Kelly Hashway's Blog, page 106

Touch of Death ARC Giveaway #2

Thursday is exactly 2 months until the release of the paperback edition of Touch of Death, so as promised, here is the second ARC giveaway. Just like last time, it's open internationally.

And this time, 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 on the same day as Touch of Death.






Check out these Ash or Noah coins. Warning, they are very addictive. I can't stop flipping them.

The giveaway will run until 12:01am on November 30. You know the drill. Fill out the rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writing Space

I don't have an office in my house, though one day I hope to change that. For now, I write in one of two locations. The first is on my couch, which is terrible for my back. So, recently, I've been writing from my dining room table. I sit on a wooden chair, which is much better for my back and not as uncomfortable as it sounds. I wrap a blanket around me to cushion certain areas that may lack padding. (I have no butt. Yes, I just went there.)

Here it is:


Nothing glamorous, I know. I dream of one of those oversized chairs and a gorgeous desk, but for now, this will do. And in case anyone is trying to read what it says on that flower pot of flash drives, it says, "Toe of Frog." My sister painted it for me, and since I kill every flower I go near, I used it for my flash drives, because I have a lot of them. :) 

I know dining room tables are for eating, but in my house, they are for writing. How about you? Where do you write? Do you have an office?

Yes, I Write YA Contemporary Romance

A little while back, I posted about branding. I mentioned I wrote a YA contemporary romance but that I worried it wouldn't get picked up because I've been branded as a paranormal writer. I was a little crushed because the romance held a special place in my heart. I relived emotions I haven't felt in a long time, and the story I created (while fictional) spoke to the sixteen-year-old inside me.

Well, my agent and I decided to put the project on the back burner and focus on my paranormal and fantasy novels. I said I was okay with it. I wasn't. I was crushed. But... my agent, being the awesome woman she is, discovered a new imprint called Swoon Romance. Right now, Swoon is only publishing novellas, so my agent called me and said, "What if you turn your romance into two novellas?" I may have jumped for joy. ;)

She sold my novellas to Swoon Romance, and I started transforming one novel into two separate novellas. Only, I couldn't do it without losing the story. So... my two novellas became three, which worked so well. I jumped for joy again. And now Love All, the first book in the Game. Set. Match. Heartbreak series is releasing January 15, 2013. Serving Up Heartbreak (book 2) releases March 12, 2013, and Perfect Match (book 3) releases May 14, 2013. I'm officially a paranormal and contemporary romance author.

What's the moral of the story? My agent is awesome. Oh, and you never know what will happen. So write the stories you have to tell.

Have you ever strayed from writing the genre you've come to be known for?

Monday Mishmash 11/5/12

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:
Hurricane Sandy  It's official. I hate Hurricane Sandy. The destruction to NJ was incredible. Here in PA, it wasn't as bad, but my family is mostly in NJ and my husband (who works in NJ) is still off from work.Halloween  Thankfully, trick or treating was moved to Sunday so my daughter didn't miss out.Free Monthly Newsletter  My newsletter goes out at 5pm EST today. If you aren't already signed up and would like to receive it, you can sign up here.Normal week  My daughter and husband were both off all last week because of the hurricane. This week, I'm back to writing and editing like usual.LOVE ALL SWAG Giveaway  Very soon, I'll be hosting a giveaway for SWAG for my upcoming YA contemporary romance novella, LOVE ALL, releasing January 15, 2013 through Swoon Romance. Here's a picture of the coins I made so you can help Meg choose between Ash and Noah.

That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Cover Reveal: Extracted by Sherry Ficklin and Tyler Jolley

I have another great cover reveal for you today! Check out Extracted by Sherry Ficklin and Tyler Jolley:


Extracted: The Lost Imperials (Book One)
Welcome to the war.The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it.The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens--their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream.Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war.When Lex’s girlfriend dies during a mission, the only way he can save her is to retrieve the Dox, a piece of tech which allows Rifters to re-enter their own timeline without collapsing the time stream. But the Dox is hidden deep within the Telsa Institute, which means Lex must go into the enemy camp. It’s there he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them both comes flooding back.Now armed with the truth of who they are, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them both…again.
Title: Extracted: The Lost Imperials (Book One)Authors: Sherry D. Ficklin & Tyler H. JolleyPublisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com) Please feel free to use any images, text, links, etc. from our website.ISBN: 978-1-937053-68-0Release Date: 11/12/13 (cool date for a time-travel book, eh?)Formats: Paper, e-book
What do you think?

And congratulations to Doris Gray for winning my first Touch of Death ARC giveaway!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Today I'm participating in WinterHaven's Author Fright Festival.
Here are some of the authors participating in this event:
Marianne de Pierres, April Henry, Kate Avery Ellison, Kelly Hashway, Rachel Harris, Jamie Manning, Lea Nolan, Chloe Jacobs,  Victoria Scott, Angela Scott, Paula Weston, Anne Greenwood Brown, and Jennifer Shaw Wolf!

Be sure to visit WinterHaven for this Spooktacular event.

And in honor of this scary holiday, I thought we could all suggest books that creeped us out in some way or another. Here are some books that scared me:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
A Whisper to a Scream by Lauren Hammond
Fractured by Majanka Verstraete

And I have a cover reveal for you, too! Here's To Love or Die in a Steamy Reamy World by Emily White:



10 Tales of Steampunk Silliness and Spookery.
In the cozy seaside village of Steamville, New Hampshire, an unfaithful zombie, out of control werebots, succubi in corsets, and more wreak havoc in this short story collection. 
Pub Date:December 22, 2012 on all major online retailers ($.99 for ebook/$2.99 for print)

Add it on Goodreads.



What was the last book that scared you?

Monday Mishmash 10/29/12

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:
Geek Chick Radio Halloween Talk  I'll be on Geek Chick Radio today at 1pm EST talking about all things Halloween. Come join us by calling and/or listening in here.Hurricane Sandy  We're expected to lose power, possibly for 7-10 days, so if I go MIA, you know that's what happened. Stay safe everyone who is in the storm's path.Edits  I'm swamped with client edits as well as my own. Good thing I love to edit.Halloween I'm worried Halloween will be a wash out thanks to Hurricane Sandy. :(Touch of Death blog tour  I've been having a blast doing interviews and guest posts for my blog tour. It starts very soon, too, so stay tuned.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Cover Reveal: Blood Bound by Keshia Swaim

I have a fun cover reveal for you today because it's a vote! That's right. Keshia and Spencer Hill Press want your help deciding her cover.

 

   Starting college a year early is hard. Starting fae college and learning to protect the world from the Unseelie is harder.
   Brielle Reed has always been an over-achiever, but this time she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Between her crash course in fae politics, struggles to control her new mind-reading ability, training sessions with the demanding Dr. Schwartz, and discoveries about the father who is still a mystery to her, Brielle finds herself longing for a chance at a normal life.
   But she may not get that chance. Or chance at a life at all, for that matter.
Title: Blood BoundAuthor: Keshia SwaimPublisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com) Please feel free to use any images, text, links, etc. from our website.
ISBN: 978-1-937053-45-1Release Date: September 10, 2013Formats: Paper, e-book
Cast your vote below:

Which design do you prefer, the one with the hand or the one with the girl on the cover?

Hand Girl

Freeblogpolls

More polls: [image error]Memira

And because I'm curious, please tell me which one you like best in the comments.

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris (Review)

Synopsis:
On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly soon-to-be stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family's trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

My thoughts:
Cat's tried to avoid the spotlight all her life, which isn't easy to do with a mother who's constantly gracing the covers of the tabloids with yet another love interest and a father who's successful in the film industry. And with Cat's sixteenth birthday coming up and her future mother-in-law wanting to throw a huge party with MTV and cameras everywhere, Cat just wants to run and hide. Except she doesn't expect to hide in the 16th century.

But thanks to a gypsy, that's exactly where she ends up. Even though she struggles a bit to fit in, she learns a lot about family, friends, and falling in love.

I loved this book. Cat is a character that you can't get enough of. And Lorenzo is the guy every girl wants to date. Between the Italian landscape, Cat's blooming romance, and the great cast of characters that become Cat's new family, this is one journey into the past that I'll take again and again. I can't wait to read the sequel.

Just for fun: If you could go back to any time period in history, which would it be?

Monday Mishmash 10/22/12

Happy Monday! Here's my short mishmash of thoughts with an announcement:

1. 3 novellas with Swoon Romance  If you missed the announcement on Facebook on Friday, I've signed on with Swoon Romance to write three novellas. The first book in the GAME. SET. MATCH. HEARTBREAK series is titled LOVE ALL and it will be releasing in January 2013. Add it on Goodreads. Here's the blurb and cover:



Seventeen-year-old Meg Flannigan wasn’t very lucky at love. In sophomore year, her idiotic boyfriend dumped her by making out with another girl in front of her locker. Ouch! Now a senior, and with a little more self-confidence, Meg catches the eye of not one, but two guys at school. Lucky! Both attend her tennis matches, vie for her attention, and are each gorgeous in their own way. So what’s the problem? Meg has already chosen one of them, and the one waiting in the sidelines will do anything to change her mind. She’s enjoys the attention right up until it’s her heart that’s caught in the middle, and she risks losing both. Can Meg Love All, or will choosing be her undoing? LOVE ALL is a debut contemporary Romance novella from Kelly Hashway.

2. Edits  I'm deep in edits for Stalked by Death, book two in the Touch of Death series. I'm also editing for clients. My eyes are killing me.

3. Touch of Death ARC giveaway  Don't forget to enter to win an ARC of Touch of Death. Open internationally. Enter here.

4. Goodreads giveaway  Spencer Hill Press is giving away an ARC of Touch of Death on Goodreads, too! So if you want another chance to win, enter here.

That's it for me. What's on your mind today?