*The Scavenger Hunt does not start until August 30 at noon EST. We are testing the links to make sure we are ready for you tomorrow.*
Welcome to the inaugural Back to School Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. We hope that throughout this hunt you discover some new books and get to know a little more about us.
A few things before you begin:
This hunt is a blog hop. Collect the “clues” (pieces to the longer phrase) at each stop. Enter the individual giveaways along the way, then click on the link to the next stop and repeat until you reach #28, where you will input the full phrase as your entry to the grand prize drawing.
The hunt begins August 30, 2023, at noon EST and ends September 4, 2023, so you have plenty of time to visit each stop. If you need to step away and come back later, make a note of the last stop you visited, and go to this post with the list of all stops on the hunt.
If you are having trouble viewing the posts, you may need to switch browsers. Chrome and Firefox sometimes work better than Microsoft Explorer or Edge.
Welcome to my blog! I hope you’ve enjoyed collecting all the clues so far on our Blog Hunt!
Today, I want to talk about a subject that isn’t always top-of-mind when we think of “back to school”.
Back to school memories are bittersweet for me. I’m old enough to remember when school yard bullies stole your lunch money and gave you black eyes. And going to the principal’s office for “fighting” got you a phone call to your parent’s office and then a meeting with the principal.
In middle school, I was a skinny-minny kid and prone to being bullied. I was in the “accelerated” class, which means I was a grade ahead of my age, and some older kids who were a lot bigger than I was took exception to it. I spent a couple of years getting “beat up” on my way home from school. My parents expected me to stand up for myself and fight back. I was furious with them because I thought they didn’t care about my bruises and scrapes. Eventually, I learned to physically fight back. No more scratches or stolen lunches.
That’s an unheard of proposition these days. When my own children were in grade school, people thought that bullies had disappeared by magic, fighting wasn’t allowed, and everyone had to get along. There was (ha-ha) zero tolerance for bullying, even though any kid with a brain knew bullies lurked outside at recess.
My children have Down Syndrome so were supposed to be in a different part of the school yard under supervision. However, I had always told them that if any kid hit them, they were to hit back. One day at lunch hour, a “regular” boy decked my son. My son, who was about 9 yrs. old, got up and hit him back, except the other boy ran away. The teacher couldn’t catch him, so only my son was dragged into the principal’s office. I was called to the school and asked to explain my stance on allowing “bullying” behavior.
When the principal said he might have to suspend my son for a day, I shrugged my shoulders and said I’d take him home right then, along with his sister. I had already stated that if someone hit my kids first, they would hit back and explained why I thought it was beneficial for special needs children to know how to defend themselves. I suggested he might want to question the teacher about her lack of supervising skills, and he backed down on the one-day suspension.
I’m grateful that despite how scared I was of the bullies who terrorized me in middle school, my parents taught me how to stand up to them, and to stand up for myself. However, bullying has taken a much darker turn nowadays than simply stealing lunch money or your backpack.
Bullying now includes cyber-stalking/bullying/extortion. It’s not true that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”.
If your own child, regardless of age because high school is a dangerous place for bullies to lurk about, shows signs of anxiety, withdrawal, unexplained headaches, injuries they can’t explain, etc. please speak to them about being bullied.
Don’t let the symptoms go by or shrug them off. Cyber-bullying can lead to self-harm and suicides. Let them know that they can tell you *anything*, even if they’ve been conned into sending compromising photos of themselves to someone via their cell phones.
Here are some resources to read and share with your child/teen:
https://www.stompoutbullying.org/helpchat
https://www.crisistextline.org/topic/bullying
I hope these are helpful for your school year.
Here is my book, NORTHERN DECEPTION (Heroes of the Tundra Book 1) which is part of the Grand Prize package:
Reunions can be deadly.
After a savage attack in university, Kira Summers fled to the safety of northern Canada and her work as a polar bear scientist. But when her whistleblower brother dies in a mysterious car crash, she must return home to bury him and pack his belongings. Unaware she’s carrying explosive evidence someone’s willing to kill for, she has no choice but to rely on the one person she never thought she’d see again.
Lukas Tanner, a widowed single father of a special needs toddler, moved to Churchill five years ago. As the proud owner of Guiding Star Enterprises, a wilderness tour company, he and his daughter lead a simple life. But when Kira comes crashing back into his world, he realizes God has other plans. Now, Lukas and Kira must confront a merciless killer as their past and present collide in a deadly race – a race they must win if they have any hope of a future together.
If you can’t wait to see if you win, you can buy it here: https://amzn.to/3Iq6EsT
NORTHERN HEARTS (Heroes of the Tundra Book 2) is here: https://amzn.to/33CFJeE
NORTHERN PROTECTOR (Heroes of the Tundra Book 3) is here: https://amzn.to/32qDKK4
AND the next book in the series, NORTHERN REDEMPTION (Heroes of the Tundra Book 4) is coming out October 10, 2023! Here is the blurb:
Runaway bride Lise Dumont has escaped back to Churchill, Manitoba to reclaim her job as a Conservation Officer. She’d rather face down polar bears than marry her abusive ex-fiancé. Once she’s back home in the small town, the peace of the tundra soothes her spirit.
Northern Lights Helicopter Tour owner, Rory Gallagher, isn’t looking for any relationship deeper than the one he has with his pet cat. He enjoys being single and footloose, despite his family’s desire for him to settle down and produce grandchildren. Scarred by memories of not being able to save his father from drowning seven years ago, Rory’s fine with being alone.
Until Lise blazes back into town and helps talk him down from a helicopter crash. When two hardened escaped convicts take them hostage just as a blizzard closes in, it forces the two to rely on each other to survive. They each must face their past before they can have a future.
Can a relationship born out of life and death stakes be enough to last for a lifetime?
I have a Canadiana Gift Giveaway especially for you! Here is a photo of your Prize Package, available only from me.** This is open to US and Canadian readers:
INCLUDES:
Polar Bear Unisex Socks (because all of my books have a polar bear in them!)
Canvas Book Tote Bag, 14.5″ high, 12.5″ wide
Book Journal for those of you who love to record your book reading! 8.5″ x 11″ soft cover
Genuine Canadian Tim Horton’s Maple Flavoured Coffee 300 gm bag
A print copy of NORTHERN DECEPTION
**Book cover may be the original green cover.
Please fill out the Rafflecopter at: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/38979fb2342/
Thank you SO much for being here today!
Here is your next clue: SOMEONE ELSE,
Next stop:
https://tabithabouldinauthor.home.blog/2023/08/29/back-to-school-christian-fiction-scavenger-hunt/
I’m not sure, but I guess my favorite subject was Spanish.
In my high school we didn’t have that option, only French, but I’ve heard it’s easier to learn Spanish!
I so loved math, I like things that are absolute.
My sister was a math whiz and could do algebra, geometry, calculus, etc. It was all Greek to me! But I “get” liking things that are absolute and fit into a puzzle properly.
Fav subject in school was music.
I could never learn to play an instrument, but I know that people who’re really good at math are also good at music so I think it’s how your brain works. People who’re good at art and writing are using a different part of their brain.
My favorite subject in school was English (it was a foreign language). In college, it was math 🙂
Hi Natalya! Thanks for stopping by! Good for you for persevering in English.
My favorite subjects in high school were science and history.
It sounds like you were a well-rounded student, Stephanie!
Mr. McGovern’s history class was my favorite teacher & subject.
A great teacher can make history come alive!
The book you are giving away sounds very interesting. Thank you for giving it away.
Thank you, Sue! It’s the first one of a series and they all take place in the real town of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.
My favorite subject in school was Home Economics because I loved to sew.
I loved Home Ec too although it was the cooking/baking I loved the most!
math
Math was my most dreaded subject – I could never get it through my head! I ended up taking “Business Math” which let me use a now old-fashioned calculator-type machine that printed out your calculations on tape for accounting purposes. It was the only way I got my credit for high school, lol.
The books soundso good! !
I really love the anti-bullying advice!
Thank you, Donna! I strongly believe in watching out for our children/teens these days with so much social media bullying going on.
My favorite subject was English/Literature/Grammar/Writing. 🙂
Those were my favourites too!
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much for dropping by!
Definitely yes! Major events in one’s life can make a relationship stronger.❤️
Thanks for sharing, Sherry!
My favorite subject in school was usually English! But not when we had to do grammar, I much preferred writing and reading!
I agree! My husband is much better at grammar than I am, but as long as I get the right parts of the sentence in the right order, I don’t care if I can remember what’s the pluperfect of the verb or not, lol.
I was the one that stood up to the bullies and protected others from them. So my. children were the same. We put my granddaughter into self defense classes because she was so soft spoken so that she would learn to stand up for herself.
Good for you! I think all kids these days should learn some self-defense as there’s plenty of people who could hurt them out there. It gives them self-confidence in their ability to say “no” and to defend themselves if necessary.
Your book sounds amazing
Thank you, Sarah! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
My favorite class in high school was English. I loved reading and writing.
Me too…those were definitely my strengths. Math and science, not so much!
My favourite subject in high school was chemistry.
Sandra, that was one subject I could never understand. My sister aced it though.
I loved English and all science especially microbiology and anatomy.
I could do anatomy and grade 10 biology but past that I wasn’t any good at maths and science. I was lucky enough to go to a high school that was also heavy in the arts and they let me substitute some of those programs to “count”.
My favorite subject in school was English.
Right? I wonder if kids still have to read “The Grapes of Wrath” and “Moby Dick”?
My favorite subject in school was always science….I have no idea how I didn’t end up with a career in a science field 😂
My husband always wanted to be a marine biologist for the same reason! It’s funny how your life sometimes goes a different way…
My favorite subject in high school were my performing arts classes.
Oh yes! Drama and music!
My favorite subject in high school was art.
I loved art too and took it to grade 13. My art teacher wanted me to go to university to be an art teacher but my dad refused to pay for it, lol.
My favorite subject in high school was English class I was very good at reading & writing and really enjoyed it!
Drea, I can see we have a lot of English lovers in this group!
Love that cover! So striking!
Thank you, Michaela! All of my covers do great justice to my heroes and I can’t wait to see the cover for my next book, coming out Oct 10th.
Englsh?Literature and History was my favoite.
Lisa, I took history all the way through high school too…I loved learning about different civilizations and my first fiction attempt was actually an historical. Not published though!
What a fabulous giveaway. Thank you so much. God bless you.
Thank you for your kind words, Debra! I tried to inject some Canadian fun into it!