Monday Mishmash 10/12/15

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:

1. MG Alien Twitter Pitches  Okay, MG authors, Leap Books Seek and I are looking for your Twitter pitch for middle grade alien books. Tweet me @kellyhashway with your MG alien pitch. If I'm interested, I'll reply with where to send sample pages. I'll be taking pitches today through Friday.
2. Drafting  I'm attempting to draft a book between edits—well, I should say around edits because I'm still editing. Last Friday, I managed to get in 10,000 words and it felt amazing!
3. Branding?  You know that draft I just mentioned? Well, it's an adult thriller. Apparently, I'm refusing to let Kelly Hashway be branded as a YA paranormal author. I can't help but write the stories that come to me, no matter what they are.
4. Reading  I spend a lot of time reading. Between the books I edit for clients and the submissions for Seek, I read constantly. Of course that means I don't get to read a lot of new releases though. I'm going to attempt to change that. Wish me luck—and a few extra hours in my day.
5. YA Fest  I attended YA Fest on Saturday and got to spend some time with readers and fellow authors. I had a great time. Here are some pictures from the event. 

   

   My table. (I signed the Touch of Death trilogy, The Monster Within duology, and Our Little Secret.)

   
   

   

   Lisa Amowitz, Martina Boone, and me

   
   

   

   The very awesome Brooke Watts DelVecchio and me

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

Monday Mishmash: 6/16/14

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. The Monster Within Release Tomorrow!  Tomorrow is the big day! I wrote The Monster Within the first twelve days of 2012, and I signed with Spencer Hill Press the following September. It's been a long wait, and I'm so excited to share Sam and Ethan's story with you all. 
2. Face of Death is the Kindle Big Deal  Face of Death is part of the Kindle Big Deal June 13 through June 28th! That means you can grab a copy for only $2.99! Get yours here. Oh, and Touch of Death is now only $2.99 as well since the full series is out. :)
3. Construction  The construction that was supposed to happen on my house last week got pushed back because it rained all week. Today begins the demo and the craziness so if I'm not online as much, you know why.
4. Father's Day  I hope all you dads had a great Father's Day. I didn't get to see my dad, but I we'll celebrate another day. I did have a nice day with my husband, daughter, and my in-laws though.
5. Revisions  I'm finishing up revisions on a YA title my CPs got back to me last week. My goal is to send it to my agent in the next couple of days.

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

Monday Mishmash 4/14/14

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. YA Fest  I'll be at YA Fest this Saturday (April 19th) signing copies of Touch of Death, Stalked by Death, and Face of Death. I'll also have plenty of SWAG including bookmarks, zombie limb candy, and buttons. I'm excited.
2. Revisions  I'm currently revising three of my novels all on deadlines ranging from tomorrow to May 15th. I love revising. It's when I really get attached to my characters.
3. Client edits  I'm also editing for clients. I have several edits scheduled through this month and May, which always makes me happy.
4. Spring pictures  I'm working at my daughter's school on Wednesday for spring pictures. It's always fun to see the kids dressed up.
5. Happy Holidays!  I wish you all a very happy Easter and Passover. 

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

Many Sides of Medusa Blog Hop

Thank you for stopping by the Many Sides of Medusa Blog Hop hosted by Heather Lyons and Kelly Hashway! 

Door Prize: Your door prize for joining us is the short story prequel to the Touch of Death series titled Curse of Death. It's the myth about Medusa and how she was cursed by the goddess Athena. Claim your free gift by clicking here.

Heather and Kelly are teaming up to show you a very different side of Medusa. Forget the monster you might think she was, and check out these excerpts from The Deep End of the Sea and Touch of Death. You just might change your mind about Medusa.

The Deep End of the Sea excerpt:

But there’s no way around it. I am, in fact, a monster. A hideous one, to be precise, but as I don’t have any mirrors on Gorgóna, I can’t verify that one for certain. I rely on the fact that every single person I’ve frozen over the ages boasts abject fear on their face, which makes me believe they find me pretty horrifying. And it sucks. It genuinely, truly, absolutely, unequivocally sucks. I hate stealing lives.

Thus, not only am I a monster, I’m a really lousy one. A lonely, classic Five Stages of Grief following, insecure, shut-in of a pathetic beast who talks to the snakes on her head and the statues on her island.

Find Heather online: 
Website
Facebook
Twitter

Purchase The Deep End of the Sea on Amazon or B&N.

Touch of Death excerpt:

My hair blew up, flying wildly all around me. My blood bubbled in my veins like boiling water, but it didn't hurt. It was the feeling of power. Too much power. My body felt like it was going to burst. Still I held on. My eyes closed, and I threw my head back. An imaged filled my mind. Medusa. Her snakes wriggled their bodies at me, flicking their tongues. Chills ran down the backs of my legs, but I forced my eyes away from the snakes. Lower. To Medusa's face. She smiled at me. Her face and eyes filled with warmth. She looked like…Mom.

"Do not fear me, Jodi. My blood lies in your veins and in your heart. you are one of mine. My children."

Find Kelly online:
Website
Facebook
Twitter

Purchase the Touch of Death series on Amazon or B&N.

If you want more Medusa, be sure to check out The Deep End of the Sea and the Touch of Death series. And…Heather and Kelly have a giveaway for you. Enter on the rafflecopter form for your chance to win a $20 gift card to either Amazon or B&N, Medusa Makeup lipgloss, signed bookmarks from both authors, buttons for each book, and Touch of Death stickers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Mishmash 3/17/14

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Kiss of Death  I've been working on revisions for a Touch of Death prequel novella told from Alex's point of view. I fell hard for Alex and wanted to tell his story (pre-Jodi) to give readers a little insight as to how he ends up the person we all see in Touch of Death. Stay tuned for more info on when this novella will be available.
2. Idea Overload  Last week I got a bunch of new ideas and jotted them all down. One idea is speaking to me louder than the others so I'm plotting that one and trying to work on it in between edits.
3. 5 Books in 2014?  I don't know how I didn't realize this—I think my subconscious wouldn't let me focus on it—but I have 5 books releasing this year. 5! Face of Death, The Monster Within, Perfect For You, Into the Fire, and Curse of the Granville Fortune are all 2014 titles. How on earth did that happen? I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it.
4. Reading  I'm trying to work my way through some books that have been on my shelf for years now. I need more time to read.
5. Perfect For You  In case you missed my cover reveal last week, my upcoming Ashelyn Drake YA contemporary romance has a gorgeous cover! Check it out and feel free to add it on Goodreads.

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

Monday Mishmash 2/3/14

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Face of Death Giveaway  There are still two days left to enter to win a signed paperback of my latest book, Face of Death (Touch of Death #3). Enter here.
2. Scholastic Book Fair  I spent way too much money at the book fair at my daughter's school last week, but Ayla was excited to get a bunch of new novels to read so I'm happy.
3. Into the Fire edits  I'm finishing up final edits on Into the Fire this week. 
4. Free Monthly Newsletter  My monthly newsletter goes out at 5pm EST today. If you aren't signed up but would like to receive one, click here.
5. Zombie Party Pics!  As promised, here are some pictures from the zombie party for the release of Face of Death.

Chocolate blood fountain—how awesome is that?

The Spencer Hill Press/ Spence City mini cakes were to die for!

Looks yummy, right?

Yes, people wanted to eat the plastic eyeballs. The sign was totally necessary.

Kate Kaynak, Trisha Wooldridge, Me (holding a copy of Face of Death), Marie Romero, & Vikki Ciaffone

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

Writer Wednesday: Face of Death Release Week Giveaway

Release day or release week is always an exciting time for a writer—even though it's common for places like Amazon and B&N to ship your books before your official release day. ;) Yesterday was the release day for Face of Death, the final installment of the Touch of Death series. So of course I celebrated. And since this is my release week, I have a giveaway for you.

What can you win? How about a signed copy of Face of Death and signed bookmarks?

Face of Death sports my awesome blurb from Jennifer Armentrout. :)

And look at Hades on the back cover! *drool* He makes evil sexy.

Enter by filling out the rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is open internationally and will end next Wednesday, 2/5/14 at midnight. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Mishmash 1/27/14

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Passing of my dog  My 13-year-old German shepherd, Sage, passed away yesterday. She was the best dog you could ask for, so we're all very sad in the Hashway household. We'll miss her dearly.
2. Face of Death  Technically, my release date is tomorrow, but all the online retailers began shipping Face of Death on the 21st, so my baby is already out there in the world. Still, I'll be celebrating on Tuesday. This might be my favorite book in the series.
3. Scholastic Book Fair  This week I'm helping the PTO at my daughter's school with the Scholastic Book Fair. Looks like I'll be buying lots of books.
4. Edits  I'm working on Into the Fire edits this week. And speaking of, there are a few Phoenix books coming out this year. Mine will be among them.
5. Breathe For Me Cover Reveal  Last week was the reveal for a new Spencer Hill Press book by Rhonda Helms. Check it out.

Isabel’s been cursed since the Middle Ages.

Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, she made a hasty bargain with a demon, asking for liberation from an oppressive husband-to-be and the excitement of travel. But the demon’s “gift” came at a steep cost. Each time he moves her to a new city, her memory’s wiped. No one can touch her bare skin without injury or even death. And she sees the lifespan of every living being (and is, in fact, immortal herself).

All a constant reminder that she’s different than other teen girls.

But New Orleans seems to accept her as she is. She has friends and a real life in this quirky, hot city. Then Isabel meets Dominic, whose deep soul and strong character draw her to him. Her growing love gives her the courage to confront the demon, insisting the curse be broken. But the demon’s price for freedom is much, much higher than she could possibly give.

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

Monday Mishmash 1/20/14

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Tween 2 Teen Best of 2013 and Most of Anticipated of 2014 List  Tween 2 Tween chose Touch of Death as one of the best reads of 2013 and chose Face of Death as one of the most anticipated reads of 2014! I couldn't be more ecstatic. Read the full list of books here.

2. Arisia  I'm on my way home from Boston today after the zombie prom to launch the release of Face of Death. Pictures to come!

3. Face of Death  My official release day is the 28th, but the ebook was released on the 14th and Amazon will ship the paperback tomorrow.

4. Model Position Cover Reveal  I'm happy to share the cover of Model Position, and upcoming NA romance by Kitsy Clare.

For Sienna, love and art are perilous games. Is she ready to take that gamble?

Sienna is a beautiful, talented artist poised on the precipice of soaring into the glamorous, yet cutthroat Manhattan art scene.

Dave Hightower is a hooked-up, handsome heir to the hippest gallery in NYC, Gallery Hightower.

Erik is the live drawing model with his sizzling green eyes fixed only on Sienna.

Three’s a crowd, so Sienna must make a choice: date Dave and ride the fast track to landing a show at Gallery Hightower and hobnobbing with the art glitterati, or follow her heart and take a chance with Erik, the stunning male model who’s stealing her heart. But Erik has some worrisome secrets, and who in their right mind would make live modeling their career?

Dare Sienna throw away her chances of hitting it big to follow her heart?

5. Silent Starsong Cover Reveal  Check out this awesome cover of TJ Wooldridge's upcoming release! (How cute is that alien?)

Eleven-year-old Kyra is meant to continue the Starbard's proud family legacy of 

interpreting the future from the stars' songs. Her deafness, incurable by the best medics, breaks her mother's heart and pushes her father to explore anything to help his little girl--including the expensive purchase of a telepathic alien servant to help Kyra communicate on a planet inhospitable to unfixable genetic defects.

Marne's telepathy is too weak for his Naratsset culture, so he is sold into slavery and expects to die at the hands of human owners--until he meets a human child who begs her father to "save" him. Her kindness introduces Marne to a new world--one where he would risk his life to save a human from her own people's abuse and the stars' songs can touch even a deaf girl and a defective telepath.

When an intergalactic terrorist organization kills Kyra's father, driving her mother to madness, Kyra and Marne only have each others' friendship--until even that is threatened by the danger surrounding the Starbard heritage. But can the two friends, not good enough for either of their cultures or families, manage to keep each other safe when several different worlds threaten their lives?

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

Monday Mishmash 1/13/14

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. The Monster Within  The release date for The Monster Within is being pushed back until June 17. I'm actually really happy about this because it allows me to get the Touch of Death series out first, including the novella from Alex's POV, and I'll get to sign The Monster Within at BEA! Yay!
2. Blurbing books  I was asked to blurb a really awesome book called Losing Logan by Sherry Ficklin. It's SOOOOO good, guys. I couldn't put it down. Seriously. Just awesome.
3. School Visits  I'm heading back to my daughter's school today to work with a fourth grade class on the stories they are writing. How cool is that? I'm excited.
4. Editing  I'll be editing for a new client this week, but in order to stay true to my 2014 goals, I'll also be working on the plot of a new book of my own.
5. Zombie Prom at Arisia  I'll be heading to Boston on Sunday for another zombie prom at Arisia to celebrate the upcoming launch of Face of Death. Can I just tell you how much Face of Death makes me cry every time I read it? I really love those characters and wrapping up their series was tough.

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

Monday Mishmash 9/30/13

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. What Haunts You  I'm taking part in the What Haunts You Online Halloween Creepfest on Wednesday, October 30 from 8-9pm. It's a Facebook event with 13 authors who all have one thing in common: loving all things creepy. And of course we'll be giving away some goodies. Join us here.

2. Face of Death Galley  I spent my weekend proofreading the Face of Death galley. I can't even put into words how sad I get when I read this book. First because the ending makes me cry every time, and second because I don't want this series to end.

3. October  October has always been my favorite month. I love the smell of it. Do you know what I mean? That crispness in the air that smells yummy? I can't get enough of it. I also got married in October, so there's that too. ;)

4.  Class Mom  I was chosen as Class Mom for my daughter's first grade class. Yay! I'm so excited. I already volunteer with the PTO and I love being at Ayla's school. Now I'll get to be there even more. :)

5. Forest of Whispers Cover Reveal  Today is the cover reveal for Forest of Whispers by the very cool Jennifer Murgia. How cool is this cover?

Raised by an old fortune-teller within the dark veil of the Bavarian Black Forest, Rune has learned two valuable lessons: only take from the forest that which you can use, and never, never look anyone in the eye in the village. For something terrible happened in the forest long ago... and now, the whispers of a long-dead mother with a vengeful secret have come haunting.

Forced to flee all she has ever known, Rune soon learns of a legacy she is bound to--one that is drenched in fear, witchcraft and murder--a birthright that stretches beyond the grave to the trees where Rune is no longer safe.

Title: Forest of Whispers

Author: Jennifer Murgia

Cover designer: Lisa Amowitz

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

ISBN: 978-1-937053-56-7 

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Formats: Trade Paper, e-book

Goodreads TBR: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18506004-forest-of-whispers

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

Monday Mishmash 9/23/13

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Picture Day  My daughter has school pictures on Tuesday. I'll be helping out with them, which is always fun because the kids all look so cute.
2. Final Edits  I'm working on final edits for Face of Death, which is so sad because I don't want to say goodbye to Jodi and Alex. :(
3. Allergies  Anyone else suffering from awful allergies? My eyes won't stop watering and I have a headache just about every other day.
4. Text to Speech  I love the text-to-speech feature on my Kindle, but it's been acting up lately—flipping through pages or just shutting off. Might be time to call Kindle and see if I have a faulty device. It's only a few months old.
5. Editing Clients  Lately, quite a few of my editing clients are getting agents and/or book deals. It makes me so happy to hear their good news and celebrate with them. I have really amazing clients. :)

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

Monday Mishmash 7/29/13

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Monroe County Book Expo  Thank you to everyone who came out to the Monroe County Book Expo on Saturday. It was a lot of fun.
2. Edits  I'm working on edits for three of my 2014, which means copy edits galore! 
3. Pre-order FACE OF DEATH You can now pre-order Face of Death on Amazon or B&N. :)
4. Reading  I'm falling behind in my reading lately, which makes me sad.
5. Gideon's Spear Cover Reveal  I'm happy to share the cover of Darby Karchut's Gideon's Spear, which is the sequel to Finn Finnegan.

When a power-crazed sorceress and the neighborhood pack of beast-like goblins team up and threaten both his master and his friends, thirteen-year-old Finn (not Finnegan) MacCullen does the only thing an apprentice monster hunter can do: he takes the fight to the enemy.

And woe to the foe he meets along the way.

Title: Gideon's Spear (The sequel to Finn Finnegan)

Author: Darby Karchut

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

ISBN:  978-1-937053-94-9

Release Date: 2/4/2014

Formats: Paper, e-book

Goodreads TBR: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18046728-gideon-s-spear

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

Monday Mishmash with a Cover Reveal!

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Edits  When it rains, it pours! Over the course of three weeks, I'll have edits for three of my own books and I have three client edits scheduled. Why does this always happen to me? LOL Looks like no sleep for Kelly.
2. Staked by Death SWAG Giveaway  Congrats to Lisa Basso for winning the Stalked by Death SWAG pack!
3. Amazon Prime  So my free subscription to Prime will run out at the end of the week, and I think I'm happy about it. I've gotten one to two packages a day for the last week. Someone needs to stop me.
4. New Niece  At eleven a.m. today, my new niece, Violet, will be born. I'm so excited!
5. Face of Death  Friday was the cover reveal for the third and final book in the Touch of Death series. I didn't post because I was promoting Catherine Stine's Ruby's Fire and didn't want to steal any spotlight from her. So, I'm sharing on my blog today instead.

Having fallen at the hands of Hades, Jodi's enduring torture like she never imagined. Worse, she has to watch her Ophi friends suffer along with her--the punishment doled out by the very people she'd sentenced to life in Tartarus. Hell. This is one reunion Jodi hoped would never happen, but now she must find a way to free them all. 

Except the underworld is nearly impossible to escape.

Jodi's one chance may rest in raising the human soul she killed when she drank Medusa's blood.

But splitting her human soul from her Ophi soul means living a double life: One as an Ophi experiencing unspeakable torture and the other as the human she could have been if she never came into her powers. With her two worlds colliding, Jodi will have to make the toughest decision she's faced yet.

Title: Face of Death (Touch of Death #3)

Author: Kelly Hashway

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

ISBN:  978-1-937053-92-5

Release Date: 1/7/2014

Formats: Paper, e-book

Goodreads TBR: 

If you'd like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website.

And the best part? Hades is on the back cover! I'll share that image with you closer to the release date. :) For now, you can add Face of Death on Goodreads.

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

Monday Mishmash 4/22/13

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Family Expo 2013  I'll be at the Family Expo held at East Stroudsburg High School South on Sunday from noon to 3pm. I'll be displaying my books and talking about writing.
2. Reading  Somehow I'm managing to find more time to read. I'm not even sure how I'm doing it.
3. Edits  Just sent off edits for Face of Death (Touch of Death #3), which made me cry. There are some emotional moments. Now I'm getting back to edits on Into the Fire, which also has a section that gets me every time. I need more tissues.
4. Revising for my agent  In the midst of all my edits, I'm also revising a novella to hand over to my lovely agent. Good thing I love editing and revising so much. ;)
5. Allergies  This crazy weather is killing me. One day it's 80 the next it's 50. I'm sneezing like I'm trying to set a world record, and I wake up every morning with a sore throat. I'd love some consistent temperatures.

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

Monday Mishmash

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Easter  We had a great weekend dying eggs, visiting with family, having eggs hunts, and seeing the Easter Bunny at the roller rink. Hope you enjoyed the holiday as well.
2. Stalked by Death  Book 2 in the Touch of Death trilogy releases August 13, and Barnes and Noble has it up for pre-order for only $6.59! Also, my SWAG is arriving tomorrow, and I can't wait!
3. The Monster Within  My April 2014 release through Spencer Hill Press is one of my favorites. I just finished copy edits on it, and I'm waiting to see my cover. Yay!
4. Face of Death  I'll be editing the 3rd and final book in the Touch of Death series this week. I'm excited but a little sad, too.
5. Free Monthly Newsletter  It's the first Monday in April, which means my newsletter will go out at 5pm (EST) this evening. If you aren't already signed up to receive it, you can do so here.

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

Monday Mishmash 2/11/13

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Good News!  Face of Death, the third and final installment in the Touch of Death trilogy is under contract with Spencer Hill Press. The deal was announced in Publisher's Marketplace last week: "Kelly Hashway's FACE OF DEATH, the final book in the Touch of Death trilogy, to Trisha Woolridge at Spencer Hill Press, in a nice deal, by Lauren Hammond at ADA Management Group."
2. Being sick is awful: My daughter and I have been sick for a long time now, and I'm so done with it all.
3. Working at my daughter's school:  I'll be helping out at my daughter's school Wednesday and Thursday with Valentine's Day sales and group photos. I love getting to see her with all her friends.
4. Sweets Blogfest: To celebrate the release of our sweet love stories, my friend Beth Fred and I are hosting The Sweets Blogfest on March 6! And we'd love it if you'd participate. You can sign up in the linky below.

Here are the rules:  

1. Link to both Beth & Kelly.
2. Post the image above.
3. Optional: Tell us about your favorite sweet, your favorite memory involving a sweet, or your favorite sweet love story.
4. You don't have to, but we'd love it if you could post covers for Advantage Heartbreak & The Other Marlowe Girl, in your post.
5. Have a sweet romance of your own? Promote it in your post!

You'll also get a chance to win e-books of Love All & The Other Marlowe Girl. The rafflecopter for the contest will be available March 6, 2013 in our Sweets post and will remain available until 12 am on the 10th. We will announce winners the following Monday.

Sign up here:

If you sign up and would like to include the rafflecopter giveaway on your blog, email me at khashway(at)hotmail(dot)com for the html code. You do not need to include the giveaway in your post. That's optional.

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