Writer Wednesday: Taking Time to Say Thank You

I had a very different post planned for today, but that will have to wait until next week because this is too important for me not to post immediately. I have to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who stops by my blog each week. Thank you to everyone who reads my books. Thank you to everyone who promotes my work. Thank you to everyone I've met along my writing career.

Why am I so thankful today? Because yesterday this happened:

This can't happen without those people—without you. It's not a secret that my goal is to make the NYT bestseller list. Sometimes I get so caught up in that dream that I forget to stop and look at my journey so far. This is my third ribbon on Amazon. Now Stalked by Death, Touch of Death, and The Monster Within have all gotten ribbons (two golds and a bronze). Am I a NYT bestseller? No, but that's okay. I'll keep reaching for that goal, but in the meantime, I'm really happy with what I have accomplished. 

So thank you, because I couldn't be here without you. Without your encouragement and support. If I could wrap you all in a hug right now, I would. Since I can't, I'm sending virtual hugs and an invitation to call on me any time you need. I'm always here to support all of you as well.

Monday Mishmash: 10/6/14

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. Into the Fire is a Cybils Awards Nominee!  So, I found out Into the Fire was nominated for the Cybils in the YA Speculative Fiction Category. Yeah, I'm a little excited. :) See the nominees here.
2. Curse of the Granville Fortune Blog Tour  I can't believe the release of Curse of the Granville Fortune (MG fantasy) is just around the corner. The 21st will be here soon, so I'm finalizing my blog tour posts this week.
3. Another Book Drafted  Last week I finished drafting a new book and I'm sort of in love with it.
4. My Husband's Birthday  It's my husband's birthday today!
5. FREE Monthly Newsletter  My FREE monthly newsletter may have gone out yesterday, a day early. I may have accidentally only set the time to post instead of the day to post. ;) Didn't get one? Stay on top of my giveaways, book news, and writing tips by signing up for my newsletter here.

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 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:

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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.
4. 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.

1. I have an extra rib on the left side.
2. I've never dyed my hair... yet.
3. I'm extremely protective of my family.
4. I struggle with anemia.
5. My love of writing goes so far that I'd call it an addiction.
6. I love playing with Monster High dolls just as much as my daughter. ;)
7. 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 Walters

Cindy Brown

Diane Salerni

Brenda Moguez

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

Monday Mishmash 8/13/12

Happy Monday! This mishmash will be a little shorter because I was given a blog award.

1. Touch of Death is available for pre-order!  I was so excited last week to find out Touch of Death is now available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Yay!
2. Kindergarten Orientation  Thursday is kindergarten orientation for my baby girl. I can't believe she's going to kindergarten already.
3. Picture book contract signed  The picture book I've mentioned here is finally contracted, and the illustrator has been selected. It will be out in the next 9 months!
4. Thanks for Being You blog award  I was given this award by the very sweet Katrina DeLallo. Kat is a great friend and one of my critique partners. Thanks, Kat. The rules for this one are insane. A total of 18 facts about myself and answering 11 questions. Wow! I'm totally cheating. You guys know me. I'm an open book. But here are a few things I might not have told you before:

• While I was querying agents in 2011, I played Katy Perry's Firework over and over and cried. 
• I'm equally terrified and excited for the release of my book.
• In 3rd grade everyone called me K.C. (my initials—Kelly Christine) because there were so many Kelly's in my class.
• When Touch of Death became available for pre-order, I did my hair like the girl on my cover. (Yes, I'm a dork!)
• I named my treadmill Teddy the Treddy.

I'm allowed to pass this on to any number of people, so today I invite you all to accept this award from me because I appreciate each and every one of you. 

 

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

Monday Mishmash and More Blog Awards

Happy Monday! My mishmash of thoughts is short today because it includes two more blog awards.

1. Revisions  I'm almost finished with this round of revisions on my WIP. Yay!
2. Month9Books  I got to speak with Georgia McBride and Brittany Howard, two people from Month9Books, my amazing publisher for my MG series. I had a great conversation with them and am really excited to get to work on Curse of the Granville Fortune. :)
3. Reading  I'm making a big effort to read more and get caught up on my TBR list. I feel like I might actually be making progress. Now if I could just stop adding more books to the pile. ;P
4. Sisterhood of World Bloggers and Tell Me About Yourself Blog Award  I received these two awards from Michele Berger. Thanks, Michele. I'm supposed to tell you 7 things about myself, but I'm not sure there's anything left to tell. I'm kind of an open book. So, here are the 7 bloggers I'm passing the awards on to:

Katrina DeLallo

Beverly Stowe McClure

Katie Clark

Diane Carlisle

Lexa Cain

Auden Johnson

Elizabeth Prats

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

Booker Award and Blog Ribbon

The lovely Diane Carlisle awarded me with two awards this week. The first is the Booker Award, and this may be my favorite because it's just plain awesome.

To receive this award the blog must be at least 50% about books (reading or writing). 

I also get to share my top 5 favorite books:

1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
2. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
3. Betrayed by Ednah Walters
4. He Loves Me, He Loves You Not by Lauren Hammond
5. Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I also received the Fabulous Blog Ribbon.

I get to post lots of great 5s with this one.

5 Fabulous Moments:

1. The birth of my daughter
2. The day I got married
3. The day I signed with my agent
4. The day Touch of Death was offered on by Spencer Hill Press
5. The day I won a 5K race for the women and placed top three overall, meaning only 2 men beat me. (I came in right behind my husband.)

5 Things I Love:

1. My family
2. My jobs (writing and editing rock!)
3. Books (both reading and writing them)
4. The caribbean 
5. Coffee
6. Acting like a kid

5 Things I Dislike:

1. Snakes
2. Grumpy people
3. Traffic
4. The state of the economy
5. My lack of patience at times

And here are the five people I'm passing these two awards on to:

1. Brenda Moguez
2. Mirka Breen
3. C. Lee McKenzie
4. Catherine Stine
5. Adrianne Russell

Your turn. What are your top 5 books or 5 things you love?

One Lovely Blog Award

I was given the One Lovely Blog Award from the lovely Donna Yates. Thank you, Donna!

Now, Donna didn't have the rules posted, so I Googled them. I have to give 7 random facts about myself. Eek, you guys are going to know my life story soon!

1. I was usually two years younger than my classmates in school because I started at 4 years old.
2. I've cried while writing my own novels. (I've also laughed out loud while revising.)
3. I'd rather eat cookie batter than cookies.
4. I've been known to laugh out loud while alone in the bathroom. Something about that room makes me think about weird things. :P 
5. I hate alarm clocks so I sleep with my running watch on.
6. While growing up, I went to the Caribbean quite a bit. (Bahamas, St. Thomas, Aruba, St. Croix, St. John--each twice, with the exception of Aruba) Thank you, Mom and Dad!
7. I read while watching TV because I don't like commercials.

And now the people I'm passing this award on to:

Michelle D. Evans

Diane Carlisle

Shannon Duffy

TG Ayer

Emily White

Julia King

Debbie Wentlein

Your turn. Either share one random fact about yourself or recommend one blog that should get this award so we can all check it out.

Sunshine Award

Both Tabitha Olson and Michelle Pickett gave me the Sunshine Award. So sweet of them. :D




Here are the rules:

• Thank the person who gave you the award and provide a link.
• Write a post about it
• Answer the questions below.
• Pass it on to 10 bloggers who you think really deserve it and let them know
• Answer 10 Questions:

1. Favourite colour: Green
2. Favourite animal: Dog
3. Favourite number: 8 (Because it's the same upside-down or right-side up)
4. Favorite non-alcoholic drink: Toss up between coffee and green tea with orange, passion fruit, and jasmine.
5. Facebook or Twitter: Twitter 
6. My passion: Writing and spending time with my family (I stole this from Tabitha.)
7. Getting or giving presents: Giving and I'm usually so excited I can't wait.
8. Favourite pattern: Anything that's complex
9. Favourite day of the week: Monday (I work from home.)
10. Favourite flower: Orange rose

I'm passing this on to:

Brenda Moguez

Julia King

Donna Yates

Leigh Covington

Catherine Stine

Katie Clark

Claudine G.

Adrianne Russell

Beverly Diehl

The Desert Rocks

Your turn. Who do you think deserves the Sunshine Award?

Kreativ Blogger Award

I was given the Kreativ Blogger Award by The Muse over at The Writer Shade of Pale. Thanks so much!


Now I get to share 10 things about myself and pass this award on to 6 other deserving blogs. So, here we go!

1. I'm afraid of snakes, but I purposely seek them out because I need to know where they are (so I can be somewhere else!).
2. The day after I got married, I went to work and told my students, "By the way you call me Mrs. Hashway now." They were a little surprised. ;)
3. The first short story I ever sold made me a whopping $2 and I'm proud of it. :)
4. I wrote my last manuscript in 12 days and my agent told me I nailed it. I can't write slowly or it comes out terribly!
5. In high school, I dated the quarterback of the football team. No I was not a cheerleader. I played tennis.
6. I jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet and almost choked to death on my helmet strap. (I'd skydive again though!)
7. My favorite number is 8 because it's the same upside-down. (It's also the day I was born.)
8. I cry when I watch movies adapted from books because my dream is to one day have one of my books made into a movie.
9. I used to be able to run a 5K race in 18 minutes.
10. My nails grow ridiculously fast. People usually assume they're fake.

Okay, now for the 6 blogs I'm passing the award on to:

Medeia Sharif

Bibliophilic Blather

Rick Starkey

Michelle Dennis Evans
Dorm Room Dreamer

The Writer's Republic

Be sure to check out these great blogs, and as always, share a blog you love so we can all follow.

Liebster Blog Award

I've received my second blog award! Thank you to Vidya at Books Are Magic, Rebecca Ryals Russell, and Donna Yates for giving me this award.

This award is given to bloggers who have under 200 followers with the idea of making new connections in the blogosphere. I'm very grateful seeing as this blog is only about two months old.

I get to pass this award on to 5 other bloggers who are worthy of your follow. Here they are:
Darby Karchut
Dawn Malone
Anne Johnson
Miranda Paul
Mirka Breen

Go check out these great bloggers and show them some love.

And for the sake of making more connections, please share a blogger do you feel deserves a follow.

Versatile Blogger Award

My new blog already has its first award. Thanks so much to Mark.

Okay, so 7 things about me you might not know:

1. I haven't read an adult book in over a year. I'm strictly YA and MG now.
2. I still have baby brain even though my daughter is almost five.
3. I love books that creep me out or have me huddling under the blankets at night.
4. One of my secret talents is being able to hitchhike with my big toe. Still trying to figure out how to work that into a story. ;)
5. I'm more than willing to embarrass myself to make my daughter laugh.
6. I'm very in tune with my 6th sense. My mom says it's the Irish in me.
7. My arm muscles are freakishly strong for my size. My husband says I have pipes.

And now the 5 bloggers I'm awarding:

Courtney Koschel 

Anna Staniszewski 

Bookworm Blogger

Fiona Phillips

Karen Wojcik Berner

Be sure to check out these great blogs.

Your turn. What's something most people probably don't know about you?

And welcome those coming for the blog hop.