Kelly Hashway's Blog, page 109

Cover Reveal: Stalked by Death

Here it is! The cover of Stalked by Death, book two in the Touch of Death trilogy!

Stalked by DeathJodi knows that any slip-ups made by the Ophi—a special group of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac—will fall on her shoulders... and that Hades is just waiting for them to screw up so he can wipe out the Ophi line.
Unfortunately, Jodi has only convinced one Ophi to join her school: A hot guy named Chase who jeopardizes her relationship with Alex. Jodi loves Alex, but Chase can enhance her powers with just a touch—making her stronger than any Ophi has ever been.

Her mixed emotions send her powers surging out of control, and the dead start rising without her conscious summoning—exactly what Hades doesn't want!  If she chooses Alex over Chase, she may lose the battle to Hades, leading the Ophi race to extinction. If she chooses Chase, she might be able to stop Hades for good… but lose everything else.

Jodi needs to figure things out fast—because death is stalking her at every turn. 


The first book of the series, Touch of Death  (http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/Touch_of_Death.html), will be released in January 2013... and the launch party will be a ZOMBIE PROM in Boston! Keep an eye out for news of the coming aPROMcalypse (you know you want to be a "prombie").
Title: Stalked by DeathSeries Touch of Death (#2)Author: Kelly HashwayPublisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com) Please feel free to use any images, text, links, etc. from our website.ISBN: 978-1-937053-56-7Release Date: July 23, 2013Formats: Paper, e-book 
If you'd like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website. ARCs will ship next spring (Touch of Death ARCs will ship in the next two weeks).
You can add Stalked by Death on Goodreads here.

So, what do you think? 

Cover Reveal: Reaper's Novice by Cecilia Robert

I'm really excited to share this cover and blurb with you today because I know Cecilia and I've had the pleasure of reading Reaper's Novice. It's a great story, and I couldn't be happier for Cecilia.


Synopsis:

17- year- old Ana Maria Tei’s life has always been perfect: loving parents,  good grades, and a future so bright it outshone the sun. But now words like “separation” and “divorce” are sending her world plummeting to hell. Determined to keep her family intact, Ana plans a family-bonding trip from Vienna to Tuscany. Except fate has other plans. Ana’s parents and siblings are killed in a car accident on their way to pick Ana up from school.
Enter Grim, aka Ernest. He promises to relinquish the four souls if Ana agrees to trade her soul for theirs and serve a lifetime as his novice. In order for Ana to graduate from her Reaper’s Novice station to a Soul Collector graduate, Grim puts her to test. To her horror, she finds out becoming a Reaper’s Novice didn’t happen by chance.  It was preordained, and she is forced to make a choice:  save her family’s souls or come to terms with who she really is and complete the task set for her. 
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy Rerelease December 5th2012Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12834722-reaper-s-noviceAuthor’s Website: http://cecereadandwrite.blogspot.comCover art design: Renu Sharma http://www.thedarkrayne.com/
What do you think of the cover and blurb?

Monday Mishmash and Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Happy Monday! Along with my mishmash of thoughts, I received the Very Inspiring Blogger Award from Medeia Sharif. Thanks, Medeia! So here's a shortened mishmash and my blog award:

Stalked by Death cover reveal  The cover of Stalked by Death will be revealed this Friday! I'm really excited because it's soooooo gorgeous. Seriously, guys, it's amazing.Kindergarten  Grrr. I'm not happy with my daughter's school at all. I have to go in tomorrow and find out why I haven't received any information (like the fact that I was supposed to send snack in everyday).Free Monthly Newsletter  It's that time again. My newsletter goes out this evening. If you aren't signed up to receive it, you can do so here.Very Inspiring Blogger Award Again, thank you, Medeia. She's an amazing writer and blogger, so if you don't already follow her, you should do that now.

I have to tell you 7 things about myself and pass this award on to some inspiring bloggers.
I have an extra rib on the left side.I've never dyed my hair... yet.I'm extremely protective of my family.I struggle with anemia.My love of writing goes so far that I'd call it an addiction.I love playing with Monster High dolls just as much as my daughter. ;)Paranormal is my favorite genre. (I kind of think you all suspected that already.)And here are the very inspiring bloggers I'm passing this award on to:Ednah WaltersCindy BrownDiane SalerniBrenda Moguez
That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Where's the Romance?

I've noticed something lately in the books I've read. I guess I was under the impression that YA books all had romance in them. I was wrong. About a week and a half ago, I was reading three books at once. Why? Well I review over at YA Bound and for those of you who follow that blog, you know we do a SWOON Thursday post every week, where we highlight swoon-worthy passages in the books we're reading. Well, I was reading a book and there was no romance in sight. So I started another. I thought why not? I've read multiple books before. Well, I read that one and the romance was only hinted at. Not a single swoon-worthy moment. So I started a third book that I thought had to have romance in it. Well, it took forever to get to it.

This got me thinking. Don't all YA books have some romance in them? Romance seems like such a huge part of the teen experience, so I naturally assumed every book would have at least a kiss or two. Not so. Now I'm wondering if this is a new trend?

Have any of you noticed a lack of swoon-worthy moments in the books you're reading? Do you expect YA books to have romance?

Save the Lemmings

Today, I'd like to share a new middle grade novel by Kai Strand. With a title like Save the Lemmings, how can I resist?


8th grade inventor, Natalie Isabelle Cailean Edwards is the N.I.C.E. girl who finishes last with the kids in school. Sappy inspirational phrases and monochromatic outfits have all but her best friends wrinkling their nose at her. When Natalie’s invention, the Texty-Talky, goes nationwide, she becomes an overnight sensation. Suddenly her days consist of photo shoots and interviews with little time left for her friends. A local reporter shatters her good-girl image by reporting a graffiti incident and the media launches into a smear campaign. It is so bad, even her friends start to believe the stories. Will Natalie be able to overcome the lies being printed about her? And will she be able to SAVE THE LEMMINGS ?
Excerpt:
Chapter 1Natalie Isabelle Cailean Edwards bounded up the steps of Carver Middle School with a spring in her step and a welcoming smile on her face. She walked down the hall greeting her fellow eighth grade students.“Good morning, Cecil. How’s your dog recovering from his surgery?” Cecil shrugged.“It’s a fine sunny morning, isn’t it Bella?” Natalie said. “Smile at the morning and the whole day smiles back. Did you ever find your sunglasses?” Bella rolled her eyes.“Yo! Bryson! Bro! Awwlrite?” That was the only greeting of hers that got a verbal response.“Don’t be talkin’ like that, girl,” Bryson warned. “It’s just wrong coming from someone like you.”“Oh, Bryson, I’m only trying to relate,” Natalie said, pointing between herself and him. Bryson wrinkled his nose at her stick straight, chin length, blond hair. He raised an eyebrow to her perfect posture and preppy coral colored outfit. He growled at the stack of textbooks balanced in her left arm while her right hand perched on her hip. Sweeping his gaze from her head to her toes, he shivered and grimaced. “Yeah, like that’s ever gonna happen.” Bryson flung his arm around his girlfriend’s neck and walked off, dragging her with him. Natalie shrugged and bounced into her classroom. First period: science. “Good morning, Mrs. Hemple.”“And cheery, now that you are here, Natalie,” Mrs. Hemple said.“I worked on my Texty-Talky last night,” Natalie said, “and I’m close to having it all put together. The mechanism works, I just need to figure out what to make the casing from. I don’t have the ability to mold plastic at home. Yet.” Natalie and Mrs. Hemple chuckled.Sandra, Natalie’s grumpy mathlete friend, rolled her eyes. “You are ten times the nerd I am.”“Awww, thanks, Sandra!” Natalie slid onto a stool at their lab table, directly in front of Mrs. Hemple’s desk. Science was the only class Natalie had with all three of her lifetime friends. Tamilla and Jayne were already perched on their lab stools. “Your Texty-Talky works?” Tamilla asked. “Yes sirree!”“You figured out how to integrate the GPS function?” Tamilla asked, gnawing on her lower lip. “Even I wasn’t able to figure it out.”“Don’t sound so surprised. It’s thanks to all the help I received from you guys!” Natalie beamed a smile around the table and then grinned at Tamilla again. “Because of your legendary computer skills, I was able to convert speech to type and type to speech. You had all the right code in there. I just kept clicking on things until it worked.”“This will take cheating to a whole new level, you know?” Jayne said.When Jayne scowled, her heavy brows reminded Natalie of a full grown caterpillar of the Mourning Cloak Butterfly; all black and fuzzy.“Text messaging has already done that! And I was careful to build in features to avoid the device being used for dark purposes such as cheating or spying.”Sandra looked suspicious. “What kind of features?”“Tones and beeps so the unit can’t be used secretly,” Natalie said. “It would break my heart if my invention was used to deceive.”Jayne sighed heavily and pushed her thick-framed glasses up her nose. “I suppose I could help you with the casing.”“Oh, Jaynie, that would mean the world to me! You’re really the only one of us who has any style.” They all nodded.“We can work on it after school,” Jayne said. “Friends are the sunshine and water to my vegetable garden!” Natalie jumped up and skipped around the table to wrap Jayne in a hug. Jayne pushed Natalie away and scratched her armpit.Sandra smacked Jayne’s arm. “You’re not supposed to scratch.”“I know,” Jayne sat on her hands. “But this new medication doesn’t work at all.”“Settle down, everyone. Natalie dear, take your seat, please,” Mrs. Hemple said, flashing a grandmotherly smile at Natalie.“Right away, Mrs. Hemple.” Natalie skipped back to her stool.****Order your copy of SAVE THE LEMMINGS from Featherweight or from Amazon. About the Author: Kai Strand writes fiction for middle grade and young adult readers. Her debut novel, The Weaver, was a finalist in the 2012 EPIC eBook Awards. The Wishing Well: Another Weaver Tale is set in the same storytelling village as The Weaver. She is a (very lucky) wife and the mother of four amazing kids. The most common sound in her household is laughter. The second most common is, "Do your dishes!" She and her family hike, geocache, and canoe in beautiful Central Oregon, where they call home.
To find out more about Kai’s books, download companion documents, find links to her published short stories and discover all the places to find Kai both virtually and in person, visit her website: www.kaistrand.com. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to send her an email or visit her facebook page, Kai Strand, Author. 

What do you think of the cover, the blurb, and/or the excerpt?

Monday Mishmash 8/27/12

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

First day of kindergarten  The dreaded day has arrived. My daughter starts kindergarten today. I need a lot of tissues.Touch of Death in print  Last Friday, I got a huge surprise in the mail. My bound proof of Touch of Death! I held my book for the first time. There were tears. Lots of tears, and I have video evidence.First round edits for Stalked by Death  Also arriving on Friday, were my editorial letter and first round edits for the sequel to Touch of Death. I'm diving into Stalked by Death as we speak.New writing schedule  With my daughter in school for 6 hours a day, I have 6 hours to write and/or edit.WIP on hold  I was planning to write two more books this year, and I still hope to, but I have to put my new WIP on hold to work on edits for contracted books.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Favorite Books of the Summer

I've read some really awesome books this summer, but there are 3 that really top the list, so I thought I'd share them with you today. In no particular order, they are:

Lil isn't just an average teenager. She's one of the Nephilim--the descendants of humans and angels--which gives her some serious psi skills and a mission for redemption. Just when Lil thinks she's found a balance between her normal life with human friends and her training to become a Guardian, she's warned that someone close to her will betray her. When the boy she loves starts acting strangely and one of her human friends acquires a supernatural ability, Lil begins to realize that someone is manipulating the people she loves... and won't stop until she's been lured to the dark side.


I couldn't put Betrayed down. I went back and reread sections because I loved them so much. It's full of action and emotion. Such a great read!


When your average, 16-year old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he's not so average after all. He's a 'Shifter'. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he's ever made. At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world starts to unravel around him he realises that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands.


This book has such great action scenes. It's a fast read, and the male POV is so refreshing. I loved it.


Life was different in the Before: before the Ticks began devouring humans in a deadly swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined “for their own protection.” These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.

Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help…

Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race...

I love the multiple POV in this story. Lily is a great character to follow, and Carter has so many secrets up his sleeves. The book has action, adventure, and mystery with some creepy things thrown in. So good!

What are some of your favorite reads this summer?

Announcement!!

I wasn't planning to post today since I did a special Tuesday post as part of Rachel Harris's blog tour, but I have news!

Look what was in Publisher's Marketplace yesterday:
From Publisher's Marketplace: Kelly Hashway's THE MONSTER WITHIN, in which a teenage girl is magically brought back to life by the boy who loves her, but she comes back "wrong" and has to face the evil now growing within her, to Trisha Wooldridge at Spencer Hill Press, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in April 2014, by Lauren Hammond at ADA Management Group (World English).

I think you all know how much I love being with Spencer Hill Press, so I'm so happy this book (and its sequel) will be published with them. I have to tell you that this deal went to auction and I would've been happy either way it went. And I was seriously flattered that it went to auction. It was crazy to think more than one publisher wanted my books. 

So I'm with Spencer Hill Press and my amazing editor Trisha Wooldridge for another two books! Yay! More news on The Monster Within and The Darkness Within soon! 

If you want to add it on Goodreads, you can here. The release date is set for April 2014.[image error]

Meet Rachel Harris

I'm so excited to have Rachel Harris here with me today. Rachel is my agency sister, YA Bound sister, and a great friend. Right now she's doing a blog tour for her upcoming release, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, and I'm lucky enough to be part of it. So without further ado, let's get to know her and MSSSC a little better.


What made you decide to set the story in Italy?It started with me choosing the era—I wanted to write a time travel historical, but wanted to challenge myself to write about a period other than Regency since I’m obsessed with reading those books. I kinda love research (I’m an odd chick) so I wanted a time that I could just lose myself in learning about. So I thought about all the different periods in history and immediately settled on the Renaissance. It was an obsession of mine in high school and I’ve always romanticized the whole era, yet never really dug in and learned all the fun cultural details, you know? Well, once I had the era—Renaissance—the setting was a no brainer. Italy, and Florence in particular, was the birthplace of the Renaissance. And the fact that I absolutely love Italy—so much so that I happen to tease my husband that I married him just so I can be Italian by marriage—may have had a small part to play, too (*grin*)At least I can look like a Kardashian while hyperventilating all over the dance floor.Can you give a one-sentence log line for the book? Sure! First, I have the one I usually go with:  Distraught over a planned Sweet 16 she doesn’t want, a teen walks into a Gypsy’s tent on a family trip to Italy, and steps out into Renaissance Florence.  But I also have a killer one-sentence logline that unfortunately gives away a huge spoiler (grr!), but as a fun tease, I’ll share that one and just cut it off with a dot dot dot:  When a teen walks into a gypsy’s tent and steps out into Renaissance Italy, she learns the only thing worse than an unwanted Sweet Sixteen is...  

Just for fun: (Yay!! Love these kinds of questions!)
Past, present, or future?After debating for several minutes (and talking to myself aloud LOL), I think I’ll go with Present. The past is amazing, rich with history and spectacular people….but I’m also kind of addicted to some of our current advancements lol. And the future definitely seems cool with the great unknown….but it’s that unknown that has me thinking I’m more built to lose myself in a book about it then dive into experiencing it =)Jeans or dresses?Jeans! I love dressing up like the next girl, but I’m a homeschool mama of two little girls and I like to chill. When I put on a dress, it doesn’t feel complete without the full on hair and makeup and all that….and that just doesn’t lead to that chillin’ feel. Actually, if I could, I’d stay in PJ’s all day!Birthday cake or cupcakes?Oh good one! Cupcakes for sure. We love watching Cupcake Wars and Unique Sweets and coming up with unique flavors and ideas. Who doesn’t love a cupcake??
Thanks, Rach! Check out My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century on Amazon or add it on Goodreads.
As a teen, Rachel Harris threw raging parties that shook her parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels.As an adult, she reads and writes obsessively, rehashes said embarrassing fodder, and dreams up characters who become her own grown up version of imaginary friends.When she's not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find her homeschooling her two beautiful princesses, hanging out with her amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate.http://www.rachelharriswrites.com| @RachelHarrisYA | facebook.com/RachelHarrisYA
And Rachel has a giveaway opportunity for you. Enter below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway[image error]

Monday Mishmash 8/20/12

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:
Temporary blog schedule switch  Tomorrow, I'm participating in Rachel Harris's blog tour for My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, so I'll be blogging Monday, Tuesday, Friday this week.Kindergarten orientation  My daughter did really well at orientation. I couldn't be more proud, but a week from today is the big dreaded first day of kindergarten. I get teary just thinking about it.Editing  I'm editing for clients again this week. I love that I get to read and write books for a living. :)Stalked By Death  I should be getting my first round edits for Stalked by Death, the second book in the Touch of Death trilogy, later this week. Eek!Announcement coming!  I will have an announcement coming soon. Stay tuned!That's it for me. What's on your mind today?