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!

Happy Holidays from the Valley of the Sun!

Well, this might be my last blog until the new year. I'm taking off a couple of weeks with hubby to play around the Valley of the Sun. Lots of local fun stuff that we never seem to get around to doing.

It's been cold and wet here the past few days. Highs in the 50s and lows near freezing. We don't usually get this cold until January so it's a real treat. And there's more of the wet stuff predicted for next week. We're turning on the fireplace this weekend.

Have a wonderful holiday season. Drink lots of cocoa.

Happy New Year and happy reading!

Desert Magick: Superstitions Available!

Well, after a delay, Desert Magick: Superstitions is now available for purchase! Where: www.barnesandnoble.com, www.amazon.com, as well as many other online book stores now have it. You can also order it from the large brick and mortar stores in your neighborhood, such as Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, etc.... I'm so relieved my publisher got this one out before the holidays. You can always pop over to my website www.danadaviswriting.com for more info and to watch the video.

So now, I'm on the marketing boat for Desert Magick, in addition to working on other books. I got a little behind on the synopsis for my adult sci-fi but should have the final draft completed by the end of December. That's the goal anyway. Might not complete it since hubby and I are taking off 2 weeks. We plan to stick close to home and do some stuff around the Valley of the Sun, like local museums, movies, hiking, biking, stuff like that. Yeah, I've told you before, writers aren't usually the most exciting people.

I'll post updates on the new teen fantasy ebook as I get them. That one will probably be out in about a year. My publisher for this one (SynerbEbooks) will let me know a publication date as it gets closer.

Meanwhile, I'm reorganizing my office. Hubby bought me a new desk for the holidays and we spent the weekend setting it up. I have more work space and more places to hide stuff. My office seems larger with the new layout too. I'm almost done putting things away. Just a couple more adjustments and I'll be done! Well, that's it for now. Get out there and finish your shopping.

Happy reading!

Buy Local Week in Phoenix!

Well, I just heard that the mayor of Phoenix has declared Dec. 8-14, 2008 Buy Local Week. So get out there and spend money in your community. Hubby and I will be purchasing the masa for our holiday green corn tamales this week. Tamales are a holiday staple around these parts. If you don't want to, or are just too darned busy to make your own, check out the local stores and farmers' markets. They usually carry several varieties.

On the publishing front, Desert Magick: Superstitions is getting closer to being available for purchase. Thanks so much for your patience this last month. I should receive my sample copy for approval in a few days. If it looks good, then we're set. Check back for more info.

Happy reading!

Desert Magick Update

Well, I promised to keep readers apprised of Desert Magick Superstitions. It went to print yesterday. So, there is still hope it will be available for purchase before the holidays. Check back here or on my website www.danadaviswriting.com for more news.

And congrats to my brother, who's work is being published again in his university magazine. You go, bro!

Happy reading!

Winter in the Valley of the Sun

I hope those of you in the U.S. had a nice Thanksgiving. Unfortunately for my family, my grandmother died the day before Thanksgiving. She was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's and I think was ready to leave this existence. That day was also my nephew's birthday, the first after his recent death, so we had a bit of an emotional weekend. This has been a trying year for my family but we're doing well and looking forward to the new year.

Desert Magick: Superstitions has had a delay in publishing, as I'm sure most of you who've been following my blog already know. The publisher made a few mistakes so we're working to get those fixed before it goes to print. Yeah, it happens and I just have to roll with it. For those of you who have been inquiring, I will post as soon as the book is available for purchase. I hope those who took the National Novel Writing Month challenge at least got a good start on your novel. I finished editing two last month--is it December already?-- and got several chapters written on a first draft. I feel good about that.

I'm also feeling good about the weather. It's finally winter in the Valley of the Sun and time to break out those sweaters and jackets. And by that, I mean highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s. Those of you in snow country are probably laughing your butts off right about now. But hey, when you get 7 months of 100 plus degrees, 70 is darn cold! We love it and are outside in droves walking and biking, grateful to be able to flaunt those colorful exercise pants we bought three months ago but couldn't wear and thankful they still fit after all that food we just ate. Now, where is that last slice of pumpkin pie?

Happy reading!

Meniere's woes!

Well, I've been getting questions about my plight with Meniere's Disease from several people lately and thought I'd post here. The disease (vertigo, dizziness, tinnitus, fluctuating hearing loss and other symptoms) is acting up again. About a year ago, after I had gone a year without a major vertigo attack, my ENT (ear/nose/throat doc) informed me that I might be in remission. This doesn't mean the disease goes away--It just means the vertigo that kept me in bed for hours at a time had disappeared. Remission can last a few weeks to a few years to forever and I was thrilled. So I began to live normally again and not worry about stress or my salt, caffeine and sugar intake. Basically living like a normal person, eating like a normal person, pretending to be a normal person. (Though I certainly can't travel or go on roller coasters without meds.)

Anyway, this whole behaving like I was normal was probably a bad move on my part. The past week, I've been experiencing what I call mini-attacks, vertigo that lasts a few seconds, accompanied by hours or days of the crooked, or fun-house, effect. So, I've been napping more, trying to cut down on stress and have given up caffeine again. This is major since I love coffee and chocolate! I've been adding more sweat-inducing workouts to my schedule and getting on the trampoline again. Jumping helps me with the dizziness for some reason.

I can't complain too much as I'm one of the lucky ones. Some Meniere's sufferers I know can't even get out of bed, much less drive, work, go to classes, movies, dinners, etc....

Though this blog will remain focused on writing/reading/publishing, I'll post my plight with Meniere's from time to time.

Happy writing!
And Happy Thanksgiving to my US readers!

Desert Magick: Superstitions Delayed

Okay, so I had to cancel an upcoming appearance at the local ArtFest because of Desert Magick Superstitions delays in printing. Ah, so goes the biz. I'm not worried. Just a few minor corrections and we'll be on our way. Hopefully before the holidays. Also, I've got a nibble from another publisher on another novel. I made it to round two. Which basically means they liked the initial submission, synopsis and first 3 chapters. I've been here before so not getting excited.

Meanwhile, I'm still writing other stuff, as it's still National Novel Writing Month, for a couple of weeks anyway, and submitting other work to publishers. It's a never ending process of submissions, rejections, and occasional acceptances. Those are the best, of course. I'll post more on my publishing adventures as I go along.

Happy reading and writing!

Get your pen on! It's National Novel Writing Month!

November is National Novel Writing Month. If you've been writing that book in your head but just haven't gotten it in the computer or ever read a book and thought, gee, I can write better than that, now is your chance. Experienced writers and novices all over the country are accepting the challenge to get started on that novel they've been putting off for whatever reason.

Okay, so what am I doing about it, you ask? Well, I'm editing two novels and writing another two. Light a fire under your butt yet? Yeah, that's a glove to your face.

I challenge those in the Valley of the Sun and around the country to get to that computer or get out that pen and paper and write that novel! If you need more of a challenge than me and my glove, or some loving inspiration, visit http://www.nanowrimo.org/ and get your pen on!

Happy reading and writing!

President-Elect!

Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama! Good luck with your term.