Kelly Hashway's Blog, page 114

What Color Are His Eyes?

I'm working on a sequel right now, and of course, I've written other manuscripts between the first book and this sequel. That means I'm doing a lot of going back and looking things up. Yes, it's a time suck. 


So, I decided I was going to keep track of each character and what they look like. Each class period and time of day it occurs. And any other detail that I might need to know later. I'm making a list of these things at the top of my planning document, and I have it open next to my actual manuscript. Aside from the time it took to create this cheat sheet, it's really saving me a lot of trouble. And I've learned a valuable lesson: create a cheat sheet when I start a new manuscript, even if I don't plan to write a sequel (which was the case with this story). 


How do you keep track of all the info from one manuscript to the next or even within the same manuscript? Do you have a cheat sheet?

Monday Mishmash 5/14/12

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

Mother's Day  I hope all you moms had a great Mother's Day. Cape May  I'll be escaping to Cape May for a long weekend, so if I disappear Friday, you know where I'll be. :)Writing zone  I have been in the zone with my WIP. In the first week I wrote just shy of 40K. I'm hoping this moment keeps up.Knee Deep  I'm reading the contemporary romance KNEE DEEP by Jolene Perry, and it's amazing. Such a powerful message that all teen girls can benefit from.Homework  To prepare for kindergarten, my daughter's pre-k class gets homework every night. My daughter loves it. Wonder how long that will last. LOLThat's it for me. What's on your mind today?

The Right Agent for You

When I think about what I've accomplished in the past year, I know it stems back to something that happened on Valentine's Day 2011. I accepted my agent's offer for representation. Since then, Lauren has inspired me to do things I never thought I could do. It used to take me about six months to draft a novel. Now, I can draft a book in as little as 12 days. What's the difference? Lauren believes in me and cheers me on. She pushes me to be a better writer.


When I was querying agents, I heard people say that finding an agent was like searching for a spouse. Well, it's a little different. ;) But I have to say the relationship does require trust, support, encouragement, and so many other things that you would look for in someone you're going to commit to. And that's why I can't stress enough how important it is to find the right agent.


Not all agents are right for all writers. You have to have personalities and work styles that mesh. The first time I talked to Lauren, I knew she was right for me. And while I waited to hear back from the other agents who had fulls, all I thought about and talked about was Lauren and how much we'd clicked. My husband said to me, "You sound like you've already made up your mind." And I had. I just knew--call it the Irish intuition in me.


So my advice to anyone querying agents is to be patient and find the right agent. I know what it's like to just want an agent, any agent. But you owe it to yourself to find the person who will guide your career and make you a better writer. I want you to find what I've found in Lauren.


What's the best agent advice you've heard or can give?

Insanity by Lauren Hammond

Synopsis:
Adelaide Carmichael and Damien Allen couldn't have been more opposite.

Adelaide's mother abandoned her when she was ten years old, leaving her to be raised by her abusive and alcoholic father.

Damien on the other hand came from a wealthy family, was a local celebrity, and seemed to have a bright future ahead of him.

Despite their differences, Adelaide and Damien were young, wild, and fiercely in love. And they had a plan. They were going to run away together. To live and love each other freely without restraints. And their plan was set in motion, until tragedy struck and for some reason, Adelaide wound up in The Oakhill Institution for the insane.

Adelaide has no idea what she did to wind up at Oakhill, but she knows one thing for sure... She wants out. And after Damien follows her there to aid her in escaping, Adelaide slowly begins putting together the pieces of her missing memory.

And it doesn't take Adelaide long to figure out that sometimes...That one true love never dies.

My thoughts:
I'll be doing a full review on this next Tuesday over at YA Bound, but let me say this was crazy good! It's New Adult because Addy is in her early twenties when she's in the mental institution, but there are just as many scenes from when she was seventeen, so the book really appeals to both adults and teens.
The romance is amazing, and the narration is told in such a great format that helps the reader piece together Addy's memories. It switches back and forth between before the mental institution and during the mental institution. And seriously, it's done so well. I couldn't put it down.


Just for fun:
What would you do if you found yourself in a mental institution with very few memories of your past and no understanding of why you're in the asylum?


(Add Insanity on Goodreads or check it out on Amazon.)

Monday Mishmash 5/7/12

Happy Monday! Here's what's on my mind today:
Thank you!  A huge thank you to everyone who commented on my post about my 4-book deal with Month9Books. You guys are all so supportive and I love you for it. <3Free monthly newsletter  My newsletter will go out later today. If you aren't signed up and would like to receive it, click here.New WIP  I can't even begin to tell you how good it feels to be drafting again. I'm writing a sequel to one of my YA novels. I'm beyond happy.MacBook Pro  I treated myself to a new laptop, and I LOVE it!Playlist  I'm creating a playlist for Touch of Death and my other books in the works. So much fun!That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

4-Book Deal!!!!

I'm beyond excited to share my big news! My middle grade series, CURSE OF THE GRANVILLE FORTUNE, sold in a 4-book deal to Month9Books! 


YAY!!!!


Here's the Publisher's Marketplace announcement:
Author of TOUCH OF DEATH, Kelly Hashway's first title in her debut chapter book series, CURSE OF THE GRANVILLE FORTUNE, in which a nine-year-old and friends must face their greatest fears, a dark forest, and terrifying creatures in order to find clues to the missing Granville Fortune, which he has been accused of stealing, to Georgia McBride at Month9Books, in a nice deal, in a four-book deal, for publication in January 2014, by Lauren Hammond of ADA Management Group (World).


I love this story so much because it's the series that landed me my amazing agent, Lauren Hammond. And the fact that it's going to be published by Month9Books, an incredible house founded by Georgia McBride, just makes it that much more exciting.


The books are set to release January 2014, June 2014, January 2015, and June 2015. Yes, it's far away, but with TOUCH OF DEATH and STALKED BY DEATH coming out in January and July of 2013, this schedule is perfect!


Thanks for letting me share my news with you!

Timing is Everything

Some of you might have noticed me talking about a new idea I'm planning. Some might even wonder why it's taking me so long to plan the idea. I know I am. ;) Well, actually, I'm not wondering anymore. I figured out what the problem was. It's not the right time for that manuscript. 


How do I know? The other day, I had an idea slam into me like a truck speeding down the highway. It knocked me over while I was playing Hello Kitty Bingo with my daughter. So, while she went to get another game for us to play, I jumped on my computer and wrote a blurb, just like you would in a query. It flowed out of me. My brain was working so quickly, my fingers could barely keep up. And when I pitched the idea to my agent, she loved it. Well, that just motivated me more. That night I sat down and wrote the full synopsis. From start to finish, the novel just came to me. And I'm so excited to write it.


That's how it should be. It shouldn't be pulling teeth to get your characters to tell you your story. Or at least it should continue to be a struggle after two weeks of begging my MC to talk to me. This new idea came and I knew that the old idea just isn't what I'm supposed to be working on right now. I fully intend to get to it... when the time is right.


How about you? Do you ever struggle with a manuscript only to realize it's not what you're supposed to be working on right now? Or have you ever had an idea that just hit you so hard, you knew it was what you had to jump right into?

Monday Mishmash 4/30/12

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

I'm allergic to bunnies  Who knew? But when I went on my daughter's field trip to a farm and they brought out the bunny, my eyes teared so bad it looked like I was crying.Editing  Last week was the week of edits and critiques. I had virtually no time for my own writing. This week, I'm making time for my new WIP. No. Matter. What.Review  My picture book, MAY THE BEST DOG WIN, was reviewed over on Fairday Morrow's blog last Friday. You can find it here.Blogger's working again!  Yay! The issues with the new Blogger dashboard seem to be fixed. I'm so happy about that.Secret formula  Laurie Halse Anderson gave out a secret at the Pocono Retreat two weeks ago. She said for every 10 hours of writing, you should have 5 hours of reading and 1 hour of on-line time. Do you fit that formula?That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Cover Reveal: BREAKING BLASS by Lisa Amowitz

I have a great Spencer Hill Press cover reveal for you today. Check out Breaking Glass by Lisa Amowitz:




Breaking Glass by Lisa Amowitz

On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he's not sure whether they're real or if he's losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.
Title: Breaking GlassAuthor: Lisa AmowitzPublisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.SpencerHillPress.com)ISBN: 978-1-937053-38-3Release Date: July 9, 2013
Formats: Paper, e-bookGenre: Young Adult paranormal mystery
And this book has a trailer already too! You can find it here.
So, what do you think?

Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis:
In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.
Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die…or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.



My thoughts:
When I started reading this, it reminded me of the world Lauren Oliver created in Delirium mixed with the world Lauren Hammond created in Famished. So I liked it right off the bat. This is a society where humans are basically enslaved by vampires. But the ones who refuse to give in, like Allison, are starving and fighting to survive. Between the vampires and the rabids, death is all around Allison and her gang. And when Allison is almost killed by rabids, a vampire by the name of Kanin gives her the choice to become immortal. Kanin teaches Allison about being a vampire, but she's separated from Kanin when other vampires attack them. Allison finds a group of humans searching for Eden, a rumored place where rabids and vampires don't exist. But Allison has to keep her true identity a secret from them. After all, she's the bad guy as far as they're concerned.
I won't spoil the story and tell you what happens. Instead, I'll say Allison is very likable. Her struggle to keep some of her humanity makes her endearing. I really enjoyed this book, though the one downside for me was a lot of description. I know it's part of world-building, but I prefer to leave some things to the reader's imagination. That's just my personal preference though. And I heard this is being made into a movie. I'll be interested to see it.


Just for fun:
Allison is given the choice to die or become a vampire, the very thing she hates most. What would you do given that choice?