Guest Post: Author Kelly Hashway

Books: 

Touch of Death (Touch of Death, #1)
Stalked by Death (Touch of Death, #2)

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.

Highs and Lows

When I first stepped into the world of publishing, I had dreams of writing an amazing book and becoming a best seller.  I mean I grew up devouring book after book.  I knew what a great book looked like.  Kind of cute how naive I was, right?

I learned right off the bat that this industry is tough.  I received a ton of rejections when I tried to get my foot in the door by selling short stories to magazines.  But.... I kept writing.  And I kept reading.  Eventually, I did start selling my short stories and that momentum fueled me to rewrite my first novel for the third time.  Yes, third.  And while I queried agents and piled up the rejections, I wrote another book and another.  I cried many times, wondering if my dream was just that... a dream.  But I kept writing.  And I kept reading.

A year and a half after I began seeking publication, I found my agent.  Finally, I thought, this is it!  My agent took my book out on submission and I waited and kept writing.  During that time, I wrote a book called Touch of Death.  Drafting it in 14 days and working through revisions and my agent's edits.  All while the book we had out on subs remained unsold.  I had high hopes for Touch of Death, but as the months passed, my heart felt heavy and I wondered again if my dream was too far out of reach.  But I kept writing.  And I kept reading.

When my agent called me late one evening, I had just gone to bed after crying over how tough this industry is.  She said those magical words to me: "Your book sold."  I was speechless.  I laughed.  I cried.  And then I kept writing.

I think any writer you talk to will tell you publishing is tough.  It's full of highs and lows.  But in the end, the struggles make the successes that much better.  And through it all, you have to keep writing and reading because that's the heart of what we do.


**Thank you so much Kelly for stopping by!  I can only imagine what the process must have been like, but it was worth it if you ask me.  Touch of Death has become one of my favorites and for those of you readers out there who haven't had the chance to read it yet, go out and get yourself a copy...you won't regret it!