Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Biography

A professional writer for more than forty years, Yarbro has sold over eighty books, more than seventy works of short fiction, and more than three dozen essays, introductions, and reviews. She also composes serious music. Her first professional writing – in 1961-2 – was as a playwright for a now long-defunct children’s theater company. By the mid-60s she had switched to writing stories and hasn’t stopped yet.

After leaving college in 1963 and until she became a full-time writer in 1970, she worked as a demographic cartographer, and still often drafts maps for her books, and occasionally for the books of other writers.

She has a large reference library with books on a wide range of subjects, everything from food and fashion to weapons and trade routes to religion and law. She is constantly adding to it as part of her on-going fascination with history and culture; she reads incessantly, searching for interesting people and places that might provide fodder for stories.

In 1997 the Transylvanian Society of Dracula bestowed a literary knighthood on Yarbro, and in 2003 the World Horror Association presented her with a Grand Master award. In 2006 the International Horror Guild enrolled her among their Living Legends, the first woman to be so honored; the Horror Writers Association gave her a Life Achievement Award in 2009.

A skeptical occultist for forty years, she has studied everything from alchemy to zoomancy, and in the late 1970s worked occasionally as a professional tarot card reader and palmist at the Magic Cellar in San Francisco.

She has two domestic accomplishments: she is a good cook and an experienced seamstress. The rest is catch-as-catch-can.

Divorced, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area – with two cats: the irrepressible Butterscotch and Crumpet, the Gang of Two. When not busy writing, she enjoys the symphony or opera.

Where to find Chelsea Quinn Yarbro online

Where to buy in print

Books

Hazeldene's Gamble
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 10,870. Language: English. Published: August 3, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Epic, Fiction » Fantasy » Dark
A Dungeons and Dragons tale from the thrilling Queen of Horror, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.
Disturb Not My Slumbering Fair
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 5,510. Language: English. Published: December 28, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Horror » Undead, Fiction » Young adult or teen » Horror
A teenage vampire done right. Diedre's desire for blood will chill you to the bone.
Brother Keeper
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 15,470. Language: English. Published: May 7, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Historical
Brother Keeper Adapted from characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle Before Sherlock was the Great Detective, he was a university student sent down from Oxford to London to the care of his older brother, a rising young man at the Admiralty, and during his time in London, he has his first look at the darker side of the city, with life changing results.
The Case of the American Twins
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 25,180. Language: English. Published: February 14, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Historical, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
The American Twins is a classic adventure featuring the great detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful friend, Dr. John Watson.
The Law in Charity
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 86,530. Language: English. Published: November 4, 2015 by Oakledge Press. Categories: Fiction » Historical » Western & American frontier
Hired to bring law and order to the frontier town of Charity, Sheriff Jason Russell is a surprising choice. He’s an Englishman whose world travels have taught him to detest violence. He’s skilled with a gun, but he’d rather fight with a baton and his wits. When an outlaw gang terrorizes the town, Russell’s peace-loving ways and his mission to protect the people of Charity are put to a severe test.
Agnith's Promise
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 81,150. Language: English. Published: May 13, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Paranormal, Fiction » Fantasy » Historical
The stirring, long-awaited, conclusion to Chelsea Quinn Yarbro epic high fantasy, The Vildecaz Talents.
Deceptive Oracle
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 84,620. Language: English. Published: February 11, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Epic, Fiction » Fantasy » Paranormal
The exciting second installment of The Vildecaz Talents, the long-awaited high fantasy series from Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.
Nimuar's Loss
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 75,150. Language: English. Published: November 22, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Epic, Fiction » Fantasy » General
Stirring high fantasy adventure as two sisters must find their power in accepting their journey.
Fine Tuning Fiction
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 43,920. Language: English. Published: February 15, 2013 . Categories: Nonfiction » Publishing » Self-publishing
Acclaimed, best selling author, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro guides you effortlessly through the trials and tribulations of creating your own best-selling work.