Beth Consugar

Kelly Hashway, author of "May the Best Dog Win" has taken some time out of her busy schedule for an interview. Welcome Kelly!

I am thrilled to have a chance to interview you. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule! You must be thrilled to have a picture book published!

Thanks for having me! I'm very excited about this book.

Your picture book, "May the Best Dog Win" will be released soon. What was your inspiration for Dash and his fight with Super Sweeper 5000?

I'm one of those crazy people who vacuums everyday. Wait, am I the only one who does that? Well, I'm obsessed with vacuuming because I have two pets. One is a huge German shepherd, and she's afraid of the vacuum. She sniffs it, runs away, comes back, gets in the vacuum's way, and then takes off again. You'd think she'd be used to it since I vacuum everyday, but she's not. So this got me wondering what my dog thought the vacuum was. MAY THE BEST DOG WIN developed from there.

Do you have any more adventures planned for Dash?

I would love to write more adventures for Dash. I do have one in the planning stages, but I'm waiting to see how well this book does before I write another.

Besides "May the Best Dog Win" you have written a number of stories and articles that have been published as well as two novels. Do you enjoy one over another? What is your favorite age group to write for?

I'm happiest when I'm writing multiple things. I have a special place in my heart for fantasy and having taught in a 7-12 school for seven years, writing middle grade and young adult comes most naturally to me. I spend a good portion of my day reading picture books to my four-year-old daughter, so I really enjoy writing those, too. But I also like to write outside my comfort zone, trying other genres. What can I say? I love it all!

How long have you been writing? What has drawn you to write for children, teens, and young adults?

I can't remember ever not writing. Even in elementary school I was writing stories. But I got serious about writing in 2004 when I wrote two practice novels that will sit on my flash drives. I also enrolled in writing courses, which have really helped. I write for children of all ages because I love kids. I think it's difficult being a kid, and I respect everything kids go through to find their way in this world. If I can bring them joy through my books, then I'm happy. 

Can you tell us what you are working on next?

Right now I'm working on a middle grade trilogy, which is of course a fantasy.

For fun:

Favorite color?

Green 

Favorite book?

The Great Gatsby

Favorite author?

Ah, this is hard. I have so many. Rick Riordan and Kelley Armstrong--yes, I'm cheating.

Favorite activity (other than reading or writing)?

Playing with my daughter

Thank you for taking time to do this.

Thanks so much for having me, Beth. It was fun!

"May the Best Dog Win" will be released in May 2011. For a chance to win a copy of Kelly's book, leave a comment. A winner will be chosen on Saturday, April 30.

See Kelly on the web:  http://www.kellyhashway.com/