Kelly Hashway's Blog, page 93
September 8, 2013
Monday Mishmash 9/9/13
Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:
Back to my usual schedule My daughter and husband are back in school, which means I'm writing and editing for five and a half hours a day. While I miss my family, I'm enjoying how much I can get done each day.Critique Service In addition to my editorial services, I've decided to open up to paid critiques. These will focus more on content and story development and will be less expensive than a full edit. If you're interested, check out my pricing here.Free monthly newsletter With the September is for Sequels Giveaway Hop last Monday, I had to push back my monthly newsletter. It will go out at 5pm EST today. If you aren't signed up but would like to receive on, click here.Kindle Fire Case Winner Congrats to Adrianne Russell for winning the Snugg Kindle Fire Case!Rushing Into Love by Ashelyn Drake The third book in the Campus Crush series releases tomorrow. (These are all companion books, so you can read them out of order.) Add it on Goodreads.
As a college junior, Mindy Stanton has no interest in dating a freshman.
That is until Ben Whitmore shows up and serenades his way into her heart at the dorm social she’s running. And after hearing him sing, even Mindy can’t deny that he has a deep, sexy voice that makes her melt.
Even though Mindy makes it clear that she doesn’t date younger guys, Ben pursues her anyway. After all, he doesn’t seem like the typical college freshman, who is only interested in hooking up, partying until he can’t remember his name, or joining a frat. He’s a gentleman, a romantic, and definitely knows all the right things to say to sweep a girl off her feet.
So Mindy drops her guard. She allows herself to fall for him. Before she knows it, Ben is all she can think about. To her, he’s perfect.
But it doesn’t take Mindy long to discover that even the most perfect guys…
Have secrets.
That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
Back to my usual schedule My daughter and husband are back in school, which means I'm writing and editing for five and a half hours a day. While I miss my family, I'm enjoying how much I can get done each day.Critique Service In addition to my editorial services, I've decided to open up to paid critiques. These will focus more on content and story development and will be less expensive than a full edit. If you're interested, check out my pricing here.Free monthly newsletter With the September is for Sequels Giveaway Hop last Monday, I had to push back my monthly newsletter. It will go out at 5pm EST today. If you aren't signed up but would like to receive on, click here.Kindle Fire Case Winner Congrats to Adrianne Russell for winning the Snugg Kindle Fire Case!Rushing Into Love by Ashelyn Drake The third book in the Campus Crush series releases tomorrow. (These are all companion books, so you can read them out of order.) Add it on Goodreads.
As a college junior, Mindy Stanton has no interest in dating a freshman.That is until Ben Whitmore shows up and serenades his way into her heart at the dorm social she’s running. And after hearing him sing, even Mindy can’t deny that he has a deep, sexy voice that makes her melt.
Even though Mindy makes it clear that she doesn’t date younger guys, Ben pursues her anyway. After all, he doesn’t seem like the typical college freshman, who is only interested in hooking up, partying until he can’t remember his name, or joining a frat. He’s a gentleman, a romantic, and definitely knows all the right things to say to sweep a girl off her feet.
So Mindy drops her guard. She allows herself to fall for him. Before she knows it, Ben is all she can think about. To her, he’s perfect.
But it doesn’t take Mindy long to discover that even the most perfect guys…
Have secrets.
That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
September 5, 2013
Friday Feature: Triangles by Kimberly Ann Miller (Review)
Summary:
A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?
In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.
Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.
She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?
My thoughts:
Right away I sympathized with Autumn. Her father was killed in a car accident she blames herself for, and her mother is in a coma from a different accident that Autumn also feels responsible for. Basically, Autumn hates her life and the guilt consuming her. All she wants to do is get out of New Jersey and go somewhere where no one knows her. But what's worse is that she's afraid to get close to people because everyone she loves winds up dead or in the hospital. So while she puts up a wall and pushes people away, she believes she's doing it to protect them.
She has mixed feelings about this cruise to Bermuda she's taking with her sister, Jessica, because her mom planned the trip before she fell into a coma. But Autumn also wants to get away and forget her problems. Only her problems follow her. Joey, the guy who is so in love with her that he follows her everywhere, manages to get on the cruise as well. Autumn thinks the cruise will be just as bad as her life back home, but she's wrong. It's worse.
As they enter the Bermuda Triangle, Autumn wakes up in a different reality each day. And each one is worse than the last. More accidents, more death, and more heartache. And she has to learn from it all or risk becoming a permanent victim of the Triangle.
I won't spoil the book for anyone. I'll just say that it's packed with emotion. Autumn is put through so much, and I couldn't help rooting for her.
Just for fun: Do you believe in the mysterious powers of the Bermuda Triangle?
September 3, 2013
Writer Wednesday: Do You Write in Books?
When I was in college getting my teaching degree in English, one of my favorite professors said a true reader can't read without a pen. I love books, and for a while I thought writing in them was somehow taking away from their value. I was wrong. Writing in books and flagging pages isn't being disrespectful. It's the complete opposite. You're showing your love for the story.
Getting permission to write in the margins of the books I read was like heaven to me. I started underlining, dog-earing, and even writing comments in the margins. Even when I read on my Kindle, I use the notes and highlights features while I read. It lets me find favorite passages and record my thoughts.
Now to be completely honest, for my favorite books, I have more than one copy. One to write in and mark up and the other to display on my shelf. In fact, sometimes I've been known to buy three copies so I have the book in every format.
How do you show your love of books? Do you write in them, make notes on Kindle, buy more than one copy, etc?
Getting permission to write in the margins of the books I read was like heaven to me. I started underlining, dog-earing, and even writing comments in the margins. Even when I read on my Kindle, I use the notes and highlights features while I read. It lets me find favorite passages and record my thoughts.
Now to be completely honest, for my favorite books, I have more than one copy. One to write in and mark up and the other to display on my shelf. In fact, sometimes I've been known to buy three copies so I have the book in every format.
How do you show your love of books? Do you write in them, make notes on Kindle, buy more than one copy, etc?
September 1, 2013
September is For Sequels Giveaway Hop
I'm participating in the September is For Sequels Giveaway Hop hosted by Lisa at Lisa Loves Literature.
I couldn't pass this giveaway up since Stalked by Death the sequel to Touch of Death just released less than a month ago. So guess what I'm giving away. Yup, a copy of Stalked by Death. The giveaway is open internationally. If the winner is in the US, he/she will receive a paperback copy of Stalked by Death. If the winner is international, he/she will be gifted an ebook copy of Stalked by Death.
Jodi 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.
Just enter the Rafflecopter form. Good luck to all!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
August 29, 2013
Snugg Kindle Fire Case Review and Giveaway
Okay, so this is a little different for me. I was asked to review a Kindle case, and since I own a Kindle and my blog followers are mostly avid readers and writers, I said yes. I'm always happy to pass along a great product.
So, here's the Snugg Kindle Fire cover, which you can find on their website as well as at online retailers.
First, the case is attractive and has a nice feel to it. It securely holds your Kindle, which is also a big plus. It also offers three ways to hold your Kindle while you read. One perk I noticed right away is that it opens like a book. My Kindle cover actually opens the opposite way (to the right) and it's a bit annoying, but The Snugg case opens to the left like a book. As you can see from the picture above, there are two different positions if you prefer to read or use your Kindle in a horizontal position. One is more upright and the other is slated for better lap viewing.
The back of the case has holes for the audio, which is a nice feature since many cases don't allow for that. So the sound quality is not affected by the case. The case is also leather and very lightweight so it's ideal for travel.
Overall, it's a great case and you can't beat the price.
I've decided to give the cover away to one lucky winner. This will be for US residents only. Just leave a comment below to enter and I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner. The winner will be announced next Friday. Good luck!
*Be sure to leave an email, FB, or Twitter so I can contact you if you win.*
So, here's the Snugg Kindle Fire cover, which you can find on their website as well as at online retailers.
First, the case is attractive and has a nice feel to it. It securely holds your Kindle, which is also a big plus. It also offers three ways to hold your Kindle while you read. One perk I noticed right away is that it opens like a book. My Kindle cover actually opens the opposite way (to the right) and it's a bit annoying, but The Snugg case opens to the left like a book. As you can see from the picture above, there are two different positions if you prefer to read or use your Kindle in a horizontal position. One is more upright and the other is slated for better lap viewing.
The back of the case has holes for the audio, which is a nice feature since many cases don't allow for that. So the sound quality is not affected by the case. The case is also leather and very lightweight so it's ideal for travel.
Overall, it's a great case and you can't beat the price.
I've decided to give the cover away to one lucky winner. This will be for US residents only. Just leave a comment below to enter and I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner. The winner will be announced next Friday. Good luck!
*Be sure to leave an email, FB, or Twitter so I can contact you if you win.*
August 27, 2013
What Happens When You Hate One of Your Own Characters
With the release of Stalked by Death this month, I feel like I need to talk about hating characters. When I read books, I love to hate characters because any emotion—good or bad—is good. It makes you connect to the characters and the story. But when I wrote Stalked by Death, I hated one of my characters in a way I've never hated a character before. It was odd for me because...well, I created him.
I'm talking about Chase. Why am I dropping this bomb here when some of you haven't read the book yet and might want to? Simple. People read my blurb and assume there's a love triangle. In my mind, it's not a love triangle at all. Why? I HATE Chase. He's everything I despise in a human being. If you read the book, you'll see what I mean. I don't want to be too spoilery here.
So why did I create a character I absolutely can't stand? Mostly because people like Chase exist in the world. He's real. His motives are real. And the emotions he evokes are real too. I've had a few reviewers say they felt so many emotions while reading this book, and that's a huge compliment in my mind. I cried and got so creeped out while writing this story, and most of that was because of Chase. He made me tap into emotions I never wanted to visit again. And while I will continue to hate him, I'm thankful that I wrote him.
Have you ever hated a character you created? What made you write them that way?
I'm talking about Chase. Why am I dropping this bomb here when some of you haven't read the book yet and might want to? Simple. People read my blurb and assume there's a love triangle. In my mind, it's not a love triangle at all. Why? I HATE Chase. He's everything I despise in a human being. If you read the book, you'll see what I mean. I don't want to be too spoilery here.
So why did I create a character I absolutely can't stand? Mostly because people like Chase exist in the world. He's real. His motives are real. And the emotions he evokes are real too. I've had a few reviewers say they felt so many emotions while reading this book, and that's a huge compliment in my mind. I cried and got so creeped out while writing this story, and most of that was because of Chase. He made me tap into emotions I never wanted to visit again. And while I will continue to hate him, I'm thankful that I wrote him.
Have you ever hated a character you created? What made you write them that way?
August 25, 2013
Monday Mishmash 8/26/13
Happy Monday! Here's my Mishmash of thoughts:
Happy birthday to my mom! Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She's the most amazing mother and friend. She reads all my work in its raw form and never hesitates to push me to be better. She's supportive, encouraging, and loving.Teacher assignments My daughter's kindergarten teacher moved up to first grade and my daughter is in her class again. She couldn't be happier, which of course makes me happy. Reading My reading took a huge hit this summer. I've never been this busy, and my reading is suffering. I'm still reading two books at once, but it's taking forever to get through them because I have so little time. :(Edits I feel like every time I finish an edit, I get another to replace it. Wouldn't be a problem if I wasn't doing multiple edits to begin with. Seriously, if I didn't love editing so much, I would've ripped my hair out by now.Touch of Death series Big things are in the works for the Touch of Death series. I can't tell you more yet, but I'm really excited about it. :) I'll share more as soon as I can.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
Happy birthday to my mom! Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She's the most amazing mother and friend. She reads all my work in its raw form and never hesitates to push me to be better. She's supportive, encouraging, and loving.Teacher assignments My daughter's kindergarten teacher moved up to first grade and my daughter is in her class again. She couldn't be happier, which of course makes me happy. Reading My reading took a huge hit this summer. I've never been this busy, and my reading is suffering. I'm still reading two books at once, but it's taking forever to get through them because I have so little time. :(Edits I feel like every time I finish an edit, I get another to replace it. Wouldn't be a problem if I wasn't doing multiple edits to begin with. Seriously, if I didn't love editing so much, I would've ripped my hair out by now.Touch of Death series Big things are in the works for the Touch of Death series. I can't tell you more yet, but I'm really excited about it. :) I'll share more as soon as I can.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
August 22, 2013
A Missing Peace by Beth Fred (Review)
Summary:
A turbulent, emotionally charged YA novel that breaks down barriers and challenges the status quo...Angry, seventeen-year-old Iraqi war refugee Mirriam Yohanna hates her new life in Killeen, Texas, where the main attraction is a military base, populated with spoiled army brats like Caleb Miller.Caleb has much to be angry about too, including Mirriam who turns him down flat in front of everyone. Eager for retribution, Caleb agrees to a dare that will see him take Mirriam to the prom and regain his pride. But their relationship soon moves beyond high school antics. Mirriam and Caleb are bound together by more than location, and as they are forced to work closely together on a school assignment, they start to uncover an explosive story that has the potential to ruin lives — and both of their futures. One single truth changes everything and strengthens their bond.When Mirriam's family discovers their relationship, they decide it's time to arrange her marriage to a proper Iraqi man. Caleb must convince Mirriam that he is in it for forever — or risk losing her for good.
My thoughts:
Mirriam and Caleb are characters that I really enjoyed right from the start. First Caleb is obviously attracted to Mirriam but she shoots him down, embarrassing him in front of their classmates. Then Caleb gets caught up in a dare that involves him taking Mirriam to the prom. I loved this because the more time these two spend together, the more the chemistry between them developes. Yet they have so much working against them. The contrast and the conflict work really well in the story and heighten the bond that develops between Caleb and Mirriam.
I've had relatives and friends in the military, and I thought the military part of the storyline was done really well. I loved how that plotline was woven into the relationship between Caleb and Mirriam. It added a lot of conflict, intrigue, and really kept you guessing. This is definitely a book that held my attention from start to finish.
Just for fun: The first thing I thought when I read this was that this book is definitely controversial, and that is going to draw readers. Who doesn't love a good controversy? So now I'm asking you to share the last contoversial book you've read.
August 20, 2013
Chasing Memories Blog Tour with Review
There isn’t another way; not now. The others are coming. I can’t let them have you… Seventeen-year-old Reagan has a problem: She can’t remember what happened the night her brother was taken. Now, the dreams haunting her from the incident are becoming more intense by the day. All the while, the lines between what’s real and what’s a product of her paranormal-obsessed mind are becoming blurred. Is she losing her mind or has she just stepped into a world she thought only existed in books? Caught in a web of worried parents, competing boys, Wiccan relatives, protective amulets, and psychiatrist babble, Reagan must determine the truth before it’s too late.Prices/Formats: $3.99 ebook, $12.99 paperback
Pages: 296
Publisher: self-published
Release: May 22, 2013
Find it on Amazon or B&N.
My thoughts:
Find Tia on her website, FB, Twitter, and Goodreads.
My thoughts:
I enjoy shapeshifter books so when I was offered the opportunity to review Chasing Memories, I jumped at it. I soon discovered this isn't your typical werewolf book. Reagan's brother was taken during a camping trip and while Reagan knows she saw something, she's not sure what it was. Everyone concludes that Sam was killed by a grizzly bear, but Reagan keeps having dreams about a wolf. No one will listen to her though. No one but her Nana. And Reagan notices changes in herself, like her appetite and her athletic ability. She begins to welcome the dreams, hoping she'll find answers. But instead, she gets more questions. And she winds up questioning the people in her life, too.
While I enjoyed the changes Reagan goes through and the mystery of who she should trust, I wish there would have been more werewolf aspects to the book. Having said that, the ending sets up book two very nicely, and I'm sure there will be a more in-depth look into werewolves in that installment. Overall, it was an enjoyable and quick read.
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August 18, 2013
Monday Mishmash 8/19/13
Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:
Stalked by Death GC and SWAG giveaway If you haven't entered to win a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card and SWAG for Stalked by Death, do it soon. The giveaway is almost over. Enter here.Fall Blog Schedule September is just around the corner, and my fall blogging schedule will be in effect. Monday Mishmash will remain the same. Wednesdays will be fore blogging about writing, and Fridays will be about promoting great books. I'm excited.Into the Fire Edits I'm finishing up on edits for Into the Fire. I'm so excited for this book. :)Reading I slacked on reading this summer. I need to fit in more time, but I hurt my back and have taken time off from running, which is usually when I read.Teacher Assignments This week my daughter finds out who her teacher is. I have to say I'm hoping it's one of two because I know they'll push her, and she thrives on that. If it's not, I might have to become "that mom" who requests a transfer. What can I say? I love my daughter and want what's best for her.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
Stalked by Death GC and SWAG giveaway If you haven't entered to win a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card and SWAG for Stalked by Death, do it soon. The giveaway is almost over. Enter here.Fall Blog Schedule September is just around the corner, and my fall blogging schedule will be in effect. Monday Mishmash will remain the same. Wednesdays will be fore blogging about writing, and Fridays will be about promoting great books. I'm excited.Into the Fire Edits I'm finishing up on edits for Into the Fire. I'm so excited for this book. :)Reading I slacked on reading this summer. I need to fit in more time, but I hurt my back and have taken time off from running, which is usually when I read.Teacher Assignments This week my daughter finds out who her teacher is. I have to say I'm hoping it's one of two because I know they'll push her, and she thrives on that. If it's not, I might have to become "that mom" who requests a transfer. What can I say? I love my daughter and want what's best for her.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?
