Jeri Smith-Ready

Second, consider pledging a donation to the Tartan Army Childrens Charity. We raised over $1200 in the previous two rounds, so let's keep helping out the weans!

Third, beginning at 9am eastern, VOTE VOTE VOTE! Spread the word, to friends, family, enemies, bosses, underlings, and random strangers in the street. (One vote per browser per device. Probably.)

I've given you four SHINE teasers, including the now-infamous shower scene, plus 20 SHINE snippets. I'll continue to tweet/Facebook snippets through the final round's voting, but I've run out of non-spoilery scenes to share.

So here's what I'll do:
Logan fans have been incredibly generous with their time and passion on behalf of Zachary, which means so much to me, considering many of them probably wish Zachary would become a ghost himself (I'm looking at you, Brooke!).

So for them, something I've been asked for many times but was too chicken to try....

1. If Zachary gets 5,000 votes, I will write lyrics to "Forever," the song Logan sings to Aura in her sleep the night before his testimony near the end of Shade. The scene that makes everyone, including me, bawl their eyes out. I've never written a song before, except the chorus of the song in Requiem for the Devil that I probably can't name without getting this blog post blocked by obscenity screens (my friend Greg wrote the verses). So it might take more than a few days. But I'll have it done in time for the release of Logan's story "Bridge" in the Enthralled anthology that comes out September.

2. If Zachary gets 10,000 votes, I will list every Team Kilt member's name in the acknowledgments of SHINE. That's right--not just a short story like in the last round, but a print book released by a major publisher. Your name could be in it, but 10,000 votes is a very high goal--the last two rounds had 10,000 votes combined between the characters.

In the event he reaches 10,000 votes and you'd like to have your name in the acknowledgments, let me know you voted for him by sending an email to jeri AT jerismithready DOT com and using the subject line "TeamKilt." This'll be on the honor system, so BE HONORABLE.

Um...this one requires some explanation...

A couple weeks ago, during Round 3, several people asked Zachary on Twitter if he would reveal "what's under the kilt" if he won. He cheekily (and foolishly) said that would be the prize for winning Round 5, the final round.

Boys. *sighs* Whaddya gonna do?

Obviously, he didn't think he'd even reach Round 4, much less Round 5, much less have a chance to win. He underestimated the power of Team Kilt.

So...*drags feet*

3. If Zachary wins, you will all get to see what's under the kilt.

WHEN. HE. IS. EIGHTEEN.

Technically, the age of majority in Scotland is sixteen, which he is even in the beginning of SHADE. But I'm going by American standards here. In SHIFT and most of SHINE, he's still seventeen.

But during SHINE, he and Aura turn eighteen...at Ballyrock Castle. I've written a scene that will most likely be left out or trimmed due to excessive hotness, but either way, I promise you'll get to read it, either in the book or as a deleted scene, once SHINE is released.

And ye shall know what's under the kilt...

...WHEN. ZACH. IS. EIGHTEEN.

Happy? Good.


I've grown to know and love the members of Team Kilt over the last month. New people have joined at every round and kept me laughing through each nail-biting contest. When Fictitious Delicious said they were having a Team Kilt Slumber party for the final round, I thought, "Aww, I wish I could come. It would be great to meet everyone."

O.O

Hmm...

4. If Zachary wins, I will fly to Minneapolis for a booksigning and get-together with Amy, Jen, and any Team Kilt member who can join us. We can call it TeamKiltCon and get the convention rate at a hotel or something. Details will be worked out later, but I will absolutely buy every member of Team Kilt the drink of their choice. Yes, even single-malt Scotch, if you're old enough.

So there you have it. These things I offer, not because I have to, but because they're fun and I love you.

But to get them you have to go vote at 9am eastern! Vote like the wind! (No, not like the wind, because the wind doesn't vote. Vote like a person who really wants to vote!)

And if you're on Twitter, stay tuned to #TeamKilt for shenanigans and #SHINEline for snippets.