Team Kilt untitleable-because-there-are-no-words Wrap-Up Post
Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. --David Beckham (as quoted on the underside of an iced-tea bottle I drank Saturday night--no, I am NOT kidding you)
Aura: That's impossible.
Zachary: Seems like a lot of impossible things are happening. We may need to redefine that word.--SHIFT, Chapter 10
Like Zachary's luminous advocates, Fictitious Delicious, I'm having a hard time writing a Team Kilt/YA Crush Tournament wrap-up post. I'm still processing what exactly happened over the last month, how a near-unknown guy went from last seed to giving Jace Wayland, the God of Crushes, a serious run for his money.
Some results:
--The final tally was 53-47%, 24,250-21, 385, for a total of 45,635 votes--amazing numbers that show just how loved these boys are. I'm still grinning from the fact that this many people got that excited over books. Also: previously in the tournament, the most any other character had gained against Jace was 35%. Late at night, the other side called for more votes to keep Zachary below 40%, but Team Kilt BOWS TO NO ONE. They took their opponent's challenge as their own, and actually closed the gap as the night wore on. No. Fear.
--Many, many prizes were given away. See below for details.
--Another $275 was raised for the Tartan Army Childrens Charity, bringing the tournament total to nearly $1500. Sweet! I'm leaving the donation form up until the end of the month, so if you enjoyed our little show, please consider giving $5-$10 to help the weans. Also, $1 of every purchase of Keeley Brothers merchandise (basically, my entire markup) will go to TACC.
--I posted several SHINElines and a couple of impromptu teasers. The teasers (#1 and #2) are here on the blog, and I'll post the full complement of SHINElines on Wednesday as a separate post, since this one will be pretty long.
--Zachary and Logan popped in for a Twttier chat at 2am, and Aura stopped by around 6am. Of course the first question she was asked was, "What does Zachary wear under his kilt?" *facepalm* Y'all have a one-track mind, and that track leads straight to UTK.
--Because Zachary received 5,000 votes, I will write the lyrics to "Forever," the song Logan sings to Aura in Shade as she pretends to sleep, the night before his testimony. Look for the lyrics (and possibly some music!) in time for the release of Logan's short story "Bridge" in the Enthralled anthology September 20.
--Because Zachary received 10,000 votes, the names of every member of Team Kilt will be printed in the acknowledgments of SHINE, coming May 1, 2012. If you voted for Zachary and want your name included, please email it to jeri AT jerismithready DOT com with the subject line "Team Kilt Final." Let me know how you want your name to appear.
--Because Zachary received 20,000 votes, I will fly to Minneapolis for Team Kilt Con, which will include a booksigning and hangout with the wonderful people who made it happen. (Note: this was originally the prize if he won, but I changed the rules once he reached 10,000 votes in less than twelve hours--we needed something to keep us going through the stratosphere.)
While it might not be impossible to express how it's made me feel (I'm learning not to use the "i" word except to refer to exceeding the speed of light), it's pretty close. So instead I'll try to thank all those who made it a Summer to Remember.
Of course, my biggest thanks goes to Amy and Jen at Fictitious Delicious. I posted before the final round how incredible they are, but at the time I hadn't seen nothin' yet! During the final round, they hosted a Team Kilt slumber party, complete with trivia, prizes, kilt avatars, music videos, movie clips, "kiltifying" by request, and so much more! I missed a lot of because it was going by so fast and I was always preparing the next SHINE snippet or teaser. And they were nice enough to let Logan and Zachary crash the party with a 2am chat, even though they're boys.
If you have time for some fun, you should visit FD's Team Kilt Hub, where videos and avis and poems and all other goodnesses are collected.
Thanks next to Karen (@teamsheltie) at For What It's Worth book blog. She coordinated a massive giveaway hop, giving Team Kilt something to look forward to at each voting increment, as well as a chance for other bloggers to contribute prizes of their own. See her wrap-up post for a list of her own prize winners. (I assume the other bloggers will contact their own winners.) Karen was also a cheerleader without peer.
Thanks to the Team Kilters who stayed up all night or got up early in the morning, all around the world (keeping Team Jace awake as well!). I'll try to list everyone, but I want to single out a few people:
--@MarissaOdom for her hilarious rhymes and knock-knock jokes. Seriously, there were moments when she was all that kept me awake and going.
--@BrookeWorm33 (Brooke Reports) for...well, everything. The giveaways, the crack-me-up tweets, the Irish/Scottish kilt avatar. I've said it before, but it means a lot coming from the CEO of LoganLove, Inc.
--@lindsiking and @ReadingWifeJac, for their heroic kilt-dancing videos.
--@makeshiftjen and @GReadsBooks, for their musical inspirations
--@3fixedhearts, for the cutest video ever, of her daughter Cadence (Team Edward) asking for your vote.
--@fiktshun, for giveaways and her heartfelt blog post.
--fellow YA author and Scot-lover, Cyndi Tefft, who gave away a copy of her own Scottish-set ghost story, Between.
--@evstout, who wrote her own poem.
--Stacey at @PageTurnersBlog for many, many giveaways and retweets.
--Samantha Stoner (@lilsammis) who donated to TACC and was a huge presence on Facebook
--Samantha Stoner (@lilsammis) who donated to TACC and was a huge presence on Facebook
--One my favorite author friends--and brilliant new critique partner, Frankie Diane Mallis (@frankiediane)--for her insatiable Zachary addiction and a wonderful manuscript of her own to distract me from the tension of the early rounds.
And the rest of the cast: @jenduffey @Twinklesmile023 @DBetweenthepages @samk52 @iokijo @MarrisaOdom @mistye_1 @tamsbookramble @hefollowedme @librarygalreads @1of2chicksonbooks @luarroyave @Kimberdee @mistye_1 @BooksOverBoys @Neri0724 @precious_shusky @LitzaLou @idabosita @manyoceans @ReadingWifeJac @arnoldjamie13 @IsaBookSoulmate @ZoeRainDasher @SmashAttackAsh @Lena1xoxo @aprilmom00 @jware29 @tamsbookramble @Kimberdee @BritneyWyatt @JennM14 @louisse_ang @booglebum @brittanydhoward @evilqueen21 @litzalou @Ceileannn @iokijo @wedschild @RPattz @laurahunsaker @IsaBookSoulmate @EpicLynnMarie @bookluvrmindy @madhousemirror @frankiediane @ramenaddict @Dizzodin @Ash_Ash @NikkiOldenburg @SapphireNight83 @synfulsaleana99 @Jenababy13 @lovereadingx @KarenVTavares @AshelynnS @bookbrats @Dbetweenpage @Lynna316 @Shinyshoes12 @CatholicKittie @smj587 @heidsratasha @mekyser @jderucki @VioletaVia @JaniceFoy @TheBookGirl426 @mary_qp @cegluna @BookLabyrinth @twimom101 @violethrBR @Emberchyld, @MissyFonseca @arick01 @readingangel002 @BookwormLove @eveningreen @FearofLung
& Kendra from Facebook!
If I missed anyone, please let me know in the comments. I scrolled through the Team Kilt hashtag as far as I could (which made me a little teary-eyed, I confess) to gather usernames.
Thanks to YA Sisterhood for dreaming up this idea and then executing it so beautifully. It became so much bigger than any of us expected, but they rolled with it and kept it fun.
Special thanks to Cassandra Clare and Team Jace, who showed phenomenal sportsmanship even after they discovered they'd have to stay up all night to fend off the Pictish hordes. The fact that Cassie brought out "the big guns" incentive package showed a respect for Team Kilt that warmed my heart and pumped my pulse.
(By the way, Jace fans? YOU'RE WELCOME! It was Team Kilt's tough reputation that got you those teaser scenes and awesome giveaways. So when you're reading the DSCS, think of Zachary. Or wait--don't. That might disrupt some sort of space-time continuum of fiction.)
Even special-er thanks to my family, who didn't tell me I was crazy for caring about this. My husband was especially amazing, making sure I got enough to eat and drink during that last round (he was away on a business trip the night of the Tod matchup, sadly. I think I had popcorn for dinner that night).
As always, I have to thank music, in this case Frightened Rabbit, a band from Glasgow who are my new obsession. I played their latest release, Winter of Mixed Drinks, approximately fifty times in a row this last week. I also saw them open for Death Cab for Cutie Sunday night, in one of many weird serendipities during this tournament. Like Team Kilt, they are bold, hardworking, and kick an unexpected amount of arse.
Speaking of which, the last YA Crush Tourney giveaway. At the concert, Frightened Rabbit sold an EP CD that is not available for download or sale anywhere but at their US shows. Because I love them so, so hard, and because I'm a little addicted to giving stuff away, I'll send one of my spare EPs to someone who comments on this post by 11:59pm Thursday, August 18.
Aw, hell, I'll throw in a CD of Winter of Mixed Drinks, too.
Here's a bootleg video of them performing the first song on the EP, "Scottish Winds." Seems a fitting way to end this all--with music, a killer accent, and a wee dose of profanity.
Until next time, Team Kilt: you rock.
Labels: SHADE series, YA Crush Tourney
41 Comments:
Posted by:
sunnynikki at 8/15/2011 2:56 PM
twimom101@yahoo.com
Posted by:
Mandy IReadIndie at 8/15/2011 3:12 PM
P.S. Good Arms vs Bad Arms is my FAVORITE Frightened Rabbit song - love. love. LOVE.
greadsbooks(at)gmail(dot)com
Posted by:
Ginger @ GReads! at 8/15/2011 3:19 PM
sgiden at verizon.net
Posted by:
SandyG265 at 8/15/2011 3:23 PM
Alpha_Lycan@msn.com
Posted by:
cristina at 8/15/2011 3:28 PM
Jeri...you were wonderful. I am convinced that Zachary got as far as he did, due not only to the untiring and unwavering dedication that is Fictitious Delicious, but to the unbelievable and impressive support from yourself.
As a reader, a fan and a blogger I couldn't have asked for more. Thank you so much.
patriciamendoza AT gmail DOT com
Posted by:
Patricia M at 8/15/2011 3:32 PM
Jeri,
Thank you again so much for your involvement in the tourney! It was so incredible and better than we could have ever dreamed! At least you have a year to rest before next summer! Well, probably not, I'm guessing Aura will be in the heroines tourney!
I also seriously think the government and coaches should hire you to give their speeches right before going to war or the big game!!! You also need to come out with your own line of kilts!
I also wanted to let you know that I have had countless, literally COUNTLESS people tell me that were now reading or about to read Shade and Shift because of the tourney and the excitement Team Kilt showed for Zach in the tourney! Which, how awesome is that!!! That was our point all along, to share our love of these characters with other people, and I could not be more thrilled with the results!!!
Thank you again!!! You are truly what all authors should be!!!!
Posted by:
AmyG@YA-Sisterhood at 8/15/2011 3:40 PM
Posted by:
Litza at 8/15/2011 3:46 PM
But eventually I stopped wondering, because not only did I want very much to get involved (because OMG-FUN!), I wanted to do it for Team Kilt. You put your all into it, and I knew I had to do the same. Not out of obligation, but out of inspiration. Y'all have inspired me in so many ways.
Especially on my most important job of all--making every sentence of SHINE kick ass, so that the series sendoff can be as good as you deserve.
Posted by:
Jeri at 8/15/2011 3:47 PM
Yes I do have one track mind with whats under the kilt. LOL
aprilmom00 at yahoo dot com
Posted by:
Julie@My5monkeys at 8/15/2011 3:54 PM
It's a fun way to get to know about books and crush-worthy characters, and it was a lot of fun trying to keep up with everything that happened on twitter as well.
Can't wait to read Shine now. Thanks for writing, and thanks for taking the time to chat with your fans.
Posted by:
Linda at 8/15/2011 3:55 PM
Team Kilt will always be #1
Posted by:
afstone3 at 8/15/2011 3:59 PM
Thank you and I love ya
Misty
mystikfearie@gmail.com
Posted by:
Misty at 8/15/2011 3:59 PM
kcallegan(at)wilcoindustrial(dot)com
Posted by:
Kimberly Callegan at 8/15/2011 4:32 PM
In the end I was a bit disappointed we couldn't pull off a win, but mostly I was in awe that we actually came that close to Jace. Because, well, Jace is Jace, and Cassie Clare's fans always mean business.
@BookLabyrinth
Posted by:
Ashley @ Book Labyrinth at 8/15/2011 5:02 PM
Posted by:
Frankie Diane Mallis at 8/15/2011 5:14 PM
Looking forward to next year's already :)
Jeri, you are wonderfully amazing to your fans!!
Posted by:
cegluna at 8/15/2011 7:14 PM
I cried several times and I'm not a crier.
I loved meeting everyone and you know I'm always ready to be your cheerleader Jeri!
Posted by:
Karen at 8/15/2011 7:16 PM
And what a great giveaway, Jeri.
Posted by:
Kendra at 8/15/2011 7:24 PM
@mary_qp
Posted by:
Mary at 8/15/2011 7:44 PM
christietaylor@mac.com
Posted by:
Christie at 8/15/2011 7:53 PM
Added now!
Posted by:
Jeri at 8/15/2011 7:57 PM
Also I am so excited you are coming to Minneapolis sometime, I hope I can make it when you do!
@arick01
Posted by:
Aydrea at 8/15/2011 8:18 PM
Pretty sure it's safe to say that all of #TeamKilt had a blast and made some great new Twitter and blog buddies. Who'd have thought so many people would come together over their love of books and their favorite characters? Certainly monumental, at least for me.
Can't wait to see what happens in the tourney next year! Maybe we'll need a #TeamLogan :D
mavso29(at)gmail(dot)com
Posted by:
Marissa at 8/15/2011 8:39 PM
@booglebum
Posted by:
Lindsey at 8/15/2011 9:40 PM
Just because we didn't get the majority of votes doesn't mean we didn't win. Because we did.
The friendships that have come out of this amazing experience are ones I'll always cherish. Team Kilt caught the attention of many people and got Jeri a small piece of the recognition and surge in fan base she so deserves.
Team Kilt. FOREVER.
Jen
Posted by:
Fictitious Delicious at 8/15/2011 10:21 PM
This was fantastic and fun! Twitter feels too quiet now (though my boss must be much happier.) Thank you for making this a great experience!
Posted by:
Anonymous at 8/15/2011 10:38 PM
Posted by:
Lindsay at 8/15/2011 10:44 PM
I just want to comment to say how amazing #TeamKilt truly is. What started out as a silly competition turned into a twitter sensation! I've met tons of new booknerds and awesome people all around who I look forward to interacting with from here on out. #TeamKilt will never be over. We've bonded for life!
And most importantly I want to thank Jeri, who seriously is the nicest, sweetest person I've never met! I can't stress how cool it is that you take so much time to give back to your readers. You are truly amazing, so thanks for giving us not only Zach, but yourself as well!
-Nikki (evilqueen21)
Posted by:
Anonymous at 8/15/2011 10:59 PM
And thanks to everyone for your sweet thoughts. I am dying of love here (in a good way).
Posted by:
Jeri at 8/16/2011 8:31 AM
Anywhuuu I am so proud of all of #TeamKilt and again want to thank you Jeri for writing such phenomenal books and making us so passionate about you and your characters.
Your a genius.
-Melissa Fonseca
Posted by:
Melissa Fonseca at 8/16/2011 8:56 AM
Posted by:
Melissa Fonseca at 8/16/2011 9:00 AM
I'd love a chance at the CD! You also said to mention if you missed one of our twitter names, so here I am. @lilsammis. I would be surprised if you managed to grab us all! Fantastic event! Looking forward to the next one. Zach WILL win next time!
Posted by:
Samantha Stoner at 8/16/2011 9:44 AM
Team Kilt forever!
AmethystDaydreams at zoho dot com
Posted by:
Megan at 8/16/2011 10:27 AM
TracyH
Posted by:
TracyH at 8/16/2011 12:44 PM
Annnywhoo! DON'T THANK ME!! I need to be thanking you!! So THANK YOU for all the teasers and incentives and character chats and for making me develop an unhealthy obsession with boys in kilts! (Seriously you shoulda seen my internet history after Thursday....it was all, "cute boys in kilts", "hot guys in kilts", "what *does* Zachary have under that kilt" bahaha!)
I think #TeamKilt won the moment Amy & Jen came up with that hash!! I am so grateful i got to be apart of #TeamKilt, i met so many awesome funny people and none of it would of been possible with out you creating the annoying-ness/cuteness (sometimes) that is Zachary Moore! He may not be my favorite, but YOU are, so i'll always support both of ya! :)
Okay i will now end this ramble! Thank you so much for everything!! You are amazing, and i love you, but you already knew that...i think!
P dot s- I am SO EXCITED FOR Team Kilt Con! I gotta go order up my shoes for it! :P
Posted by:
Brooke at 8/16/2011 3:29 PM
Posted by:
Anonymous at 8/16/2011 4:12 PM
Thanks,
Jess @ The Midnight Bookworm
@BookwormLove
Posted by:
Jessica at 8/17/2011 10:59 PM
I'm glad you got involved, if you hadn't it wouldn't have been as much fun. But, Fictitious Delicious did a lot to make it fun, too! Maybe they should be part of your publicity tour for Shine!
I had so much fun and my family didn't know what the H*** I was getting so excited about. They think I'm too crazy about books anyway, but when my husband comes home and finds shirtless men in kilts on my computer and me writing about them he wants to know if there's something he should know. "Yes, honey I love men in kilts. Now go away."
Anyway, the teasers were fun, the chat was hilarious with Logan and Zachary! And wow that band was great! I loved that song! So please enter me. (Yes, I'm finally getting to the point!)
Thanks for writing such a great series! We wouldn't have cared so much if you hadn't written such a great guy!
Heather Rosdol
hrose2931(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks!
Posted by:
BURIED IN BOOKS at 8/18/2011 1:50 AM
*grabs a tissue*
Being a part of the insanely awesome #TeamKilt has been the highlight of the summer (aside from reading Shade and Shift to start with).
What an incredible group of rabid fans! I love love love love Scots and kilts (borderline obsession, I ken) and to find hordes who share that passion was thrilling beyond compare.
I cannot wait for Shine!
<3 you, Jeri!
Cyndi
Posted by:
Unknown at 8/18/2011 1:37 PM
Posted by:
Anonymous at 8/18/2011 11:57 PM
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