Dana's Blah Blah Blog

Happy 100th, Arizona!

2012-02-14T10:04:00.002-07:00

Arizona is celebrating our Centennial today. Rather than blog about it, I've decided to show you some of my favorite things and places. I made my Arizona album on Facebook public so you can enjoy photos I've take around this state where I've lived for nearly 14 years now. Just follow the link below and enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.422346468862.198005.591073862&type=1

My Monkish Ways and Writing

2012-02-03T16:34:00.002-07:00

Okay, I admit it. I can be a bit OCD about some things. Likewanting the house clean or the dishes done after a meal or a shower after aworkout. If you’ve ever watched the TV show Monk, you know what I’m talkingabout when I mention my Monkish ways. Now, I’m in no way as bad as thatcharacter. If I were, I’d never get anything productive done. But hubby hastold me he learned new things about me by watching that show. Not sure how I feel about that. Okay, so I don’tlike when things are dirty. And I really don’t like bugs in the house. Really,really, don’t like it.

If you’re squeamish, like I am, you might want to stopreading here. Because this next part ismaking me shiver just thinking about it.

We have one of those glass patiosliding doors leading out to our backyard. They don’t seal all that well, andwe occasionally get bugs coming in through the gaps, usually spiders. Not tomention a few scorpions – Okay, I know they’re not bugs but they’re still yucky.But I’ve never in my life, and I mean never, had a pregger fly get inside andstart laying her young. On the tile right by the patio door. I told you this was gross.

When I saw the little miscreant, I did a Monk dance and madeabout a hundred disgusting faces before I got rid of them and disinfected thefloor. Twice. Then I washed my hands three times, maybe four. I lost count. I’mstill wigged out about the whole thing. Yes, I know, bugs are living creaturesand beneficial to the environment. But flies are dirty, nasty creatures and notat all beneficial to the inside of my home. You and I both know where they liketo hang out. And we both know what fly babies are, don’t we? Shiver.

So, like the dutiful writer I try to be, I worked very hardto stop doing my “This is absolutely disgusting dance” around the house, andthink where I could use this incident in my writing. I don’t write CSI stuff. Iwrite fantasy and sci-fi with a touch of mystery and, oh yeah, sometimeshorror. That’s it! Horror! I just might be able to use it in a horror scene.Well, The Fly has been done. But that was a guy, right? Not a pregger female.Oh, and Buffy had a giant praying mantis teacher lady lay eggs in a basementand try to eat Xander. And of course, they’re both TV shows, not books. Hmm, guessI’ll have to think on this a bit more.

So don’t be surprised if you read a scene in one of myfuture novels that harkens back on the “fly incident” as it’s now known as inmy house. Okay, I’m off to wash my hands. Again.

Happy reading!

Irrational Phobias in Writing

2012-01-18T10:53:00.001-07:00

I recently posted on Facebook about irrational phobias andgot a whole lot of responses, so I decided to write a little more about themand how they’ve been a useful tool in writing for a long time.

I’m a rationalperson, really I am. As a paranormal investigator, I even hunt ghosts, thingsthat tend to scare a lot of folks. There are things that frightened me as a kidand still give me the wiggins even as an adult. I use those memories in mywriting, and sometimes attribute phobias and irrational fears to characters inmy books. It makes them seem more human, with faults, and also can spice up sceneswith a little bit of tension. It’s also cathartic in a face-your-fears sort ofway for me.

Horror writers and film makers have cashed in on phobias, soI know I’m not alone in these irrational fears. I was a kid who, from the timeI can remember, watched horror shows and read ghost stories, so I enjoyed beingscared. At least, when it was a safe scare. Of course, the mind doesn’t alwaysmake rational decisions about what’s scary and what’s not. Take a simple thinglike a doll. Millions of kids play with them every day. So why should anybodyfear them?

Well, when I was a kid, I received an antique doll as a giftfrom my great-grandmother. She spent a lot of time making the beautiful dress, hatand shoes for the doll. Despite all her hard work, I couldn’t get past the glasseyes and the rows of teeth. Yes, it had teeth! The Twilight Zone’s Talky Tinarerun came to mind immediately whenever I looked at this doll. I hadn’t beentoo fond of dolls in the first place, except maybe the Barbie versions, so thisone went straight into my closet with several others. I think it got passed onto a cousin some years later. I never really asked.

Here’s a particularly scary doll with teeth that I foundlisted on ebay. Be warned, she might just fuel some nightmares. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Composition-Baby-Girl-Doll-w-Teeth-13-Tall-LOOK-/370112449635#ht_500wt_1127

Going back to The Twilight Zone’s Talky Tina – She’s somemorable, you can now purchase a replica on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Zone-Talky-Tina-Replica/dp/B004MCO78SYeah, let me just get my credit card out for that.

Chucky is probably the most well-known of the nightmaredolls. At least for my generation. And they made movie sequels, giving him ahomicidal wife. Stores even sold Talking Chucky dolls, complete with replicamurder weapons he used in his movies. Great to have in the family, don’t youthink?

Clowns are another thing I’m not too fond of (real or dollversions) and they’ve been used numerous times in books, films, and TV shows.Stephen King’s IT is probably the most famous book with the Pennywise clown. Ifyou were a teen or adult sci-fi buff in the 90s, you probably remember Xander’snightmare scene from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. http://www.hulu.com/watch/1015/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-killer-clown

And who can forget what is probably one of the most famous clowndolls, from the Poltergeist movie? A two-fer scare for those of us who aren’tfond of dolls or clowns. My brother had a clown doll like the one inPoltergeist and we joked about it after we saw the movie. But I do believe itwent into his closet that same day. Or maybe he donated it. Hmm, maybe I shouldask him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc7oJhvNr4w

Clown and doll phobias are so popular, USPS even made a commercialthat uses one to sell services. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwXdSH2Co78Thanks to a Facebook friend for reminding me of this one. I hadn’t seen it in awhile.

So, next time you have to face your own irrational fears,think about using them to write a scene. While it won’t make the fear go away,it will make for interesting writing. And you might get a little cathartictherapy out of it.

Happy writing and Happy New Year!

Dana

Twas the Night Before Deadline

2011-12-20T11:09:00.003-07:00

A little ditty I wrote last year and thought I'd share again this year. Enjoy!

Twas the Night Before Deadline
Adaptation by Dana Davis (my apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)

Twas the night before deadline, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even my mouse.
The sticky notes hung by the computer in rows,
In hopes that my muse soon would make a show.

My characters were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of plotlines danced in my head.
And computer all booted, and hand on my mouse,
I’d just settled my brain for a long writer’s joust.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the desk to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the glass.

The moon on the pool and the landscape lights
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects in sight.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature woman in flowing apparel.

The little odd woman, so lively and loose,
I knew in a moment it must be my muse.
More rapid than eagles her course she came,
And she whistled, and shouted, and called out my game!

"Now Dashes! now, Spaces! now, Paragraphs and Verbs!
On, Comas! On, Clauses! on Headers and Blurbs!
To the top of the page! To the margin and title!
Now type away! Type away! Type away, writer!"

As dry leaves that before the wild monsoon fly,
When she meets with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So into the house the course she flew,
With a bag full of ideas, my lovely muse true.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard in my brain
The prancing and pawing of each little refrain.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Into the office my muse came with a bound.

She was dressed all in letters, from her head to her foot,
And her clothes were all garnished with phrases and words.
A bundle of ideas she had flung on her back,
And she looked like a fairy, as she opened her pack.

Her eyes-how they twinkled! her dimples how merry!
Her cheeks were like roses, her nose like a cherry!
Her droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the skin of her chin was as white as snow.

The stump of a pen she held tight in her teeth,
And the nouns they encircled her head like a wreath.
She had a round face and a little loose bun,
That bobbed when she laughed, like a hummingbird tongue!

She was chubby and plump with ideas for my shelf,
And I laughed when I saw her, in spite of myself!
A wink of her eye and a twist of her head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

She spoke not a word, but went straight to her work,
And filled all my sticky notes, then turned with a jerk.
And laying her finger aside of her nose,
And giving a nod, out the window she rose!

She danced and she laughed, and gave out a whistle,
And away she then flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard her exclaim, ‘ere she flew out of sight,
"Happy writing to all, and to all a good-night!"

Monti’s Ghost Hunt

2011-12-14T17:03:00.004-07:00

As promised, a peek into my latest investigation. This time I went to Monti’s Restaurant in Tempe, AZ, one of the oldest establishments in the city, and a purportedly haunted establishment. This was separate from my private investigative team and not in any way affiliated with them. We had some famous guests with us, including Heathyr Hoffman from Ghost Hunters Academy and of the original Amityville house residents. It was quite a night.

First off, the hosts told a little about themselves and their experiences in the get-acquainted hour, while the restaurant staff was clearing out customers and cleaning up. We were going to have the place to ourselves, at night, in the dark. I couldn’t wait. I brought handheld gear with me because I knew we would be moving around a lot. I had my digital camera, my digital recorder, a flashlight, an EMF (electromagnetic field) detector, a grid light, and the most important tool of all, myself.

There was one table with a small group of people who’d been drinking heavily before we ever got started. I didn’t want to be anywhere near them because I just knew they would be trouble. Or at the very least, loud and obnoxious, which is not conducive when investigating. That behavior would never be tolerated in my private investigative team but since I wasn’t with them tonight, I had no say in the matter. All I could do was stay far away from the drunks. They were loud so it was easy to avoid them.

After the introductions, I walked around the restaurant, getting to know the place a bit, and did a sweep. This means I used my EMF detector to see where the electric spikes were located. There were a couple of huge spikes in two areas of the restaurant, the hallway and the enclosed banquet room. Nothing paranormal. Just a lot of old wiring and pipes, but the amount of EMFs in those areas were enough to create a fear cage. People sensitive to electromagnetic fields can experience hallucinations, feelings of paranoia, nausea and lightheadedness, which can be mistaken for paranormal stuff. This is referred to as a fear cage. Lucky for me, I’m not very sensitive to it. Another theory is that spirits use electrical energy to manifest so sometimes ghosts will be attracted to those areas. I was open to experiences and at the same time skeptical that anything paranormal would actually happen. I’ve heard from other investigators that this is a healthy attitude to take.

As I was doing my sweep, I also took photos. The original part of the restaurant has uneven floors, another thing that can contribute to a feeling of paranormal activity, as well as a lot of mirrors. Reflections bounced around everywhere. I had to keep this in mind when looking at the photos later because mirrors can toss all kinds of light and shadows around and look like ghosts. A neat thing about the place were the original doorways that date back to the 1800s. They’re short. Even I can touch the tops of them. Creating short doors was a trick of the old western movies to make actors look bigger and I got a kick out of feeling tall. Of course, these doors weren’t created for a movie set. They were the real deal. The tin ceiling is beautiful, too, but yet another reflective surface I would need to keep in mind.

Once I finished my sweep, the real fun began. I joined Heathyr Hoffman’s group and she led us into a room with a beehive fireplace, where we sat down at a long table and set up our equipment. Two others had flashlights that twist on and off, so they set them up and we began to ask questions, hoping to get responses with the flashlights. Twist on for yes and off for no. Simple, right? I didn’t think anything would happen but we began to get responses almost right away. This excited our group and we became quite animated in-between our questions. Heathyr, who is also a sensitive, said she felt a presence in the room with us, which added to the excitement. We continued this until the activity waned.

After a while, we moved into the banquet room and started a session with those in the other groups. Again, we got responses with flashlights. Everyone seemed on their best behavior and the room was very quiet for such a large group. I don’t remember seeing the drunken people there so maybe that was the reason. Like in the other room, the activity began to fade after a while.

Next, we regrouped and switched leaders. We welcomed our new leader then headed into the Senator’s Room. Again, we set up the flashlights, and again we got direct responses to questions. Excitement swelled again and we began getting creative with our questions. Our leader seemed impressed with the results.

Once the responses stopped, we moved into yet another room, this one at the front of the restaurant. It was fairly quiet, but as we sat down, traffic picked up outside, including sirens. That’s when we realized it was 2:10 AM and the bars had just closed. We got no flashlight responses here and there was too much contamination from outside, so we headed back to the banquet room, this time with just our small group of about five people. Unfortunately, we didn’t get much this time around and we were all growing tired. At around 2:30 AM, we regrouped and called it a night.

I thanked the hosts and headed home, eager to go over my audio and photos to see if I got anything. That would have to wait, though. I needed to sleep. The next day, I went through my photos. The pictures showed nothing unusual. Oh, I got several dust “orbs” but those are just dust particles reflecting off my camera flash. That same day, I learned that one of our hosts had been in a serious car accident on his way home. He survived, thankfully, but not without serous injuries and a totaled car. Needless to say, that put quite a damper on my excitement. He’s recovering now, much to everyone’s relief.

A few days later, when I had time to listen to the audio recordings, I heard what I thought was an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon). This is some that’s not heard at the time of the investigation, but is picked up on the recorder. I sent a clip to my team director and she confirmed that it sounded like a legitimate EVP. She wasn’t present at this investigation, since it wasn’t with our team, but it’s always nice to get her input because she’s been doing this for many years. As you can imagine, I got excited. This was my second EVP, the first one being from the San Carlos (see previous blog post), and makes me want to get back over to Monti’s for another ghost hunt.

Despite the tragic accident that happened that night, I’m looking forward to future investigations. As a writer, these experiences enrich my imagination, and I have no doubt I’ll be using some of them in my future books. Dramatized, of course. After all, I am a fiction writer.

Have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!

Hotel San Carlos Ghost Tour with Photos

2011-11-29T12:43:00.008-07:00

Hotel San Carlos Ghost Tour October 29, 2011

Front of the hotel on left.

Fire escape on right that once led to the roof.

The evil beer spirits in the basement.

First of all, let me stress that I was investigating on my own this time and not with my paranormal team. We do that sometimes, attend other tours and investigations in hopes of finding something. A friend met me at the Hotel San Carlos for one of their famous ghost tours on Halloween weekend one month ago. While this wasn’t a traditional investigation and we had a lot of contamination from other guests, we had a entertaining time and I learned some Phoenix history I hadn’t known about.

The land where the San Carlos sits has quite a past. About 400 years ago, Hohokam Indians lived on the land and used the underground spring that still exists today, so you can imagine there might have been burials from that time period. In 1874, Phoenix’s first schoolhouse was built on the property and later expanded. Children’s deaths are associated with that schoolhouse, which is no longer there. Finally, in 1928, the San Carlos Hotel opened on the grounds. The owners tapped into the ancient spring, which still supplies water to the hotel today. While the tragic deaths at San Carlos make for interesting ghost stories and highlight the ghost tours, the hotel is well-known for its Hollywood ties. Stars such as Mae West, Clark Gable, and Marilyn Monroe stayed at the San Carlos during Hollywood’s heyday.

I’ll be mixing in some of the history, along with my experiences during the ghost tour. After our guide gave us the history of Leone, the woman you’ll read about next, I got what I believe is an EVP (electronic voice phenomena) but I’m having other ears take a listen. As soon as I get anything verified, I’ll post clips on my website and let my blog readers know when they’re up.

In May of 1928, a brokenhearted woman named Leone Jensen snuck through the penthouse and jumped to her death from the roof – 8 stories up – and died. Others say her cheating boyfriend may have pushed her. Authorities originally thought she was only 22 years old when she died, but recent research puts her at 32 years of age. Our guide told us that psychics have revealed Leone was pregnant at the time of her death. Her body was shipped back to LA for burial, so unless she’s ever exhumed, we’ll never know if the pregnancy is true or not. Leone was wearing a white dress when she died and supposedly haunts the halls of the San Carlos in the form of cold air, a white mist, or ribbon of light. I would have loved to see her, but I had no encounters with mist or light ribbons that night. And the only cold air I felt was when we were outside.

On October 29, 1934, exactly 77 years ago to the day that we were on our tour, a man with financial problems committed suicide by turning his hotel bathroom into a gas chamber. He died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Another December – unfortunately I didn’t catch the year and the audio has too much ambient noise for me to make it out but it sounds like 1933 – a 41 year old single woman hit on hard times and killed herself by taking cyanide capsules.

The most recent death happened in December 2004 when a man named Bruce climbed the fire escape from the pool area up to the roof and jumped to his death onto Monroe Street. This man had hit hard times, like others before him, was going through a divorce, and had lost his job. After that, the hotel hack-sawed the roof access from the pool area. The pool area was very noisy with traffic, bar patrons from next door, and hotel guests, so if I caught any EVPs here, I’ll never know it. After this man’s death, prankster things began happening in the manager’s apartment, joining what our guest said is also a dark entity in that area. The investigator in me was thrilled that we were headed to the manager’s apartment next.

The manager’s apartment was originally used as servants’ quarters and now houses workout equipment. Unfortunately for those of us with cameras, there are also several mirrors on the walls, which play havoc when trying to capture anything paranormal. I hung back, staying near the far wall and as distant from the other guests as I could get. I caught a whisper and what sounds like a breath on my audio recorder, but I’m having those verified by others to make sure they’re actual EVPs before I post them. Someone mentioned that a lot of people were getting touched in the closet area, but I didn’t experience anything physical at all, and I even asked for something. I thought about staying behind after the others left but the staff were very good about finding stragglers. Besides, I didn’t want to miss our next stop – the basement. I was excited that we would be going there, especially since the hotel had talked about making it off limits to the ghost tour.

Our guide warned us of the evil spirits in the basement. Evil beer spirits, that is, in the form of kegs. I watched the faces of the other guests and some seemed worried at her first statement, then relieved when she mentioned beer. Novices. I, on the other hand, was disappointed to hear the evil basement spirits came in a keg. On the way down, I noticed the floors were uneven in several areas, typical for a building this old, but that can also make people feel dizzy or off balance, normal sensations that can be mistaken for paranormal. The tight stairwell had high EMFs (electromagnetic fields) too, which is said to affect those sensitive to magnetic fields. It’s called a Fear Cage for that very reason. Some also believe EMFs attract entities because ghosts feed on the energy in order to manifest.

Finally, we made it into the basement, which put out high EMFs like crazy. This didn’t surprise me, given the amount of pipes and hanging wires above my head. My EMF detector went off so consistently down here that I turned off the sound. On my audio, I can even hear the buzzing of electricity sometimes, it’s that strong. Again, I hung back from the crowd. Unfortunately, people were so excited they kept talking, laughing, and making all sorts of shuffling noises, while the guide was talking, which seemed to echo around the basement. We also could hear chairs scraping on the floor from the bar and pipe noises and clangs. This was a ghost tour, not an official investigation, and most people were here for some spooky Halloween fun, so I just had to go with the flow.

Later, when I listened to the audio, I was right about there being too much noise and talking in this area to discern anything paranormal. I would love to go down there with one or two of my team members late at night when the bars are closed and see if we could get anything. I’ll have to look into that and see if it’s possible to get a team in there for a private investigation. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Thanks for popping by. I’ll get any EVPs posted once I get them verified.

Coming soon - The Monti’s investigation blog.

Ghost Hunting - Thrills for Some, Frights for Others

2011-10-17T10:20:00.013-07:00

Halloween is fast approaching. Spook houses, ghost hunts, haunted corn mazes, and other paranormal activities abound here in the Valley of the Sun this time of year. I spent a good amount of time in my child/teen years creating haunted houses to scare others on Halloween, and I have many paranormal stories that were handed down in my family. Not only do I use my experiences in my books, but ghost hunting is a lot of fun this close to Halloween and I always love the thrill of the chase. But not everyone is excited with possible ghostly activity, especially in their own home, which is why some will call paranormal investigators like me in to help.

While the team I'm with looks forward to each hunt, we have to remember that some people are truly frightened by the activity they're experiencing. Some hope it's real, others don't. I suspect fear is also a reason why some homeowners cancel after requesting an investigation, answering a slew of questions, and finally being accepted, even if it means losing out on a chance to understand what's causing the activity that's scaring them. Sadly, the latest homeowners did just this and backed out of an investigation my paranormal group were supposed to do. It happens more than we like and is disappointing, especially when we've done all the preparations and get a call at the last minute, but we accept it and don't push them into doing something they're not comfortable with.

This makes 3 investigations in a row that were cancelled once I signed on. I'm beginning to wonder if someone in the afterlife is avoiding me. Do I have a reputation as a kick-butt investigator that can send the ghosts packing? While that sounds like a hoot, and maybe even a plot-line for a TV show, I hope not. Ghosts running from me would be bad news, since I'm trying to catch evidence of them. And it would greatly decrease fodder for my books.

This latest cancellation isn't the end-all of ghost hunts for this year, not by far. In fact, now that it's closer to Halloween, things are heating up around here. Local businesses often allow people in to investigate their properties. Sometimes it's just for fun, but sometimes the places have a lot of activity. You just never know what you might find, and I'm not one to skip opportunities.

I'm attending two ghost talks this week, and Halloween weekend I'm participating in a hunt at a local hotel that's purported to be haunted. Then in November I have a much bigger investigation with a member of the Ghost Hunters Academy team, one of the actual Amityville house survivors, and several others who are influential in the paranormal field. That will be a fantastic night. Of course, I'll blog all about these investigations once we're finished, and post photos and any EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) I'm lucky enough to pick up. I'm excited and really hope we get some good stuff.

If you've even been curious about what a ghost hunt is like, I urge you to check out postings in your local area. While most might be for fun and games, you can ask questions and gain experience taking photos and EMF readings. And who knows, you just might get a ghostly surprise when you go over those photos later.

Happy hunting and have a safe and frightfully fun Halloween!

Gearing Up for a Paranormal Investigation

2011-09-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend my ghost hunting team has a residential investigation. While residential details such as names and locations are kept confidential, I will be allowed to share general information, such as how many and what type, if any, of EVP (electronic voice phenomena), strange photos, sounds, and/or other phenomena we experience, as long as it doesn't compromise the identities and privacy of our clients. Meanwhile, I thought I'd share some of the things we do to prepare.

First of all, and I stress this because it's very important, our team never charges a fee for investigations. They are done on our own time and at our own expense. Many of us hold down full-time jobs, which is why we do our investigations mainly on weekends. While the majority of us are in this because we love it or because we've had past experiences we couldn't explain and we're trying to find evidence, we also enjoy helping people. Especially when someone doesn't feel safe in their own home. It's satisfying to leave a residence, knowing you've helped a family feel at ease in their surroundings.

So, after a potential client notifies us that he/she is having problems with unusual activity, whether it's a private home or public property, we generally follow the same rules. One of our team members contacts this potential client by phone and conducts an interview, asking a number of questions about the location, persons involved, and the activity. If after that, there seems to be legitimate activity and the client still wants an investigation, we send out information to the rest of the team. Usually, we meet the client in person several days or weeks for another interview before we conduct an investigation, but this isn't always the case.

With a public area renowned for activity, we sometimes initiate contact with the caretakers and ask permission to do a nighttime investigation on the property. Sometimes they agree and other times not. According to our team director, cemetery caretakers are notorious for turning down investigators due to fear of vandalism or other mishaps, so we assure them that we are an all-adult team with proper insurance coverage. This doesn't guarantee we will get in, but it does help. Hotels are sometimes a great place to start and are a lot of fun, especially when you're still training. If they advertise strange activity as part of their charm, they sometimes hold public tours and/or investigations and are more open to teams coming in.

Whatever the location, next comes the preparation. One of our team members is chosen to do an investigation of the property. For this upcoming residential investigation and a previous one, I was in charge of doing this. A property investigation includes using the internet, library, and news resources to look into property details - how old it is, who or what companies inhabited it over the years, any tragedies that occurred there, public reports of past activity, etc... I use the information from the homeowner and go from there. I have used all of these resources, as well as census records (if the property is old enough) to get information on a place. Census records are only available up to 1930 so those records wouldn't be relevant to any property built after that time period. The home we're investigating now is newer than that date, so I didn't bother with census records this time.

A few days before the investigation, we have to make sure our equipment is ready. Our director keeps the team's more expensive equipment like digital video and infrared cameras, but we each have smaller personal items we use. This includes handheld cameras, EMF (electromagnetic field) detectors, laser grid light pens, music, toys, and whatever else we might need or think will help us out. We test our equipment to make sure it's working, charge up all batteries, or purchase new ones if they're not re-chargeable, put everything into bags/carts for easy carrying. We also bring along water, munchies, toilet paper (for public areas with port-a-potties), and first aid items. You just never know what you'll need.

When going into an unfamiliar area at night, especially outside, it's a good idea to be cautious and have protection. Humans aren't the only animals who can cause trouble. Here in Arizona, we have coyotes, bobcats, wolves, rattlesnakes, and other dangerous wildlife. While an uncommon occurrence when you have a large group loaded up with cameras and other recording equipment, problems can occur and precautions are necessary. A current or former police officer on the team is a wonderful bonus. These people are well-trained and certified to carry a weapon and are trained for dangerous situations. If someone on the team carries a weapon, we must make sure the place we are going to investigate allows them on the premises. Some public places have their own security teams that parole at night, so it's a good idea to meet with them and let them know about the investigation.

Once we arrive at our destination, usually while the sun is still up, we do a sweep. This means we take cameras and EMF detectors and shoot two photos of each area we are planning to investigate. The two photos are done for comparison in case something appears in one but not the other. We also use EMF meters in the sweep to locate outlets, appliances, computers, etc...that put out electrical fields. This way we can discount those areas when we do the actual investigation. And we make notes of any anomalies, where we get electrical activity on the meters but can't locate a source of that activity. Someone on the team also makes notes and draws a rough sketch of each room we will be investigating and where the activity has been reported. This helps us decide where to focus our investigation and the best areas to put the equipment.

After that, we set up and begin the great quest for ghosts.

Stay tuned for the analysis and general results our next investigation night.

Happy reading and happy hunting!
Dana
http://www.danadaviswriting.com
https://www.facebook.com/danadaviswriting

Talk to the Dead – A General Session with Medium James Van Praagh

2011-08-26T08:46:00.005-07:00

When you get up each morning between 5:30 and 6:00, it’s difficult to stay awake much past 10 p.m. but hubby and I did just that last night when we went to see famous medium James Van Praagh. The place was sold out. And I mean every single one of the eight-hundred-fifty or so seats was taken. Mr. Van Praagh mentioned that if we thought there were a lot of people in the audience, we should see how many were with him on stage.

He is a very entertaining person who seems to enjoy humor, and that came through in his appearance last night. The audience seemed very enthusiastic and most hung on his every word. Though there were a couple of men who seemed to be there only because their wives had threatened them with something, or perhaps a lack of something, if they didn’t come along. Of course, my hubby came because he loves to go and see mediums. No really. I’m serious. Fine, don’t believe me.

The first thing Mr. Van Praagh did after his introduction was to ask for general questions from the audience. He specified that at this point in the evening, he didn’t want any personal questions about loved ones, just general ones about his profession to get the audience in the right state of mind. The first woman who stood up was handed a microphone and started asking about her dead loved-one. Mr. Van Praagh reiterated that he was only taking general questions and regrettably moved on to the next person.

A couple of times during the evening he had to remind audience members to “listen to my words”, because no sooner would he ask for people to refrain from a certain question than someone would ask just that. He did this with humor, of course, but I couldn’t help wondering whether he got frustrated by people not listening to his repeated instructions. I know I would. Which is probably why I didn’t choose a life as a therapist. Saying, “Well, don’t do that anymore,” or “Just quit it,” probably wouldn’t win me a lot of patients.

The next thing on the schedule was a meditation for the audience, to clear out expectations and prepare for any spirits that were eager to make contact with those of us who had paid our hard-earned money to be there. But really, his sessions are very reasonably priced, and he even mentioned that he doesn’t like it when those claiming to be mediums charge outrageous sums for their work. He told us to be wary of high-priced mediums and psychics. I’m no stranger to meditation so this part of the evening was very easy for me. In fact, it was quite relaxing after a long work day. So much so, that hubby almost fell asleep. He loves mediums. Really.

Next, we got to the part everyone was actually there for – the readings. Since I went for book research, I wasn’t expecting Mr. Van Praagh to call on me. And he didn’t. Almost had you, didn’t I? With no expectations, this gave me the chance to observe others as messages were given to them. There seemed to be quite a number of desperate people wanting loved-ones to come to them. In fact, more than a few times, people would stand after Mr. Van Praagh mentioned the first couple of details, like a name, place, date or reason the person died. Then we would find out that those people standing didn’t have any deceased loved-ones that matched his details about the spirit who had come to him. I felt for them, but when you have about 850 people present and only an hour or two for readings, a lot will be left out.

The majority of the readings were fairly detailed, with Mr. Van Praagh asking for yes or no answers from the subject. He said that he just wanted them to verify what he was saying. When they couldn’t, he asked them to check with other family members. There were a couple of spirits who had died late in life, three suicide victims who had come together as a spiritual “support group” – Mr. Van Praagh’s words – and even a murder victim. Of course, the murder victim, sad though it was, interested the writer in me the most, so I was happy when he had a lot of details for the family about the unsolved murder. I hope what he told them can help the police in their search. But no matter who came through, he told us that they were all okay now.

Last night gave me more insight into how a medium works, which I will use in my paranormal books. Of course, I’ll Hollywood them up, as usual. After all, I write fantasy, and if I stuck to exactly how mediums claim things work for them, the books wouldn’t be as exciting for me or my readers.

From what I’ve read, this is also what happened with the TV show The Ghost Whisperer, which Mr. Van Praagh co-produced and advised. He didn’t talk about the show during last night’s appearance but I had read an interview with him about it. He would argue with the writers that ghosts didn’t do this or that, and they would counter with something to the effect that “this is Hollywood and we need more excitement in the show”. They would lose viewers if they didn’t create conflict and drama. This is true with just about any media. Humans sometimes hate to admit it, but news that nothing particularly interesting happened and everyone is happy or content doesn’t keep audiences entertained for long, if at all.

We were allowed to take photos during the session so I took a few. Of course, the paranormal investigator in me was hoping to capture some evidence. Like spirits hovering around Mr. Van Praagh. But other than a couple of blurred photos when the lights were low, I got nothing out of the ordinary. Though it would have been really cool if I had captured something. There was a book signing afterwards but hubby and I were tired and came straight home.

One medium down, several more to go. I like to get varied opinions about how mediums work. It also gives me some insight into the life of my great-great-aunt who worked as a medium in the early 1900s. Of course, it would have been awesome if she had come through to answer some of my questions in person—er, well, in spirit. I’ve got a few genealogy questions for other dead ancestors, as well. Hmm, maybe I need to set up a private session sometime.

Monsoon, Dust Storms, and Lightening, Oh My!

2011-08-04T15:48:00.004-07:00

The monsoon got a late start here in the desert but we certainly haven't been disappointed this year. One of our recent dust storms made news all over the country. I managed to snag a photo from our backyard just before it struck. We had relatives sent us texts and emails, worried we'd been buried alive or blown away by it.

No need to panic. While driving in a dust storm is dangerous and one should get off any road as quickly as possible, they don't usually do too much damage other than get dirt on everything. If it's outdoors, it will get covered in a layer of dirt. And don't even get me started on the pool. It's never fun cleaning filters after a dust storm. We were lucky we had both cars in the garage when this big one hit us. Two more rolled into the Valley of the Sun a few days apart but they missed our house, luckily.

Yesterday, we hit around 112 degrees with no rain in the forecast for days. Then evening came and a few clouds covered the sky here and there. The radar showed rain! It wasn't anywhere near us, so after dinner, hubby and I decided to take a swim. Our usual evening workout during the sweltering summer months. Well, I got in one lap when a bolt of lightning charged through the sky above us. I swam as fast as I could for the steps and we climbed out of the pool. Hubby was laughing at me as we went inside the house, but I have no desire to become a fried human.

Several minutes later, the thunder started. Quiet at first. The sky began to put on quite a lightning show and we checked the radar again. A big cell was moving in from the west. Not long after that, a huge boom of thunder rattled the air and the rain came down. Sometimes the temperature will drop into the 70s or low 80s during a monsoon and we can open doors and windows, but no such luck last night. Yes, our 112 degrees we had during the day was gone, but we didn't get below 90 during the monsoon. Nevertheless, we enjoyed seeing the wet stuff.

The rest of the week and this weekend we're in for more scorching temps. Again, there's no rain in the forecast. Yeah, I've heard that before.

I Haven't Forgotten About You!

2011-07-26T15:54:00.003-07:00

I know, I know, I haven't blogged in a while. I do have a good excuse but I'll take my lumps if that makes you feel better. =) I've been absolutely swamped with work.

I've got two paranormal investigations coming up in the next few months so we've been coordinating that. Believe me, I'll blog about anything from those investigations that is allowed. One is residential and those tend to stay confidential, but we can sometimes share a few details. The other one got moved from July to November and is in a public location, so I'll post all about it once it's over. I also have two books I'm writing now, plus, for some insane reason, I'm doing editing and reviewing projects for other authors.

Yeah, I'm crazy. I like to keep busy but the dust on my furniture is getting thicker so I'll have to take a break from it all to clean one of these days.

In the meantime, if you'd like to keep up with my daily updates and ramblings, please friend me at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/danadaviswriting

I must sign off for now but I'll try very hard to blog more often. (She says as three window tabs flash for her attention.)

Independence Celebration eBook Contest!

2011-07-01T07:26:00.003-07:00

July 4th eBook contest giveaway - now through July 8th

Contest rules: Leave a comment after this blog post to enter the drawing and a chance to win a PDF copy of my newest eBook, Desert Magick: Day of the Dead (Bk 3). Or you can leave a comment on Facebook here http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&&note_id=198658123518724

The winner will be chosen using a random number generator and must have a valid email address that accepts attachments in order to receive the prize.

Contest ends July 8, 2011 at noon PST and the winner will be notified within one week after that date. Only one entry per person. My relatives are not eligible – sorry about that.

For more info on the Desert Magick series, please visit http://www.danadaviswriting.com/Desert_Magick.htm

Happy 4th, stay safe, and good luck!

Dana

It’s baaaack! That scorching desert summer.

2011-06-22T09:52:00.001-07:00

It’s baaaack! That scorching desert summer. This week we’re peaking at 113 degrees here in the Valley of the Sun. These are the miserable days just before the monsoon storms begin rolling in. We look forward to the monsoon rain, when we gather at the window and watch the lightning, rain and hail, as though it were a fabulous television show. Okay, so maybe the heat fries our brains a little bit.

You have hot summers, too, you say? Temperatures in the 90s, you say? Nineties shmineties. But the desert is a dry heat, you say? So’s my oven, is my snappy retort to that one. And we get plenty of humidity with the monsoon, which comes during our hottest months. Okay, okay, I’m not unsympathetic. Your heat is miserable for you. I get it. Really, I do. I’m not fond of too much humidity. Who is?

But you’re still curious, right, about how do we survive our desert summers? What do we do when stepping outside makes us feel like a pig on a spit, slowly roasting over an open fire? I mean, really, you can feel the sun burning your skin when it gets above 110 degrees. So, pull up a chair, folks, and I’ll spin a jaunty summer tale for you. Well, not really. This is just a blog, after all. But if you’re new here or live in another part of the country or world, you might learn something. Or not. Either way, here are things we do during a typical desert summer.

We break out the 50+ SPF sunblock and reapply it every two hours or so. This is most important. As are sunglasses. I currently have six pair of sunglasses, one each in my and hubby’s cars, one in my purse, one for outdoor walking and sports, and two in a drawer in case I break a pair. We put our hat collection by the front door, and move our coveted collection of shorts, tees, tank tops, and sandals to the front of the closet for easy access, since that’s all we’ll be wearing until October. Whoever made the idiotic don’t wear white after Labor Day rule didn’t live in a desert. That rule means nothing here. And we keep seat covers or towels in our cars, so we don’t get third degree burns the backs of our legs while wearing those coveted shorts in a car with leather or vinyl seats. Have you ever sat on vinyl in 120 degree heat while wearing shorts? I don’t recommend it.

Okay, you say, that doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun. What do you do for entertainment when it’s so darn hot? Ah, here’s where we have to get creative. Kind of like spending winters in the northeast, I would imagine. I don’t really know, since I’ve never lived where it snowed regularly, if at all. We don’t have basements or attics as a rule, but we have something much better. Pools!

Desert rats spend a heck of a lot of time in the pool, also known as an Arizona shower. Here, you can find a pool just about anywhere. If you don’t have one in your backyard, chances are several of your neighbors do. So, making friends with your neighbors is a good idea. Pools are also popular at condo and apartment complexes here. If you still don’t have access, there’s always the public pool at the local recreation center or water park. We have several manmade lakes, too, which are great for beating the heat and feeling like we have some semblance of a normal summer life.

That’s great, you say? But what if you don’t feel like swimming? What? Not feel like swimming? Are you daft, you non-desert person, you? Okay, now that’s just a little sarcasm, so don’t start posting about how mean I am, please. Yes, gasp, there are times when we don’t feel like swimming. Or maybe it’s too early or late in the day and we don’t want to disturb the neighbors. Or the pool happens to be closed for cleaning or some such nonsense. What else can we do when we’d prefer to stay in the air-conditioning, rather than roast outside? Plenty.

At my house, we have a home gym set up in one room, because we don’t want to get up at 4 a.m. to hike or bike or play tennis, which are our preferred low-cost workouts. Indoor ping-pong and Wii gaming are also popular summer pastimes for us. You’d be surprised how much you can sweat when playing sports and dancing games. Even the bowling game gets us off our butts and moving around. And it’s extra fun when I beat hubby, because he was on a bowling team when he was younger. But what do you do when you don’t feel like a workout out, you say? Ooh, napping is good. Okay, seriously, movies and shopping are big, especially in the summer months.

Movies are the ultimate, low-cost, air-conditioned entertainment, where you don’t have to sweat to accomplish it. Aren’t most shopping malls the outdoor type, you say? Isn’t that hot, you say? Well, yes. We do have a couple of old indoor malls, and some people get up early to mall-walk before the shops open. But what kind of fun is that? If I’m going to a mall, I at least want to window shop and have lunch, or maybe a frozen yogurt. But what about those outdoor strip malls? Well, most have misters attached to the eaves to cool off passersby. And, yes, they really work. We even sit on the outdoor patios and eat when there are misters going. In fact, we had misters on our home patio for several years, but they broke and we haven’t replaced them, yet. We really need to get a new set.

Isn’t central air-conditioning expensive, you say? Yes, it can be if you keep your house too cold. We keep ours at 80 degrees in the summer. But we also have ceiling fans in every room. You’d be surprised how much warmth you can tolerate when the air is moving about and cooling your skin. I can’t imagine not having fans here. We used them regularly in California, when a hot day was about 85 degrees, because we didn’t have air conditioning. After twelve plus years in the desert, I can’t believe that we ever thought 85 was hot. We don’t even close the windows here until the temperature reaches above 90 degrees outside. I guess we’ve acclimated a bit.

So, there you have it. A jaunty summer tale. Hope you enjoyed it. And if you come for a visit here in the summer, be sure to stock up on sunblock and drink lots and lots of water. I don’t want one of you passing out because you decided to hike one of our mountains. Our mountains look small compared to other places, but they can be deadly, especially in the summer. And if you have to be rescued, it’ll be all over the news, and locals will shake their heads at the poor visitor who didn’t know better. You don’t want that, do you? Stay cool!

The Freaked Psychic - pt8 of personal paranormal stories

2011-06-10T14:44:00.002-07:00

The Freaked Psychic

By Dana Davis

While working in Hollywood in 1980s, a crew member and I were chatting. Somehow we got on the subject of the paranormal. She told me about her gift as a psychic and I told her about my great grandmother’s sister, who was a medium back in the early part of the twentieth century. I was curious about her and conversation when something like this:

“So, how does it work for you?” I asked.

“I get impressions when I hold a personal item. Would you like me to do a reading for you?

“Sure. I'd love it.” I fished my car keys out of my pocked and handed them to her.

She held them for a moment and closed her eyes. “I’m getting a name that begins with A.”

I stayed quiet but I was thinking, Yeah, right. Like that’s a stretch. But she wasn’t through with me, yet.

“I see the two of you in the same house or apartment. A close friend or sister maybe.” Then she proceeds to give me a description and says the actual name.

Now, I had never mentioned my friend and former roommate to anyone on set and this woman was spot-on with the description and the name. I thanked her, then told her about my friend, her name, her description, and that we were once roommates. She looked freaked and handed me back my keys as though they had suddenly caught fire.

“What’s wrong?” I thought I had done something to offend her.

“I’ve never been that accurate before. Not ever. It has something to do with you.”

She had my full attention. “Really? Why?”

“I don’t know.”

She acted odd around me, distant, the rest of our working time together and didn’t seem to want to talk to me about the paranormal again. I didn’t push. I never learned why she was so freaked out, especially since she claimed to be a psychic and had approached me about doing a reading. Just another occurrence to add to my list of paranormal oddities.

The Most Common Questions I Receive about Writing

2011-05-18T09:16:00.005-07:00

A lot of people are curious about writers, though we're not all that fascinating. Really, we're not. Imagine a camera set up in a home office. Now envision a person sitting at a computer typing, thinking, looking stuff up, typing, a trip to the bathroom, more typing, lunch break, more thinking and typing. Not exactly Oscar material. :) But I thought I'd share some of the questions I receive most often, along with my answers.

Q: Where do you get your ideas?

A: Everywhere. I know that's a trite answer but it's true. I get ideas from dreams, writing exercises, music, art, nature, watching people and listening to conversations going on around me in public. Yep, that's right, I'm an eavesdropper. You never know what people are going to say in public and sometimes you can get a real gem for a story from overheard conversations. Gotta love people who talk on cell phones in public. I've heard some real doozies. And if I'm in a bad mood, woe to the person who cuts me off in traffic or gets in the express lane with a full cart. He/she might just find a place in one of my books. And it ain't gonna be pretty. :)

Q: Do you still take classes/workshops?

A: Yeah, yep and a big ole YES! Writing is a solitary career and as much as I enjoy being a hermit, I get out once in a while to meet with other writers and challenge myself. There's a great energy that fills a room full of creative people. In fact, several of my books got their seeds from class exercises. And there's nothing like fellow writers to offer support and guidance. Some are going through what I'm going through, others have been there and can offer valuable advice.

Q: Which authors do you enjoy reading?

A: Okay, you asked for it. Kelley Armstrong, Orson Scott Card, David Eddings, S. L. Farrell, Jasper Fforde, Maggie Furey, Neil Gaiman, Mary Gentle, Terry Goodkind, Tara K. Harper, Kim Harrison, Elizabeth Haydon, Robert Jordan, Elizabeth Kerner, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Ursula LeGuin, Morgan Llewellyn, Anne McCaffrey, Andre Norton, Edgar Allan Poe, Philip Pullman, Alastair Reynolds, Anne Rice, J. R. R. Tolkein, Robert Charles Wilson, and many others. I also read books on writing, publishing, science, Celtic cultures, American Indian cultures, and ancient civilizations, especially when I'm doing research for a book. I'm a family detective - meaning I do genealogy - so I also read books that pertain to that. My reading list gets longer every year.

Q: Do you write everyday?

A: I try very hard to keep to a regular work schedule. Life and classes can get in the way, of course, but I do keep to a schedule most weekdays. I don't usually write on weekends or holidays, except to jot down notes about a current project. Those days are for my husband and me to play, or for the occasional appearance or speaking engagement. I keep note pads around the house and in my purse and car so I can write down ideas as they come. Otherwise, I'd forget them by the time I planted my butt in my office chair.

Q: Do you keep a private journal?

A: I tried keeping a diary as a kid, since a lot of girls were into that, but I bored myself to death. When I started writing fiction to spice it up, I knew it was time to toss it. I currently have a writing blog and I keep a dream journal. I've kept track of my dreams since the early 1980s. My sleep world is one active place and I get story ideas from dreams.

Q: Were you always a writer or did you have other careers/jobs?

A: Well, I was always writing something, sometimes really bad somethings. But career-wise, I started out in the entertainment industry. I worked in that industry from childhood until about thirty. Which, for a lot of us, meant taking on additional jobs to help pay the bills. Jobs I've had over the years: actress, dancer, stand-in, photo double, theatre and dance director/instructor, Disneyland performer, dance studio assistant, library page, teachers' assistant, pre-school teacher, greeting card merchandiser, artificial flower warehouse arranger (gotta love that one), receptionist, file clerk, retail clerk/cashier, envelope stuffer, pizza delivery driver, and waitress. Whew! I'm tired just typing that!

Q: What do you do about writer's block?

A: Actually, I've never had writer's block and I don't believe in it. I believe I can get hung up on details or have so many ideas I'm not sure where to go next. But if I find myself taking too long with a particular aspect of a project, I simply shift my attention to another writing project for a while, take a walk, work out, or clean house. That always works for me.

Q: Would you read my stuff and give me comments?

A: Well, unfortunately, I have to say no. Writing is a full-time job and I'm darned busy. I suggest looking into your local area for writing workshops and classes. Recreation departments, adult education, colleges, universities and libraries often have many great offerings for writers of all levels. Also, you can find workshops online, especially if you write genre material like I do. Look around - you don't have to spend a lot of money to find a good class.

Q: I have an idea for a book, would you write it for me?

A: See the answer to the previous question. You could also take classes to hone your writing skills or simply hire a ghost writer. There are many in the industry looking for work. Good luck with your endeavors.

Q: I read in your bio that you have Meniere's Disease. What is that?

A: Meniere's an inner ear disorder that causes bouts of vertigo, dizziness, vomiting, tinnitus, balance problems, and gradual hearing loss. Famous people with Meniere's include, astronaut Alan Shepard, actress Kristen Chenoweth, singers Peggy Lee and Ryan Adams, poet/writer Emily Dickinson, and some speculate Vincent VanGogh had it. Some people in the past were misdiagnosed with epilepsy but actually had inner ear problems.

I'm always open to answering questions, so if you have one of your own that isn't listed here, feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back to you asap.

You Know You're a Writer When...Hump Day Fun!

2011-05-11T11:13:00.004-07:00

1. You always think of the perfect snarky thing to say - five minutes after the fact.

2. A woman cuts in line at the grocery store and instead of getting mad, you study her body language and clothes for that annoying character you’ve been trying to write.

3. You catch an argument at a local restaurant and wonder how you can work it into your next scene.

4. At a store, you discreetly follow the talking-loudly-on-her-cell-phone-lady, hoping to get something good to put in your novel.

5. Spam gives you story ideas.

6. You wish you could re-wind that fender bender to see the details of how it happened. You’ve got a similar scene to write in an upcoming book.

7. A guy flips you off on the freeway for no reason and you think, Yes! He’s the perfect one to kill/maim/torture in your next book, so you devise his shady life on the way to your destination.

8. You’re stuck at the airport because of weather, so you get yourself a snack and start people-watching.

9. Someone asks about your last date and you immediately think back to that yummy guy you just finished writing about before realizing he’s fiction.

10. You start quoting slang you invented for your new series before realizing the rest of the world isn’t in on it. Yet.

On a side note - my kindle books are now $2.99. Cheaper than a gallon of gas!
http://www.amazon.com/Dana-Davis/e/B0033HDLVC/

Note for readers

2011-05-03T09:58:00.001-07:00

Just a note to let readers know that my monthly newsletter is now available at http://www.danadaviswriting.com/Monthly%20Newsletter.htm

Also, my eBooks are on sale for just $2.99 at Barnes & Noble's Fictionwise site http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a47977/Dana-Davis/?

and Barnes & Noble's eReader site http://www.ereader.com/ebooks/a47977/Dana-Davis/?si=59

Happy reading and enjoy!
Dana

The Invisibles - pt 7 of my personal paranormal stories

2011-04-28T15:31:00.001-07:00

The Invisibles

By Dana Davis

Sometimes visions can happen when coming out of the sleep state. They are hypnagogic in nature, when we’re not quite fully awake but no longer asleep, an in-between period when the dream world overlaps with the waking part of our brains. We think we’re actually seeing, hearing, and experiencing these incidents, and since the body is still in sleep paralysis and we can’t move, they can be very frightening.

I’ve experienced hypnagogic episodes, where I’m completely paralyzed and helpless as a presence holds me down in my bed and scares the living bejeebees out of me. I have learned to recognize them. The following incidents didn’t feel the same way. I’m combining several different, yet very similar, episodes in this blog.

The first happened when I was living in Pasadena, California in a tiny apartment back in the 1980s. I was young and didn’t have a lot of money, so my bed was one of those fold-out futon chairs. It was made of thick foam and surprisingly comfortable. I awoke to the feeling that someone sat on the edge of my futon. I could actually feel the movement. I also felt a presence in the room, like someone was watching me. Something brushed my hair from my face. I had no sleep paralysis at all, and I opened my eyes to see an indentation, about the size of an adult’s buttocks, in the futon. I was amazed. As I watched, the dent slowly lifted until it was gone, and the feeling of being watched left as soon as the indentation disappeared. I didn’t feel threatened. Oddly enough, I felt somewhat comforted by it. It was morning and time for me to get up for work and my roommate was still sleeping.

The second incident happened about a year later, when I was spending the night on a friend’s couch. I awoke to soft footsteps coming down the stairs but I was very tired and didn’t open my eyes. I really wanted to sleep longer. I felt the edge of the couch press down as though someone sat on it. Again, I felt a presence in the room, like someone watching me, then a gentle touch brushed hairs from my face. I opened my eyes expecting to see my friend, but I saw no person, just an indention on the edge of the couch beside me. I watched as it lifted as though a person got up. The feeling of someone watching me disappeared and I looked at my watch. It was time for me to get up. My friend was still upstairs asleep.

The third time, was after I was married and I awoke in our apartment bedroom with the feeling someone was watching me. It was morning and light streamed in through the draperies. A woman, not completely solid, wearing a long skirt and a blouse from the late 1800’s stood in front of our window. She was putting on a bonnet. She turned to me and smiled then just disappeared. Again, I didn’t feel threatened.

Incident number four happened in my current home about four or five years ago as I was napping on the couch in the afternoon. Again, felt like I was being watched. This time the indentation and brushing of my hair was accompanied by what sounded like tinkling wind chimes. I felt the indention lift as I opened my eyes but I didn’t see anything. The sensation of being watched didn’t disappear immediately. Instead, I felt a presence for several seconds after I sat up. I asked my husband, who was in another room at the time, if he heard wind chimes. He told me he hadn’t. Curious, I walked outside to see if I could hear any chimes coming from one of our neighbors’ homes. Nope. Nothing.

The fifth and final incident, so far anyway, happened just last year. I awoke in the morning and sat up to get out of bed. To my surprise, I saw a girl about ten or eleven years old, crouched next to my nightstand. Like the last figure I had seen, she wasn’t completely solid. She turned to me and her eyes grew wide. She looked as surprised as I felt. Before I could say anything, she disappeared. I had already been training with my paranormal investigative team by this time, so I immediately ran to the other room for my camera, recorder, and EMF meter. But by the time I had them set up, it was too late. I got nothing on any of them.

I have no explanations for these incidents and no witnesses or evidence. I’m looking forward to another one happening because I hope to get some evidence. So much time happens between them that it’s not practical to set up equipment every night. But if I see a figure in my bedroom again, I plan to do just that and see if I catch anything. Wish me luck.

The Spooky Door - pt 6 of personal paranormal experiences

2011-04-15T09:23:00.005-07:00

When it comes to my paranormal experiences, doors tend to play a role. Here’s another one involving - you guessed it - a door.

The Spooky Door

by Dana Davis

It was just before Halloween and my parents had taken my brother, sister and me to visit a family we'd been friends with for several years. They had just bought some land—I believe my dad said it was forty acres—in a rural area and moved an older home onto the property. Their oldest daughter was my age and their son somewhere between my younger brother and sister so we looked forward to this visit.

It had grown dark and Dad was outside with my friend's father, unbeknownst to us kids. We heard rapping at one of the windows and a spooky, ghostly sound. Woooooooo. You know, the eerie kind of sounds ghosts make. Like they have nothing better to do than stand outside windows and moan. You'd think that bright light they're supposed to go into would be a distraction. Anyway, since I was a wise old teenager of fifteen or so at the time, I caught on pretty quick that my dad was the culprit. But the younger kids began screaming and running through the house to find the moms.

Once the women realized what was going on, they promptly chastised the husbands for frightening the children. The men just laughed, of course. We were given snacks and told to stay in another room, with me and my friend in charge of the younger kids.

Whenever my parents had company or were with their adult friends, my mom had a saying that went something like this—“If somebody's not bleeding or passed out, don't bother me.”

Isolation in a separate room away from the adults prompted a flurry of ghost stories and reminiscences of strange incidents from all of us, including bogus tales of a woman who’d died upstairs and walked around her nightgown. White, of course. In case you didn’t know, lady ghosts love to wear white. Okay, I have no idea if that’s true. But I do know that the upstairs had been added after the house was moved to this property so there couldn’t be a lady in white, but that didn’t deter us from telling the story. We got spooked at every sound then would laugh hysterically afterwards. Kind of like when we took my younger sister on her first snipe hunt. But that's another story.

Once it grew late, about midnight, we were told to get ready for bed. The other kids took off and my little sister and I were the only ones in the room. I was helping her pick up books or something. After a couple of minutes, I headed for the door. Someone had left it open about a hand's width and when I reached for the knob, the door closed.

I looked back at my sister and, with a racing heart, said, “Did you see that?”

She nodded, eyes wide.

I turned back, and reached for the knob again. This time, the door opened and the knob pushed right against my palm. No one was on the other side. Now, when things like this happened, I tend to grow curious and try to recreate it or explain it. That didn’t stop the goose pimples from crawling up my spine, though. I carefully let go of the knob and turned to my sister, who had backed herself against the far wall, eyes as wide as saucers and face as white as the paint behind her. She reminded me of a deer caught in headlights, which they had plenty of in this rural area.

I tried not to spook her but I was darn curious by this time. “I'm going to try again.”

She shook her head, no, and I thought she might start to cry. She did that a lot at that age.

“It's all right,” I said. I turned back and reached for the door and, low and behold, it closed again. At this point, my sister was ready to do that cartoon running in place where the feet are mere blurs and then take off like a pistol. So, I smiled and said, "Probably the wind." Though I didn't believe a word of that since no windows or doors were open to the outside. It was chilly outside. “I'll do it one more time.”

I didn't wait for a response from her and turned back to the door. When I reached out, it remained exactly where it was. No movement whatsoever. Absolutely nothing. I quickly opened it to check if someone was on the other side but everyone was at the other end of the house, getting ready for bed. With adrenaline pumping in my ears from both fright and the exhilarated thought that there just might be a ghost in the house, I motioned my sister out. She ran straight to my mother and proceeded to tell her everything.

Of course, the adults were skeptical, even when I corroborated my sister's story. Nothing unusual happened the remainder of our stay, and we left the following day for our own house in the burbs. We talked about that incident on the drive home, which freaked out my younger brother a bit. But then he was the one who stood on a chair if he saw a spider. I don’t think he still does that.

We lost contact with that family a few years later, but to this day, whenever I ask my sister if she remembers that spooky door, she tells me that she does. Then we share a knowing smile that it just might have been a ghost after all.

Virtual book tour news

2011-04-12T14:57:00.004-07:00

Please join me on another leg of my virtual book tour for the paranormal fantasy Desert Magick: Day of the Dead (Book 3)

Virtual book tour and interview with Dana Davis

Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 10:00am - 11:30pm

http://theembraced.blogspot.com/

Virtual book tour and interview with Dana Davis

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 10:00am - 11:30pm

http://amberpolo.blogspot.com/

eBook contest winner!

2011-04-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Alicia, the winner of my birthday contest and a free PDF copy of Desert Magick: Superstitions. Thanks so much to everyone who entered. Have a fantastic weekend!

Free eBook contest!

2011-04-04T11:09:00.003-07:00

It’s my birthday week and I’m giving away a free PDF copy of my bestselling paranormal fantasy Desert Magick: Superstitions. Simply leave a comment here on my blog or on my facebook page that you would like to be entered in the contest.

The winner will be chosen at random and must have a valid email address that accepts attachments in order to receive the prize. Only one entry per person. Family members are not eligible. Contest ends 4 pm PST Friday, April 8, 2011. Good luck!

If you prefer to leave a comment on my facebook page, please go to http://www.facebook.com/danadaviswriting

Phantom Door - pt 5 of personal paranormal experiences

2011-03-14T15:17:00.002-07:00

Phantom Door

Dana Davis

I spent the majority of my childhood and young adult years in various aspects of show business and heard all kinds of stories about theatres being haunted. I sometimes think managers made up some of the stories because what’s a theatre without a ghost, right? This incident didn’t happen at one of the theatres where I worked. Instead it took place at a local community center where I spent a lot of time in rehearsals. I was about twenty-one years old.

I’m preparing for another rehearsal and have my arms full of costumes and props as I approach the door to the building. As I get closer, I begin to shift all the stuff in my arms so I can get a hand free to open the door. I’m having trouble because I’m carrying way too much. Just as I get about four feet from the door, it swings open. Not a little bit. It opens enough for me to get through with all the stuff I’m carrying and stops as though someone is holding it. Only there’s no one on the other side.

I chuckle nervously and step inside then turn and say, “Thank you.” I watch in amazement as the door closes itself and latches.

I stand there staring at the large, heavy metal door with the push bar. I’ve been coming to this place on a regular basis since I was fifteen years old, so I know for a fact it’s not easy to open. Even when other doors in the facility are opened and it’s windy out, there isn’t enough cross breeze to open it. It’s too heavy.

I stride down the hallway, glancing back to see if the door will open again but it doesn’t. When I get into the rehearsal studio, my choreographer and good friend is already here.

He looks at me and says, “You look spooked. What happened?”

I tell him everything and ask if it’s ever happened to him. No, it hasn’t. And he’s here even more than I am. As other performers arrive, we tell them the story and ask if any of them ever had a similar experience with any of the exterior doors. Nope. Not a one. They rib me about having my own personal ghost valet and we all get a good laugh.

I came and went through that door many times after that day with my arms full, but it never opened like that again. I have no explanation other than it was a very odd occurrence. I lost that choreographer and good friend a few years later to a deadly disease, but whenever I see a heavy metal door with a push bar, I think of him and that building and my personal ghost valet.

Ding-Dong-Ditch or Ding-Dong-Ghost? - pt4 true paranormal stories

2011-03-09T15:56:00.004-07:00

Ding-Dong-Ditch or Ding-Dong-Ghost?

By Dana Davis

My parents were out, leaving me, my younger brother and sister and a younger cousin at home alone. It was the middle of the day and we were goofing around and chatting. We started talking about paranormal stories we’d heard from various family members. What happened next went something like this:

I’m telling them the stories I’ve heard about our great-great aunt being a medium and the odd happenings that were reported around her, when the doorbell rings. I go to the door but there’s no one there. I step onto the porch and out into the yard, thinking some kids were playing ding-dong-ditch, but I don’t see anyone.

“Who is it?” my sister asks.

“Probably just kids.” I shut the door.

We just get back into the family room, when the doorbell rings again. We race to the door, hoping to catch the miscreant this time. There isn’t anyone there. The four of us go outside to check but none of us finds anyone so I let everyone back inside.

Just after I close the door, the bell goes off again and I yank the door open. Again, no one. We’ve never had a problem with the doorbell in the past and I’m a bit flummoxed. The light is on. It looks like it always does. Nothing odd. It has to be kids. I often baby-sit for the couple across the street so I go into the kitchen and call over there. The husband answers and I tell him I think someone is playing ding-dong-ditch with us.

“Can you see our porch from there?”

“Yes,” he says.

“Do you see anyone?”

“No. I don’t see anybody.”

While I’m on the phone with him, the doorbell rings again. “Did you hear that?” I say. My siblings and cousin are too scared to go to the door. Phones in this time have cords so I’m stuck where I am.

“Yes. I heard it,” the neighbor says. “I’m looking right at your porch but there’s no one at the door.”

“Okay, thanks for checking,” I say into the phone. I hang up and the doorbell rings again.

My siblings and cousin are cowering in the family room yelling for me to get rid of the ghost. I laugh and tell them it’s not a ghost. But at this point, I’m beginning to wonder. I ask my brother to get me a screwdriver. I go onto the porch to undo the doorbell and see it I can figure out what’s making it go off. Maybe a wire is shorted. It rings just as reach for it and I jump. My siblings and cousin got brave enough to follow me but now run screaming back into the house.

I call to them that I’m going to test it. I push it and it works just fine, no sticking, nothing out of the ordinary. With shaking hands, I manage to get the lighted button off so I can look inside. The wires all look connected. I don’t see anything wrong. I screw the cover back on and go inside, waiting for it to ring again. It stays quiet.

We never found out for sure what caused that doorbell to go off like it did. My family lived in that house for over fifteen years and that was the only time it happened.

Jury Shmury

2011-03-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

So, I have jury duty today. I’m still a bit dizzy today and had to get up at 5:30 this morning so I could brave Phoenix freeways to get here before 8:30. Then they opened the doors late and I really had to pee. So far, the upside to this place, as opposed to the downtown courthouse I had to got to last time, is that parking is nearby and I don’t have to walk six blocks in the summer heat.

Metal detectors. Fun. Just like the airport, only no great destination waiting at the end. And no drinks or food allowed inside the building so my snack and water bottle are in the car. I’m thirsty. Right now, I’m sitting in a small stuffy room with one table in the middle and chairs lining the walls. They do offer water and coffee here but we’re not allowed to take it out of the room. I’m sitting in a corner chair because they have no computer work spaces or wifi in this backward place, either. So, unfortunately, I can’t blog in real time. You’re reading this hours after the fact but I’m writing as much in real time as I can and not get arrested for contempt of court.

Okay, guy with a badge just entered. They need seven jurors. The rest of us will probably go home before noon. Please let that be me. Oh, joy. A video. Okay, he just turned down the lights. Not good for those of us with Meniere’s Disease. But at least he’s leaving so I can keep typing. Can you say death by boredom? I feel like I’m in government 101. Again. I wonder how much they paid these people in the video to say good things about jury duty. No one in this room looks excited to be here. Or maybe it’s just the lighting. Ooh, maybe I should apply as an actress for jury movies. Put all that Hollywood training to work again. Blah, blah, more video talk. I’ve heard all this before. And I could find this info on the net, if they just had wifi. That’s right, they don’t. Do I sound cranky? Well, I’m balancing my computer on my purse because there are no work stations. Hey, video’s over. Oops, guy with a badge coming back in the room. More later.

Okay, well, they got us lined up with numbers and marched us into a courtroom. It’s just before 10. This is a dui case. They don’t usually want people like me on dui cases, not when my teenage nephew was killed by an impaired driver. Questions about work, kids, spouse. The usual. Followed by a series of questions the judge asks and we simply raise our juror number if we qualify. Ooh, I raised my card at least four times. Next, we go back out into the waiting area for another round of sit and wait. Oh, goody. Crap, it’s only 10:30 and I’m hungry. I was queasy this morning so all I had for breakfast was toast. Where’s my snack? Oh, that’s right - I’m not allowed to have any food. Did I bring anything for this headache? Nope. Okay, now the bailiff is calling us in one at a time for more questions, so I don’t have to wait long before I’m back in the courtroom.

This time the judge wants explanations to the questions I raised my juror number for so I tell him what he wants to know. Hmm, the prosecutor and arresting officer look pleased with my answers. Can’t say the same for the defendant and his attorney, though. One final question from the defense. Ah, I’m fairly certain he won’t pick me now. More thank yous and please take a seat outside. Yeah, yeah, I got that part down.

Okay, now I’m back in a chair outside for more waiting. It’s after 11 and I’m really hungry now. I wonder if I have time to go to my car for a snack. Better not risk it. I’ve been trying to work on my editing on these breaks, except I keep reading the same paragraph over and over because of the disruptions. Just too many people talking and moving around. Bailiff calling out names. The guy next to me is coughing. Great, hope he’s not contagious. No time to dwell on that now - Being called in again.

Yea! I’ve been dismissed! It’s 11:30 and I’m starving! Can I go now? No. Have to wait for slip of paper. Of course, I’m one of the last people to get mine. Figures. But, hey, I’ve got a nice little box of snacks and a bottle of water in the car. I’m outa here!

Phantoms and Doors - pt3 of true paranormal stories

2011-03-01T15:42:00.002-07:00

Another true-life paranormal story

Phantoms and Doors

By Dana Davis

One night, when I’m about twelve or thirteen years old, I awaken to the feeling of being watched. My room feels eerie, different, like something has changed. I can’t explain it, other than feeling like somebody besides me is there. That’s when I look up to see a black mass of a shadow in my bedroom doorway. Though I can’t see any features, I have a distinct feeling it’s a male presence. It looks like it’s wearing a large hat. I don’t know why I think that because I really can’t see anything distinct, jut a shadow. But I definitely see a hat coming up from what I think is a head. My heart seems to stop in that moment. I can’t breathe.

I try to ignore the feelings and tell myself that I’m just seeing things, that there can’t be a person in my doorway, that it must be a shadow from some strange object in my room. But I still have the distinct feeling I’m being watched and I start to shiver with fright when the shadow remains.

In a panic, I pull the covers over my head and am so scared that I barely hear my own whispers of, “Go away, go away, go away.” Trembling, I peer out from beneath the covers but the black mass is still there.

I hold my breath. My heart starts pounding so hard I think it will pop right out of my chest. I hide under the covers again and utter for it to go away. When I finally get the nerve to look again, whatever it is has disappeared. The room no longer feels different. I no longer feel like I’m being watched. Everything is, well, normal. I want to go to the bathroom but am too scared to get of bed. So I huddle under my covers until I finally go back to sleep.

The next morning I try to figure out what could have made that shadow in my doorway. But everything in my bedroom is in its place, just as always. I’m very good about keeping things in their proper places so I can’t explain the mysterious shadow.

Not long after that incident, I awake one morning and shuffle into the kitchen. My mother is here making coffee or something. My dad and siblings are still in bed. The conversation goes something like this:

My mom turns to me and says in a low voice, “Did you hear the front door last night?”

“No, why?”

“Well, someone knocked in the middle of the night. Woke me up.”

“Really, who?”

“That’s what’s so strange. I went to the door and looked out the peep hole and saw a man in a suit and dress hat standing on the porch. When I opened the door, he was gone. There was no one. I looked for a car or something but it was quiet and I didn’t see anybody anywhere. He was just gone.”

Now if you’re wondering why my mother would open the door to a stranger in the middle of the night, you have to understand this was the 70s in a small town and we had a locked screen door between the inner door and the porch. Even though we kids were taught about stranger-danger, these were the days when people kept their doors unlocked and garage doors open all day so children could come and go as they pleased. The only times my parents locked up was when we all left the house to go someplace or before they went to bed at night.

I study my mother and she seems awed by what she experienced, and maybe even a little spooked. Men don’t wear dress hats anymore, which makes her story all the more fascinating to me. Gooseflesh makes me shiver as I ask, “Who do you think it was?”

“Well, I think it was my grandfather.” The man had died when my mother was around thirteen years old (my age at the time) and she’d been very close to him.

“Really? You think it was him?” I’m actually relieved by this news because it makes the shadow I saw seem less threatening and I move on to curious. “What did he want?”

“I don’t know. Maybe just stopped by to say hi.”

I nod. We don’t say much else about it and she smiles at me as we get breakfast ready.

I’m not sure why, but I didn’t mention the shadow in my doorway to her until many years later. And I still find it strange that my mother would come out of the blue with her story about her dead grandfather who once wore a dress hat, especially after my own experience of the shadow man in the hat. Either way, I never saw that shadow again and, as far as I know, my mother never had another strange night visitor come knocking at the door.

The Medium in My Family - pt2 of true paranormal stories

2011-02-24T15:15:00.005-07:00

Here is the second installment in my personal and family real-life paranormal tales. There will be more to come in future posts. Enjoy!

The Medium in My Family

By Dana Davis

I grew up hearing stories about my great-grandmother (granny) and her sister. The two were born the same month two years apart in the latter part of the nineteenth century and were very close. My great-great-aunt was a practicing medium during the early days of the twentieth century. I was also told that one of them had telekinetic abilities and could cause objects to move without touching them. By the time I was old enough to travel and meet my g-g-aunt, she was an old woman in a nursing home and thought I was my mother, so these stories come to me second and third hand.

According to family legend, when granny and her sister were present, items would sometimes fly across the kitchen and cabinets would open on their own. One particular day the sisters were sitting in their living room when my g-g-aunt’s chair suddenly lifted off the floor, hovered for a moment, then lowered back down to the floor. Needless to say, they were both a bit freaked out. According to the tales, anyway. I know I would have been.

That brings me to my g-g-aunt’s medium talents. The occult had been enjoying a boon during this period so mediums were accepted in many circles. Everyone who wanted to talk to a deceased loved one expected a séance. So she would hold séances for family, friends and clients and call on spirits from the other side. During these séances, she would go into a trance in order to communicate with the dead. That’s how it worked for her. One night, while in one of her trances, some invisible force grabbed onto her hair and yanked her backwards out of her chair and onto the floor. There were several witnesses to this incident, so I’m assuming chaos followed. Or maybe just a lot of excitement. Either way, the incident frightened her so much that she never again performed another séance and all paranormal activity around her stopped.

One morning, when I was fifteen years old, the phone rang. Not at all an odd occurrence in our house, considering there were five people in my family. However, this time I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach just before I picked up the phone. It was my grandmother. I asked her what was wrong. She told me that she needed to speak to my mother but she wouldn’t tell me anything more. I knew at that moment that someone had died and I suspected it was my great-grandmother. My mother confirmed it after she got off the phone. That was the first time I remember seeing her cry.

The next part of that story comes directly from my mother. She flew to granny’s funeral, leaving me and my siblings home with my father. When granny was alive, my mom’s sister (my aunt) visited her quite often. When my aunt would head home, Granny would tell her to call and let the phone ring twice then hang up as a signal that she got home safely. Evidently there were toll charges on phone calls back then so this saved money. Well, my aunt was with granny when she died and told her, jokingly, to ring twice when she got home. After the funeral, my mother and her family were at granny’s house when the phone suddenly rang. Twice. There was no one on the other end. That evening, they were back at my grandparents home where granny had died. The phone rang twice. Again, no one on the other end.

My family jokes to this day that granny made it home safely. And who knows, maybe she did. Interestingly enough, her sister the medium died two months later.

Voices in My Bed - pt1 of true paranormal stories

2011-02-22T10:53:00.004-07:00

I've been asked many times about my paranormal experiences, especially now that I'm involved with a paranormal investigative team. So, I've decided to share some of those experiences here on my blog, as well as some of the stories passed down through my family. Though I alter them quite a bit, I tend to use my experiences in my paranormal fantasy novels. Here is the first story of this series. Enjoy!

Voices in My Bed

By Dana Davis

My first experience with the paranormal started when I was about three years old and continued until I was almost seven. We lived in a rental house at the time and my bedroom was a converted garage. Every night when I went to bed, I would hear what sounded like a room full of adults talking. They started out distant and would grow louder within seconds, as though they were coming straight at me. While the voices were going on I always felt strange, like part of me was split or in two places at once. It scared me every time and I would hide under the covers until the voices disappeared and then go to sleep.

I never understood anything that was said because it was like being in a large cafeteria with everyone talking at once, but there were no utensil sounds, only voices. When I was about six, I would listen really hard and try to make out a single voice among the many but never could. I even spoke a couple of times to see if I could get a direct response but I never did.

These voices happened every night for three to four years and only lasted a few seconds. That’s how it always happened. I don’t know why, but I don’t think I ever told my parents about it. The voices stopped when we moved. I tried as a teenager and again as an adult to hear those voices at bedtime but I never heard them again. To this day, I don’t know whether I was having some sort of auditory hallucinations or actually experiencing something paranormal in that house.

I'm Just a Freak - Living with Meniere's Disease

2011-02-18T14:23:00.005-07:00

Ever since I was a kid, I was different. I played a lot by myself. Loved to read and make up stories. Got teased and ridiculed. I was a freak. As I got older, I learned to embrace my geekiness and freakiness. But one thing makes me different and I would love to get rid of it. I have Meniere's Disease. When I was first diagnosed, I didn't tell anyone beyond my family and close friends. But I eventually got over that and posted it in my website. I've recently had several emails about the disease so I thought I'd answer some questions and concerns and explain a little about it on my blog today.

Meniere's is an inner ear disorder that causes bouts of vertigo, dizziness, fluctuating hearing loss that becomes permanent, and tinnitus (ear noise or ringing in the ears). That's a standard explanation, anyway. Like old Rose said in Titanic, "The experience was quite different." Or something to that effect. So, here's a short version of my story.

Way back in the 90s in LA - yeah, I'm that old - I began to notice that doing turns in dance classes made me dizzy and sometimes nauseous. I ignored it, chalking it up to the fact that I just didn't dance as many hours a day as I had in the past. Then I began having slight ringing and fullness in my left ear. I went in for a hearing test but they said my hearing was normal. The doc did a water test, where she squirt warm water into my ear canal and made me almost puke right there in her office. The verdict - vertigo. Okay. She gave me a prescription and sent me on my way. I took one pill and hated being so tired from it so I stopped. I didn't have any other symptoms so I ignored the ear noise and went on my merry way.

Flash forward to 2002 and we were now living in Arizona. I came down with a bad case of a stomach virus that had me crawling to the bathroom and praying to the porcelain god every few minutes for several hours. The odd thing was that I had vertigo with it and I'd never had that in the past whenever I got a stomach virus. Hubby called the doc and I got a prescription for some heavy duty anti-puke meds, which stopped the vomiting. Thankfully! Then I slept for a day or so before feeling normal again. This happened again a few months later. Then again. After that third time, it didn't return. But my ear noise was worse and I started asking my husband to repeat things he said to me. He made a joke that I was losing my hearing. When it didn't go away, we got worried and made an appointment with an ENT (ear-nose-throat doc).

The hearing test came back normal. He asked if I'd recently had vertigo. Yes. He asked if my ears ever felt clogged with cotton. Yes. He tilted me backwards on the table and adjusted my head. No vertigo then. The next test was an MRI to rule out a brain tumor. Here's where I really began to panic. A brain tumor? You've got to be kidding? I can't have a brain tumor. I'm too young to die. I don't think I slept very well until we went in for the results. Negative. My brain looked fine. Whew! But what was happening? The next tests were some eye movement and other stuff but the worst was the water in the ear. Oh, no. I'd been through this before. I told him it caused vertigo but he said they had to do it and I couldn't take any meds beforehand. Great. So, if you guessed that I puked during this test, you'd be right. I felt miserable afterwards and hubby took me home for a long nap. I swore that no matter what, I'd never set foot in another ENT's office again.

Of course, I had to go back for the results. Now, you don't actually have tests for Meniere's. What they do is rule out everything else so that you're only left with that disease. The good news was that I wasn't going to die. The bad news was that Meniere's is a rare and incurable disease that can incapacitate and disable it's victims. Fabulous. I was informed that I had a mild case. A mild case? You've got to be kidding me? I really didn't want to know what having a serious case was like. I didn't want to be this kind of freak with a freaky disease. I wanted a cure. Denial stage? Yep.

With no cure and few treatments, I was pretty much on my own. Over the years, I've done internet research and experimented with various treatment options. I've found that sufficient sleep and lots of exercise works best for me. Trampoline, jumping, turning, riding a bike, swimming, anything that challenges my balance and inner ear helps. When I do sense an attack coming - I can usually tell now - I take Dramamine or it's equivalent to keep the vertigo under control. I still have to sleep a lot afterward, but I can't do anything about that. I'm now trying an herbal pill that is supposed to help reduce the tinnitus (ear noise). I will have to take it for up to 2 months to know if it works, but I figure I can't lose anything so I'm going for it. I use a sound machine in order to sleep at night. Otherwise what I call the cicadas in my head would drive me nuts and I'd never get any sleep.

I actually went into remission for nearly 3 years before I had another attack. This attack happened very recently. Even though they've gotten less severe over the years, I still fought really hard not to have another pity party. Is it difficult living with this disease? Heck, yeah. Will I end up totally deaf? There's always that possibility. But my hearing was above average to begin with so I have high hopes I won't. Even with the hearing loss I do have, I'm still in the normal range. After so many years, the disease tends to hit a burn-out stage. I hope that's where I'm headed. I'll have permanent inner ear damage, no getting away from that. But as long as that darn vertigo stays away so I can function and write my novels, I'll be very happy.

Some believe VanGogh had Meniere's and cut off his own ear trying to get rid of tinnitus. If that's true, I can certainly sympathize, but I'm not going to try that remedy. I'll just take it one day at a time, be thankful I'm able to work from home, and embrace my freakiness.

Lucky We Went to Egypt in 2010 (with photos)

2011-02-01T15:00:00.027-07:00

As you may know, hubby and I were in Egypt about three months ago. We met some wonderful people during our visit and I blogged about the trip. With the internet shut down over there right now, we haven't been able to find out how our guides and drivers and their families are doing. I have to say that the protests don't surprise me because of what we heard when we were there, but I'm disgusted by all the criminals taking advantage of the situation and sacking and looting ancient treasures and businesses. Even King Tut's Exhibit at the Egyptian Antiquities Museum didn't escape damage. Luckily, those pieces can be repaired. I'm sure the same can't be said for other artifacts. We feel extremely lucky that we took our Egypt trip when we did. Who knows how long it will be before normal travel will resume in this troubled country. Cameras are strictly forbidden inside the museum, so I don't have any of photos from there to share with you, but I've included a few from around Egypt that I didn't put into previous blogs.

Enjoy and please keep the Egyptian people in your thoughts.

Putting it in perspective.

2011-01-28T10:04:00.004-07:00

I know, I know, I've been lax about posting the past couple of months. I do have an excuse. Well, several actually. No, really, I do. At the beginning of our holiday break, I rear-ended hubby while we were biking and ended up sprawled on the street with several bruises, scrapes and a cracked rib. And I needed to meet my publisher's deadline for my next book and was falling behind. Good news is that because it hurt just to breathe, I couldn't do much of anything but sit and got a lot of writing done.

Then, when I was almost healed, I ended up having two Meniere's attacks in a row. This disease causes severe vertigo and tinnitus during attacks and impedes normal function. I tend to go into denial between attacks and pretend that I'm normal. Then, wham! I get hit with another reminder that I'm, well, just a little bit different than most. Hubby is great to me during these times but it's hard not being able to walk straight for a day or two and then being unstable for another day or two. I sometimes mope.

So, while I was having a pity party, and doing a fine job of it, I got news that my younger brother was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis. Can you hear the brakes squealing? Yep, that put an instant halt to my party. This is devastating news for anyone, but especially for someone who was a body builder and karate instructor and is still religious about going to the gym. My party was over. My brother lost his only son to an impaired driver three years ago, so he's no stranger to hard times. He's taking this current news with more bravery than I would. We commiserated, with me just trying to keep my mouth shut and listen.

Everyone has challenges in their lives and, thanks to my brother, I've learned that mine are not nearly as severe as I sometimes want to believe. So my pity hat hangs in the closet now and it's time to support my brother again. His disease is progressive, like mine. But unlike mine, his causes a lot of pain, sometimes on a daily basis, and makes it hard for him to do things I take for granted, like walking up a flight of stairs. He was acting all brave and whatnot, so I told him to go ahead and have a pity party, with balloons and a big pity cake. He's earned it. After that, he can be the brave one if he wants. Thanks to him, I have yet a new perspective on life. That mine is pretty great.

Todd Davis Memorial Scholarship

2011-01-07T11:18:00.002-07:00

It's the new year and now is a great time to decide on your annual donations. My seventeen-year-old nephew died in 2008 from injuries he sustained in an automobile accident with an impaired driver. My brother and his wife have set up a scholarship in his memory if you wish to donate. Anything is appreciated and is tax deductible.

Todd Davis Memorial Scholarship

The Todd Davis Memorial Scholarship is open to all University of Houston—Clear Lake (UHCL) students who have volunteered their time at UHCL for leadership events such as, but not limited to, the ones mentioned above.

There are three ways in which you can donate in Todd’s memory:

1. www.uhcl.edu under the “give to UHCL” tab.” Just be sure and select “other” in the gift designation box and write “for the Todd Davis Memorial Scholarship” in the memo box just above the “Personal Information” section on the page.

2. or you may call Kim Herhold at UHCL at 281-283-2036 and pay by credit card over the telephone. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted.

3. or you may mail your check to: UHCL, Office of University Advancement, Attn: Kim Herhold, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Box 318, Houston, TX 77058

Note: please write “Todd Davis Memorial Scholarship” in the memo section of your check. And please check with your employer’s HR department to see if they participate in a matching gift program.

New interview and eBook contest!

2011-01-06T11:47:00.003-07:00

Time	Thursday, January 6 - January 7

Location	http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com

Created By	Dana Davis

More Info	Award-winning and SynergE bestselling author Dana Davis will talk about her Teadai Prophecies fantasy trilogy and other goodies at Twilight Thursday at Moonlight, Lace, and Mayhem. Visitors will also have a chance to enter a contest for a free eBook copy of Deadly Fate: Book One of the Teadai Prophecies.

The Bird Who Doesn’t Fly.

2011-01-03T10:55:00.002-07:00

If you’ve ever read my bio, you’ve probably seen my crazy parakeets mentioned someplace. Believe it or not, birds have neuroses just like humans. Ours are no exception. Each bird hubby and I have ever had came with its own personality, quirks and prejudices. We currently have two budgies who are mates. The female used to fly all over the place, landing on things she wasn’t supposed to be on. We called her a "naughty birdie" and laughed at her escapades. Once our other birds passed away, she and her mate were left alone. Birds can go into depression when they lose a friend but these two seemed content to be together. Their grieving didn’t take more than a few days and then they were fine, eating their veggies and fruits and playing with their toys again.

After a while, the female began to fly less and less. She seemed content to sit in the cage and have her mate feed and preen her, which is how male budgies get their groove on, if you know what I mean. The vet checked her out and couldn’t find anything wrong with her. We even learned that some birds are content to stay in their cages and refuse to come out. But she’s a bird and birds are supposed to fly, right? That’s what we think, too. But after coaxing without success, we left her alone, figuring she would come out on her own eventually. Everyone once in a while, she would sit in the doorway and get startled by her mate and come out. But she hadn’t flown in so long that she had no strength in her wings and went straight to the floor. Instead of flying back, she would just waddle around – she’d put on a little weight – and sit under the coffee table. Her mate would join her on the floor and they would sit and preen. When she wanted to go back into her cage, she couldn’t get enough height, so she would waddle to me and wait for me to offer my finger as a perch. I would hold her up a few feet from the cage and, when she felt like it, she would fly back.

This was the only exercise our girl was getting. She had turned into a full-on couch potato, complete with waddle weight, and we decided to do an intervention. I began to take her out of the cage, whether she wanted to come out or not, two to three times a day and hold her on my finger until she flew back on her own. Hubby’s afraid he’ll squeeze them too hard, so I do birdie meds and anything else that involves holding them against their will. I don’t mind at all. I got nipped at the first week or so because she didn’t like me taking her out. Yes, it hurt, but after having animals my whole life, I’m used to it. Besides, how would you like a humongous hand reaching in through your front door and grabbing you? I know I would put up a fight, so I certainly can’t blame her for that. Her nips were a warning, not an attack, and she never drew blood.

After the first week, she stopped nipping at me and allowed me to hold her, knowing I wouldn’t keep her in my hands for long. Birds don’t like their wings held, even if they refuse to fly with them. Our little birdie even began to lose a bit of her waddle weight. I found this encouraging and would take her farther and farther from her cage every three days or so, until she grew more confident and got excited about these short flights. Her mate seemed to enjoy having her out again, so we put their birdie play yard up. This is a wooden platform with ladders, ropes and other toys. We placed the play yard in its previous spot, about ten feet from their cage at a higher elevation. They loved to play on it in the past but hadn’t since our girl decided not to fly any longer. This time when I took her out, I put her on it. She flew back to the cage with no problem at all and even sang a jaunty tune afterwards. Hubby and I did a little happy dance.

Then, yesterday, our girl came out on her own for the first time in months, flew to the play yard and back to the cage. It was just like old times. We did soft cheers of encouragement, and her mate sang his little heart out. After that, she did a half lap around the family room. We will continue to encourage her to fly and cheer her on when she does. She’s no longer “the bird who doesn’t fly”.

Contest winner!

2011-01-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to Clare Dargin and to everyone who stopped by for the interview. Congratulations to Manjiri, who won the eBook contest. Happy New Year!

Interview and eBook contest!

2010-12-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

Interview with Dana Davis and free eBook contest! Happy New Year! Family members not eligible for the contest. Wednesday, December 29 at 12:00am - Saturday, January 1, 2011 at 12:00am.

http://theembraced.blogspot.com

Twas the Night Before Deadline

2010-12-15T11:34:00.001-07:00

Dana's travel pics.

2010-12-14T11:24:00.004-07:00

I've had a lot of interest in my world travels so if you'd like to see more photos of places I've been, please visit my facebook album. http://www.facebook.com/danadaviswriting/posts/140198536035063?ref=notif&notif_t=feed_comment#!/album.php?aid=154743&id=591073862

You don't have to be a member of facebook to see the pics but if you are a member, I'd love for you to friend me. And please let me know that you saw this post on my blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Dude, I’m Driving Here!

2010-12-13T21:08:00.001-07:00

I’m just guessing, but I think maybe Phoenician driving habits are related to the intense heat frying people’s brains during the long summers. Or perhaps it has to do with the mysterious Phoenix lights in the sky altering people’s interpretation of reality. Or maybe it’s the dust. Whatever the reason, driving here is a test in all the skills they tried to drill into you during driver’s ed class. Remember those old simulators that logged your response times? Remember laughing with relief when the kid chased the ball in front of your fake car because you just barely missed taking him out? While kids chasing something into the street is a fabulous reason for keeping your senses open, its other drivers I tend to worry about most. Thankfully, my horn is in good form, as I tend to use it more here than I ever did while living in Los Angeles.

Now I tend to go about five miles over the speed limit at any given time. Yeah, I’m a rebel. But seriously, I like to arrive at my destination with me and my car in one piece. However, since the freeway cameras were removed here, things have gone back to the way they were before, and driving in Phoenix freeway is tantamount to maneuvering the Indy 500 track with bad drivers behind the wheels. And, for some reason, Arizonans don’t realize what turn signals are for. Or else, they just can’t find them.

Like most of my freeway excursions, I felt lucky to make it home from the last one. So, there I am, driving along in my cute gas sipping car, not talking on a cell phone, not putting on makeup, or eating, or gazing at my GPS map, or any number of things I could do instead of actually driving, when one of these Indy dudes decides to change lanes. With no signal. And straight for me. Now, if I remember a bit of physics, no matter how hard one wishes it, two objects can’t occupy the same space at the same time. Sadly, this basic physics lesson tends to get ignored around here. Quite a bit. So with my heart racing, no escape route in sight, and an awful image of my cute baby’s front end being removed, I pressed the horn, while yelling through my closed window, “Hey, dude! Stay in your own lane!” Luckily for me, the other driver must’ve remembered his simulator training, because he swerved back into his own lane, thus avoiding an increase in both our insurance plans.

But before my heart could get back to a normal rhythm, I spot a huge Indy truck coming up fast in my rearview mirror. This dude seemed to think that tailgating me for several miles would make my car disappear. Um, the left lanes are there for a reason. Really. Anyway, after passing several exits, he gave up on me and merged into the right lane to ride another dude’s bumper. For some reason a lot of drivers have the same misinformation as Indy truck guy and think that tailgating will cause the car ahead of them to evaporate, which explains why freeway accidents here tend to involve three or four or even five vehicles. I’m still trying to find out which page of the driving manual has this information so I can bring it to someone’s attention.

On top of the regular, misinformed dudes on the road, during winter months, like now, the snowbirds flock to town. No, I don’t mean white birds. I’m talking retirees from places where it snows and gets really, really cold and icy and stuff like that. They come here for the winter months to swim, or something they can’t do back home. And let’s face it, no Phoenician in her right mind would go in the water when it’s a freezing 68 degrees outside so they pretty much have poolside to themselves. Now, while I’m a fan of older people - I’m even friends with some - I do wish those unfamiliar with Phoenix driving habits would curb the desire to get behind the wheel if they don’t really have to. Having to break and swerve to avoid some old dude doing 45 on the freeway is a heart-pounder, especially when the Indy vehicles dominate the other lanes, and makes a treacherous drive for the rest of us who try to stay somewhere near the speed limit.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking, that giving the single finger salute would be a solution to some of these problems, or at least make one feel really, really good. But this is Phoenix. And everyone is packing. And I don’t mean gum. I have enough stress without getting shot and ending up on the six o’clock news. So, dudes, my middle finger is officially on hiatus. At least until I get back home to LA, where I can give it a serious workout without fear of losing it.

Repost of final Egypt blog post from myspace - with photos!

2010-12-07T16:33:00.002-07:00

Okay, so this is the last installment of my Egypt trip. I decided to save some fun and interesting stuff for this one. Like Greek and Roman graffiti and artwork on ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Luckily, the Romans plastered over the hieroglyphics instead of painting or carving directly on them. This actually preserved them so when Egyptologists chipped the plaster off or it crumbled from age, the hieroglyphics were still there.

Here in the states, we’ve seen 19th century graffiti on ancient petroglyphs. In Egypt, you get Greek graffiti on hieroglyphs. But tourists aren’t the only ones to deface ancient property. In Italy, we saw ancient graffiti in Pompeii and other places. The same goes for Egypt. You’ve probably heard of a guy by the name of Rameses/Ramses II. We learned some interesting things about him. Like his name and/or statues and obelisks seem to be everywhere in Egypt. I don’t think we went too many places where we didn’t see something about him. Of course, he was a Pharaoh, but I’m beginning to think he was also a bit full of himself. After all, he scratched out his father’s name to carve his own in its place. And I believe he was the one who surrounded Queen (the only female pharaoh) Hatshepsut’s obelisks in stone so they couldn’t be seen. The men following her reign tried very hard to erase her existence. We were told she stole the throne from her young stepson and it really ticked him off, but I also think the patriarchal society back then had a lot to do with trying to erase her. Luckily for us, Egyptologists rediscovered her and added her back into the history books.

Unfortunately, Rameses’ II tomb in the Valley of the Kings was closed when we were there but we got to see other burial places.

Repost of Egypt trip blog - photos added!

2010-12-07T16:21:00.004-07:00

Here is the original post from my old myspace blog about my recent Egypt trip. You may have read these blogs but I'm moving the most recent ones here. I've added photos.

Egypt part 1

Hubby and I just got back from Egypt, a trip we’d been planning for some time and a place both of us had wanted to visit since childhood. But who hasn’t, right? The first thing we noticed in Cairo is the traffic. Lanes are optional, horns mandatory, and accidents minimal to non-existent. We were as likely to see an 18 wheeler as a donkey on the various roads, which consisted of everything from smooth concrete to potholes and speed bumps. While riding with our driver, Mohamed, who enjoyed joking around, I tried my best to decipher the horn signals.

They go something like this:

1. One tap, mainly used for pedestrians – I’m coming, get out of the way.
2. Two taps – look out other cars, buses, donkeys, trucks – I’m coming through.
3. One long blast – hey, buster, look out, you’re drifting into my area.
4. A series of toots – howdy, everyone, how’s it going

After the entertaining ride from the airport to hotel, we were greeted with a nice view of the Nile River from our balcony. Surreal to think we were finally in Egypt, where ancient Pharaohs had once ruled this land. The next morning we drove to Giza to visit to the pyramids and sphinx. Not only is it humbling to stand in the shadows of these massive structures from a 5000 years ago civilization, squatting, hunching and just plain crawling into the hot tombs, is a feat in itself, and one I wouldn’t have missed. Cameras aren’t allowed in the tombs but we got plenty of pics from the outside.

The Egyptian people are friendly and love to chat and after crawling out of one of the ancient pyramid tombs, hubby and I were laughing about something. Don’t remember what. Maybe we were just punchy from the heat. But a man stepped to us and said to my husband, “You have good wife. She worth a million camels.” Now, I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or insulted, so I chose flattered and laughed all the harder. The man grinned and repeated his statement, patting me on the shoulder.

So, not only did I have an awesome time in Giza, but I’m also worth a million camels. Go figure.

Part 2

We took a day trip to Dendara (Dendera), which is just full of history from ancient Egypt to the ancient Romans and Greeks to Ptolemy, who are said to have made alterations to the temple and even built structures here. We arrived before any tour buses and got a chance to walk around this area while it was quiet. This made the site all the more special for us, especially when gazing up at columns and walls filled with ancient hieroglyphics. You can see some of the original paint color here, too. We even had a chance to walk into some of the underground tunnels. Ancient Egyptians decorated everything with hieroglyphics, one reason I love them so much.

Part 3

While seeing the great pyramids in Egypt was a dream come true for hubby and me and one we’d both been dreaming about since we were kids, I have to admit, the Valley of the Kings in Luxor may have been even better. Various tombs are in this area. Two of the most famous being that of King Tut and Ramses II. The colors in some of the tombs are so well-preserved, you’d think they were painted recently, but some are over 3000 years old. Three-thousand! While that’s a blip in geological time, it’s huge for us mere humans.

And a topper to this marvelous cake is King Tut’s mummy. Yep, his actual mummy is in his tomb. We stood right next to it. The sarcophagus is amazing, but to be right there with the king himself in his own burial chamber, well it’s extremely surreal. While photos are allowed driving up to the Valley of the Kings entrance, cameras are no longer allowed inside. So, I've borrowed some photos from friends who were there a few years ago to share with you, along with the ones I took.

Dana's Blah Blah is moving back to blogspot!

2010-12-07T15:54:00.005-07:00

I had moved my blog to myspace because I have a lot of followers there but with the recent changes myspace has made, the site is just not feasible any longer, so I'm coming back here. I am in the process of moving a few entries here but this may take a little time because I have photos posted with many of them. I hope myspace readers will come to blogspot and I will post bulletins whenever I have a new entry. Thanks so much to all my followers for your patience and loyalty.

Happy reading!
Dana

Egypt trip pt 4

2010-11-09T11:30:00.003-07:00

Graffiti and other goodies - Egypt trip pt 4 - now at Dana's Blah Blah Blog http://www.myspace.com/danadaviswriting/blog

Living in the Wild, Wild West!

2010-10-20T10:36:00.001-07:00

Well the wild ride is over! Read all about it at Dana's Blah Blah blog - Living in the Wild, Wild West http://www.myspace.com/danadaviswriting/blog

Valley of the Kings - Egypt trip pt 3

2010-10-19T14:02:00.003-07:00

Valley of the Kings - Egypt trip pt 3 - now at Dana's Blah Blah blog. http://www.myspace.com/danadaviswriting/blog

Egyptians, Romans and Greeks, oh my - Egypt trip pt 2

2010-10-04T13:11:00.001-07:00

Egyptians, Romans and Greeks, oh my - Egypt trip pt 2 at Dana's Blah Blah - http://www.myspace.com/danadaviswriting/blog

I’m Worth a Million Camels – Egypt Trip – Pt 1

2010-09-28T11:39:00.002-07:00

I’m Worth a Million Camels – Egypt Trip – Pt 1 - new post at Dana's Blah Blah Blog http://www.myspace.com/danadaviswriting/blog

Genealogy and fiction writing.

2010-09-08T16:36:00.001-07:00

Genealogy and fiction writing - new post is up at Dana's Blah Blah blog. Enjoy! http://www.myspace.com/danadaviswriting/blog

When a publisher asks for shocking changes

2010-08-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

When a publisher asks for shocking changes - now at Dana's Blah Blah blog. http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Monsoon a big tease

2010-07-29T11:10:00.001-07:00

Monsoon a big tease - new post at Dana's Blah Blah http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Valley of the Sun beautiful and deadly

2010-07-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

New blog entry at Dana's Blah Blah Blog http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Bisbee Ghost Hunt - #2

2010-07-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Bisbee Ghost Hunt part 2 is now up at Dana's Blah Blah Blog - with photos! http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Bisbee Ghost Hunt - #1

2010-06-29T09:54:00.002-07:00

Bisbee Ghost Hunt first installment is now up at Dana's Blah Blah Blog - with photos! http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Ghost Hunt - most times an orb is just dust.

2010-06-23T14:37:00.002-07:00

Ghost Hunt - most times an orb is just dust at Dana's Blah Blah Blog

http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Friday fun - You're a desert dweller when...

2010-06-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Friday fun - You're a desert dweller when...

http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

New blog posts!

2010-06-02T08:34:00.001-07:00

Bald Face Lies Fess Up and The More Things Change...at Dana's Blah Blah Blog. http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Blogger award nomination!

2010-05-10T10:17:00.002-07:00

I just received a Creative Writer blogger award nomination. :) To read all about it and see a list of bloggers that I nominated, please visit http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Those of you who are unable to post on my myspace blog, please feel free to post here. Or you can visit my facebook page and post at http://www.facebook.com/people/Dana-Davis/591073862

I'll still receive them no matter where you post. :)

Spring Fever in the Valley of the Sun

2010-05-07T11:08:00.001-07:00

Spring Fever in the Valley of the Sun blog at Dana's Blah Blah. http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Rainbows, Flowers and Allergies, Oh, My

2010-04-28T16:11:00.001-07:00

http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Writers Have to Do More Than Write in the Digital Age

2010-04-08T15:33:00.001-07:00

New blog up at Dana's Blah Blah - Writers Have to Do More Than Write in the Digital Age - plus questions and answers about my personal nook ereader. http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

Dana's Blah Blah blog - Author bumps in the digital book age!

2010-03-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

Dana's Blah Blah blog - Author bumps in the digital book age!

http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

2010-02-11T16:05:00.002-07:00

Dana's blog at myspace

2010-02-01T13:30:00.001-07:00

Thanks for stopping by. To view my blog, please visit http://blog.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

New blog - travel for writers series and ghost hunt!

2009-12-14T11:37:00.004-07:00

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!

2009-10-27T09:36:00.001-07:00

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 has moved!

2009-06-16T15:26:00.004-07:00

Thanks to everyone who followed me here and I hope you continue on over to myspace and check it out. http://blogs.myspace.com/danadaviswriting

The reason I moved my blog is simple - I'm uber-busy with 5 new books scheduled for release this year and this is one less website to keep track of and updated.

Happy reading!

Dana's Blah Blah moving to myspace!

2009-06-10T16:21:00.005-07:00

I'm moving my blog to myspace.

I'll leave this blog up a while to give readers time to make the switch. Thank you for following me here and for your comments. I hope you'll look me up at http://www.myspace.com/danadaviswriting and continue to read my blog.

Happy reading!

Dana

More desert drama.

2009-06-08T15:29:00.005-07:00

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.

2009-05-29T09:08:00.004-07:00

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!

2009-05-19T09:04:00.003-07:00

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!

2009-05-15T09:02:00.004-07:00

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!

2009-05-13T11:16:00.003-07:00

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!

2009-05-05T09:40:00.005-07:00

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!

2009-04-27T08:48:00.006-07:00

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!

2009-04-20T14:41:00.004-07:00

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!

2009-04-14T11:27:00.004-07:00

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!

2009-04-06T15:02:00.005-07:00

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!

2009-03-24T09:05:00.005-07:00

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

2009-03-16T09:45:00.002-07:00

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!

2009-03-06T09:32:00.005-07:00

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?

2009-02-26T08:46:00.003-07:00

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!

2009-02-17T16:52:00.007-07:00

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!

2009-02-10T19:51:00.003-07:00

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!

2009-02-02T11:59:00.003-07:00

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!

2009-01-27T09:06:00.003-07:00

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.

2009-01-23T10:27:00.002-07:00

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!

2009-01-22T09:00:00.004-07:00

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!

2009-01-12T13:45:00.007-07:00

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!

2009-01-05T10:26:00.004-07:00

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!

2009-01-02T09:30:00.005-07:00

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!

2008-12-18T16:50:00.004-07:00

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!

2008-12-15T13:52:00.004-07:00

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!

2008-12-08T11:08:00.004-07:00

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

2008-12-03T10:08:00.003-07:00

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

2008-12-01T09:12:00.006-07:00

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!

2008-11-21T16:08:00.003-07:00

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

2008-11-13T17:24:00.003-07:00

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!

2008-11-07T09:33:00.007-07:00

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!

2008-11-05T09:32:00.001-07:00

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

Halloween scare!

2008-10-30T08:56:00.004-07:00

What would Halloween be without something a little scary? In my case, it's the delay of my new book Desert Magick: Superstitions. Which will not be available for purchase at my November 1st book signing. Talk about scary! I was sooo hoping my publisher would have it ready but it just wasn't to happen. I am disappointed but have been assured I will have it by my next signing, scheduled for November 22nd. What's that saying? Oh, yeah. "Stuff Happens" Well, that's the G-Rated wording.

Ah, well, onto other scary things. Hubby and I have decided to go as vamps for the big day, or rather, night. I even found some really cool Hollywood style pointy-teeth caps that we can wear even when we eat and drink. Can't wait to try them out. I'll try not to stay out too late. Don't want to be bleary-eyed come Saturday morning when I'm greeting readers. For all of you celebrating tomorrow night, have a safe and spooky Halloween!

Happy reading!