Kelly Hashway's Blog, page 54

Writer Wednesday: Revamping Your Newsletter

I was all set to answer a reader question, but there's something else that I want to share with you all today. It's about newsletters. Last week I mentioned that mine was changing and in a big way for my subscribers. Well, I didn't realize that those changes would also be big for me. Here's how.
First, I changed the subject line of my newsletters. I used to boringly title them with the month and the year. *Yawn* Seriously, what was I thinking? The newsletter I sent out a few days ago was titled "Just For You: A Sneak Peek, A Giveaway, and a FREE Story!" Surprise, surprise, I had my highest open rate ever! I mean, come on. This is way more exciting than the month and year. I promised you free stuff, the potential to win something, and a sneak peek. That's much more interesting and gives you a reason to click on it and see what's inside.
Now let's take a closer look at what I did there. I made my newsletter all about my readers. I rewarded them three times in one newsletter! Subscribers got to see the cover of Out of the Ashes before everyone else. They got an exclusive giveaway no one else can enter. AND they got a FREE story that's not available to anyone else.
I'm planning to keep this format for my newsletter because it's great for everyone. A higher open rate is what I want. Goodies are what my subscribers want. Everyone wins!
If you want to get in on all these goodies I'm giving my newsletter subscribers, click here.


If you have a question you'd like me to answer from the other side of the editor's desk, feel free to leave it in the comments and I'll schedule it for a future post.

Monday Mishmash 2/29/16

Happy Monday! Monday Mishmash is a weekly meme dedicated to sharing what's on your mind. Feel free to grab the button and post your own Mishmash.
Here's what's on my mind today:Out of the Ashes Cover Reveal!  I seriously can't decide which cover in the Into the Fire Trilogy I love the most. This one is just as gorgeous as the first. Check it out. Add the book on GoodreadsLeap Into Cash Giveaway  I'm a Reader Not a Writer is giving away $250 and I'm one of the authors contributing to that prize money. Be sure to enter here: a Rafflecopter giveawayEditing  I have two client edits on my plate this week, which is pretty typical. ;)Writing Adult  Lately, I'm getting all these ideas for adult series. One is a romantic suspense, which will be written as Ashelyn Drake, and the other is a paranormal series that I'm really excited about. Am I finally growing up? Nah. Let's not get crazy. ;)Giveaway Winner!  Over the weekend, I had rafflecopter select winners for my Diary of a Wimpy Kid giveaway and my Dork Diaries giveaway, and rafflecopter decided Beth Ellyn Summer should get both! Huge congrats to Beth!That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Friday Feature: Piper Morgan To the Rescue

I'm really excited to share the cover of Stephanie Faris's newest book, Piper Morgan to the Rescue. It's adorable! Piper Morgan To the Rescue By Stephanie Faris


Piper helps some four-legged friends find the perfect home in the third book of the brand-new Piper Morgan series.


Piper is super excited to help out at Bark Street, a local animal shelter in town. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by adorable puppies and dogs all day? And when Piper sees Taffy, the cutest dog she has ever seen, Piper is determined to find a way to bring Taffy home. But it won’t be easy—especially when she finds out someone else wants to make Taffy a part of their family, too!





Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.
Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, as well as the upcoming Piper Morgan series. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive. 

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Don't you just love it? And Stephanie has a giveaway for you all too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want your YA, NA, or MG book featured on my blog? Contact me here and we'll set it up.

Writer Wednesday: Big Changes to My Newsletter & A Dear Teen Me Letter

Today, you're getting two posts for the price of one! Okay, they're both free. ;)
First, I've decided to make some big changes in my newsletter, and they will mean great things for my subscribers. You see, I've been sending out my newsletter's on the first of each month. Here's the problem with that. 
I miss out on giving newsletter subscribers sneak peeks at my covers, trailers, sales, etc. Shouldn't loyal subscribers get perks? Of course they should! And not just sneak peeks. I'm going to offer you MORE!
Here are some of the things you can expect from my newsletter:Exclusive Monthly Giveaways  I always give my newsletter subscribers more entries in the giveaways I run on my blog, but from now on I will also do monthly giveaways just for my newsletter subscribers. You'll be the only ones allowed to enter! I'll be giving away a variety of items, such as ebooks, signed paperbacks, ARCs, gift cards, SWAG, and any other cool items I come across that I think you'd enjoy.Sneak Peeks  Newsletter subscribers will now get to see my covers, trailers, etc., BEFORE they are revealed to the public.Bonus/Deleted Scenes  I've decided to give my newsletter subscribers access to bonus and deleted scenes from my books. Some of these will later end up either on Wattpad or compiled for sale, but newsletter subscribers will get them for FREE and before anyone else!Sale Notifications  If I'm running a sale on one of my books (which I do pretty often), my newsletter subscribers will get notified so they can get the discounted price.Book Recommendations  If I read a great book that I think everyone else should check out, I'll tell you about it and most likely giveaway a copy.
So no more newsletters on the first of the month. You'll hear from me when I have something great to share with you. That might be once a month, twice a month, or three times depending on how many freebies I feel like showering you with that month. ;) Sound good?
If you aren't signed up for my newsletters already, sign up NOW here, because my first giveaway is fast approaching.

Second, the Into the Fire street team is posting Dear Teen Me letters this week, so of course I had to write one. Let me just start by saying these letters are tough to write!


Dear Teen Me,
As you get older, you're going to realize that you don't need to be the center of attention. It's great that you're friends with all types of people, but what's really important is forming close bonds with the people who really care about you. You can't please everyone, and life is a lot easier when you stop trying to. Just be you. Some people will like who you are and some won't, and that's okay. So what if someone sees you in your glasses instead of your contacts? I promise the world won't end and neither will your relationship with that person. And embrace your accident-prone tendencies. They aren't going to go away, so being embarrassed by them is silly. They are part of who you are. Stop being afraid of how others will see you and learn to laugh at yourself. My motto now is "If you aren't weird, you're boring" because everyone has quirks and they are nothing to be ashamed of.
You're good at accepting others for who they are, so start doing the same thing for yourself.
Love,Kelly
As another incentive to sign up for my newsletter, I'm including a letter from Jeremy from Into the Fire, where he writes to his former self after going through his rebirth. Sign up here, to get access to his letter, which I'll be sending on the 28th along with a sneak peek at book two's cover.
*If you have a question you'd like me to answer from the other side of the editor's desk, feel free to leave it in the comments and I'll schedule it for a future post.

Monday Mishmash 2/22/16

Happy Monday! Monday Mishmash is a weekly meme dedicated to sharing what's on your mind. Feel free to grab the button and post your own Mishmash.
Here's what's on my mind today:Into the Fire Paperbacks!  OMG!!! I'm still freaking out (in a good way) over how gorgeous the Into the Fire Paperbacks are. They arrived on Friday. Here are some pictures of my pretty books! 
Big Changes to My Newsletter  I'm going to post about this on Wednesday, but BIG things are in store for my newsletter. Big for my subscribers that is. If you aren't subscribed, you're going to want to do that here. And check back on Wednesday to see exactly what I have in store for my loyal newsletter subscribers. Hint: You're going to like it. :)Mystery of Majestic Cave Cover  The second book in the Curse of the Granville Fortune series has a gorgeous cover. I'm not sharing it yet, but I just approved it at the end of last week. Stay tuned for the big unveiling. :) Oh, and book two is coming your way in early June.What Is Up With Outlook's New Look?  MSN decided to update my email. AGAIN. *Sigh* I'm not liking the new changes. The system is very wonky because I think they tried to make it do too much. Now it glitches all the time. I hope they work the kinks out soon.Big Changes All Around  My newsletter isn't the only thing that's going to change. I'm putting my foot down and getting really stern…with myself. You see over the past year, I somehow became an editor who also writes, and while I love editing, I'm not okay with this. I'm a writer. I WILL write first and edit second. No more of this, "My editing schedule is booked for the next five months so I won't be able to write until then." I'm writing EVERY day. My pace with edits will slow down, but I'm okay with that.My Daughter's Birthday  My daughter turns nine on Friday. I can't believe that. My little girl is getting so big!That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Friday Feature: Frog Hollow

I'm really happy to feature my fellow Limitless author, Savannah Blevins. First, look how gorgeous the cover of Frog Hollow is!

It's a sign. No one is safe.
At just twenty-two years old, Wilhelmina Daniels inherits a house, a family of eclectic witches, and a death sentence on the same day. As revealed by Reid Thomas, her shy but smoldering neighbor, Wilhelmina is a descendent of the Innocent--a line of gifted women who are to be admired, feared, and above all else, protected. 
Death, mayhem, and The Haunted...
The murder of Wilhelmina's mother--the family matriarch--sends the small town's rumor-mill into a frenzy. Suspicions fall on The Haunted, a rival force with dual personalities, one of them being Julien Cote.It's difficult to believe the charming boy has a sexual deviant with a hankering for violence lurking inside.Rumor has it Julien can seduce an angel out of her wings. Wilhelmina doesn't have wings, but if he calls her cheri d'amour one more time, she's liable to lose something of equal importance--her heart. But with Reid hailing from her clan, will she stay close to her own, or venture into the unknown?Even a powerful spell can't seal Julien's fate…
Julien knows an incantation that just might help Wilhelmina to solve her mother's death, but when an unidentified stalker is spotted spying in her house, her family is certain it's Julien's dangerous alter ego come out to play.Wilhelmina must decide--is risking her life worth the possible heartbreak of discovering the truth about Julien's fate and her mother's death? Or will she cast aside her desire for Julien and vow her love to Reid. 
Leaving her past forever buried in the murky depth of...Frog Hollow
And doesn't the book sound amazing? I need to read this one. Oh, and if you have Kindle Unlimited, you can grab this book for FREE! Grab your copy here.

Savannah was born in Hyden, Kentucky. She received her M.S in Speech Language Pathology from The University of Mississippi in 2009. She's been writing since the early age of nine when she begged her parents for a type writer for Christmas.

She now lives in Corbin, Ky with her husband of eight years, John, and their two wonderful daughters, Delilah and Gracie.

When she isn't working, or running after her kids, she spends her free time traveling the country with her husband. There is nothing better than a day of football in the grove, a late night of basketball at Rupp Arena or slapping the glass to celebrate another Washington Capitals goal.

She is a strong believer that with enough hard work and determination you can accomplish anything.
*Want your YA, NA, or MG book featured on my blog? Contact me here and we'll set it up.

Into the Fire Release Day!

It's release day!
My paranormal romance Into the Fire is here!

In one month’s time, seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman will die and be reborn from her own ashes…


Her life of secrecy has never been easy. She’s watched her younger brother, Jeremy, burn and rise again in a coming-of-age process called rebirth. And just like her brother, when her time comes, she won’t remember anything from her first life other than she’s a Phoenix—a member of a small group of people descended from the mythical Phoenix bird.


The last thing she needs to worry about is falling for the new guy in town—Logan Schmidt.


Cara is drawn to Logan in a way she can’t explain, but she’s not exactly complaining. Every-thing is perfect…except it’s not. Once she’s reborn, she’ll forget Logan. And to make things worse, a Phoenix Hunter is on the loose, and Cara’s involvement with Logan is bringing out her Phoenix qualities—the very qualities that will draw the Hunter right to her.


Desperate times call for desperate measures…


Afraid of hurting Logan, Cara breaks it off for good. But her attraction to him runs deeper than a typical high school crush. She wants him—needs him. And if he proves willing to stay by her side, their love might destroy them both.


Can Cara hide from the Phoenix Hunters long enough to survive her rebirth? And if so, will it mean a new beginning with Logan—or the beginning of the end?

Need some teasers? Of course you do!





Grab your copy here now!
I want to thank everyone who participated in the cover reveal earlier this month, who is helping with the social media blitz this week, and who is participating in the blog tour next week. This book is very special to me and so is everyone who is spreading the word about it. 
Also, I want to thank my amazing Into the Fire Street Team for being so supportive. Thank you to:Stephanie FarisBeth ConsugarBooknut 101Stephanie BeldenMichelle WillmsDenise CayetanoG. Donald CribbsKristen ChandlerJen Bibi HelmsBrie WoodKat RomeoKeren HughesJessica PorterFSMeurinneAshley KempMaghon ThomasVeray CarterRachel GunterDoctors NotesRachel AndrewsElizabeth Thiele
Thanks to these amazing readers, there are already a bunch of reviews up on Amazon, so be sure to check those out.

*Writer Wednesday will resume next week.

Monday Mishmash 2/15/16

Happy Monday! Monday Mishmash is a weekly meme dedicated to sharing what's on your mind. Feel free to grab the button and post your own Mishmash.
Here's what's on my mind today:Into the Fire releases tomorrow!  I can't believe release day is almost here already! Tomorrow is the big day. Grab your copy of Into the Fire here.  Giveaway for Diary of a Wimpy Kid 10 and Dork Diaries 10  To celebrate the rerelease and revamping of Curse of the Granville Fortune, I'm giving away the newest books in the Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Enter here.

Drafting  Last week I started drafting a new book. It's another adult romantic suspense! I was surprised too. ;)Editing  I'm booked with client edits again this week. Last week I sent another Leap book off for formatting and got a cover just about finalized. It's so much fun being on the other side of publishing.Presidents Day & Valentine's Day  My daughter and husband are home today for Presidents Day, so we'll be spending the day together. I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day and are enjoying Presidents Day.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Friday Feature: Curse of the Granville Fortune and Two Giveaways!

I've been very quiet about my relaunch of Curse of the Granville Fortune. I wanted to get the book edited, have a new cover designed, and get it back out into the hands of readers. That didn't allow me to promote it the way I usually would. So now that the book is back out in the world in both ebook and paperback formats, I've decided to host a giveaway, TWO actually. But first, check out the new and improved Curse of the Granville Fortune.
Twelve-year-old J.B.’s visions leave him sweaty, lightheaded, and certain he’s turning into a freak—or worse, going insane. 
The visions stem from a family curse. An ancestor stole the Granville fortune, and now J.B.’s entire family will suffer. To break the curse, J.B. must find and return the Granville’s stolen property. 
But he’s not the only one searching for the treasure. His journey leads to a dark forest where he’ll battle his worst fears. And when he meets two others who share the missing pieces of his visions and suffer from the same curse, the three soon realize they need to work together to break the curse before it's too late.
Buy the book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
And now for the giveaways. I have brand new copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School and Dork Diaries Tales From a Not-So-Perfect Pet Sitter for you. I'm keeping them as separate giveaways and separate rafflecopters so there will be a different winner for each. Good luck!
***Giveaways are only open to US residents.***
If you'd like to enter to win Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School, enter on the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you'd like to enter to win Dork Diaries Tales From a Not-So-Perfect Pet Sitter, enter on the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want your YA, NA, or MG book featured on my blog? Contact me here and we'll set it up.

Writer Wednesday: Making the Most of Your Book Launch

Today's topic comes courtesy of Rick Starkey, who happens to have a middle grade book coming out next month, so his question is quite timely. Rick wants to know what mistakes a debut author should avoid and what are some tips for success.
Let's start with the mistakes because those are easier to identify. Don't claim your book is better than *Insert Best-Selling Title Here.*  Nothing makes a reader or buyer cringe more than someone who thinks they are better than everyone else and, therefore, wrote the best book ever. Don't talk about nothing but your book.  Spamming people is guaranteed to make people tune you out, unfriend you on FB, unfollow you on other sites, and not buy your book.Don't badmouth other authors.  Again, this goes with the first tip. Putting other people down does NOT build you up. It brings your own reputation down. Don't do it.Don't sit there doing nothing and expect readers to magically come to you.  Marketing is tough, but we have to do it or readers will never find our work.Okay, let's move on to things you should do, and notice I didn't say things that will ensure your book's success. The reason for that is because really nothing will ensure the book's success. What works well for one author may not work at all for another author, so there is no real answer to what will make your book sell. What you need to do is make sure you are putting yourself and your book before readers in the best possible light. After that, you're kind of hoping for the best. So how do you do that?Let readers know you have a book out.  Readers can't buy what they don't know exists. On release day, tell the world your story is now an actual book.Post genuine content and make an effort to connect with readers.  Again, it can't all be about your book. Talk about other things too. Let people see you're a real person.Offer bonus incentives for people who review your book.  Everyone loves free stuff. So offering bonus scenes, deleted scenes, signed copies, SWAG, etc. for people who review the book is great. Now, you may have to hold an exclusive giveaway if the items you're offering cost money because you don't want to spend your lifesavings. ;)Support other authors.  In the midst of sharing the news about your book, promote the works of others. Writers need to stick together.Utilize Joint Promo.  This is similar to the last one, but a little different. Banding together with a bunch of other authors means you can offer big rewards to readers and also drastically increase your online reach. Think of this. If you get together with 9 other authors and all pitch in $10, you have a $100 prize to giveaway. That will attract a lot more people than doing a $10 giveaway on your own. Also, you now have the audiences of 10 authors seeing your book. That's great exposure.Let readers try before they buy.  One of my favorite features on Amazon is the Look Inside feature, because I want to read page one to see if I like the author's voice before I buy. So jump on Wattpad (and your website) and post a few pages of your book to let people test it out. Then create some teaser images to post all over social media. Why go through the effort to do this if Amazon let's readers Look Inside? Simple. If readers don't see your book on Amazon, they'll never use that feature to try out your writing. But posting a teaser on your social media accounts might just draw them in and get them to read more.Okay, I could keep going but this post would get really long. I think that's a good start. If you have any tips you'd like to share, please leave them in the comments so we can all learn from each other.

*If you have a question you'd like me to answer from the other side of the editor's desk, feel free to leave it in the comments and I'll schedule it for a future post.