Christmas Scavenger Hunt 2021 Roundup
Check out our favorite quotes from the hunt for Christmas-themed snippets from SF/F

We hosted this holiday game on Twitter using #PeriapsisChristmas as a fun opportunity to promote indie authors in the speculative fiction genres from Dec. 6 through Christmas. You can check out our original announcement here.
Read on to discover popular, festive, and intriguing quotes found by our participants!

Festive!
I enjoyed this quote from L. Jagi Lamplighter, which I think captures well the magic of the season with its reference to both a star (the word of the day) and wishes.
If she were patient, however, sooner or later, she would catch the first star of evening which, in her opinion, led to the very best kind of wishes.#PeriapsisChristmas
— L. Jagi Lamplighter (@lampwright4) December 7, 2021
(Is this what you guys mean, @RedHedgedragon
?)https://t.co/srwUwggiG1
I like this quote from Arthur Machen, too! Has a very Christmas-morning vibe.
#PeriapsisChristmas
— Fredösphere (@Fredosphere) December 14, 2021
SINGING
"And it seemed that many people in the town had been roused, they knew not how, from sleep; waking up, as one of them said, as if bells were ringing and the organ playing, and a choir of sweet voices singing[....]"
The Great Return
Arthur Machen
Most Popular
This quote from Tim Power's Declare was the most liked tweet of the game.
"The vortices deepened into holes like clarinet bells, and as steam puffed out of he deep chambers, a dozen deep voices in unison said, 'My name is Legion. Worship us.'"
— Fredösphere (@Fredosphere) December 8, 2021
-Declare, by Tim Powers#PeriapsisChristmas: BELLS
Intriguing Quotes
A number of great snippets that leave us wanting more! I had some trouble narrowing it down; there were so many good ones!
“This place has its beauties, Garrett. You know, sometimes I think the sunsets, with the strange stars in the sky and the planet’s rings glowing like giant neon lights, are almost as pretty as the ones on Earth. Almost.”https://t.co/dyIpYLxsST https://t.co/ps0GfWhn6B
— Alexander Hellene ☦️🇬🇷 (@AHelleneAuthor) December 6, 2021
'A Greater Duty' by @YakovMerkin https://t.co/3kVPC4hGc5 pic.twitter.com/nW2VQRAj2t
— Joseph Dooley Fiction (@DooleyFiction) December 6, 2021
"Is this the end? If so, please let my soul longer in the stars. [...] Nobody thinks they'll die on a foreign planet in a body that isn't their own."
— J Trevor Robinson (@JTrevorRobinson) December 6, 2021
Snippet from BECOMING HUMAN by @AmyMCarpenter https://t.co/22LuyR06vS#PeriapsisChristmas https://t.co/R6iDmUJdu3
Aha! I have found the Periapsis Press Christmas Scavenger Hunt word of the day in my novel!https://t.co/xxcBdcx30T#PeriapsisChristmas #star #scifi #superhero pic.twitter.com/Qsv4dwBZE5
— The Perpetually Distracted Paula Richey (@richey_paula) December 7, 2021
"Take us into that crevasse. It should lead all the way through the ice."
— J Trevor Robinson (@JTrevorRobinson) December 7, 2021
"And if it doesn't?" the steersman sent back.
"Either way, our troubles are over."
Snippet from Nethereal by @BrianNiemeier https://t.co/YULO6Sl5S0#PeriapsisChristmas https://t.co/Y3aXVyYRJs
His whole body writhed in pain. The battlemage’s boot dug into his chest and held him firmly to the ground. This was it. Had God planned it all along? Would he be favored in Heaven as one of the martyrs and saints?
— J Trevor Robinson (@JTrevorRobinson) December 9, 2021
- from JUSTIFIED #PeriapsisChristmas https://t.co/VRTYKJHPdM https://t.co/G8uoHyy2ug
As soon as Villefort opened the secret compartment by the fireplace, nauseous green light spilled out into the room.
— J Trevor Robinson (@JTrevorRobinson) December 10, 2021
Snippet from THE MUMMY OF MONTE CRISTOhttps://t.co/G9bTwUhUlU#PeriapsisChristmas
(now with swag as well! https://t.co/5vM8Da2OcP) https://t.co/GhkfrQhM5x
#PeriapsisChristmas
— Fredösphere (@Fredosphere) December 11, 2021
Red AND green
"[D]on't press the red button. That's the big one that you'll see first. You've got to avoid the red. Press the green button, the one under the safety cap. You want green, not red."
-Ronald Reagan's Brilliant Bullet
by Frederick Gero Heimbach
#PeriapsisChristmas
— TJ Marquis - Hero's Metal 2 coming soon! (@HabitualLevity) December 17, 2021
Life City
Pa crosses the room to us with a tray of clay cups, steaming with fresh tea. Smells like mint. There’s one for each of us.
I take mine, thank him, and inhale. The scent calms my nerves. Then I realize Pa had known to make enough tea for five. https://t.co/BEsXH5mRLX
#PeriapsisChristmas
— Fredösphere (@Fredosphere) December 17, 2021
ANY HOT DRINK
"Blind Bob opened his mouth and out spilled a voice that was one part chicory, two parts hickory, three parts whiskey, four parts tobacco, and seven parts unctuous bear grease:
'Sataaaaaaaaan!'"
The Devil's Dictum
by Frederick Gero Heimbach
#PeriapsisChristmas
— Declan Finn, author of badass action novels (@DeclanFinnBooks) December 23, 2021
Getting put down by simply the smell of evil wasn’t going to be a good start. If I were close enough to God for him to grant me these gifts, then I had to stand up and roll with it.https://t.co/dpU8JBT3lB
Hope you enjoyed playing our Christmas scavenger hunt with us!
Take a look at what some of our favorite authors have planned in 2022: