Sneak Peek #12 Especially For You

This is THE LAST DAY of my Character Reveal series for my next book.

There’s no quiz today, but the answers to all the quizzes are below. I’ve left links to previous posts if you’re joining me late, so you can work your way back if you want to see the other posts and comment to enter to win a book and possibly a GC. Here’s last week’s POST.

Thank you for joining me and meeting my characters. Thanks for making this August month a lot of fun. I’ll be announcing the winners soon and getting in touch with them so I can arrange to send books as soon as they’re available!

Wunderstock

Here’s Libby, the girl who must choose to either remain shattered or rebuild her life. I’ll post one of the key moments in my protagonist’s life, the moment in the hospital that kicks off the story and sets Libby on the way to whatever future she may have.

 I knew hearts didn’t stop beating until you died, yet I was certain mine had just stuttered to a halt. I couldn’t breathe. My lungs refused to expand. My throat went dry. I’d planned most of my life for this one year. I’d worked out, built my strength, gone to ski camps, kept at it until I’d made it through the selection process—until I’d almost made the US Olympic slalom team. I had my passport. I’d packed my bags weeks ago. Now, my mother was telling me I couldn’t do what I’d lived for all these years?
     My heart kicked in and air filled my chest. “Shut up! Shut up!” In my mind, I screamed, but that’s not the way I heard my voice. Shut up sounded like a whimper. 
     “Libby, stop.” Dad was back, his hand on my shoulder, his face filled with pain. “Please, stop.”
     His calm presence and the terrible sound of his plea brought me up short.
     I gulped back the ragged clutch that filled my throat. “Why? Why can’t I ski with my team?” Then I glanced down. Mom was lying across the foot of the bed. She was lying across my legs, and I didn’t feel the weight of my mother’s body.

The Answers to the Quizzes! Did you get them all right?

1. What famous book features these minor, but memorable characters? Aragorn, Pippin and Merry. 
A. Star Wars
B. Great Expectations
XC. Lord of the Rings

2. Who wrote this unlikeable character? Mr. Collins
XA. Jane Austen
B. J.K. Rowling
C. John Grisham

3. How do psychologists say we should react when our friends behave immaturely?
A. Give them understanding and sympathy
XB. Never support their poor behavior. 
C. Give them a good scolding.

4. What generation in the U.S. usually makes up what we call “helicopter moms”?
XA. The women who grew up in the late 70s, early 80s called the “latch key” kids.
B. The women who were from single-parent homes.
C. The women who were orphaned early in life.

5. There have been many mother-daughter relationship threads in stories told over time. Here are three. Which of these is the most modern tale? 
XA. Pride and Prejudice
B. Book of Ruth
C. A Sicilian Tragedy

6. There are some famous fathers in books. I’ve matched three to books, but only one match is correct. Which one? 
A. Jack Torrance, About A Boy
B. Atticus Finch, Pride and Prejudice
XC. Arthur Weasley, Harry Potter Series

7. Here are the names of three “bad boy” characters in young adult literature. One isn’t really a character in a book. Which one?
A. Ronan Lynch
XB. Whit Moreland
C. Damon Salvatore

8. Here are some facts about World Para Swimming (Olympic competition for handicapped swimmers). Two are correct. One is not. Which one is not true?
A. Nearly 100 countries participate in the World Para Swimming games.
XB. World Para Swimming uses different rules than its Olympic counterpart.
C. World Para Swimming is only open to male and female athletes who are handicapped.

9. Here are some interesting facts about Argentina, except only one is correct. Which one?
A. Basketball is Argentina’s favorite sport.
B. Che Guevara admired Argentina but never visited.
XC. The name Argentina comes from the Latin word for silver – Argentum

10. Which of the following dates is the first documented account of using physical therapy as a medical treatment for pain?
A. 1740
B. 1920
XC. 460 B.C.

11. There are a lot of famous TV sheriffs. Here are three, but one isn’t famous, in fact, he never existed. I made him up. Which one is he?
XA. Johnson Mayhew, of Tulsa, Oklahoma
B. Andy Jackson Taylor of Mayberry, North Carolina
C. Seth Bullock of Deadwood, South Dakota

And the winners of signed books are…coming soon.