I am Cyn Balog/ Nichola Reilly, your hostess for this leg of the hunt.
About Me
- I write and read just about anything.
- I like to bake pies and do crossword puzzles.
- I am obsessed with caramel and zombies, but would probably not like a caramel-covered zombie.
- I don't drink coffee because caffeine has been known to keep me up for days.
On this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each participating YA author, you also get a secret number. Add up the numbers, and enter it for a chance to win a major prize–one lucky winner will receive at least one signed 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 until noon PST on Sunday, October 5th!
You can start right here or you can also go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage to find out all about the hunt. There are several contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter as many as you like! I am a part of the GREEN TEAM–but there are also other teams, and if you do the that hunt too you’ll have a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!
If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, see the full list of prizes up for grabs, or if you get lost along the way, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage.
Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the GREEN team, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!). Hint: the secret number is highlighted in GREEN 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, October 5th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, I’ll introduce the author I am hosting on this hunt.
I am super excited to be hosting…
SUZANNE VAN ROOYEN
Suzanne's Bio: Suzanne is a tattooed storyteller from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing, she teaches dance and music to middle schoolers and entertains her shiba inu, Lego. Suzanne is represented by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.
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The title of the book Suzanne is highlighting for this scavenger hunt is: THE OTHER ME. Here is a little bit about it!
Fifteen-year-old Treasa Prescott thinks she’s an alien. She doesn’t fit in with the preppy South African private school crowd and feels claustrophobic in her own skin. Treasa is worried she might spend life as a social pariah when she meets Gabriel du Preez.
Gabriel plays the piano better than Beethoven, has a black belt in karate, and would look good wearing a garbage bag. Treasa thinks he’s perfect. It might even be love, as long as Gabriel doesn’t find out she’s a freak. As Treasa spends time with Gabriel, she realizes she might not love him as much as she wants to be him, and that the reason she feels uncomfortable in her skin might have less to do with extra-terrestrial origins and more to do with being born in the wrong body.
But Gabriel is not the perfect boy Treasa imagines. He harbors dark secrets and self-destructive tendencies. Still, Treasa might be able to accept Gabriel’s baggage if he can accept who she longs to be.
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FROM SUZANNE AHEAD!!
Mix-tape Music
The Other Me is about two complicated and conflicted young
people who find each other and themselves in music when Gabriel starts playing
piano for Treasa's school choir. Music is an integral part of the story, be it
Beethoven or Marilyn Manson. Every song or piece mentioned in the book is
important to my characters and often lends extra meaning to the scenes or
provides subtext to what's happening in the main storyline.
In the novel, Gabriel lends Treasa the album Mechanical
Animals by Marilyn Manson. At the time, I considered having Treasa
reciprocate by making Gabriel a mix-tape, but it never happened in the story.
So here's the mix-tape Treasa would've made Gabriel with a note about why she
chose these songs. The Other Me is set in the year 2000, so some of
these are definitely a blast from the past!
Thanks so much for
lending me 'Mechanical Animals.' I wasn't sure I'd like it, but I actually kind
of love it. There's something really honest about Manson's lyrics, which I
appreciate, even if the CD cover is freaking my mom out.
Since you lent me your
album, I thought I'd make you a mix-tape – well, CD I guess, to say thank you!
Here's why I chose these songs.
1. This is my favourite
choir song and I think you play it so much better than we sing it. Have you
seen The Thin Red Line? I love that the movie opens with this song playing in
the background.
2. Another choir
favourite. We sang it last year, but I think we would've sounded so much better
if you'd been the one playing the piano for us then.
3. This one's obvious!
It's been a favourite of mine for ever, but I don't think I've ever heard
anyone play it as well as you.
4. This piece reminds me
of a Jo'burg storm. Have you played this before? If you have, I'd love to hear
you play it sometime.
5. I know you're playing
this next term and I just want to say WOW! I'm impressed already. I can't wait
to hear you play this.
6. Before you introduced
me to Manson, this was as about as close to heavy metal as I got. Still love
this song. It's great for keeping me awake while I'm trying to do math
homework. Also, I really like the lyrics...
7. Eddie Vedder rocks!
Do you know this band? I'm sure you do. There isn't anything I don't love about
this band so here's my favourite song off their album TEN.
8. I know I wasn't old
enough to really know what was happening in 1994, but I'm so sad Kurt isn't
with us any more. I wish I could've seen this band live just once. The lyrics
of this are horribly ironic, don't you think?
9. This last song is
actually kinda new to me. One of Jordan's recommendations, but I really like
the guy's voice and I think the imagery conjured by the title is really cool.
Jordan painted something like that last year. And of course the lyrics – this
line in particular keeps haunting me: “And
what do you want? I want to change”
I hope you enjoy this
music as much as I do. See you at choir practice!
Love,
Treasa
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Cyn here. Wow, guys, that sounds amazing. Boys with dark secrets? Sign me up! But really...I thought there would be 13 songs on this mix-tape, but it looks like just 9. Maybe you can read it and come up with the other 4?
If you think THE OTHER ME is just what you’ve been looking for, you can order your copy on Amazon.
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Ready to move on to the next link in the hunt?
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