Welcome to the YA Scramble and Giveaway!

Yay! Today I get to announce the lucky winner of Megg Jensen's fabulous ebook copy of Sleepers!

Drum roll please.......

Congratulations to ebaker! Megg will be in touch with you soon with the details. I just know you're going to love Sleepers. Thank you again to everyone who visited my blog for the YA Scramble... and welcome new followers!


Hello and welcome to the YA Scramble Giveaway!
The YA Scramble is a 24-hour scavenger hunt across 14 book bloggers and authors. This special blogging event is guaranteed to be filled with fun guest posts and prize drawings.

How does the giveaway work, you wonder?

Instructions for the YA Scramble:
1) Visit the first blog (based on list below).
2) Read the guest post.
3) Identify the PURPLE (<- pretend this word is purple) word.
4) Pick out the 3rd letter from the purple word.
5) Go to the next blog.
6) Repeat #3, #4, and #5 until you visited all 14 sites.
7) At the end, take all 14 of the 3rd letters from the PURPLE words and figure out the message near and dear to our hearts.
8) You will enter that unscrambled message ONCE into this form as your official entry for a chance to win some great prizes (HUGE GRAND PRIZE) from fantastic authors and bloggers. ***Hint - The phrase is 4 words!

Participating Blogs - all must be visited:
✯ Kaitlin Simpson
✯ PJ Hoover
✯ Cary Cummings
✯ Heather Cashman
✯ Kathleen Tucker
✯ Jennifer Morris
✯ Cyndi Tefft
✯ Irish/Gail
✯ Danielle Bunner
✯ Melissa Layton
✯ T.R. Graves
✯ Megg Jensen
✯ Amy Jones
✯ Laura Elliott

HUGE GRAND PRIZE:
- ARC of The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab (with signed bookmark)
- Ebook of Soltice by PJ Hoover (with trading cards)
- Ebook of The Space Between by Alexandra Sokoloff
- Paperback copy of Perception by Heather Cashman
- Signed paperback ARC of Anathema by Kathleen Tucker
- Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Gift Set (Trade Paperback of Eighth Grade Bites, Vlad Journal, Minion Bling Buttons and Vlad Tote)
- Signed paperback copy of Between by Cyndi Tefft
- Signed hardcover of Clarity by Kim Harrington
- ARC of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
- Signed ARC of Fury by Elizabeth Miles
- Signed paperback of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
- ARC of Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
- Copy of The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
- Winner's choice of 5 ebooks from a list of indie authors
- Signed paperback of Sleepers by Megg Jensen
- Ebooks of Soul Quest and The Guardians of Souls by Amy Jones
- Kindle copy of Winnemucca by Laura Elliott (plus a guest post spot on her blog!)
- Paperback copy of City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

My guest on the blog today is Megg Jensen. She is the bestselling author of Anathema, Oubliette, and Sleepers. Would you like to win an ebook copy of Sleepers (Kindle, Nook, PDF, or Smashwords coupon code - your choice)? I thought you would. Well, all you have to do is leave a comment at the end of this post and you will be entered to win. Megg is giving away a paperback copy of Sleepers in the HUGE GRAND PRIZE too!!!
Without further adieu please allow me to extend a warm welcome to Megg Jensen. I know you will enjoy her post as much as I did!

YA Isn’t Just for Young Adults

I saw her at the movie theater - blonde hair, nails bitten to the quick, and a starry gleam in her eye. She grasped the hand of the girl next to her and while her eyes sparkled she gasped, “Oh my God. I can’t believe opening night is finally here. I wonder how many minutes Jacob will have his shirt off during the movie?”
No, this wasn’t a dreamy fifteen-year-old. This was her mom waiting in line for the movie premiere of New Moon, the second installation in the Twilight series. What is known in pop culture as a Twi Mom, this woman wasn’t afraid to show her love of the Twilight series. Some women her age, let’s say any woman over thirty, carried signs proclaiming their love for either Edward or Jacob.

Why are these teen books turning grown up, perfectly rational, successful women into squealing, insecure girls?

Escapism. It’s a simple answer, really. Today’s Young Adult novels offer up three things we mature, sometimes jaded, women miss: hope, first love, and hot guys.
Yeah, we may be older, but we still remember what it feels like to be a teen, filled with optimism and hope for our future. In most cases, our lives didn’t turn out like we thought. Does that mean they’re bad? Of course not! I, for one, often believed that I’d be a globe-trotting archaeologist, loving and leaving men all over the world, and I’d also quite possibly be a multi-millionaire from the tech stocks I bought.

I think we all know how that turned out. I’m an at-home mom and um, yeah, not exactly rolling in the dough. So when I find some time to read, I prefer diving into a book whose main character is experiencing the wonder of the world all around her. I don’t want to read a depressing adult novel about death, illness, or depression. Yawn. Give me some hot vampires, a WEB (<- pretend this word is purple) of lies, and hormonal teens, and I’m done for the night.

It’s possible today’s teens think we’re nuts. But hey, I have some of the best conversations with my niece when it involves books. It gives us a space where we can relate to each other. I’m not judging her, she’s not judging me, and we both can agree on something....TEAM JACOB!

~ Megg Jensen

Megg Jensen has been a freelance parenting journalist since 2003 and began writing YA novels in 2009. She co-founded DarkSide Publishing, is a member of SCBWI, and blogs about writing while juggling freelancing, volunteering, and family life. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two kids, and their miniature schnauzer, Ace.

For more information on Megg please visit her website.

Thanks so much for visiting Amy Jones Young Adult Fantasy Fiction. You can read my Guest Post (Inspiration to become a Young Adult writer…) at Laura's Magic Day. I will be giving away a free ebook of The Glassheart Chronicles on Laura’s blog in addition to the two free ebooks (Soul Quest, The Guardians of Souls) listed in the HUGE GRAND PRIZE.