured book!

Thanks to everyone for visiting today, and don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books by me, C. Lee McKenzie, and many more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 7. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the BLUE 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—Gerardo Delgadillo!

Tweet #YASH

MY BONUS GIVEAWAY!


My featured book in the hunt is True Blue Forever, Book Three in my True Blue Trilogy. How would you like a chance to win the first two books in the series? All you have to do is like my  Facebook Author Page  or follow me on  T witte r  or  Bookbub  between now and Sunday, April 5th. Your name will go into the drawing once for each like or follow. The lucky winner will be drawn at random and will be announced here and on my Facebook Author Page on April 6th. Good luck, and thanks for playing!  
~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!Visit my WebsiteFollow me on Twitter Like my Facebook Fan Page

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 book from each author on my team in the hunt! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 120 hours!


Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are FOUR contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am part of the GOLD TEAM—but there is also a blue team, a red team, and a purple team. You can enter for each team to win a whole set of different books, plus a $50 Amazon giftcard!

Yeah, I know my fans are probably shocked that I'm not on the blue team. I didn't get to pick my team, but I'm so excited to be part of this fabulous contest that I don't even care! (Well, not too much.

I fell in love with Gothic Romances when I was about thirteen. I read every one I could get my hands on as fast as I could finish them. I adored the dark secrets hidden within the walls of the towering mansions and behind the eyes of their brooding masters, much like the naïve young heroines in the books. 

Years later, I was thrilled when my friend and writing buddy, Carrie Dalby, told me she wanted to read some Gothic books for research. I loaned her a few of mine and soon discovered that my friend had been possessed by the demons of Gothic fiction. And what an epic possession it has turned out to be! Book 2 of her 8-book Gothic series releases on Tuesday. Read on to find out more about it, and how to enter the GIVEAWAY! 

The Possession Chronicles Book 2
Buy it HERE.
During the spring of 1906, Magdalene Jones is hired to be a companion to Ruth Melling at Seacliff Cottage, the Mellings' second home on Mobile Bay. Magdalene's simple country upbringing is no match for high society banter and a manor hour infested with demonic activity. Alexander, the Mellings' bachelor son, and Magdalene find themselves oppressed by demons playing upon their lusts. Claudio De Fiore—a young Italian deacon training to become a priest--and newly arrived from Scotland, Douglas Campbell, seek to protect Magdalene from the evil within the walls but they themselves might be part of the trouble.

Goodreads *  Amazon  
Carrie Dalby, a California native, has lived in Mobile, Alabama, since 1996. She’s published several non-fiction articles in national and international magazines, served two terms as president of Mobile Writers Guild, worked as the Mobile area Local Liaison for SCBWI from 2012-2017, and volunteers with Metro Mobile Literacy Council’s annual Young Author events whenever possible. When Carrie’s not reading, writing, browsing bookstores/libraries, or homeschooling, she can often be found knitting or attending concerts.
Carrie’s two young adult novels are Fortitude (historical) and Corroded (contemporary). Fortitude is listed as a “Best History Book for kids” with Grateful American Foundation for its historical accuracy and being an engaging read for fifth through tenth graders.
Her current project is a historical Gothic family saga for adults, The Possession Chronicles. The first book in the series, Perilous Confessions, released in January 2019 from Bienvenue Press and the second book, Murmurs of Evil releases June 11, 2019.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Pinterest * 
$10 AmazonFollow the blitz HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!


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~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!
Visit my WebsiteFollow me on Twitter Like my Facebook Fan Page




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The Spring 2019 YA Scavenger Hunt is in the books, and it was FABULOUS! 

Congratulations to all the winners, especially the RED TEAM winner—Jeremy Cook! A copy of my novel After Me will be on its way to you this week.


And now—drumroll please—the winners of my personal giveaway!
Amber Curtis is the winner of my True Blue Trilogy!

And Carol Coutts-Seipka is the winner of the $25 Amazon gift card!

Thanks so much to EVERYONE who entered and followed me on Facebook, Twitter and Bookbub!


~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

See all my books on my Web site
Follow me on Twitter
Like my Facebook Fan Page 

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 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 SIX contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am part of the RED TEAM—but there is also a blue team, a gold team, a green team, and a purple team. You can enter for each team to win different books, plus there's also a bonus entry for a $50 Amazon gift card!

Yeah, I know my fans are probably shocked that I'm not on the blue team. I didn't get to pick my team, but I'm so excited to be part of this fabulous contest that I don't even care! (Not too much, anyway.

Between the ages of 13 and 15, I was obsessed with Gothic Romances like the one pictured above. I read every one I could get my hands on as fast as I could finish them. I adored the dark secrets hidden within the walls of the towering mansions and behind the eyes of their brooding masters, much like the naïve young heroines in the books.

I eventually moved on to other genres, but I never forgot those countless hours spent reading the books of Phyllis A. Whitney, Dorothy Eden, and Victoria Holt. So I was thrilled when my friend and writing buddy, Carrie Dalby, told me she wanted to read some Gothic books for research. I loaned her some of mine, including The Winter People. Before long, I realized that my obsession hadn't gone away, it had merely been dormant for about 40 years. And not only was it back with a vengeance, it was apparently contagious because Carrie had it even worse than I did! Perilous Confessions, the first of her 8-book Gothic series, releases tomorrow.

Read on to hear from Carrie herself about her induction into the Gothic cult—er, I mean club.

Take it away, Carrie!

*Hands Carrie the sparkly blue microphone.*

Thanks for hosting me today, Joyce. To start off, let’s rewind to fall 2015. I was finishing up editorial rounds for my second young adult novel with my editor, Sean. After working on two projects with me—a historical and a contemporary—he left several comments in the document encouraging me to try something new. His first notation of Great line. You ever want to try your hand at horror, I think you’ll do well was laughable. His second one, Serious horror chops here was more difficult to ignore. Then his response to my reply in the next cover letter—that original Gothic horror did have Christian overtones to it—made me curious and start to ask myself some questions.

Do I even read horror? Would I have any idea what to do? I can’t do slasher, what else is there?

So I did what any writer does when faced with the unknown: research and ponder. In my studies, I found the subgenres of horror as well as the roots of the genre itself—Gothic! Me writing Gothic? I rarely even wear black! But I found that beyond the Gothic subculture of vampires/paranormal, there is a vast literary history that pre-dates most romances, mysteries and what we now call horror novels, and it’s GOTHIC.

Also, while pondering my reading habits, I found that I had unknowingly been drawn to Gothic literature since childhood. All those Betty Ren Wright ghost stories I checked out from the elementary school library and the Christopher Pike teen horror novels I read in middle school were Gothic in nature. I latched onto Nathaniel Hawthorne in high school—also Gothic. And even my first published novel, Fortitude, could be labeled Southern Gothic. I may wear more earth tones than black, but my literature tastes are dark.

I realized that while horror by itself might be too much for me to attempt, I knew I could tackle Gothic. I wanted to read a few more things in the genre to help confirm my understanding as I began drafting my first manuscript, so I asked my critique group friends for recommendations. Joyce brought me a stack of Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney Gothic romance novels. Whitney’s The Winter People (see above) and Holt’s Curse of the Kings were two of the first I read. From there, I branched out and found mid-century favorites Dorothy Eden and Frances Parkinson Keyes. With those two authors, I discovered Gothic family sagas after I unknowingly began to write one. And I also acquired an obsession for collecting Gothic novels. Here’s a sampling of only six of the Gothic authors I’ve amassed.

So the result of my reading history and newer discoveries is The Possession Chronicles—an 8-book historical Southern Gothic family saga series with romance and horror elements. Perilous Confessions is the first book in the series and releases in digital and print formats on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 through Bienvenue Press. If you enjoy Gothic reads, I hope you’ll give it a try. To find out more about me and my books, please visit my Website.

Buy Perilous Confessions here.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Carrie!

You can also find Carrie all over the Web (She's everywhere! She's everywhere!)

Twitter
Pinterest
Goodreads
Facebook

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

Follow me on Twitter: @JoyceScarbrough
Like my Facebook Fan Page here

Time again for Snippet Sunday!

Last snippet from my MG novel, True Blue , the first book in my True Blue Trilogy. (You can catch up on the earlier excerpts here.) This scene takes place the first day of summer vacation after the fifth grade, a summer of major changes for Jeana and all three of the boys. Wade and Jeana are in the shed behind his house that they used for their Mystery Masters meetings. Wade has just given Jeana the bad news that his family is moving across town, but he also shows her a heart he carved on the shed door with their initials in it and officially asks her to be his girlfriend.

He set the flashlight down and took both of her hands to pull her closer to him. Jeana knew what was about to happen and couldn't believe none of the butterflies had come back to life in her stomach. She wasn't a bit nervous, because she'd been waiting for this to happen ever since the night they'd looked at the constellations together and she'd made her wish on the shooting star. It had taken awhile, but it was finally coming true.

Wade moved his hands to her waist, and she put hers on his shoulders. For a few seconds they just looked at each other, then he leaned toward her and she watched his lids slowly hide the green eyes she loved so much. When their lips touched, she closed her own eyes and tried to memorize every detail about the moment—how soft his lips felt pressed against hers, how fast his heart was beating, the way his arms trembled slightly as they held her close to him, even the clean, soapy smell of his skin and hair. It's not every day a girl gets her first kiss, and Jeana wanted to remember everything about it.

Okay, so we know which boy she likes first, but will it last through high school and beyond? You'll have to read all three books to find that out, and you can buy the True Blue Trilogy here. ;-) And please do also check out the other Snippet Sunday folks. Something for everyone among these talented writers!

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

See all my books at my Web site
Follow me on Twitter
Like my Facebook Fan Page

Time again for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!


Last few snippets from my MG novel, True Blue , the first book in my True Blue Trilogy. (You can catch up on the earlier excerpts here.) I said this was going to be the last snippet before I moved on to Book Two in the trilogy, and I also said this one was going to be from Jeana's POV, but I decided to invoke Writer's Prerogative and change my mind about both things. You've met Mickey already, but I thought we needed one more snippet about him to show how important he'll be in the next books. This skips ahead a good deal from the last snippet about him. His family has since moved to Chickasaw because of his dad's new job and he's met Billy Joe, but up to this point in the book, Mickey thinks all girls are silly and giggly, and he especially doesn't understand why Billy Joe and his friend Wade are always hanging around that redheaded girl who thinks all sports are dumb and boring.

My apologies for the extremely creative punctuation, but I wanted to include all of this. I'm also going to put Jeana's poem in the comments so you can see why it made such an impression on Mickey.

Mickey had no idea what was going on—for the first time in his life, his heart was pounding in his chest, and it had nothing to do with baseball.

He'd been sitting in the school cafeteria waiting for the fifth grade honors program to begin, wondering if he might get a P.E. award along with the math award he knew he was getting and laughing at the joke Billy Joe had just told him. When the principal announced that the redheaded girl—her name turned out to be Jeana Russell—was going to recite a poem she'd written, Mickey rolled his eyes and slid down a little in his seat, thinking Man, talk about boring. He folded his arms across his chest and got ready to suffer through some dumb stuff about rainbows or kittens or ponies—or unicorns, what was it with girls and unicorns?

But then she'd started speaking, and Mickey slowly sat up in his chair because every word she said was the way he lived every single day, and it was like she knew he had to work harder and always be better than everybody else at baseball so his dad wouldn’t drink anymore, like she was telling him she wouldn’t think he was weird because all he thought about was baseball and couldn’t settle for anything less than the best.

It was like she was telling him that she understood, because she was the same way.

Mickey watched her face as she said the words that described his life, and he felt his heart speed up even more, because although he'd never noticed it before, now he realized that her hair was the same coppery red color as his mom’s, and the sunlight streaming in the windows behind her made those wispy curls on top of her head look almost like a halo. When she finished her poem, Mickey didn’t think he’d ever seen anything as beautiful as the way her smile lit up her whole face and made it seem to glow like her hair.

For a second he thought she was actually smiling at him, then he realized she must be looking at Billy Joe and Wade sitting in front of him, and his heart stopped pounding then because fear gripped it as he wondered if she liked one of them for more than just a friend. He knew they all lived close to each other and had probably known each other for a long time, but the way she was smiling made Mickey think she might feel something more than friendship for one of them.

He had to meet her and find out.

Uh-oh. Looks like the adolescent love triangle just because a quadrilateral. (Mickey's a math whiz, so he'd appreciate that analogy.) Next week we'll get that glimpse into Jeana's heart as promised. Can't wait? You can buy True Blue here. ;-) And please do also check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors. Something for everyone among these talented writers!

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

See all my books at my Web site
Follow me on Twitter
Like my Facebook Fan Page

Time again for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!


Last few snippets from my MG novel, True Blue , the first book in my True Blue Trilogy. (You can catch up on the earlier excerpts here.) I chose this snippet for two reasons: to explain the significance of the stars on the cover, and to give you some perspective on the major change Wade will undergo between this book and the next one. This scene takes place the day of Jeana's 11th birthday party. Jeana had promised earlier to teach Wade the names of the constellations and tell him the myths behind them as soon as the fall games were over at the ball park behind both their houses. (The park lights would've made it impossible to see the stars.) Edited from the published version to fit our guidelines.

Later that night after supper, she was sitting in her porch swing, trying to decide which one of her new books to read first, when Wade came over holding a wrapped package.

“Oh, I forgot you said I'd get your present later,” Jeana said, her eyes shining in the porch light, “but why didn't you give it to me at the party?”

Wade sat beside her on the swing and said, “Because I wanna ask you something after you open it and didn't want Billy Joe to hear.”

That brought a little tingle to Jeana's spine as she carefully opened the gift that Wade had painstakingly wrapped in white paper on which he'd drawn books of different sizes. They were just crudely-drawn rectangles, and most of the titles were misspelled, but Jeana thought it was the best wrapping paper ever, and when she saw that the gift inside was a rotating star wheel that showed every constellation in the night sky and how to locate them, she gasped with delight.

“Oh, Wade, this is so neat!”

"I thought you could use it when you show me the constellations, and since the ballgames are over at the park now, we can do it tonight if you want to.”

“Okay, sure,” she said, “but if you kept this for yourself, you wouldn't need me to show you anything.”

“Oh yes I would," he said, nodding for emphasis. “There's no way I can figure that thing out by myself, and you always explain stuff better than anybody, Redhot. Like I told you before, you should be a teacher when we grow up.”

I just realized I haven't shared any snippets from Jeana's POV yet, so I'll probably finish with one next week. I'll try to pick one that best shows why all these boys are in love with her at such a young age. Can't wait? You can buy True Blue here. ;-) And please do also check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors. Something for everyone among these talented writers!

~Stay true to yourself and your dreams will come true!

See all my books at my Web site
Follow me on Twitter
Like my Facebook Fan Page