Interview with Kelly Hashway

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing an extraordinary author. Meet Kelly Hashway. She's super sweet and super smart and types up books faster than a speeding train. Not that speeding trains type up books, but you get the picture. Anyway, let's have a chat with her, and you'll see how cool she is for yourself!

Welcome to We Do Write, Kelly! Tell us a bit about yourself.

Thanks for having me. Well, I'm a former language arts teacher turned writer and freelance editor. I'm also the mother of a beautiful six-year-old girl. I currently live in PA with my husband, daughter, and our three pets.

How long have you been writing?

I remember writing when I was in elementary school. I wrote short stories and even a novel. But I'd say I got serious about writing in 2009.

Tell us about STALKED BY DEATH, the sequel to TOUCH OF DEATH. What’s the story about?

Stalked by Death is the story of a group of necromancers descended from Medusa who are trying to avoid a war with Hades. Here's the official blurb:

Jodi knows that any slip-ups made by the Ophi—a special group of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac—will fall on her shoulders... and that Hades is just waiting for them to screw up so he can wipe out the Ophi line.

Unfortunately, Jodi has only convinced one Ophi to join her school: A hot guy named Chase who jeopardizes her relationship with Alex. Jodi loves Alex, but Chase can enhance her powers with just a touch—making her stronger than any Ophi has ever been.

Her mixed emotions send her powers surging out of control, and the dead start rising without her conscious summoning—exactly what Hades doesn't want! If she chooses Alex over Chase, she may lose the battle to Hades, leading the Ophi race to extinction. If she chooses Chase, she might be able to stop Hades for good… but lose everything else.

Jodi needs to figure things out fast--because death is stalking her at every turn.

So cool! How did the idea of the story come to you?

When I originally wrote Touch of Death, I wasn't planning to make it a series, but my agent suggested tweaking the ending, and as soon as I did, I knew there was more story to tell. The pieces sort of fell into place from there.

Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I have a critique group and beta readers, and I self-edit. LOL

The perfect mix! Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I'm a plotter, but I've been known to totally throw my planning out the window and let my characters take over. Still, I go through the planning so I don't ever sit facing a blank screen.

Yay, a fellow plotter! *high fives* What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

I get obsessive when I draft. I want to get the story out as quickly as possible, but life doesn't always allow that to happen. I am a mom, wife, and pet owner after all. Being torn between my characters and my family is tough sometimes.

I totally hear you! What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

A notebook. Even though I have discovered the joy of Scrivener, I still make some cheat sheets by hand in a notebook I keep next to my laptop.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

I want to be able to teleport. I hate losing time to travel. Think of all the writing I could do if I could just teleport everywhere. :)

That would definitely come in handy. What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

I'm going to have to say morgue walk-in refrigerators. It was for research purposes for this series, but I kind of wonder if my name was flagged after looking into breaking bodies out of morgues. ;)

*shudders at the thought of morgues* But seriously, I think that's the mark of a true writer: getting flagged and put on a watch list. ;)

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: touch, stalker, and facetious.

I thought she was being facetious when she said she wanted to touch the stalker's abs, but the smile on her face tells me she meant it.

Awesome sentence. Finish this one: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ... 

playing with my daughter.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

I have so many people to thank. My family, my amazing agent, Lauren Hammond, everyone at Spencer Hill Press and Month9Books, my CPs, my writer friends, the awesome book bloggers who spread the word about my books, my fellow Scene13 and YA Bound bloggers, and every reader who choses one of my books among the millions out there. I love you all!

And finally, where can people find you and your books online?

You can find my books on Amazon, B&N, Book Depository, and wherever else books are sold.
My blog is: http://kellyhashway.blogspot.com
My website is: www.kellyhashway.com
I'm on Twitter: @kellyhashway
And I'm on FB: https://www.facebook.com/kellyhashway

Kelly, thank you so much for chatting with us. I have shelf space saved specifically for the Touch of Death series!