Kelly Hashway's Blog, page 104

Goals for 2013

I don't make resolutions because I find them easy to break. So here are the goals I'm going to hold myself accountable for in 2013:
Market the 5 books I have releasing in 2013 to the best of my ability.Write at least 3 new books.Read more new releases.Work more downtime into my schedule to better take care of my health.Attend BEA for the first time.I'm keeping it short this year because I have no idea how busy I'm going to be with my books releasing and I don't like to set goals I can't meet.
How about you? What are your goals for 2013?

2012 Recap

Before I think about my goals for 2013, I want to take a minute to recap the positive things about 2012. (No need to relive the negative, right?) First, let me say that at the end of 2011, I didn't think 2012 would ever top it. 2011 was the year I found my agent, my first picture book came out, and I got my first book deal with Spencer Hill Press. I thought 2012 would never compare. Boy was I wrong. So here I go!

I signed another two-book deal with Spencer Hill Press for The Monster Within and The Darkness Within (releasing in 2014).I signed a four-book deal with Month9Books for my debut middle grade series, Curse of the Granville Fortune (releasing in 2016).I signed a three-book deal with Month9Books for my Birth of the Phoenix Series. (The first book, Into the Fire, releases spring 2014.)I sold my three-book novella series Game. Set. Match. Heartbreak. to Swoon Romance. (The first book Love All releases 1/8/13.)I held Touch of Death in my hands and cried. Here's video evidence.Touch of Death released on ebook on December 23.I signed on many new editing clients.I started editing for another book publisher.I got a new puppy.I survived my daughter starting all-day kindergarten. (This might have been the toughest goal I achieved.)I had my one-year blogiversary and met some amazing online friends.I started reviewing over on YA Bound.Wow! 2012 was a great year.
Now it's your turn. What's your good news from 2012?

Monday Mishmash 12/24/12

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:
Happy Holidays!  I hope you all (and your families) have a very happy holiday! Touch of Death ebook  The Touch of Death ebook released December 23rd! Yesterday! Just in time for Christmas. Yay! I'm so excited Spencer Hill Press decided to release the ebook early. You can find it here.Editing  I've gotten a lot of new editing clients this year, and they are all keeping me well entertained with amazing manuscripts. Giveaway  There are still a few days left to enter to win a signed ARC of Touch of Death and some awesome SWAG. Enter here!SWAG  I got awesome drawstring bags for my Game. Set. Match. Heartbreak novella series. The first book, Love All, releases January 8th. My MC is a tennis player, so the bag is fitting and totally practical. (Yes, those are my Love All coins in the picture, too.) Giveaway coming next month!
That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Seasons in Publishing?

Have you ever heard that there are seasons in publishing? This time of year, most publishers are winding down and closing up for a while. It's very much like how many publishers slow down in the summer months. 

But somehow this year seems different. I'm getting edits and proofs for my own books and tons of edits for my clients. I kind of expected things to get quiet for the holidays and pick back up in January. Not so. I feel busier than ever. It has me wondering if there aren't off seasons after all.

Anyone else noticing this? 


*On a side note, I've been so busy I forgot my own blogiversary! But I am currently running a giveaway for an ARC of Touch of Death and SWAG for Touch of Death and Love All, so make sure you enter here.

Time to Breathe

So I woke up this morning and panicked because I realized I never wrote today's blog post. I always write them ahead of time because I'm kind of crazy and like to have everything scheduled. Well, I learned something. The world didn't end because I forgot to post. 

I'm actually glad this happened. I think we can get so caught up in what he have to do that we forget to allow ourselves time to breathe. I have a lot going on right now. The Touch of Death blog tour is going on, the ebook releases on December 23rd, my official release date is January 15, and my launch party is  January 20th. I also have Love All releasing January 8th. That doesn't even mention all the edits I'm doing for my books and my clients. And then there's Christmas, which I host. See how I forgot about my blog? Oh, and my grinder pump stopped working, so yesterday was dedicated to getting it fixed.

But now I know that I have to plan time to relax too because I'm not superhuman. Even though I'd love to be!

How about you? Do get so caught up in what you have to do that you forget to allow yourself down time?

Monday Mishmash 12/17/12 and Two Cover Reveals

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash with two cover reveals:

1. Touch of Death ARC Giveaway #3  The third and final ARC giveaway is going on now. Enter here.

2. Holiday Show  My daughter's kindergarten class is putting on their holiday show on Tuesday. I'm so excited to see it.

3. Camp Boyfriend  J.K.Rock's Camp Boyfriend, which releases July 2, 2013 through Spencer Hill Press has a shiny cover now! Check it out, along with the blurb.


CAMP BOYFRIENDThe summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.
They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.
But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

4. The Devil's Triangle  Check out the cover and blurb for The Devil's Triangle by Toni De Palma


When 17 year old Cooper dies in an attempt to burn down his school, he finds himself in the afterlife. Lucy, the Devil's sister who has crossed party lines, decides to give Cooper another shot at heaven. The deal? Cooper returns to Earth and has to find a girl named Grace. The rest is up to him.While Cooper figures out his mission, he's thrown into the life he's always wanted. Great parents, a spot on the Varsity football team and a real future are all within reach. But what he really wants is Grace, a feisty girl with an abusive boyfriend that can pound Cooper into pulp if he doesn't watch out.While Lucy plays demonic-puppeteer, clues to an unknown past between Cooper and Grace start to unravel. Cooper discovers that what's keeping he and Grace apart is far more sinister than anything this bad boy could have ever imagined.
That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Touch of Death Giveaway #3

Tomorrow is exactly 1 month until the release of the paperback edition of Touch of Death! 1 month! That's so crazy! As promised, here is the third and final ARC giveaway. Just like the previous ones, it's open internationally.

In addition to winning an ARC and SWAG for Touch of Death, I'm throwing in SWAG for my young adult contemporary romance novella, Love All (book 1 in the Game. Set. Match. Heartbreak series) releasing through Swoon Romance in January 2013.



These are the Ash or Noah coins from Love All. Warning, they are very addictive. 
The giveaway will run until 12:01am on December 31. You know the drill. Fill out the rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next Big Thing

Okay, so I was tagged again in The Next Big Thing. I know, I know, I've done this twice already. I promise this is the last one. You see, I was tagged by Keren Spencer, who happens to be one of the biggest Touch of Death supporters and an all-around amazing person. I couldn't say no to her, and since Love All is about to release, I thought it made sense to do this again. So Keren, this is for you. (I was also just tagged by June OHara, Emilyann Girdner, and Cindy Brown. Thanks, June and Cindy.)


What is the working title of your next book?Love All
Where did the idea come from for the book?I hate to admit to having been in a few love triangles in high school and college, but I was. This book came about because I really do think it's possible to care about more than one person at a time.
What genre does your book fall under?YA contemporary romance
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?Annasophia Robb for Meg


Steven R McQueen for Ash (Yes, that's Jeremy from The Vampire Diaries) And Freddie Stroma for Noah

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Sometimes the best cure for a heartbreak is to love again, but what happens when that love falls on two different guys?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?I'm represented by Lauren Hammond of ADA Management and Love All is being published by Swoon Romance.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?About two and a half weeks
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?I hate comparing my work to other people, so I'll just say it's YA comtemporary romance and leave it at that.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?The book is about how amazing first love is, so I think first loves in general were a huge inspiration.
What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?The MC is a tennis player, so tennis fans will enjoy Meg's matches as well as her romances.
I'm supposed to tag 5 others, but I like to break rules. So... if you haven't been tagged yet and you'd like to join in, then tag! For the rest of you, what's your current WIP about?

Monday Mishmash 12/10/12

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:
Editing  I've been editing a lot lately. It's a great way to wrap up 2012.Holidays  I need to get caught up again with the holidays. I have more wrapping to do and some stocking stuffers to buy.Touch of Death ARC Giveaway #3  The final ARC giveaway will begin on Friday. Don't forget to stop back for your chance to win.Mailing gifts  I'll be mailing out the last of the holiday gifts this week. I always feel better once that's done.Reading  For some reason, I like to read more during the holidays. Even though I'm reading a ton of client edits, I'm making time for other books, too.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Painted Blind by Michelle Hansen

Summary:
Seventeen years old and agoraphobic, Psyche Middleton vows her dad will never see the risque photos she took during a summer modeling stint abroad, but one of them ends up on a billboard in her Montana hometown. Suddenly, she is a hometown celebrity.

At a street carnival she is rescued from a mob by a guy who has the ability to make himself invisible. He takes her to a palace in an idyllic kingdom, and she is swept into the beauty and culture of his world, but his affection has one condition: she may not see him.

Psyche must decide if she is brave enough to love him blindly, and if she's not, will she lose him forever?

My thoughts:
First, I love the Cupid and Psyche myth. I've read other retellings of it, and I have to say this one is different in such a great way. I really identified with Psyche. Hansen shows Psyche come into her fame, which is totally unwanted. It really made me cheer Psyche on as she became the center of attention and struggled to have a normal life. 

When Eros rescues her from the crowd and brings her to his world, she's rightfully uncertain. But he wins her over, and Psyche loves being with him. The dynamic between the two is really well done. I also loved the world Hansen created. I could see the gorgeous gowns and the palace. I almost felt like I was flying on Pixis, Eros' winged horse.

And for those of you familiar with this myth, the trials Psyche has to endure to be with Eros were extremely well done. Hansen made them her own.

If you like mythology, Painted Blind is well worth your time.

Just for fun: Could you love someone if you could never see their face?