Books for kids, teens, & those who are young at heart

Author: Katie L. Carroll (Page 52 of 142)

INTO THE FIRE by Kelly Hashway Blitz Tour

Let’s give a big welcome to Kelly Hashway as she celebrates her newest release, the YA paranormal romance INTO THE FIRE. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
Hi, Kelly! What inspired you to write INTO THE FIRE?
When I was growing up, my mother watched reruns of the original TV series Dark Shadows. There were a few episodes that featured a woman who was a Phoenix. Every so many years she’d die in fire and be reborn from the ashes. For some reason, this stuck with me and I knew I had to write about a cast of characters who were Phoenixes.

 

The target audience for INTO THE FIRE are teens. What books had the most influence on you when you were that age?
I loved paranormal and horror novels. I was constantly reading those, which I’m sure is why I write them today. I can’t really pinpoint any specific titles though. It was the genres themselves that influenced me.
 
If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring two books and one movie, what would you bring?
Only two books? That’s a nightmare! Okay, I’ll go with Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. Those are still my top two picks even though they’ve been out for years. As for the movie, I’ll pick Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two. You can’t go wrong with that one because there are so many emotions involved.
 
You write a lot of paranormal stories. What is it about that genre that keeps you coming back?
To me, paranormal is the real world but better. Anything can happen and people tend to have extraordinary abilities. I feel like there’s always something new to discover in this genre.

What is the single best piece of advice you have for aspiring authors?
The best advice is probably the simplest. Read. It’s the best form of research you can do (not to mention the most fun), and by reading you’re supporting the industry you want to work in.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’ve always wanted to fly, mostly because I hate driving. 😉 I used to dream about flying when I was very little though, so the obsession started long before I got my driver’s license. I’ve always envied birds because they can walk, run, or fly. It would be really cool to soar above the world and see it from a different perspective.

 

INTO THE FIRE by Kelly Hashway
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
– SYNOPSIS –
In one month’s time, seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman will die and be reborn from her own ashes…
Her life of secrecy has never been easy. She’s watched her younger brother, Jeremy, burn and rise again in a coming-of-age process called rebirth. And just like her brother, when her time comes, she won’t remember anything from her first life other than she’s a Phoenix—a member of a small group of people descended from the mythical Phoenix bird.
The last thing she needs to worry about is falling for the new guy in town—Logan Schmidt.
Cara is drawn to Logan in a way she can’t explain, but she’s not exactly complaining. Everything is perfect…except it’s not. Once she’s reborn, she’ll forget Logan. And to make things worse, a Phoenix Hunter is on the loose, and Cara’s involvement with Logan is bringing out her Phoenix qualities—the very qualities that will draw the Hunter right to her.
Desperate times call for desperate measures…
Afraid of hurting Logan, Cara breaks it off for good. But her attraction to him runs deeper than a typical high school crush. She wants him—needs him. And if he proves willing to stay by her side, their love might destroy them both.
Can Cara hide from the Phoenix Hunters long enough to survive her rebirth? And if so, will it mean a new beginning with Logan—or the beginning of the end?

 

 

– PURCHASE –

 

 

– ABOUT THE AUTHOR –
Kelly Hashway grew up reading R.L. Stein’s Fear Street novels and writing stories of her own, so it was no surprise to her family when she majored in English and later obtained a masters degree in English Secondary Education from East Stroudsburg University. After teaching middle school language arts for seven years, Hashway went back to school and focused specifically on writing. She is now the author of three young adult series, one middle grade series, and several picture books. She also writes contemporary romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. When she isn’t writing, Hashway works as a freelance editor for small presses as well as for her own list of clients. In her spare time, she enjoys running, traveling, and volunteering with the PTO. Hashway currently resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and two pets.

 

 

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Busy Times and The Great CT Caper Book Launch

The school visits have all been wonderful so far! (I’ll have some really fun stuff to share from them soon when I get a chance to breathe.) Two more single workshops this week and then I’m done for awhile.

Also, I’ll be attending THE GREAT CT CAPER book launch (registration required, but the event is free) on Monday, February 29, 2016 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m, hosted by the CT Humanities. The middle grade serialized mystery is now a hardcover book. Meet some of the authors and illustrators, enjoy light refreshments, and snag some Caper goodies.

How Do You Like to Connect With Authors and Readers?

Doing a little crowdsourcing here on how readers like to connect with authors, and also how authors are connecting to readers. I’m at a point where I’m looking at marketing and such for my published works and coming up with plans for future works, so I wanted to hear from all of you, both readers and authors.

Any and all answers are much appreciated! And I’d love to hear specifics in the comments if you’ve had a particular successful way you’ve connected to an author or reader.

 

February Writing Life Update

February has historically been my least favorite month. It’s a low part of the year for me for some reason that I’ve never been able to adequately pinpoint. I think the weather is part of it. Here in southern New England, the days are short and cold and spring feels a long way off. (Although we did have a nice stretch of warmish weather last week.)

This year I think I’m going to be too busy for the late-winter blahs. In addition to reading a lot, I’m deep in querying mode for one project; looking forward to carving out some writing time for a new project that has yet to move out of the “rumination stage,” as I like to call it; and excited (and nervous!) to have a bunch of school visits booked up for the second half of the month. (Not to mention hanging out with the boys!)

The nerves are because I’m feeling a little rusty as I haven’t done any youth writing workshops since last June, and because some of the upcoming workshops are for students that are a little younger than I’ve worked with before, and because it’s a lot of visits in a short amount of time. But I love working with the students, so I know once I practice a few more times and get going with the first one, I’ll be fine.

It’s the change of mentality I think that’s tripping me up. I spent a good deal of the second half of 2015 in writing and then revision mode (very internal acts), so it’s required a brain shift to move into the more external acts of querying and workshop teaching. Both are important parts of my creative life, but as I get older, I feel like the transition from one to the other has gotten harder.

One of these school visits I’ll remember to have someone take a few pictures of me teaching a writing workshop so I can share it here. What’s in store for all of you this month and the rest of winter?

BLUE BONES by Rick Starkey Cover Reveal

BluesBonesCoverBlue Bones

by Rick Starkey

Release Date: March 7, 2016

Thirteen-year-old Rodney Becker has found the perfect cure for stage fright. Voodoo!

Armed with the stolen finger bones of a dead blues guitar player and a mishmash of voodoo spells from the Internet, he and his best friend enter a graveyard at midnight to perform their ritual. Now, all that stands in his way of winning a local guitar competition is the power of RETURN – a side effect of the voodoo that spells disaster for Rodney.

His cure has become a curse. How else can he explain jamming his finger so bad he can’t hold a guitar pick, his part-time dad stealing his guitar, and his mom getting into an accident that could have taken her life?

How much is Rodney willing to risk to achieve his dream of being a guitar legend?

Pre-Order Sale Price of just $2.99 – regular price starting March 7th.

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About the Author:
Rick-StarkeyRick Starkey is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature. His main interest is writing novels for middle grade. Rick has sold short pieces to Highlights for Children including a game, magic tricks, and a short story. Knowing that most writers often wish that they had started their career earlier in life, Rick teaches a basic course for the Talented and Gifted Program (T.A.G.) at Walter’s State Community College in Morristown Tennessee. Rick’s students learn the basics of magazine submissions including cover and query letters, market research, and manuscript preparation. The T.A.G. program is for students grades 5 – 8 and come from seven counties in East Tennessee.

Rick lives in a 200-year-old log cabin in the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where he and his wife, Betty, own and run Make It Magic, a magic shop and craft store. A day in Rick’s life includes recommending and performing magic tricks for customers of all ages, carving a bear from a log with a chainsaw, and working on his next novel.

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