New Year's Eve 2010!

Here's wishing a safe and happy New Year's Eve to all. We're going out to a favorite restaurant tonight, then home to watch a move and toast in 2011 from the safety of our living room couch. It's unpleasantly cold here in southeastern Arizona, so we're hiding from both the temperature and the too-much-merrymakers.

What's everyone else doing? I expect full reports in the Comments section. Chop chop!

Christmas!

I hope everyone had as fantastic a Christmas as I did, surrounded by family and lots of laughter. Santa was overly kind to me this year, and he spread his cheer outward to others as well. Have a great rest of the day. :0)

So close...

The Husband returned from his business trip to Tacoma, Washington with a lovely little hitchhiker... the flu. He's better now but Saturday was a pretty miserable day for him. Here's hoping that hitchhiker didn't hop my way; if it did, incubation puts it right at... why... Christmas! ::ulp::

On a more hopeful note, if anyone out there has read HIGHBORN and can spare a few minutes, I'd super-appreciate it if you'd post a review on Amazon. Nothing lengthy or agonizingly in-depth necessary-- just a few lines about whether (or not) you liked it. It's the reviews that will pop it back into noticeability, and right now it sure needs that because it's slipping in the ranks. The Kindle version seems to be holding its own, but the paperback sales could use a boost.

Thanks much, and hey... got your holiday shopping completed yet? :0)

Saturday Saturday Saturday!!!

Yes, another signing at Barnes and Noble. This time come on down to the Broadway store in Tucson at 2:00 p.m. The event listing is right here. It's all part of my grand plan to saturate the world with my books. I WILL PREVAIL!!!

SIGNING SIGNING SIGNING!

In the Tucson, Arizona area on Saturday for holiday shopping? Excellent-- stop by and see me at the Foothills Mall Barnes & Noble -- http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/3075053 -- at 2:00 p.m. Remember, personally autographed books make awesome (and affordable) holiday gifts!

Photo Extravaganza!

Okay, maybe extravaganza is a bit overboard, but I did upload a bunch of new photos of the Danes and Thanksgiving. Check them out on my Facebook page. :0)

Post Turkey Day

I know I promised a report and pictures from TusCon 37, but that's going to have to wait in favor of trying to catch up on some other stuff (like writing, proposals, bill (ugh) paying, etc.). We are going to take a bit of time off today and go see SKYLINE, so that should be fun. We always see previews for fantastic-looking movies and say, "We've GOT to get to the theater and see that one on the big screen [because of the special effects]!" but we never seem to find the time. This time WE MEAN IT, darn it!

Our Turkey Day was very nice, spent with family up in Tucson. Unfortunately my Dad has a nasty cold and bowed out, but we dropped off a vat, er, plate of leftovers at his house on our way home last night. As always, while I might fuss and grumble about various things, I also have a lot of excellent stuff to be thankful for, not the least of which is The Husband, The Dad, The Dogs, The Family. Bottom line is that the things that really count have a heartbeat.

Today there's also a little something to be thankful for in the virtual world. Bop on over to DarkRedemption.net and check out the two nice reviews that popped into my email box this morning via Google Alerts. Sweet!

Unsupervised in November!

Yes. The Husband has foolishly left me alone again. This time he's gone 9-freaking-thousand (yes, THOUSAND) miles away, crossing an ocean to flit around some European country on the underside of Russia. One of the conversations we had before he left went like this:

The Husband: "Make sure you eat right while I'm gone."
Me: "I'm supposed to eat?"
The Husband: "I'm going to have someone come by and check on you every day to make sure!"
Me: "If you do that, can't they just bring me stuff?"

As you might guess, that didn't happen. And I ran out of milk.

FREE HIGHBORN!

Or at least 30 pages of it. Interested? Then take yourself on over to this page on POCKET AFTER DARK. Read it. Rate it. Speak your mind. :0)

TusCon 37 Schedule - 11/12-14/10

Nope, I didn't forget. The Husband has run off to Europe and left me unsupervised, so I spent the day eating Blue Bell Moo-lennium Ice Cream. Okay, not really (although I did eat about a scoop)-- in reality I spent the day working my toosh off at various household chores, scrubbing Great Danes and getting stuff ready for this weekend. Speaking of this weekend, it's TusCon 37 in Tucson, Arizona! Here's my schedule, and by the way: I'm bringing Goblin and Ghost, so here's your chance to meet two of the three Bee-Gs. Wild Woman Ghoulie gets to stay in a doggie hotel since I can't handle her and the other two by myself, and I think she'd be kind of overwhelmed to be around so many strangers. And oh, the fine and chewable things that would be in that hotel room while I am on panels!

Friday - 11/12
6:00 p.m. -- St. Augustine: Urban fantasy vs. paranormal romance: Whose genre is
it, anyway? J.Butcher, S.Butcher, Knowles, Navarro, D.Summers, Ward
7:00 p.m. -- Copper: Meet the Guests Reception, Ed Bryant, Ringmaster

Saturday - 11/13
10:00 a.m. -- Garden: Reading from HIGHBORN
2:00 p.m. -- Copper: Mass Autographing

Sunday - 11/14
2:00 p.m. -- St. Augustine: Surviving the next Zombie Apocalypse Navarro, Ochse (Husband on a Stick), D.Summers, Bryant

Hope to see you there!

Post-Signing: Hastings Bookstore

I did a table signing with Mysterious Galaxy at RinCon in mid-October, before HIGHBORN was released. Maryelizabaeth, the owner, had put a lot of effort into getting copies for the convention. Literally that was the first HIGHBORN book signing.

Today was the second, but the first in a brick & mortar bookstore. This one took place at Hastings in Sierra Vista, Arizona (my hometown), and things went pretty darned well. The Husband (Weston Ochse) signed with me-- he's the extrovert so I drag him to as many events as I can. He's kind of like bait. ::hee:: He was supposed to sign copies of his latest mass market novel, EMPIRE OF SALT, which is sold out in the U.S. It was sold out at Hastings, too, because they put the three copies they had on the table before he got there... and all three were sold well in advance of our arrival. They sold their other six copies earlier in the week.

From Highborn

We stayed a bit longer than or allotted time, just because things were going well. Seven customers left with ten copies of HIGHBORN and plenty of bookmarks and cards with the web page on it. Met some awesome people: Jenn, who runs The Reader's Life blog, Stevan, a Border Patrol Agent, and several others. Several people from work came by-- Dave, Pam, and Laura (who's mentioned in the acknowledgments because she helped with the Spanish in the book). You are all awesome, you rock, and I so much appreciate your support!

From Highborn

Took a few more pictures, just to prove we were there. Check them all out on Picasaweb.

HIGHBORN Review

Pretty good review of HIGHBORN here at Scooper Speaks.

Halloween Fun!

Come on over to my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1350792301#!/yvonne.navarro.001 for some uh, interesting Halloween party pictures.

And, of course, you don't want to miss our 2010 introduction of the Bee-Gs. Really, you don't.

:0)=

Online HIGHBORN Stuff Happening Right NOW!

Two blogging events, one of which even has a giveaway going on! Neither one involves hours of reading, so it won't take up much of your time.

So check out Fangtastic Books. Then head over to Dark Faerie Tales for some Spooky Legends (I tackle the Bloody Mary urban legend).

And please -- leave comments! Comments are to authors like bread crumbs were to Hansel and Gretel!

HIGHBORN CONTEST!

HIGHBORN is out and available!

The first three people to review HIGHBORN on Amazon.com will win a free yvonnenavarro.com T-Shirt. My choice based on availability of size and design. So... who wants a T-Shirt? :)

Unsupervised!

Yes, The Husband has gone off and left me unsupervised. It's just me, the dogs, and... yes. Blue Bell Moo-llennium Crunch Ice Cream.

And I'm thinking this is just a pre-dinner snack. So... popcorn for dinner? Chocolate pudding for breakfast? Mmmmmm....!

We've Been Busy Today!

See what happens when we have a day off from the day job? I owe enormous thanks to The Husband, Weston Ochse, who spent some eight or nine hours of his holiday making a fantastic book trailer for Highborn. Check it out on YouTube right Here (cuz I haven't actually got a copy myself yet, but I will... you betcha!).

Also, if you look to the right on your screen, there's a brand new link over there where you can see the HIGHBORN cover and read the Prologue as well as a nice chunk of Chapter One. In fact, don't even move your cursor. Just go right here! :)

Comments? Inquiring ears want to hear!

Fast Forward!

I have been informed by my editor that now that she's read the manuscript, the official release date for CONCRETE SAVIOR, which I submitted the last week of September, has been moved up. Instead of October 2011, it's now JUNE 2011.

Hey, who hit the fast forward button?! :)

RinCon 10 Schedule this Saturday!

RinCon 10
Tucson, Arizona
October 9, 2010 (Saturday)
* 1:00 p.m. - Signing (with Weston Ochse)
* 2:00 p.m. - Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies, Oh My! (Panel with Weston Ochse, Jeff Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell)
* 4:00 p.m. - Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction (Panel with Sam Sykes, Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Weston Ochse)

Come visit us!

HIGHBORN on Good Reads!

HIGHBORN has received a 5-star rating on Good Reads! Check it out here.

FINISHED!!!

CONCRETE SAVIOR is officially finished and has been emailed to both my editor and my agent!

Now to catch up on all this other stuff.

Er... where to begin? ::ulp!::

Wait for it...

Thought I would have a cool announcement to make by now, but alas having my nose try to run off my face while it simultaneously blocks oxygen to my brain and make my eyes leak is putting a bit of a delay on things.

Yes, that's a wordy description of a miserable head cold.

From Haunted Mansion Retreat -- It's Saturday Morning Live!

So far, so good. All of us seem to have had some sort of experience, some mild, some pretty danged scary (me included). Follow our adventures and rule-breaking at the Haunted Mansion Writers Retreat Blog.

Ghost Hunting Awaits!

Tomorrow The Husband (Weston Ochse) and I go slinking off to a bit north of San Francisco to The Haunted Mansion Writers' Retreat. Honestly, I can't wait! Ghosts, friends and writing-- what could be more fun? It's been way too long-- around 1989 to be exact-- since I went on a strictly speaking writer's retreat. Although technology has stuck its electronic fingers into everything since then (email, Internet, cell phones) to the point where I can't quite get away from it, I'm still looking forward to it. I plan to finish the final read-through of CONCRETE SAVIOR, work on two guest blogs I have upcoming, and bang around some ideas for the next novel or ten in the DARK REDEMPTION series. After all, the place is haunted, right? What better inspiration than that?!

CopperCon this weekend up by Phoenix!

Here's my schedule. Y'all come on out and say hi. Plus that Husband-Guy, Weston Ochse, will be there with me. :)

CopperCon 30
Mesa, Arizona
September 3-6, 2010
* Friday - 9/3
7:30 p.m. - Opening Ceremonies
8:00 p.m. - Meet the Pros
9:00 p.m. - Buffy and Crew as Anti-Heroes (panel)
* Saturday - 9/4
1:00 p.m. - Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse (panel)
2:30 p.m. Koffee Klatshe
4:30 p.m. Autograph Session in the Dealers' Room
* Sunday - 9/5
9:00 a.m. - D.I.Y. Media Promotion for Authors
10:00 a.m. - Meet the Guests
1:30 p.m. - Reading from HIGHBORN
* Monday - 9/6
10:00 a.m. - Bite Me, Chew off My Face, But Love Me (panel)

Here It Is!

Yep, a brand new website design, which is hugely easier to keep updated, compact and full of writerly-info-type goodness, all at the same time. A big thanks goes to The Husband (Weston Ochse) for helping me with this and yanking me kicking and screaming into the age of easy to use design templates. I have to admit, this looks to be a lot easier to update, it's got photos, books and puppies.

And I really like the red.

HIGHBORN EXCERPT!

Grab a glass of wine (or an ice cream cone, if it's hot by you) and take a few minutes to settle down for a fun read. Paul Kane, a/k/a Shadow Writer, has generously put up a good-sized excerpt of HIGHBORN on the Guest Writers page of his website. Check it out here: http://www.shadow-writer.co.uk/highborn.htm.

Whew!

Finally back from the Word Horror Convention in Brighton, England. It's sure good to be home and returned to the desert climate! I guess I've really turned into a Petite Desert Flower. :)

Tucson Festival of Books -- This Weekend!

 
Wes and I will be at the Tucson Festival of Books this weekend. Here's our schedule:

 

Sat. March 13
2:30 pm Vampires That Don't Sparkle (a horror panel) with Jeff Mariotte and Weston Ochse
Sun. March 14
10:00 am Signing -- Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore tent
2:30 pm Married to an Author with Will Shetterly, Emma Bull, and Weston Ochse.*

*What's that asterisk, you ask?  (Of course you asked. Who wouldn't?)  Well, last year Wes was scheduled to be at the Book Festival but missed it because of a last minute work-required trip to Romania.  We thought we had this all cleared this year.  Then Murphy stepped in and decided to send Wes to, you guessed it, Romania again.  This time Wes will make it Saturday, so he'll be on the vampire panel.  But will he be on the Married to an Author panel with me, his wife, the one to whom he's married?  Oh, noooooo.

Oh, YES.  Since he's going to be off galavanting around some European country, I've decided to bring myself a Husband On A Stick.  Don't know what that means?  Think "Jeff Dunham."  Still can't figure it out?  That's what Google's for.  And pictures.  Yeah, there will be pictures.

You bet your stick.
 

 

DARK REDEMPTION!

THE DARK REDEMPTION WEBSITE IS UP - http://www.darkredemption.net/ - Please come visit. Comments welcome! :)

And the Winner Is...

The lucky winner of the "Be a Character in CONCRETE SAVIOR" eBay Auction is none other than GAK himself! Congratulations!

Be a Character in one of my Novels!

The eBay auction to be a character in CONCRETE SAVIOR has officially started! Go here: Item number 180457374043.

Come on-- haven't you always wanted to be in a book? Here's your chance, plus it's for a good cause. Auction proceeds go to Deaf Dane Rescue, Inc. of Oakridge, Oregon.

Come and join the adventure!

CONCRETE SAVIOR Character Auction Tomorrow!

Auction to be a character in CONCRETE SAVIOR goes up tomorrow! Be a HIGHBORN fan at http://tinyurl.com/y9cswxk and stay informed! WHEEEE!