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 Suzie’s 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.
It’s Back to School Time!
Hi y’all. If you don’t know me, I’m Crystal Caudill and I write “Dangerously Good Historical Romance,” aka historical romantic suspense. I have a complete series out about the Secret Service during the Gilded Age full of danger, romance, and strong faith elements. Check out this link to learn more about the Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age Series.
Here in Kentucky, most of our schools start in August, so my youngest son is in the throws of tossing off his summer schedule and slugging through an early to rise early to bed schedule . . . and let’s just say, sleeping in was a favorite summer past time. While my brainiac whiz-kid will have no problem breezing through school and getting all A’s in all that he puts his hands to, that was not the case for me. He definitely has the brains of his father and not his mother, which is probably a good thing. 😉
Even though school was a bit of a struggle for me as I fought for every grade, that didn’t mean I didn’t have fun. I was very much my own person–embarrassingly so. Thankfully, I don’t have pictures anymore; it was long before the days of camera phones. My ninth-grade year was a fashion disaster of the utmost kind. I mostly shopped at Goodwill, and apparently, my goal in life was to wear the most outlandish and boy-detracting outfits I could find.
Imagine something like this, but not form-fitting, and you can see the cuffs and skirt lines.
I still remember one outfit my dad nicknamed “The Red Nun.” It was bright red–no exaggeration, the same color as this font color. And don’t think for a moment that the material was fancy or flattering. Nope. That particular dress was almost sweatpants material. I still can’t believe I didn’t sweat out of existence. Although, maybe my youngest son has more in common with me than I thought. That child will wear a heavy winter jacket all day long, all year long, if you let him. But I digress . . .
The thick turtle neck stretched all the way to my chin in a fold-over layer. The elastic cuffed sleeves went past my wrists, and I could hide my hands if I wanted. And then there was the skirt. The dress had to be homemade, for the line between the bodice and skirt was obvious, and the skirt kissed the tops of my sneakers that I’d wear with it. I was a hot mess. No wonder none of the boys I actually crushed on would give me a second glance–except maybe out of utter horror.
However, I DID have a penchant for attracting the “bad boys” of the school. I’ve always had a heart for the unseen and the rejected, probably because I felt that way myself. I always tried to treat people with kindness and genuinely listen to them. This led to some interesting boys crushing on me. I still remember the one guy who tried to impress me with all his talks about his street fighting prowess, showing me his scabbed-over knuckles and brass knuckles as proof. I genuinely thought he was a good person, just misguided. And I was on a mission to show that he didn’t have to behave that way to impress people or be accepted. I never allowed the relationship to go anywhere. We parted ways at graduation, wishing each other well.
Aggressive young gangster with brass knuckles to fight isolated on white background
Fast forward a few years into my marriage. My husband and I were visiting my parents and stopped at the grocery store. Who should I run into but him? He was so excited to see me. He hugged me and introduced me to his wife, “This is Crystal, the girl from high school I told you about.” Y’all, the daggers of jealousy his wife sent me were palpable. I still laugh over the memory. That woman had nothing to worry about from me. I was glad to see him happily married, just as I was happily married. I’ve never made it back to a high school reunion, and honestly, I never will if I can help it. High school–and school in general–was wrought with lots of challenges for me. But I do sometimes wonder how he turned out.
So there you have it. A small piece of my high school existence. Now you no longer wonder why I write romances filled with challenging characters, danger, and sometimes funny behaviors. I write from experience. I can say without hesitation that my favorite part of school was counting down the days until sweet Christmas Break freedom–filled with carols, baked goodies, and family traditions. That’s why for this scavenger hunt, I’m featuring my upcoming release, We Three Kings: A Romance Christmas Collection.
This unique collection follows the legacy of three Weise men moguls, from a Gilded Age ocean voyage to Monuments Men World War II to a contemporary essential oils empire. Love, laughter, hope, and German Christmas traditions abound in this trio of stories I, Cara Putman, and Angela Ruth Strong wrote. You can read more below, and DON’T FORGET to go all the way to the bottom for your Scavenger Hunt phrase AND an extra giveaway.
About We Three Kings
IN THIS CHRISTMAS COLLECTION, WEISE MEN STILL SEEK JESUS–AND LOVE
Best-selling romance authors Caudill, Putman, and Strong follow three generations of the Weise family in this third collection of Christmas novellas from Kregel that will prove just as popular as the previous award-winning volumes.
“Star of Wonder” by Crystal Caudill
The Christmas-themed maiden voyage of his family’s grand steamer ship was supposed to be Aldrich Weise’s chance both to instill investor confidence and to romance Celestia Isaacs. Instead, he must foil a criminal and leave his lady love behind forever.
“Beauty Bright” by Cara Putman
Lieutenant Charles Weise served as a Monuments Man after World War II and now works to restore stolen art to rightful owners. Captain Lillian Thorsen pairs up with him not only to return treasures but also to fix the war-torn lives around them.
“Perfect Light” by Angela Ruth Strong
Essential oils mogul Brendon Wise is drawn to Lacey Foster, the event planner for his huge Christmas lights festival. But when he inadvertently makes a spectacle of her on television, Lacey wants nothing to do with him. Will a chance to give gifts to those in need at Christmas be the key to discovering common ground–and maybe love?
Scavenger Hunt Details & Extra Giveaway
Here is your next clue: hand has
Next Stop: Lee-Ann Brodeur
BONUS GIVEAWAY
How to enter: Comment on this post with what your favorite high school memory is and then enter the Rafflecopter. Entrants must comment on the blog first to qualify. Other entries are just extra.
Prize: Booklight with $10 Starbucks gift card (because the beginning of the school year requires coffee), and a homemade book sleeve.
Open to all legally eligible participants (determined by your country’s laws) from August 30 to September 4 11:59 pm EST. By entering, the winner agrees to be contacted by email. An email will be sent out on September 6th, and the winner will have until September 13th to respond before a runner-up will be drawn and contacted.
*International winners will get an Amazon Gift card
Driving really fast to school to turn in my English term paper. So fast that we went over a bridge bounced so high I doubled over in my car. Sad to say I didn’t get a very good grade.
Oh my goodness!!! I’m so glad it didn’t result in a car crash!
Graduating and getting the heck out of there.
I’m with you. I couldn’t wait to graduate.
Goodness, same here! I can’t think of anything else. XD
I don’t really have a favorite high school memory, so I would just say graduating.
The security was intense.
My favorite high school memory was participating in all the school organizations, 4-H, student council and year book staff.
My favorite high school memory was meeting my husband! All the rest was worth that! ❤️
A favorite memory of mine from high school was attending the State Track Meet. Loved all the track trips that we took.
My favorite memory from high school was also graduating!
Graduating was my favorite part.
Being able to fully participate in physical education.
School dances 🙂
I went to a very small Christian school, so small that for our senior trip, we all piled in a van and took a road trip to NYC!
The prom, one of the last fun times to be with my friends.
Meeting my best friend in sophomore year (she was a freshman)…. we’re still best friends to this day, 34 years later! Amazing huh?
And I’m with some others here, graduating & getting out of there! 🙂
don’t have one
My favorite memory was freshman orientation where we had to wear our skirts inside out, a sign saying I was a lowly freshman, one shoe & one sneaker & one sock & one stocking, and a shower cap on our heads and carry our books in a pail. Then we had to do anything a senior asked us to do. They loved to make us carry their books and do pushups in the swale! I don’t think I had to do the last, but I did carry a lot of books.
I also made a lot of new friends that I have mostly lost track of except one.
My favorite high school memory is being crowned FFA Sweetheart when I was a Junior in High School.
Thank you for the giveaway.
Marching band at football games. I have good memories.
I was homeschooled all the way through graduation, my high school years were pretty tame. 😀 I did enjoy the field trips we took–Smithsonian zoo, Baltimore aquarium, visiting a few embassies in D.C., etc.
I don’t necessarily have a favorite memory. I did enjoy a medieval festival we went to for English one year.
When I was a senior in high school (1968-69), I was included in a business/office education (BOE) class. It was a trial and lasted 3 1/2 periods. We learned shorthand (anyone even know what that is!?), typing, business English, business math, dictation, transcription and was set up like an office. The class was held in the junior high school which was down the hill from the high school. Every morning, regardless of the weather, those of us chosen to participate in this program, trekked down the hill and then back up at lunchtime. It was my favorite class.
My favorite High School memory is going to all the sports games.
Times spent with friends before class
I used to love going to school because I had a crush on one of the seniors and the only place I could see him was school. I was a lowly freshman.
Spending time with my best friends
Graduating and knowing the summer was free and I had endless opportunities ahead of me.
Getting my choir letter jacket for being in choir and working hard for all four years!
I would have to say art class, which happens to be there I met my husband 😉
One favorite memory was when I was a Freshman in high school. Everyone had to have their lockers searched, so we had to remain in one of our classes for 4 hours. Mine happened to be gym class, so I was quite happy!
So many memories with friends from kindergarten all the way through high school!
I like meeting up with my girlfriends in the lunch room
My favorite high school memory was attending the Christmas dance in my senior year.
My favorite memory from high school was the Fall Festival every year. There were rides, homemade sweets and pralines, games, spaghetti dinners, and my senior year there was a concert by a favorite band on the football field. Otherwise, school was just a necessity, as I didn’t get into all of the cliques and such.
I loved my high school art class!
Thanks for sharing about your school experience.
For me, I absolutely loved high school! Being part of the band my first year. Drill team my second year. Junior class representative. French club President my senior year. All the football games, dances, and proms. Being a foreign exchange student for the summer between my junior and senior years and the amazing people I met while there. All my friends and most of my teachers. So many great memories!! And even my introverted husband has said, “Your class reunions are really fun.” And they have been!
Thanks for letting us share, too!
Probably drawing for art class
I would have to say graduating! Thanks so much for the opportunity!
My dad had to take my neighbor and I to school one day in my brother’s car. We were walking down the hall and could hear my dad peel out of the high school parking lot!!
Performing with the marching band at a TCU football game!
A favorite high school memory was going on the high school retreat.
My favorite high school memory was going to tennis class because it was more fun than general PE.
When the cute boy sat behind me, and we fell in love. I had a boyfriend all through high school. We just fell out of love when we went to different colleges.
My favorite high school memories were all the extra-curricular activities. I don’t recall missing any of them and it made my school years more enjoyable.
If that pictured dress was a little less form fitting, I might try wearing it lol
I was in band, so my favorite high school memories were participating in band activities such as pep rallies and football games.
Graduating was my favorite.
Graduation and not going to school anymore.
My favorite high school memory was going to football games with my friends. We had a blast plus school dances. I loved those!
Thank you for a wonderful giveaway. God bless you.
I’m not sure I have a favorite high school memory. We are having our 50th reunion this month. I remember being on the first ROTC girls’ drill team our school had. I was not one of the “in crowd”.