WHERE IN THE WORLD IS HELLFINDER??

 

Alt text: It's a globe with a big red question mark on it. You're pretty sure someone lacking in graphic design skills made it using Microsoft Paint.

THE BOOK HAS BEEN FOUND! CONGRATULATIONS TO MONICA! Thank you to everyone who played :)

It was in an alcove on the 6th floor of the Maiden Tower in Baku, Azerbaijan, a place I have never been but which seems very cool!

Okay so I'm a huge nerd for travel and geography and the TV show The Amazing Race. So way back when my first ever novel released (the work-for-hire title Venom, published in 2012), I did a "virtual treasure hunt" where I released clues to the imaginary location of Venom somewhere in the world. I assume this is how Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? worked, but full disclosure I have never seen that show or played that game, so if you're expecting something just like that, you might be disappointed.

It was a lot of fun and I learned that my readers were way smarter than I thought when they repeatedly "found" my hidden copies using only one or two clues. (Wherever you are, super-smart Kathy from Canada, I hope you are happy and thriving!) 

So, this hunt is harder and structured differently. You will not be able to win using only a couple of clues. (Not even you, Kathy!) You're going to need the early clues and the later clues. But you can't just wait until all the clues are posted if you want to win, because the early clues are going to take time to figure out too. Maybe not much time, but sometimes a win is just about being a few seconds faster than someone else. And just to be clear, you don't have to have read Hellfinder to play and having read the book will not give you any kind of advantage. (Though feel free to imagine yourself jetting around the globe with your badass grandmother and a hot Icelandic boy if you'd like).

On the fence about whether you want to participate? I have not done a lot of promotion for this, so it's possible you may be one of only a few people playing, or even the only person! I'll leave the contest open until 11:59 Pacific time on Sept 2, so if you want to play but have other stuff to do, feel free to check back later and see if the book has been found.

Okay, enough blathering. Here are the rules:

• You must be 13 or older or have a guardian's permission to embark on this virtual treasure hunt.

• The treasure: I am (pretend) hiding a fancy hardcover copy of Hellfinder somewhere on the planet. It is in a very mysterious and (hopefully) hard to guess place.

• In order to win the prize, you have to guess the location of the book I have hidden by using the clues I will provide. New clues will be provided every 10-30 minutes from 12PM Pacific onward. I will provide up to 8 clues if needed. I will add the new clues to this post, but may also put them on IG, Twitter, or FB, depending how spammy I'm feeling. This post is the only place where you'll be able to see them all at once.

• Guessing the location of the hidden copy of Hellfinder is going to require 4 pieces of information: country, city, structure/park/area, and then specific hiding place. You can provide these in any order and it's okay if you spell something wrong as long as you're close enough so I know what you mean. Guesses must be in English because I am a sad American who only speaks one language.

• In order to guess, I'm going to have you email me at pstokesbooks [at] gmail [dot] com, subject line WITWIH. This is so that there's no uncertainty about who was first (as opposed to people are guessing on multiple social media platforms), and also so if you're 75% right but just a little off, you don't give that information to other people who maybe haven't been hunting as hard as you.

• Every hunter gets a max of 3 guesses total throughout the whole contest, so don't waste them.

• If you email a guess or message me on social with partial information like "Is it in Reyjakvik?" I am not going to reply. Your guess needs to be emailed and contain 4 pieces of information. For all emails with 4 pieces of info I will reply to tell you either that you've won, that you're right but someone else beat you to the book, or that you're not right. So no hints, sorry. Also no, it is not in Reykjavik.

• Please feel free to email if you have logistical questions or you just wanna say hi :) NOTE: I will not be available from 2:45PM to 4:15PM because I have a meeting, but I suspect if anyone is playing that someone will have found the book by then. If not, I will review guesses and update this post by or before 4:30PM Pacific time.

• If no one has found the book by 4:30PM Pacific time, you can keep guessing but I'm gonna stop staring at the screen and go for a run. I'll check in every couple of hours to review guesses and address any questions that might arise. I will leave the contest open until 11:59PM Pacific time today September 2nd. 

• If no one has located the book by 11:59PM Pacific time on 9/2/23, I am going to reveal the answer and keep the book and use it for a future contest.

• US winner wins signed hardcover of Hellfinder or $20 gift card. International winner wins $20 gift card. (This is because it would cost me like $60 to send a hardcover overseas and I only paid $17 for my copy of the book). Gift card selection may be limited. I will try to accommodate, but I need for it to be a site I feel comfortable sharing credit card info, so if we can't agree on a gift card I will PayPal you $20 US for your prize.

• DISCLAIMER: I am the only judge of this contest and I triple-checked all my clues and ran them by a friend, but I did rely heavily on online research to set this up and it's possible your searching might lead you to a different answer than I intended. It's possible you might think the clues should've been in a different order or that something in the rules wasn't clear. I worked hard on this and I will edit this post and do what I can to make things right if someone points out an error, but ultimately I'm human, I'm doing my best, and this is just a fun game on the internet. I make the final decision on who wins. I am Law :)

Reminder: If you have logistical questions email me, because I have no idea how comments for Blogger even work anymore!

READY FOR YOUR FIRST CLUE?

:

ARE YOU SURE??

CLUE #1:

You’re starting this hunt in Iceland, where Rory and her grandmother have most of their adventures in my YA supernatural adventure novel Hellfinder. But I’ve hidden the book in another country. In fact, you’ll have to fly over 5000 kilometers from Keflavik airport to your destination country. I hope you packed snacks! 

CLUE #2:

The book Hellfinder begins in Paris, with Rory and her gram baking Christmas cookies in a posh apartment overlooking the Seine. But you’re not going to Paris. You're traveling to one of several cities (and I do mean several!) that some people have referred to as a “Paris of the East.”

CLUE #3:

Perhaps, like me, you were surprised to find out how many different cities have been called “Paris of the East” at one point or another. I found more than 20! But only one is the location of the hardcover Hellfinder. If you take the number of letters in this country’s name and divide that by the number of letters in the name of the capital city (American English spelling for both), the answer is 2.5.

CLUE #4:

Hopefully you’ve made your way to the right country, but now you need some local money. Paper money. A tenner would be helpful.

CLUE #5:

E B      R E E A P P R D      O T      B C M I L      R S T I A S

If you're using a screen reader and this one is hard to interpret, it is meant to be 5 short strings of letters...that mean something.

CLUE #6:

You're looking for a place that might not be the best for dancing, but the legends around it inspired the country’s first ballet!

CLUE #7:

You’re so close now, but your competitors are closing in and this place has several floors. And to go farther, you have to answer a riddle. Oh no, stay calm. You got this.

In Hellfinder, Rory and her grandmother travel to Iceland where they stay briefly with Henning, a childhood friend of Gram’s. Henning has been known to collect the occasional odd pet. He only had one cat and one falcon when Rory visited, but he told her his close friend, Isleifur, keeps several animals. All of Isleifur’s animals except for 3 are cats. All of his animals except for 4 are falcons. And all of his animals except for 5 are horses. How many animals does Isleifur have total?

Now, take the total number of animals Isleifur owns, and subtract that number from the total number of seasons of the TV show Supernatural. And then take your answer and subtract the number of letters in the first name of the main character in the first book I wrote as Paula Stokes. And then add the number of books in Holly Black’s Curse Workers series. And that number is your final answer. Have I ever told you Curse Workers is one of my favorite series of all time? I should re-read that.

 

Hellfinder is hidden in an alcove on the [final answer] floor of this building. Hurry and find it!

Remember, in order to officially guess, you have to email me your guess, subject WITWIH? Country, city, name of structure, alcove on [answer] floor

Also reminder that today is the last day to get a signed bookplate, bookmark, and stickers in my Hellfinder pre-order incentive, and that hardcovers can only be ordered direct from the publisher. (Sorry, Regal House press is also not able to ship internationally).

HELLFINDER release week contests

 HELLFINDER releases on Aug 29th. If you want a hardcover, you'll need to order directly from the publisher, Regal House Press. I have not even seen the hardcover copies yet, but I ordered one for myself, one for my mom, and one to give away. I'll post a pic when I can.

Speaking of giveways!

HELLFINDER RELEASE WEEK CONTESTS AND GIVEAWAYS

FIND A PHYSICAL COPY OF HELLFINDER (US and INT):
All week, from Monday Aug 28 through Sunday Sept 3, if you find a copy of Hellfinder in the wild at a local bookstore or library, take a picture or video, post it on your social media, caption it "I found #Hellfinder at [name of store or library]", and tag me (@pstokesbooks on IG, Twitter, or FB), you'll win a prize. What kind of prize? It's a secret! :)

RELEASE DAY HELLFINDER-THEMED SCAVENGER HUNT (US only):
From 12PM Pacific to 11:59PM Pacific on Aug 29th. One day only. Come back to my blog on Aug 29th for the Official Hellfinder Release Day Scavenger Hunt (starting at noon because I want to be awake and functional to answer questions that arise). I'll be providing a list of 20 items you have to try and find, as well as giving you directions for how to arrange them in images and share them so you can officially enter the contest. This is not timed. If there is a tie for the highest number of items, I will award multiple prizes.

Grand prize for the Scavenger Hunt will be a signed paperback of Hellfinder and your choice of 2 other signed Paula Stokes books, for a total of 3 books! And if you've already pre-ordered Hellfinder, I'll throw in a 3rd signed Paula Stokes book and a signed bookplate instead of the Hellfinder paperback if you want. Availability depends on my current supply of books, but I definitely have brand new copies of Hidden Pieces, Liars Inc, Vicarious, and Ferocious, as well as some used copies of Girl Against the Universe if you prefer a swoony contemp. Sorry, this one is US only because I can't afford to send books overseas anymore.

THE HUNT IS LIVE. CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE MAYHEM, I MEAN DETAILS :)

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS HELLFINDER?? (US and INT):

Saturday September 2nd, starting at 12PM Pacific. I am (pretend) hiding a fancy hardcover copy of Hellfinder somewhere on the planet. It will be in a very mysterious and (hopefully) hard to guess place.

Starting at noon on 9/2, I will release clues to the location of the book on social media and/or this website. First person to guess the location wins. Guessing the location involves naming the country, city, area/park/building, and specific hiding place. So for example, to win you can't just says "Hallgrimskirkja!" You have to say "Iceland, Reykjavik, Hallgrimskirkja, in the elevator that goes to the roof." 

Don't worry if you have questions, All will be explained. Just know that it's a fun time and you should play, and that I'm going to try to make it harder so people can't use AI or Google to figure out the location in 5 minutes like may have happened in the past, ha :) US winner wins signed hardcover of Hellfinder or $20 gift card. International winner wins $20 gift card.

Do you want to score HELLFINDER pre-order swag but aren't ready to order yet? I will extend the pre-order incentive through the end of release week. Order any time by September 3rd and score a signed bookplate, bookmark, and stickers! US or INT.  See here for more details.

Official Cover Reveal + Contest + Read HELLFINDER for Free

The awesome and incredible HELLFINDER cover leaked several months ago and I was going to do an official reveal on Halloween, but I got busy at work. Then I was gonna do it on New Years Day, but I got busy with life, and now here we are--less than 6 months from release. And finally I have time to set up a Rafflecopter and a newsletter. Let's goooooo!

The tl;dr is that this post contains the cover, info about the book, a link where you can pre-order a gorgeous finished copy, a link where you can access an e-ARC free via NetGalley, and a Rafflecopter where you can win $20.

So first, here's the stunning cover, created by C.B. Royal:

I love this cover for several reasons. First, I love the overall vibe and animated feel. I think the story could make a great animated feature or graphic novel. Second, the colors. THE COLORS. I love how bright and eye-catching they are, and how they work with the story. I can definitely see how the artist incorporated in pictures of volcanoes and ice caverns I sent her. And I love that title font, even though matching it for self-designed swag is probably going to be impossible. It's malevolent, but not in an over-the-top way.

So what's the book about?

Winter Break turns deadly when Rory Quinn and her treasure-hunter grandmother travel to Iceland in search of an enchanted artifact. Their mission is to recover a blood-smeared stone that legend says will lead whoever possesses it to the nearest doorway to Hell. The client' s grandson, Einar, took the stone at the request of his favorite heavy metal band. As part of a publicity stunt, the band plans to open the closest doorway, rumored to exist deep inside one of Iceland' s many volcanoes, in just three days. 

Along with Einar' s twin brother, Gunnar, Rory and Gram will need to navigate glaciers, ice caves, and volcanic tunnels in search of the missing artifact. But can the three of them recover the stone before the band unleashes anything evil into the Icelandic wilderness? As the team grows closer to Einar, Rory is growing closer to Gunnar, too. But she can tell he' s keeping secrets from her. Big ones, that when revealed, will cause her to question almost everything she' s ever believed.

Hellfinder releases August 29, 2023.

More about HELLFINDER:

1. It's action-packed and fun! I started this book in late 2015 and finished the submission draft in early 2017, and I think it was easier for me back then to write wild and whimsical stories that aren't weighted down by grief I feel about the current state of the world. This book was inspired partly by classic adventure movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Romancing the Stone, and National Treasure.

2. There's an awkward and endearing PG romance. I didn't plan for a romance the same way I didn't plan these characters. Rory and Gunnar just showed up in my brain and started bickering and then bantering, and it felt right to see how their feelings developed. There's no Instalove here, but I think doing a road trip that almost kills you several times has a natural bonding effect--they're kind of like soldiers who survive combat together, but with more kissing.

3. It's grounded in reality but has supernatural elements. I'd call this urban fantasy but it takes place in tiny towns and wilderness. Rural fantasy? Is that a thing? :) I always wanted to write a story with otherworldly creatures, but I came up in the YA world right at the time every editor was buried in sexy vampires and werewolves, so my agent was always like "Ahahaha, absolutely not." But eventually it felt like it was time for another round of all-things-paranormal so I wrote it anyway. And if you like books by Kami Garcia, Cassandra Clare and Kiersten White, or shows like Lucifer, Supernatural, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, then Hellfinder should be for you.

4. ICELAND! If you know me or follow me online at all you know I LOVE Iceland. I would move there tomorrow if they'd let me--honestly, even without a job. I'd figure something out. Iceland feels like another planet to me, a kinder, more compassionate one, albeit with a rockier and less-forgiving topography. If you enjoy the idea of standing beneath majestic waterfalls, hiking on glaciers, dogsledding, swimming in geothermal pools, and/or crawling through ice caves and lava tubes, this book will deliver the sensory goods. Seriously, if you've read this far and don't want to check out the book, then you should skip it, but consider a trip to Iceland someday if it's within your means. It really is a magical life-changing kind of place.

Interested in pre-ordering? 

I will be setting up a pre-order giveaway after I get some stickers and bookplates made, but you can pre-order now and still qualify for that. Just follow me on social or subscribe to my mailing list so you won't miss the announcement. You can find this title in the usual places, but if you want to support an all-female run small business, pre-order direct from Regal House/Fitzroy.

How do I read for free?

HELLFINDER is on NetGalley right now, available to everyone with an account! Writing for a small publisher means there's not always money available for promo like NetGalley, so I paid my own money to get the book listed because I think word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to promote artistic work. I want lots of people to be able to read the novel, especially those without a lot of money to spend on physical copies and folks who live in countries where they might not be able to find HELLFINDER at a bookstore or library. If you're a new reviewer who gets rejected by the bigger publishers, rest assured HELLFINDER is available to everyone. If you have trouble accessing it, email me at pstokesbooks [at] gmail [dot] com and let me know. I'll do my best to get you sorted.

Last but not least, the contest:

I wanna do whatever I can to get the word out about the book and e-galley, so I cooked up a little Rafflecopter with that in mind. Winner gets a $20 gift card to Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Etsy, or another retailer/restaurant of your choice. International folks are welcome, but I may have to limit the gift card selections. If nothing else I will order you a book from The Book Depository or PayPal you $20 USD. Contest ends March 31st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fall 2020 YA Scavenger Hunt

 

I'm humbled and honored to participate in the final YA Scavenger Hunt! I participated in my first YASH back in 2013 and it has been a wild ride. I've really enjoyed hosting bonus content, designing secondary giveaways, and being part of the internet's most epic blog hop for YA books.

YASH gives you a chance to check out scads of fun bonus material and enter to win lots of books and other fun prizes. If you're new to the hunt, confused about how to play, or you get stuck somewhere, check this site for instructions on how to hunt. The hunt starts at noon Pacific (so 3pm Eastern) on Sept 29 and runs through noon Pacific on October 4. If you start hunting early, it's possible not all of the links will work.

NOTE: There are multiple numbers in this post because Jessica's book description contains numbers and so do the above paragraphs. The secret number is NOT 2013, 3, 29, or 4. You will know it when you find it :)

Once again, I am proud to represent the  BLUE TEAM! I'm thrilled to host fellow Portland-area author Jessica Brody, who is featuring a book she wrote with Joanne Rendell. SKY WITHOUT STARS is the first book in the System Divine series. Is this cover magnificent or what? Score yourself a copy here. The second book in the series, BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS, is also available for purchase.

A thief.
An officer.
A guardian.

Three strangers, one shared destiny…

When the Last Days came, the planet of Laterre promised hope. A new life for a wealthy French family and their descendants. But five hundred years later, it’s now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing.

Whispers of revolution have begun—a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes…

Chatine is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal Regime, including spy on Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet.

Marcellus is an officer—and the son of a renowned traitor. In training to take command of the military, Marcellus begins to doubt the government he’s vowed to serve when his father dies and leaves behind a cryptic message that only one person can read: a girl named Alouette.

Alouette is living in an underground refuge, where she guards and protects the last surviving library on the planet. But a shocking murder will bring Alouette to the surface for the first time in twelve years…and plunge Laterre into chaos.

All three have a role to play in a dangerous game of revolution—and together they will shape the future of a planet.

Power, romance, and destiny collide in this sweeping reimagining of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, Les Misérables.

For her bonus content, Jessica is sharing these incredible character cards, which were created by fellow author Jessica Khoury at Lizard Ink Maps.

I literally gasped when I saw these. I still can't decide who is my favorite, but I wish I could trade cheekbones with any of these characters. I also wish there were five (5) more of these, or perhaps a dozen! The artwork is très magnifique! (Yes, the secret number for this post is 5, but keep reading for a chance to win a gift card or some cold hard ca$h!)

Here's more about Jessica:

Jessica Brody is the author of more than 20 novels for teens, tweens, and adults including The Geography of Lost Things, The Chaos of Standing Still, A Week of Mondays, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, Better You Than Me, the Unremembered trilogy, and the System Divine trilogy which is a sci-fi reimagining of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, co-written with Joanne Rendell. She’s also the author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel (the #1 bestselling plotting guide for novelists) and several books based on popular Disney franchises like Descendants and LEGO Disney Princess. Jessica’s books have been translated and published in over 23 countries and several have been optioned for film and television. She lives with her husband and three dogs near Portland, OR

Visit her online at JessicaBrody.com. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram @JessicaBrody.

SECONDARY GIVEAWAY!

For my secondary giveaway, I'm going to hook a second winner up with a $20 gift card for Amazon, B&N, Etsy, Society6, Target, Kohls, Best Buy, or Starbucks. If none of those gift cards work for you, you can also select to receive $20 USD via Paypal or your choice of any book(s) up to $20 in price from Book Depository or Wordery.

Some of the entries involve promoting STELLAR. This is one of my favorite things that I have ever written. Stella and Betsy's friendship was pure joy to explore--the dialogue basically wrote itself--and the internet romance was inspired by real events from my past life as a girl gamer. I was planning to post this novel on the SwoonReads platform today, but they're currently closed to submissions, so I hope to find a publisher for this novel or release it myself by early 2021. Sorry about the last minute change! If you read the first 10 chapters and really don't want to wait to read the rest, send me an email and I'll try to set you up with a digital ARC.

 To enter my secondary contest, just fill out the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In case you missed it, my secret number is 5. Good luck!

Are you ready for more exclusive content, fantabulous secondary contests, and general YASH mayhem?!? Michelle Reynoso is next for the blue team.

As always, A HUGE THANK YOU to the organizers of the hunt. Thank you so much for your time and effort throughout the years. It's been a blast and I feel honored to have been included. #YASHForever :)

You, a Friend, a Stranger: Part 2

I realized I haven't blogged in a while and although I absolutely do not miss churning out content on a timetable, I do miss giving stuff away :) I decided New Year's Eve seemed like the perfect time to do another round of my You, a Friend, a Stranger giveaway!

I don't have much money coming in right now so I've had to scale back the prize, but I hope it's still enough for you to want to enter. Honestly, most of the Rafflecopter activities are things I enjoy doing for free, so why not click a few boxes and enter to win yourself (and a friend, and a stranger) some awesome prizes!

I mean, come on. Where else can you enter to win money by taking a nap?

This giveaway is international. Prizes are as follows:

• Winner gets $20 transferred to a PayPal account or paid out via a bookstore, grocery store, department store, or gas station gift card. It's about you and what you need <3
• Winner's friend gets $10, paid out via an email gift card. Sorry, no cash. [Int'l winners will have a limited selection of gift cards to choose from.]
• Winner gets $10 in credit to contribute to any GoFundMe or YouCaring campaign during the month of February. I am registered and I will give the money in your name. If winner strongly prefers to donate to a charity instead of an individual person, that's fine too :)
• Because I'm an author and I have lots of free books to give away, I'll throw in a copy of any of my Young Adult Paula Stokes books for both winner and their friend. [U.S. winner receives signed books shipped by me. INT winner receives books ordered from TBD or Wordery with signed bookplates mailed separately.]

I found this excellent flyer in Copenhagen. Take what you need.

I created this contest so you could technically do one activity every day in January, but feel free to crush them all out in a weekend marathon of kindness, empathy, and self-care if you want. And if you only want to do a couple, that works too :)

NOTE: If you have limited mobility, lack of transportation, or are otherwise unable to complete a task as described due to circumstances beyond your control, please feel free to modify that task to something similar that you can complete in your current situation. Example: If you currently can't leave your house, you can thank a stranger over the phone or online or post a message of acceptance and inclusivity on your social media. The idea is to encourage you to take care of yourself and others, and maybe do something fun or inspiring you wouldn't normally do along the way. I don't want anyone to feel excluded :)

I took this picture while I was lying on the ground in Costa Rica.
Sometimes a different perspective helps us see things in a new way.
(Other times it just makes for a really awesome photograph).

Can you cheat? I mean, yeah, most of the Rafflecopter options are "on your honor" activities. But this specific contest was created to help people feel better about themselves and the world. If you cheat and win, you might not regret it now, but at some point later you might feel a little down on yourself. I don't want to do that to you, so how about you don't do that to yourself either? Have fun with this. If you have a really meaningful experience doing any of these activities, be sure to leave a comment for 5 entry points and share your thoughts.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This contest ends January 31. Winner will be notified via email by Feb 3 and has until Feb 7 to respond and claim the prizes. If you have questions about any of the entries, put them in the comments so I can answer them for everyone.

ETA: I updated most of the entries on 12/31 to make them worth 3 points so that people could tweet about the contest daily but more entry points would be given for people who complete the challenges. If there's an issue with how many points you received for something, let me know.

Always remember.

Happy New Year! Best of luck in 2019, and as always, thanks for everything that you do <3

Fall 2018 YA Scavenger Hunt

Hi hi! Once again it's time for the YA Scavenger Hunt!!! YASH gives you a chance to check out scads of fun bonus material and enter to win like a bajillion books. If you're new to the hunt, confused about how to play, or you get stuck somewhere, check this site for instructions on how to hunt. The hunt starts at noon Pacific (so 3:00 pm Eastern) on October 2nd and runs through noon Pacific on October 7th. My post will go up the night before, as usual, so that organizers have time to verify links, but if you start hunting early, keep in mind that some of the links might be inactive.

Once again, I am proud to represent the  RED TEAM! I'm hosting Jennifer Brody!

Jennifer is promoting THE 13TH CONTINUUM.

Here’s more about the book:

Gold Medal Winner, Young Adult Fiction ― Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Independent Publisher's Moonbeam Children's Book Awards

One thousand years after a cataclysmic event leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, the descendants of the chosen survivors take refuge in thirteen contingency shelters buried deep underground, at the bottom of the ocean, and in the far reaches of outer space. 

In the underwater 13th Continuum, sixteen-year-old Myra Jackson has heard rumors and whisperings all her life of a magical place called "The Surface” where people could breathe fresh air, feel the warmth of something called sunlight on their skin, and see things known as stars and trees and mountains. Myra has never dared to ask whether the stories are true, since the act of speaking such words aloud is an offense punishable by death. But after she discovers that the air supply aboard her underwater colony is running out, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to find this mysterious place. To get there, she must first recover the only guide to the Surface―the Beacon, an ancient device that also connects her to Captain Aero Wright, a dashing young soldier from one of the only remaining space colonies. 

With the fate of all humankind depending on them, Myra and Aero must escape the tyrannical forces that rule their colonies, journey through the black depths of the ocean and across the cold void of space, to find each other on the Surface that their ancestors once called home.


Wow, this sounds amazing! I love the ocean so much that I really want to check out this series so I can experience the black depths of the ocean with Myra and Aero.

For her bonus content, Jennifer is sharing a short story from the Continuum universe. Below the story, you'll find more info on Jennifer and a secondary contest from me, as well as a link to a multi-author Instagram contest I'm running right now where you can win eight thrilling, chilling YA novels--just in time for Halloween! Because you can never have too many giveaways, right? BTW, Jen and I have the same lucky number this hunt, the number thirteen! (13) That's the number you need for this post. And now [drum roll] here's Jen!


Jennifer: This story takes place in the Continuum Universe created in my Continuum Trilogy. The books explore what happens after the surface of the Earth is destroyed and humans are evacuated to colonies located in different environments—underwater, underground, and outer space. Hope you enjoy it!

TWELFTH

by Jennifer Brody

“Wake up … Twelve.”

That familiar voice was accompanied by light. Blinding light that grew stronger. “No … I don’t want to wake up … need sleep.”

The words left the girls lips, but they sounded jumbled, thick with sleep. And not just any sleep. Deep, cryo sleep.

The light wouldn’t ease.

The voice wouldn’t stop.

“Wake up … Twelve.”

It kept repeating in a loop. Kept prying her awake. It wasn’t human. It was only a recording. The girl realized that with a cold sweep of sadness that rushed through her chest like a torrent. Her cryocapsule hissed open.

A blast of cold air pricked her skin, accompanied by fear at her paralysis. Her fuzzy brain. Her disorientation.

It took a while for her limbs to awaken. For her small heart to pump enough blood to get her vital systems going. For the thick fog to drain from her mind.

“Wake up … Twelve.”

The voice heckled her, driving her upright.

She peered over the edge of her cryocapsule. Her eyes landed on rows and rows of other cryocapsules. Only one thing was different—their occupants were still slumbering, locked away in the deep, unnatural freeze that kept them alive.

She caught sight of her reflection in the metal side of the next capsule—mousy brown hair, hacked short for convenience, button nose speckled with a tapestry of light freckles. Watery, blue eyes—watery like their world. Nothing had changed since she went to sleep many centuries ago.

She was still a child of thirteen.

She was over 700 years old however.

Now she was alone. Her brain was still foggy from the deep sleep, but it began spitting out questions anyway.

Why was she the only one awake? Was it a malfunction? Why were her parents still asleep? And her brother Toren?

Those thoughts brought a fresh wave of fear. Her heart thudded like a hammer in her chest. She climbed from her capsule clumsily, her feet hitting concrete, and staggered over to her family’s capsules. Their eyes were frozen. They stared out but saw nothing but dark dreams.

With intense longing, she traced her finger over the clear panels, following the familiar bent of their features, the crook of her dad’s nose, the gentle slope of her mother’s chin, the rigid arch of her brother’s eyebrows. Her older brother.

Toren was her best friend, and her greatest tormentor. She loved him and hated him all at once. And she missed him like crazy, even though he teased her about her freckles and frizzy hair. Taking her under his arm and tickling her mercilessly.

“Toren …” she rasped softly.

You couldn’t tell how sick they were from their peaceful repose. How when they went into their chambers, they were only days away from the final stage of the illness.

The hemorrhaging.

The memories came back of them entering their capsules. Toren had to be helped entering his capsule. His strong body laid low with fever. So many in their colony had died already. So many bodies had been given back to the sea.

This was their only chance. To abandon the waking life and pass into frozen slumber. To wait for the dark years of exile in the depths of the sea to wash over them and abate, like a current flowing and ebbing.

They didn’t even know if it would work. They had started to build the cryocapsules once the infection couldn’t be contained. They were the last resort. Her fuzzy brain struggled to understand.

But why was she the only one awake?

The voice spoke again.

“You are the Twelfth and the Last. The time for exile has passed. Fulfill your destiny. Go out and claim it.”

She realized the recording was her mother.

Her name, she remembered it now.

“My name is … Twelve.” The words came out soft and raspy. “You named me that for a reason.”

“You are the Twelfth and the Last,” her mother repeated in a maddening loop. “Fulfill your destiny. You’re our chosen one. The only uninfected. Everything depends on you.”

That’s right. She wasn’t sick yet. Nobody knew why she didn’t fall prey to the fever like the other colonists.

“My destiny …”

Her fuzzy brain started to remember more. And that was when she knew exactly what she had to do.

“I must claim it,” she whispered back to her mother.

“Twelve claim your destiny,” her mother said. It felt like a response, but it was still the recording.

Twelve passed through the rows of capsules, each face familiar. There weren’t many of them left down here. The virus had taken so many, emerging after the water leak that flooded their colony and drowned four of the sectors.

She approached a thick window in the exterior wall—outside was a vast expanse, but it was blotted out with darkness. When she pressed her face to the portal, the exterior lights flashed on. Their beams pushed through the water, dying a few meters away from their colony. This life in the dark of the sea.

The light brought more memories back. They rushed through her. She remembered the flood and virus. She knew she had to summon help. She ran through the capsules to the door at the end of the chamber. It registered her identity.

“Twelve … access approved.”

It hissed open. She dashed through the corridors, weaving past sealed doors protecting them from the flooded sectors. Salt water is corrosive, especially with the massive pressure exerted in the trench. It had forced its way in and with it brought this plague to their world.

An ancient plague from the depths of the ocean. That’s what her father said, and Twelve knew he was right. Knew it in her heart.

Her freshly pumping heart.

“Twelve, we’re cursed,” he said before he took to his sick bed and never emerged. “The Doom cursed us.”

Her bare feet tore through the smooth corridors. She reached the right door. “Mortuary” was branded on it. She passed through it and found another capsule—only this one was a tomb. The boy inside wasn’t much older than her.

“Langston …” she whispered, feeling a tear trickle from her eye and land on the clear panel. His golden face, scarred with pox. The virus had taken him. Something glinted on his wrist. The golden armlet branded with the snake swallowing its own tail. There it was, waiting for her to claim it.

The Beacon.

The capsule opened at her touch with a hiss. Twelve reached for the Beacon. Her hand nearing, it split apart. The metal turned to liquid. Greenish light flashed over the snake, making it look angry. In one smooth motion the device wrapped itself around her wrist.

Searing pain tore through her like a bolt of lightning. She convulsed and fell to the floor. Her body shuddered, as memories poured through her. She saw everything through Langston’s eyes. She lived through him. His childhood, growing up in the chamber next door to her family. Their friendship. That blossomed into something more. Their … first kiss … mostly innocent … stolen when their parents weren’t looking. Stolen in a dark nook of the corridor.

Tears blossomed in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Twelve felt everything again. And then the memories went back further and further … to the beginning … to the day of the Doom. She was a girl again, fleeing into a submarine with her family, packed into the hull as it dove and dove and dove.

As the world above ended.

All the pain from the unmaking of the world.

She felt it all.

When the Beacon released her from the memories, she couldn’t tell if a few minutes had passed—or an hour—or a millennium. Maybe no time had passed, or maybe all the time had passed. She was a child; she was over 700 years old.

The paradoxes made sense to her now. Everything was true, and nothing was true. Time didn’t mean the same thing anymore now that she carried all these lifetimes within her.

It’s time, Langston said. Do it.

His voice rang in her head. It sounded like he was standing right there talking to her, even though he was long dead.

“How is this possible?” she asked, amazed.

When they were kids after he became a Carrier, he’d tried to explain.

“They’re all inside me now,” he said, then frowned. “No, that’s not right. They are me now. And I am them.”

She’d rolled her eyes. “Oh, fancy Carrier, you’re just trying to confuse me.”

But a seriousness had invaded him since the Bonding, after their prior Carrier died. It was almost like she didn’t know him anymore. The silly boy who’d kissed her in the corridors—that boy was gone, replaced by this new boy.

This Carrier.

And now she was one, too. She finally understood the weight of the burden. What it felt like to carry the destiny of other people on her narrow shoulders.

She knew she had to act. She shut her eyes, concentrated, then projected her thoughts into the Beacon.

Hello … anybody out there?

Please answer me.

I’m the Twelfth and the Last.

Anybody … can you hear me?

She pushed the knowledge of all that had befallen her colony into the Beacon, more images than words.

And then she heard something.

It was Langston’s voice. There’s a signal … I can feel it.

That was when she understood that her thoughts were no longer her own. They’d never be her own again. She was divided, split into many selves, all the prior Carriers.

“A signal?” she said back. “Did someone hear me?”

Hold on, I’ll try to connect with it.

That’s when another voice struck her thoughts like an electric charge. This one was warm and confidant. And it was the sweetest sound that Twelve had ever heard.

This is Myra Jackson of the First Continuum, the new voice said. Formerly of the Thirteenth Continuum, Puerto Rico Trench, Atlantic Ocean. Newly elected President of the United Continuums. I received your signal … who are you? And … where are you?

Twelve, the girl answered. I’m Twelve.

There was a pause, long enough to make Twelve worry that she’d done something to offend this new voice.

But then Myra spoke again. The Twelfth Continuum?

Twelve … it’s my name.

And your location apparently, Myra replied with amusement. Mariana Trench. Underwater colony. Holy sea, you’ve survived! We thought you’d perished. Welcome back, Twelve.

*****

Paula: Whoa. Holy sea, indeed! That was seriously intense. I can't wait to find out what happens when these two girls meet up :)

Here's more about Jennifer:

Jennifer Brody is the award-winning author of THE 13TH CONTINUUM. Her book sold in a 3-book deal and is being packaged into television show. Translation rights have sold in many territories, most notably Russia and China. RETURN OF THE CONTINUUMS (Book 2) and THE UNITED CONTINUUMS (Book 3) complete this epic trilogy. She is a graduate of Harvard University, a creative writing instructor at the Writing Pad, and a volunteer mentor for the Young Storytellers Foundation. She founded and runs BookPod, a social media group for authors. She lives and writes in LA, where she's hard at work on her next book.

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DOUBLE BONUS GIVEAWAY!!

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