Friday, June 28, 2013

COVER REVEAL: FACE OF DEATH!



FACE OF DEATH
The third and final book in the TOUCH OF DEATH series.
By Kelly Hashway
 
 
 
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

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

Thursday, June 27, 2013

TRIANGLES Upcoming Book Signings in July!

I'll be signing copies of Triangles at the following locations in July:

*July 13, 2013 at Anderson's Book Shop in Larchmont, NY from 2-4 PM. I'll be signing with a group of YA authors! Here is the link to the store: http://andersonsbooksny.com/index.html

*July 28, 2013 at BookTrader of Hamilton in Hamilton, NJ from 2-4 PM. Here is the link to the store: http://booktrader.weebly.com/things-going-on.html 

I hope to see some of you out there! Stop by, say hi, and hang out a while!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Way We Write

The other day I was talking with my dad on the phone. Inevitably writing came into the conversation as it usually does with the two of us. At his job he writes a lot of proposals. He mentioned he is currently writing one this week and he's stuck. Then he said something that I think applies to many writers, in all areas. He said he just needed to get a draft written and then go back to edit it.

This struck me. This is exactly how I write. I have to get that first draft written. I don't worry about the level of crap it looks like. I have to get those ideas and that story down on paper. Once that is done I can return and edit the heck out of it until it shines. I know this is not the way for all writers. I have read many blog posts where writers are stuck on the same chapter for days, or even weeks at a time. I could not handle that. For me the story would fizzle and I would lose all motivation on the story.

How do I know this? Because I have tried this method and failed, miserably. When I first began writing novels I was under the impression that I had to have the best draft of each chapter before I could move on to the next. This slowed me down. I lost story and motivation with each chapter. I lost focus on where the story was actually going. For over a year I struggled with the same story, changing all sorts of aspects regarding the story line and characters. I never got more than a third done with it before I scrapped it.

Then in 2010 I participated in my first NaNoWriMo. It was life changing for my writing process. I didn't worry about how messy each chapter was, I just wrote. In the end I was shocked. I had written a complete story, however I didn't reach the 50,000 words by the deadline. Still, I finished the project. I didn't lose sight. I didn't lose my motivation. In a little over a month I had a full manuscript. One that I could return to and edit. This was big. Since then I have only ever written in the NaNo format. I research, take lots of notes, make an outline, and then I spend the next month writing straight through.

I know this is not how everyone writes. I have heard other writers saying they have to work their first chapter over and over until they get it right before they can move on to the next chapter. Everyone writes differently. Certain approaches that work for one writer don't for another. 

So, which way do you write best?

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

TRIANGLES IS HERE BOOK BLITZ!!!


Triangles
by Kimberly Ann Miller
Release Date: 06/18/13
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Summary from Goodreads: 
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?



 photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png  photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg  photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg  photo B1426D4C-9EEC-4C0B-A1FB-90524B03C0CA-1855-000001A1E82B3B3E_zps17d98f4d.jpg

***Excerpt***
“Are you all right, honey?”

I opened my eyes. An attractive young woman with red hair and brilliant
green eyes was looking at me. What I thought was salt water from the
ocean must have been tears because my face was the only one nearby that
was wet. I glanced at her concerned expression and smiled. “Yes, thank
you. I’m fine.” I swiped away a tear with my finger. “Just…everything’s
fine.”

She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “This cruise will change
your life. Nothing will be the same when it’s over, but it will be worth it.
You’ll see.” Her emerald eyes twinkled, and she nodded her head once.

I forced a laugh to be polite. “Thanks. Enjoy your cruise.”

What a weirdo. What did that even mean? How could a cruise change
my life? I moved from my spot to avoid more weirdness from her and
found a less populated area at the back of the ship. New York and New
Jersey disappeared behind us as we charged toward Bermuda and away
from the mess my life had become.

A cloud covered the retreating sun, sending shivers through me. A
white-haired lady dropped her purse and lots of change tumbled out. A
penny hit my foot and landed on tails.

My cell phone buzzed. I pulled it from my pocket. I had thirteen
messages and thirteen texts. How would Nisha survive the next five days
without hearing from me? I took care of the messages and told her I’d call
her when we got back to Jersey.

Even though I was not very superstitious, a bad feeling crawled into
the pit of my stomach and took up residence.


I knew what I was leaving behind, but what was I floating toward?

Kimberly Miller received Bachelor's degrees from Georgian Court University and Rutgers University and a Master's degree from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She is an avid reader and particularly enjoys true crime and young adult novels. She grew up in New Jersey and currently resides in Monmouth County with her husband and three cats. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel to sunny islands where she snorkels by day and stargazes by night. She always takes her Nook with her. 


WebsiteTwitterGoodreadsFacebookTumblr
***GIVEAWAY***

(2) $10 gift card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble
Spencer Hill Press is also doing a giveaway for a cruise!  Click HERE to enter to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, June 17, 2013

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO TRIANGLES!!!

Tomorrow is the day I have been waiting for since February of 2012 - Triangles gets released into the world tomorrow!


I am so incredibly grateful to all the people who have helped me and supported me throughout this publishing journey - family, friends, critique partners and beta readers, coworkers, agents, editors, publishers, bloggers, and many more. Writing isn't easy, but having so many people on my side sure made it easier! Thanks to everyone who has helped spread the word about my book. You guys rock!

blurb:

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?

Find me here:


Twitter: @KimberlyAnnNJ: https://twitter.com/#!/KimberlyAnnNJ

Blog: http://writersbytheshore.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000972287894

Tumblr: http://kimberlyannmiller.tumblr.com/

Email: KAMillerWrites (at) aol (dot) com

Website: kimberlyannmiller.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13610402-triangles

Triangles on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrianglesYA?ref=hl

Find it at Barnes and Noble here:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/triangles-kimberly-ann-miller/1109892772?ean=9781937053369

Find it at Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/Triangles-Kimberly-Ann-Miller/dp/1937053369/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355042130&sr=1-1&keywords=triangles+kimberly+miller

Find it at The Book Depository here:

http://www.bookdepository.com/Triangles-Kimberly-Ann-Miller/9781937053369


AND: Spencer Hill Press is giving away a cruise to help celebrate the release! Information on the Win a Cruise contest can be found on their website here:

http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/Triangles_Sweepstakes.html

Saturday, June 15, 2013

BREAKING GLASS BLOG TOUR!






BREAKING GLASS from Spencer Hill Press, July 2013
by Lisa Amowitz 


On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he’s not sure whether they’re real or if he’s losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.
ISBN: 978-1937053383

Author bio:

Lisa Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied ant hills. And drew. A lot.
When she hit her teens, she realized that Long Island was too small for her and she needed to escape. So she went to college in Pittsburgh. Go figure.
On leaving college, Lisa became a graphic designer living in New York City. She eventually married her husband of a zillion years, had two lovely children, and was swept away to a fairy tale life in the Bronx, where, unbelievably there are more trees and wilderness than her hometown. She can see the Hudson River from her kitchen window.
Lisa has been a professor of Graphic Design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children.
BREAKING GLASS which will be released in July, 2013 from Spencer Hill Press, is her first published work. VISION, the first of the Finder series will be released in 2014, along with an unnamed sequel in the following year. LIFE AND BETH will also be released in the near future, along with graphic novel style art. 

Giveaway:



Giveaway items:
(1)   custom pendant like the one pictured on the book cover
(2) signed ARCS
(1) original work of Breaking Glass related art created and signed by the author.

 

Thursday, June 13, 2013

TRIANGLES COMES OUT NEXT WEEK!!!



It’s finally here—my very first book, Triangles, will be released into the wild on June 18, 2013! 


I want to thank everyone who supported me, beta read or critiqued for me, and helped to spread the word via your blog, Facebook, Twitter, or word of mouth. Without my family, friends, coworkers, bloggers, editors, readers, and cyberfriends, Triangles would not be where it is today. Thank you all!!!

This has been an incredible journey, and I hope Triangles makes many people as happy as it has made me!

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Manuscript Notes

I just pulled out a rough draft the other day to begin edits. While reading through the first few chapters I noticed notes I had made to myself about things I wanted to change in a future drafts. I was reminded of how I've changed making notes to myself within a manuscript over time. Mainly what popped into mind was another manuscript I was polishing a couple of months ago. I noticed a note to myself at the end of the manuscript.

I was shocked I had missed it so many times through the manuscript. Yet, at the same time I'm not to surprised. When I first began making notes to myself in drafts it was simple. I would put parenthesis around the note and the note itself would be in italics. Not the best method and I quickly found out during the editing process that I tended to miss them occasionally. I needed to devise a new method.

Then I ran across another blog post, one where the writer mentioned how she notates within her manuscripts. I can't remember now exactly what it was, but she would insert a symbol before the note. This got me thinking I wanted to have a way to easily find my notes, but I also didn't want to have to go through the process of inserting a symbol while the juices were flowing. So, I landed on adding an astrik before and after the note. Quick and easy!

This is the type of note I found in this most recent manuscript. I felt a wave of relief as I was going through it, realizing that all I have to do is a search for an * to find all of my notes. No more running across a note in a final draft. If the astrik doesn't come up in a search of the entire document, then I will know all of my notes have been addressed.

How do you make notes to yourself during the drafting and editing stages?