New blog - travel for writers series and ghost hunt!

New blog posts are up. Check out my travel places series for writers and read about my first paranormal investigation at http://blogs.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

I still haven't figured out how to link this old blog with the new one on myspace. Or how to get my myspace blog to appear as an RSS feed.

New Blog posts are up!

New blog entry available but I apologize for the underlining. Not sure how that got there since I didn't hit that icon. http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Dana's Blah Blah moving to myspace!

More desert drama.

This will be a short post today. My family lost a good friend on Saturday and one of my aunts died this morning. The aunt who was in ICU had another surgery on Saturday and is back in ICU.

Desert Magick: Dream Catcher is finished and on to my editor. I'll make the final revision after I get her comments. I'm starting on the next novel in the series.

Thanks to everyone who has been sending well wishes to my family.

Drama in the desert.

The past couple of weeks have been busy, as well as a bit stressful. My aunt has been in the hospital twice for internal bleeding and is still in ICU. Please send out good wishes to her. She could really use them.

In more upbeat news, our pool is getting a waterfall installed today, after 3 days of spraying the pool's shotcrete down several times a day in 100 degree heat. Of course, this is extremely wet work, what with all the extra holes in our water hose. Somehow it got trampled or axed during pool construction and now we get a shower every time we use it. The supervisor has promised to deliver a new one soon. LOL

I've finished another chapter in Desert Magick: Dream Catcher and am fairly certain I will have the manuscript to my editor by the end of June. And in case you missed my previous blogs, the first book, Desert Magick: Superstitions took Finalist award in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. I'm thrilled to receive this honor. And a big woohoo goes out to friend and fellow writer Fairlee for winning first prize! You go girl!

If you're in the Phoenix area, I'll be doing a Literary Tea at the English Rose Tea Room in Carefree on September 20th. Everyone attending will get a signed copy of Desert Magick: Superstitions. We will have a formal tea together and they have asked me to read and do a Q&A session. I will also present tasty tidbits about witches, ghosts and other paranormal phenomena in the book to add to the fun. For more info and to make reservations, please visit www.carefreetea.com.

Happy Reading!

Oops, publishing correction!

Well, in all my speedy typing to get social networks and blog updated, I put the wrong publication month for Breach of Worlds. It's scheduled for July not June. Yes, writers make mistakes. About a gazillion of them. LOL

Boy, this week we've reached 107! Nearly toppling records. We'll see what today brings but it's already warm. Last night we had a bit of rain around the valley and lots of wind and lightening. Monsoon like weather and it's only May!

Appts today then back to work on Desert Magick: Dream Catcher. Ah, my glamorous life!

Happy reading.

Desert Magick: Superstitions Honored!

Well, I'm excited today because I just found out that Desert Magick: Superstions has been named a Finalist in the Fantasy category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Hubby is taking me out to my favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate!

Happy Reading!

The Heat is On in the Valley of the Sun!

Yikes, it's been 100 degrees for a week now! Hubby and I are putting in a new pool and we were hoping to have it finished before the triple digit heat. Ah, well. At least, we'll have water soon.

I'm very distracted and working hard on getting my writing done, what with all the jackhammer noise and the mini-bobcat that rolls past my office window every few minutes. Another day of this and they should have the hole finished. One more day, only one more day...

Meanwhile, Desert Magick: Dream Catcher is coming along. I hope to be finished with the draft for my editor by the end of June. Breach of Worlds is scheduled for release in June so I'll keep posting updates on that. The heat is on!

Happy reading!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Well, it's Cinco de Mayo. Hope you're planning for some yummy Mexican food today! It's a Southwest favorite around these parts.

I'm plugging away on the Desert Magick sequel and also planning ahead for the 3rd book in the series. Each book stands alone but the characters return in subsequent books, along with new characters, to kick evil's butt in the Valley of the Sun. Of course, today, they're taking a break for some yummy enchiladas.

And if you're wondering just how glamorous a writer's life is, I'm headed to a dentist appointment then to the eye doc. Yes, I'm an insane writer, but I'm also human. At least, last time I checked. Now go get some tacos!

Happy reading!

Monday crazy in the desert!

Okay, so it's Monday and I'm waiting on yet another service guy to show up so I can get to my exercise class on time. At this point, looks like I may have to skip it today. Sigh.

Meanwhile, kudos to my niece, Sky, who won 4 first place trophies at her dance competition! You rock, cutie! Okay, so I'm a bit proud. After all, her auntie here started out life as a dancer, then migrated to theater and film/TV, before focusing on writing. Boy, do I have some stories to tell about that former life. Uh-hum. Well, that's another story for another time. Preferably when all my nieces and nephews are grandparents!

So this week I'll be writing, while trying to organize workers and get our new pool installed. Noise, dust and frustrations can make me one crazy in the desert. At least it's in the 80s today so that's a boon. Back to work on Desert Magick series.

Happy reading!

Grand Desert Days!

Well, I had a blast Saturday at the Grand Desert Days in Morristown, AZ. I enjoyed reading to an audience and answering questions about my books and about publishing. If you were there, thanks so much for stopping by. While there, I was asked to speak to a local writers group this summer and am looking forward to that, as well. And we had nice weather too, so a big thanks goes out to Mother Nature! Especially since we're supposed to reach 100 today. Early even for us. My a/c kicked on a while ago.

I took the morning to work out and run some much-needed errands. Now that all that is done, I can get to some serious work on the next Desert Magick book. Had several requests on Saturday for a sneak preview, as well as a publication date. Trying very hard to get finish so my editor can go over it this summer. Goal is to have it published before the end of this year.

Also, I heard from my publisher that my young adult fantasy Breach of Worlds is scheduled for release this summer, and my adult Teadai Prophecies fantasy trilogy should follow soon afterward. I'll post when those ebooks are available and in what formats as soon as I know.

Happy reading!

Grand Desert Days and NASA!

I've been gearing up for the 2nd Annual Grand Desert Days Festival and Charity Event this Saturday, April 18th. I'll be reading from my new novel Desert Magick: Superstitions and, boy, has it been a challenge finding an excerpt tame enough for any junior ears that may wander in. But I found one! I'm scheduled to read at 1:15pm but will be signing books from 10am - 2pm. If you're in the Phoenix area, please come out and join the fun. More info on the appearances page of my website www.danadaviswriting.com

Meanwhile, while recently going over some old family photos, I was reminded of my kid-dom days when I used to stomp around NASA's Johnson Space Center. My brother and I used to walk around the grounds and the buildings back in the day. We really loved that and eating at the cafe with the workers. Our grandfather was an engineer for NASA at Cape Canaveral and Huntsville in the 70s, and I remember watching the Apollo-Soyuz launch from the beach with the other families. Yep, I'm dating myself here. But, hey, I'm younger than the Brady kids. Grandpa told us he launched the rocket by pressing the button with his right index finger. Of course, we kids believed him. Grandpa was a storyteller as well as an engineer. One of my nieces now works at NASA, so guess we're keepin' it in the family! I told her when she finishes her astronomy degree, I get to pick her brain for my sci-fi novels.

Well, back to rehearsing that excerpt.

Happy reading!

Allergy season in the Valley of the Sun!

Well, hubby and I have been dealing with seasonal allergies the past couple of weeks. Difficult to write when your eyes are watering and you keep sneezing every few minutes. Sheesh! You wouldn't think allergies exist in the desert, but let me tell you, they hit here with a vengeance. I read and article today that said we get a triple whammy because everything pollinates at once around here. Even so, I still love having the windows open. It's in the 80s today and I can't imagine not having that fresh air in my home.

My over-the-counter meds kicked in and I finally stopped all the allergy stuff, so I can now concentrate on Desert Magick: Dream Catcher novel. Am working hard to get it finished and published by the end of the year. My electronic novels, Breach of Worlds and the Teadai Prophecies trilogy for adults, are scheduled for release this year. I'll post when I have a set publication date. Meanwhile, Daisy, Bridgette and Noah are kicking butt in my newest novel, along with a new character, so I'd better get back to them. Yes, characters take on a life of their own and boy do they let me know when I'm ignoring them. Hm, maybe I should give one of them a few allergies just for bugging me today.

For those in the Phoenix area, I'll be reading from Desert Magick: Superstitions out in Morristown on April 18th at 1:15pm. Info is the appearances page of my website www.danadaviswriting.com

Take care out there and stay away from that pollen.

Happy reading!

Battlestar Galactica - frakking great show!

Well, hubby and I watched the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica over the weekend and we're both sad to see it go. It was one frakking great show, as I'm sure those of you out there who are fans will attest. One hot and adventurous sci-fi series with some great writing and fantastic special effects. I hope the sci-fi channel can come up with another series just at good in the near future. We'll be watching.

Meanwhile, it's back to work on the Desert Magick series, as well as submitting another of my sci-fi books for publication. I'm on hubby's computer this morning as he's in my office telecommuting to France. Poor guy's been up since midnight. But he'll be off soon for a nap and I'll have my office back.

I also finally picked up a copy of Acorna, the Unicorn Girl by Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball and am enjoying it. What did you think, we writers read our own stuff for entertainment? No way! First chance I get, I pick up somebody else's book. I usually read three or more at one time. Only three lately, as I'm frakking busy.

Happy reading!

Fountain Hills Book Festival

Thanks to everyone who came out the Fountain Hills Book Festival on Saturday. It was a pleasure to meet with you and sign your books. I really appreciate your coming out and supporting all the local writers and the library. The weather was perfect, if a bit windy at times, but that's FH for you. And the green geyser in honor of St Paddy's Day just added to the friendly ambiance of the day.

I'm back to work today. Doing final edit on 3rd book in trilogy so I can get it to my publisher by the end of the week. Then back to Desert Magick series. We're supposed to hit the 90s by the weekend so get out there and enjoy the cool weather while you can.

Happy reading!

Book Festival and St Paddy's Day fun!

I'm gearing up for the Fountain Hills Book Festival on the 14th. If you're in the Phoenix area, please drop by and say howdie. I'll be signing copies of Desert Magick Superstitions, as well as my award-winning teen novel The Mask of Tamirella, at Gridley's booth just outside the library. And there will be lots and lots of books, as well as speakers and refreshments. A great day for anyone who loves reading and/or writing. Lots of fun in the sun!

And I believe the St Paddy's Day fair is going on near the geyser that same day. I'm thinking I'll wear something green. Well, my eyes are green, so I already have a built-in "Don't pinch me!" excuse. I used it all during school. Hope to see you there.

Well, off to finish up some writing chores.

Happy reading!

Stinging nettles?

Okay, so I went out to get the paper this morning, usually hubby's job, and decided to pull a few weeds while I was there. Hubby and I do this all the time. Yank a few here, a few there as they tend to pop up after rains. Anyway, I spent maybe 3 minutes pulling said weeds when my fingers started to burn and itch. I dropped the weeds into an empty flower pot and went inside to wash my hands. My fingers were turning bright red and starting to swell, so I yanked my rings off and smeared aloe vera on my hands. The burning subsided but the redness and swelling took about 45 minutes to go down. We keep antihistamine in the house for scorpion stings but I don't like taking them because they make me wiggy, so I skipped them.

I've never, ever had a reaction like this and with a little online digging, found that we probably had some stinging nettle weeds in the yard and that's what caused my fingers to go all red and ugly. Yeah, I know, use gloves! Well, we do use gloves when digging around in holes and under plants and rocks, since we have poisonous snakes, spiders and scorpions here. But we don't usually need gloves to pull pesky grass and weeds that like to disrupt our xeriscaped yard. Lesson learned though. I will use gloves next time.

Now to work on my next novel. Have a great weekend and keep away from weeds!

Happy reading!

Valentine's and President's Day!

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day and that you got President's Day off. Hubby and I bought each other chocolates and he even got me flowers! He took me to a movie and to one of our fave Mexican restaurants for Valentine's and as a celebration of my new 3-book deal. Gotta love that man of mine!

Of course, by Sunday I had some sort of stomach bug and had to go on a soup and cracker diet. Ho-hum. Well, at least I'm feeling better today, though it will be another soup night. Which is just fine with me since we're cold in the Valley of the Sun--in the 60s today. Even had rain again last night. Supposed to get up to 79 by the weekend. Love the weather this time of year. With all the wetness this winter, we might get some awesome wildflowers in March/April. Keep warm out there tonight!

Happy reading!

New fantasy trilogy!

Well, I'm thrilled because I just signed a publishing contract for my new fantasy trilogy. I'll post updates as we get closer to publication but will probably be at least a year. Meanwhile, I'm working diligently to finish the second book in the Desert Magick series and having a great time.

It's also a good time to sequester myself in my office and write because it's darn chilly here in the Valley of the Sun. Highs only in the 60s this week! I'm psyched about that too because I can wear my new vintage leather jacket without sweating.

It's after work hours for me so I'm off to shower and snuggle with hubby by the fire. A great place to read! Stay warm out there.

Happy reading!

All's well in the Valley of the Sun!

Thanks so much for all the good wishes sent out on behalf of my grandmother. She's home recovering now. We're all very relieved. Last year was tough on my family with the loss of my nephew and my other grandmother, so we're very glad to have good news this time.

On a down note, too bad the Cards lost the Superbowl last night. Ah, well, there's always next year. Was a treat seeing all the locals getting jazzed up about it though. Quite a bit of excitement around these parts the past few weeks. Lots of Cardinals flags flying from my neighbors' homes and car antennae. Can you say obsession? Haha.

I've been getting positive feedback on my new book Desert Magick: Superstitions and am thrilled readers are having a good time in that world. Please be advised that this series is for adults. Teens and tweens can check out The Mask of Tamirella and Quest for Freedom, and the upcoming Breach of Worlds at my website www.danadaviswriting.com

Well, back to the old writing grindstone. Stay safe out there.

Happy reading!

Grams doing well!

Thanks so much to all of you who sent well-wishes. My grandmother is better and they're talking about letting her go home today. Seems the doctor screwed up on her meds and gave her some antidepressants while she was in the hospital. This made her condition worse and left her groggy and disoriented. Once they discovered the error and took her off those meds, she began to get better. We won't know if there's any permanent damage from the stroke but for now we're very relieved. Thanks again to all of you.

I'm working on my futuristic sci-fi this week. A little break from the Desert Magick world will give me a chance to pool my thoughts before I finish it up. Hope to have both novels complete and ready for publication by the end of the year. Have a fantastic week.

Happy reading!

Family ills.

I'm staying close to home today for family news. Please send out your good wishes to my grandmother, who had a stroke yesterday. And to my uncle, who is fighting cancer. Thank you.

Book signing!

My humble thanks to everyone who came out to Pages last Saturday for my Desert Magick book signing. It was great chatting with you and signing your books.

This week, I've been bogged down with classes and getting new pics, and I'm anxious to get back to my regular writing schedule. My brain sometimes gets so overloaded with ideas that I have to put on the brakes and shuffle them into some sort of order before I can continue. I just wish I could write as fast as my brain wants me to.

Anyway, I love my job, uh-hum, my career, I should say. Can't think of anything more satisfying for me, except maybe discovering the oldest known civilization or an unknown planet or star. Ah, yes, I can dream. And we're actually getting some rain here in the valley today. Temps around 70 degrees. A nice day to huddle in front of the computer and pound out those ideas. Stay dry out there.

Happy reading!

New Year in the Valley of the Sun!

Okay, so I can't believe it's January 12th already. Where the heck did the last few weeks go? Guess that's what happens when you take a vacation around the holidays. Anyway, I'm back to work full-steam. I'm writing the second novel in my Desert Magick series and having fun with that. I'm also working on a futuristic dark sci-fi that I hope to have completed by the end of the year. At least the first draft anyway. My new teen fantasy Breach of Worlds is now listed at SynergEbooks with other upcoming novels. I don't have a date for that book's release but it will be a few months, at least.

Well, I think that's enough to keep me busy for a while. I have a slew of other novels-to-be waiting for my attention, but I can only work on so many projects at one time and keep my sanity. I hope everyone has a prosperous 2009. May the force be with you this year.

Happy reading!

Vacation over!

Happy New Year! I'm always amazed at how fast two weeks vacation can zip by. Hubby and I had a relaxing time but now, it's back to the writing grindstone. I have two novels screaming for my attention and a gazillion emails to get through. Ah, gotta love Mondays after vacation. To top it off, we actually got fog this morning in the Valley of the Sun. That doesn't happen often around here. Sun is out now and our brilliant blue sky is showing off again.

If you're in the Phoenix area, I'll be signing copies of my new book Desert Magick: Superstitions on January 17th at Pages in Cave Creek. Check out my appearances page at www.danadaviswriting.com for more info.

Happy reading!

Happy New Year!

I'm still on vacation but wanted to pop on to wish everyone a Happy New Year! And if you're in the Phoenix area, please stop by Pages in Cave Creek on January 17th to visit with me. I'll be signing copies of my new paranormal fantasy, Desert Magick: Superstitions. Hope to see you there.

Happy reading!