Kelly Hashway's Books

My two-part short story ebook, THE IMAGINARY FRIEND, is now FREE! (middle grade reading level)

Samantha and Tracy have been best friends since kindergarten, but now that Tracy has gotten over her shyness and made new friends, Samantha is feeling left out. This is nothing compared to how she feels when a strange girl named Jessica tells Samantha that she’s actually an imaginary friend. Tracy has outgrown Samantha, and it’s time for Samantha to help another child who needs her. But will Samantha be able to move on and fulfill her duty as an imaginary friend?

To get your FREE copy, click here.

Enjoy a sneak peek at Santa Bunny...

I hope you enjoyed it!

My newest picture book is here! 

When the Easter Bunny feels children love Santa more than him, he decides to take over the Christmas holiday. The Easter Bunny shows up on Christmas Eve to deliver baskets to all the good children, only Santa is delivering gifts, too. But little Tommy catches them and wants to know who will hide eggs on Easter? Can Tommy convince the Easter Bunny he's loved before it's too late?

This is an Easter/Christmas crossover story for ages 3-8. Here's a trailer for a sneak peek:

Santa Bunny is now available in a 6x9 print book (perfect for Easter baskets or Christmas stockings) and on Kindle (Kindle version is only $2.99).

Find it here in print or on Kindle.

Since signing with Spencer Hill Press and even more so after the cover of TOUCH OF DEATH was released, I've been overjoyed by the support I've received. I just want to say thank you to everyone who hosted a cover reveal, who added TOUCH OF DEATH to their Goodreads To Read list, and who has voted for the book in the various Goodreads lists (YA Debut 2013, YA Cover Lust, Beautiful Book Covers of 2013, YA Novels of 2013, and Much Anticipated 2012 and 2013 Books). You guys are awesome!

You may have noticed on my homepage that I have a countdown widget. Yay! I love it. It's counts a little too slowly for me, but hey, you can't speed up time.  Please feel free to snag the widget for your blog or website as well.

And thank you, thank you, thank you again for all the support. It means the world to me.

That's the gorgeous cover Spencer Hill Press made for TOUCH OF DEATH! I'm in love with it. To celebrate the cover reveal and having over 200 followers on my new YA blog, I'm giving away 3 YA books. So head over to my blog and enter. Giveaway ends next Friday. Good luck!

Here it is! The synopsis blurb for my debut YA, TOUCH OF DEATH!

Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

Yay! You can add it to your Goodreads shelf if you haven't already.

You've probably noticed I'm not posting here often. I'm using this more for news now that I have a separate blog. For my regular Monday, Wednesday, and Friday posts, go here.

I will be posting news about my books here still, but this site will operate as my author website not my blog.

Thanks for dropping by!

I'm very excited to reveal the cover of my upcoming picture book, SANTA BUNNY. This is a Christmas/Easter crossover story inspired by my daughter who loves Santa and the Easter Bunny equally. 

Since it's a crossover, I've decided to release it in time for Easter instead of Christmas. The story does focus on the Easter Bunny more than Santa, so it seemed appropriate to do it this way.

I'll post a synopsis and the trailer when it gets closer to the release date, but for now, enjoy the cover:

It's Monday again. Here's what's on my mind today:

1. Half-blood I'm loving this book. I have it on my Kindle right now and I'm enjoying it so much I'm reading it slowly. I don't want it to end.
2. Amazon gift card My husband got an Amazon gift card, and it's taking all my restraint not to steal it when he's not looking.
3. Major revisions I finished a major revision on my YA manuscript. I added a subplot which had to be woven throughout. Wow, that was a lot of work and it added 18K to the project, but I'm glad I did it.
4. Fireseed One I'll be part of Catherine Stine's book launch later this month, so look for a post on December 21 on my YA & MG blog to learn more about the new YA release and for a giveaway.
5. My birthday Thursday is my birthday and I got a new treadmill. Yes, it arrived early. And yes, I wanted one. I run 4-5 times a week and I ran my old one into the ground. Plus, I read on the treadmill and this one has a book holder!

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

I will be at Panera Bread in Stroudsburg, PA tomorrow, Saturday, December 3rd from 2-4pm. I will be signing copies of all three of my picture books:

900 Shoppes at Stroud

Stroudsburg, PA

MAY THE BEST DOG WIN

MAY THE BEST DOG WIN COLORING BOOK EDITION

THE PURRFECT PUPPY

Also Heather DeRobertis, the illustrator of THE PURRFECT PUPPY will be there to cosign. She is bringing her ABC book, CREEPY CRYPT OF ABC, too.

I hope to see you there!

It's official. I've split my website in two. Why? Because this site was quickly becoming about my children's picture books and short stories for readers 12 and under. Now that I have an agent and am actively seeking publication for my young adult and middle grade novels, I thought it was time to have a place just for them.

And that place can be found here. I will be blogging from my young adult and middle grade author site every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And the topics will include everything related to writing and reading books for this age group.

Here at this site, which is now strictly for my children's books and short stories, I will not be blogging as often. And the topics will only pertain to writing and reading books for kids 12 and under. I will continue posting information about my picture books here and helpful tips for writers of this age group, so don't think the site is going away. It's not.

So I hope you'll check out my new YA & MG author site, and feel free to let me know what you think about the split I've made.

Happy Monday! Here's what 's on my mind today:

1. Book signing  I have a signing this Saturday from 2-4pm at Panera Bread in Stroudsburg, PA. I'll be signing all three of my picture books.
2. Long weekends  I got a lot of reading done over the long weekend. I finished two books and started two more. That's a good weekend in my book. (Oh, bad pun!)
3. Two websites  I felt funny having one website for such an array of books, so I decided to break my publications in two. One site for children's picture books and short stories and one site for YA and MG books. More on this on Wednesday.
4. A huge To-Do List  Ugh. My daily planner is full. I can't seem to keep up lately, mostly because I choose writing over the other things on my list.  
5. Revisions  I'm revising a manuscript that has sat for months. It's amazing what that much time away will do. I definitely have fresh eyes on it.

Since Thanksgiving is over and the end of the year is fast approaching--let's face it, this part of the year flies by--I thought I'd take the time to reflect on some of the great books I've read this year.

Now, this is not a complete list of what I've read. These are just the books that I loved the best. And not all released in 2011. I've been playing catch up on my TBR list. So here it is.

*If you click on the cover, it will take you to the book on Amazon.

And here are some books I'm looking forward to reading since I have them in wait or they are on my birthday/Christmas lists:

What books have you loved this year?

It's Thanksgiving Eve, and I have to take the time to be thankful for all the great things 2011 has brought me. Here they are, in no particular order.

• My agent  I signed with my agent at the beginning of the year, and I am so thankful for Lauren's guidance in my writing career. She inspires me, motivates me, pushes me to be a better writer, and looks out for my best interest.
• My writer friends  I've met so many amazing writers, including my agency sisters. I value you all. The writing community is awesome, and I couldn't be happier or more thankful to be part of it.
• My picture books  This year brought three picture books for me and several other picture book contracts. Seeing books I wrote in stores is such a great feeling and one I'll never take for granted.
• My editing clients  I have some of the best editing clients who keep me busy and let me enjoy the incredible stories they write. They make me love my job.
• My family  (Like I said, these aren't in any order.) I have an extrememly supportive family. They have shared my tears--both of sadness and joy. They've encouraged me and given me many needed hugs.