An Interview: Kay Cassidy, Scavenger Hunter!

You know I'm into Kay Cassidy's Great Scavenger Hunt Contest, and now I get to host Kay herself for an interview about the whole thing (read on if you're still not sure what it is. Major prizes involved! Here goes...Q: What made you decide to create The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest? A: As a YA author and proud owner of a well-worn library card, I wanted to give something back to all the librarians. With the economy in turmoil, I set out to create a totally free program that teen and youth librarians could use to keep kids excited about reading. Plus, I'm a huge fan of trivia, scavenger hunts, mysteries... so The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest was a natural fit. I would've been all over this when I was younger. Trivia fans... unite! Q: What exactly is The Hunt? A: The Hunt is a brand-new, super easy, totally FREE library outreach program for teen and youth librarians. The program is open to librarians in the U.S. and Canada, in public libraries and school libraries alike. Over 120 YA and middle grades authors have created a 10-question scavenger hunt (i.e. super fun trivia quiz) for one or more of their books. Scavenger hunts include questions like "What was the color of Moe's hideous car?" or "What is Gemma's favorite comfort food?" Every scavenger hunt also has a special note from the author to give it a personal touch. Q: How does The Hunt work? A: Once librarians register their library, their readers (called hunters) are eligible to participate. Hunters can check out the list of more than 200 titles in The Hunt, read the book of their choice, complete the scavenger hunt, and turn it in to their librarian. The librarian checks the answers against the quick answer key. If the hunter gets at least 8 out of 10 answers correct, the librarian can enter the hunter in the monthly contest. (NOTE: All scavenger hunts must be submitted to a participating librarian in order to be eligible for the contest. Participating librarians may enter hunters via the official contest entry form.) Q: And thus, the prizes! What kinds of prizes do you have and how can people win? A: Every month, I'll choose one lucky hunter as the winner. The winning hunter will receive a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card to use for whatever their heart desires. Even better? When a hunter wins, the host library wins too... a library prize tote filled with more terrific scavenger hunt books for the library's collection. It's a win-win! Q: I love win-wins! So, tell me more about your upcoming YA debut. When will hunters see a scavenger hunt for it in The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest? A: My debut novel, The Cinderella Society, is the first in a new YA series. The series takes readers behind the veil of a secret society of extraordinary girls where ultimate life makeovers are the main attraction. Lifelong outsider Jess Parker thinks life on the inside is her ultimate fantasy until she discovers the real force behind her exclusive society. It's a battle of good vs. evil played out on the high school battlefield, and the Cindys in power need Jess on special assignment. When the mission threatens to destroy her dream life come true, Jess is forced to choose between living a fairy tale and honoring the Sisterhood... and herself. The Cinderella Society will be an April 2010 release from Egmont USA with book two in the series to follow in Spring 2011. I'm very excited about sharing a scavenger hunt of my own in The Hunt. Come on, next April! Now, let me turn the tables on you for a minute. :-) First of all, thank you so much for participating in The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest. [Here's the part where Kay interviews me! That's her on the left. Cute, no? --MW] Q: What made you take time out of your busy schedule to participate in The Hunt? Uh, I'm not that busy. I guess I could be, but I like to do things I enjoy, like creating scavenger hunts for the Violet books. So it's just a choice! Q: How did you decide which book(s) to create a scavenger hunt for? I've only made one for Violet on the Runway so far, but I plan to add the other Violet books and Lovestruck Summer very soon! Q: Do you think you would've wanted to be a hunter when you were younger? Um, I kind of want to play RIGHT NOW. Is that allowed?