SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #16!

Follow the clues for a Chance to Win a Kindle Fire HDX or 30+ novels!

Welcome to the Autumn 2014 Scavenger Hunt. You have arrived at Stop #16, R. J. Larson's blog. The hunt begins at noon (Mountain Time Zone) on October 17, 2014. You may have arrived here before the start which could mean all of the sites aren't ready quite yet. Once the official start has begun, you should go to Stop #1 HERE and then work your way through the sites, gathering clues and entering bonus giveaways, until you reach the final stop which will also be on the site of Robin Lee Hatcher.

The hunt ends on Sunday, October 19, 2014 at one minute before midnight (Mountain). That means you have all of the weekend to finish it, so take your time. Enjoy reading the exclusive content the authors have prepared for you. You will collect a CLUE IN RED at each stop. Write them down as you go. At the end of the hunt, you will enter the clues into a Rafflecopter form. (The answer will make sense, even if you aren't familiar with the quote.)

The hunt is open to international entries. The grand prize is a Kindle Fire HDX. Two runners-up will receive a new release from each of the participating authors.

IN CASE YOU FIND A BROKEN LINK...

Robin Lee Hatcher has prepared a "cheat sheet" with direct links to each author's post in case a site goes down or a link gets broken. We hope there will be no such issues, but just in case, please make note of the URL for the Participating Authors & Stops page so you can check back and be able to complete the hunt.
http://www.robinleehatcher.com/autumn-2014-scavenger-hunt-participating-authors-stops

Anne Mateer

 

Introducing Anne Mateer!

 R. J. Larson here: I'm delighted to introduce the amazing Anne Mateer! Anne is a three time Genesis contest finalist, and a contributor to A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts. 

Anne Mateer loves imagining what life in other times would have been like. She the author of 4 historical novels and a 2013 Carol Award finalist. Find Anne on the web at www.annemateer.com

Read on for Anne's exclusive story behind her latest book, Playing by Heart! 

 

 

Three Personal Experiences that Shaped Playing by Heart

Over the years, I’ve learned that “write what you know” doesn’t necessarily apply to situations, places or professions that appear in your stories. Instead, it refers to the fact that authors must call on their own experiences to mine the emotions their characters will experience in similar but different circumstances. Often this happens unconsciously as we write and it is only in looking back over the story that we see that we have, indeed, written what we know. At least such is the case with me! Today I’d like to share three of my personal experiences that I feel shaped the story Playing by Heart.

Joining drill team in high school

I am not a dancer. Oh, I took a few lessons as a child, but it was not my talent. At. All. And yet I entered high school and found myself yearning to be part of the dazzling group of girls dancing on the football field at halftime. Simply making the squad took an enormous amount of determination on my part, but being chosen to participate in the halftime and competition performances took a year of relentless tenacity, a year of training both my body and my mind to learn and do something that didn’t come naturally to me. I drew on this experience as Lula Bowman faced the unknown of learning to coach basketball—a game she’d never even seen played!

Anne's drill team!

Mothering my eldest son

Anne's eldest son, center

My husband and I love books and learning, but our middle child, our oldest boy struggled in the classroom, often feeling defeated. But put a ball in that boy’s hands, place him on a court or a field or even the track and he comes alive! He love sports of all kinds—the strategy, the competition—but beyond understanding and performance, he is a natural teacher and leader. He doesn’t always see these people skills as the amazing gifts they are, but I do. Mothering him taught me to appreciate his gifts and to encourage them, much as Chet does for Blaze in Playing by Heart.

Pursuing my writing dream

Playing by Heart, Bethany House Publishers

My writing journey has been a trek of both determined focus and generous sacrifice. Like Lula, I have maintained a determined hold on my calling even while often sacrificing my writing time to build relationships and memories with my kids and my husband and take care of our home. It wasn’t always easy. And yes, sometimes I resented having to set aside my goals to tend to someone else’s needs. But those years, those experiences, built greater trust in the Lord and strengthened my character, much as Lula’s time helping her sister’s family does for her.

Every author puts something of their own inner life experiences into their stories, whether in a main character for in snippets of secondary characters. These are just a few of the ways my own life has found its way into the pages of Playing by Heart. 

Thank you, Anne! 
Buy Playing by Heart! CBD Barnes & Noble Amazon

Catch Anne on Facebook and Twitter!

R. J. Here! 

Write down this Stop #16 clue!  - Salman Rushdie
That's - Salman Rushdie

Now, go forth and hunt up Anne Mateer's blog, Stop #17 

But WAIT!

Before you go, check out my Rafflecopter giveaway below!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway Please note that the Rafflecopter widget doesn't work with some phones or tablets. If the entry form fails to appear on your device, please enter using your home computer. Thank you! 

USEFUL LINKS:
The link to Stop #1 (the start of the hunt) is:
 http://www.robinleehatcher.com/scavenger-hunt-stop-1-autumn-2014

The link to the Participating Authors page is:
 http://www.robinleehatcher.com/autumn-2014-scavenger-hunt-participating-authors-stops

The link to the final stop where people will enter the answers is:

http://www.robinleehatcher.com/scavenger-hunt-stop-35-entry-form