What Normal People Do....

Once,  a blogger was "mean" to me.  Here, let me explain...

The blogger followed me on Twitter, so I followed her back.  That's generally what I do.  My debut YA novel, HAVEN, was coming out soon, and she DM'd me, asking for swag.  I sent her some.  She asked if I could add her to my publicist's ARC list.  I did so, and presumably my publicist sent her an ARC (or, at least, approved her for the online galley).  We chatted casually on Twitter now and then.  Weeks passed.

One day, my Twitter feed was filled with this blogger's minute-by-minute reactions as she was reading HAVEN (not Goodreads status updates--more like she was "live tweeting" as she read, dissecting the book sentence by sentence).  Let's just say she hated it.  Her live tweeting went on for two or three days, with several of her friends getting in on the action.  I mostly tried to stay away from Twitter during that time.  At the end of it all, she posted a link to a YouTube vlog review (not sure if it was her's or a friend of her's), which I didn't watch.

Fast forward a few weeks, to a big group signing I'm participating in at Books of Wonder.  Said blogger comes to signing (presumably to see a *different* author, LOL!) and sits directly in front of me.  I recognize her immediately from her Twitter profile pic, and yeah, I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me a little self-conscious.  I do my reading from HAVEN (we're all reading a couple pages from our books).  As the signing wears on, I surreptitiously check my Twitter feed on my phone.  I see that said blogger has Tweeted about me while I was doing my reading, something along the lines of, "Kristi Cook is such a moron!"

(For the record, what I did that she was judging as "moronic" was that I read a few pages from the last quarter of the book, rather than reading from the beginning, which I felt--and said--was only marginally spoilery but a far better representation of what kind of book it was.  I still stand by that choice and, when called upon to read from HAVEN, still read that same selection.)

I don't care that she didn't like my book.  I really don't.  I was, however, bothered that she would mock me publicly while sitting right there, ten feet from me.  This makes me think she's not a very nice person, but what do I know?!  I don't really *know* her.

HERE IS WHAT I DID IN RESPONSE:  I unfollowed her on Twitter.  And...that's it.  I've never checked her Twitter page since, never visited her blog (I have no idea if she's even still blogging or not), have no idea what her "real" name is, have never visited her Goodreads page (no idea if she has one).

You know why?  BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT NORMAL PEOPLE DO!!!!!!!!!!

I know bloggers are scared right now--they have every reason to be, given the crazy out there.  But just know that most authors--at least, those who are normal, non-sociopathic people--don't stalk, threaten, or otherwise harass reviewers for ANY REASON.

To quote that lady in the funny esurance ad, "That's not how this works.  That's not how *any* of this works...."

/ENDRANT

FALL 2014 YA SCAVENGER HUNT!

Welcome to the 2014 Fall Scavenger Hunt!  If you're new to YASH, you might want to start at the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out everything you need to know to get started.   There are SIX big hunts going on simultaneously, organized into teams.  You can enter one, or enter them all!

In case you don't know me, I'm Kristi Cook, author of the Winterhaven trilogy (HAVEN, MIRAGE, and ETERNAL) and the standalone realistic fic novel, MAGNOLIA (all with Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse).  My favorite number is 14! (that's NASCAR driver Tony Stewart's number--and yes, it's important to know--see below!).

I am on TEAM RED, but there are also BLUE, GREEN, GOLD, ORANGE, and INDIE teams, all with huge sets of books to give away.

Okay, now on the to fun part--exclusive content *just* for YASHers!  I am delighted to be hosting the lovely and oh-so-talented RACHEL HARRIS here on my blog!

  Rachel is the author of the absolutely delightful THE FINE ART OF PRETENDING.  Trust me, you don't want to miss this one!  And now, for the first time ever, you can read a never-before-released snippet from Brandon's POV in the The Fine Art of Pretending.

Friday, August 27^th

5 Weeks and 1 day until Homecoming

* BRANDON*

Brandon’s Truck, 7:15 p.m.

Pulling to a stop in front of Aly’s house, I take a deep breath. With a flick of my wrist, I cut the engine and listen to the silence. I’ve sat in this exact spot more times than I can count. In many ways, Aly’s house is like my sanctuary. A place I go when my own home feels like a graveyard. I glance up at the bedroom window of the girl who knows me better than anyone, the only person I let see me cry after Dad died. I won’t let this experiment take that or her away from me.

Tonight, I’m going to prove that Aly and I can go back to our normal, easy friendship.

Throwing open my door, I trudge up her sidewalk, plant my feet outside her front door, and ring the bell.

“Coming!”

I step back and see Aly stick her head out of her second-story window.

“No problem,” I call back up. “Take your time.”

More time to get my head on straight.

Aly disappears behind a film of yellow curtain, and I turn to look out at the quiet neighborhood. Up and down the street, the lights blink on, filling the air with a low hum that matches the thrumming of my nerves. Across the street, old Mr. Lawson sits at his usual perch under a gigantic American flag, drinking beer and mumbling to himself. Two little girls ride their bikes around the cul-de-sac, smiling and waving. Just a normal, run-of-the-mill Friday night. Except not.

I thrust my hands into my pockets, jiggling the loose change from my Taco Bell run earlier tonight, and grab my pack of Trident. I toss a stick into my mouth and chew furiously. Supposedly, the smell of peppermint can calm your nerves.

I grab a second stick and shove it in, too.

With the clacking sound of Aly’s shoes approaching the door behind me, I remind myself again about tonight’s mission. All I need is focus. I take another deep breath for good measure and rock back on my heels, ready to greet my best friend. She opens the door, wearing a black dress molded to her skin, and I let the air out in one big huff.

Shit.

Okay, that was amazing, right?!  If you'd like more information about Rachel and The Fine Art of Pretending, be sure to visit her website!

Now it's time to enter the contest!  Here's what you need to know:

Directions: In my post, you’ll notice that I’ve hidden my favorite number in RED somewhere. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the red 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 OCTOBER 5th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

CONTINUE THE HUNT:  If you're ready, head on over to the next stop on TEAM RED!  Go, visit the awesome Adi Alsaid.  But before you go, let me know in the comments which book you've discovered in the hunt that you're most excited to read!  Who knows, I might just pick a winner from those who comment....

Happy hunting!

YA Scavenger Hunt Time!

Hello Everyone! It's that time again. We have less than two weeks until the YA Scavenger Hunt begins. I hope you reserved plenty of time for this one because there isn't just one team or two or even three. This time we have 6, that's right, I said 6 YASH teams which means more prizes, news, and fun for all you readers out there! So let's get started!

TEAM RED INCLUDES:

 

TEAM GOLD INCLUDES:

 

TEAM GREEN INCLUDES:

 

TEAM ORANGE INCLUDES:

 

TEAM INDIE INCLUDES:

 

TEAM BLUE INCLUDES:

  There are so many books here I don't even know where I would begin. I hope you all are as excited as I am! The YA Scavenger Hunt begins at noon pacific time on Thursday, October 2nd and runs through Sunday, October 5th. That means to get through the entire hunt you'll need to go through 1.5 teams per day! Leave a comment below to tell me which team you are the most interested in checking out!