Tuesday, October 30, 2018

NaNoWriMo 2018

(Equipped and ready!)


I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time in 2016 when I wrote the first draft of HUNTER (scheduled for release April 2019 through NineStar Press) but missed out on joining in last year.  I've yet to determine if NaNoWriMo is really for me so I wanted to give it another try and it just so happened to be coming around right as I'm delving into writing the final book in the ROAM trilogy.  The timing is convenient and I'm hoping all of the fuss surrounding NaNoWriMo will help keep me on track.  My goal for November is to see how much writing I can actually accomplish during certain time frames of a day so that moving forward I will better know how to schedule my time and set personal deadlines for myself that I can realistically adhere to.

What Book Will I Be Writing?

As mentioned, I'll be working on the third ROAM book, DREAM WEAVER.  

What Prep Work Have I Done?

I have a general outline of the story and I've already written the first 1,500 words because laying down those intial lines is always the hardest part for me.  Like an artist with a fresh canvas; but thankfully writers have delete buttons if we don't like our first strokes.  I wanted to have this part down before November that way I would know exactly where I was jumping in at and I wouldn't waste time mulling over it.

I've also brushed up on my two previous stories and made a list of loose ends that I want to tie up.  With this being the final book in the main series, I need to try and give it as much closure as possible.

I'm looking forward to participating with the writing community surrounding NaNoWriMo and seeing how much I can accomplish.  If you're also planning to join in, let me know!

~ Dez ~


- Be sure to stay updated with special announcements and new releases through my newsletter!  You can sign up on the main page of my website.
- If you're interested in my daily life and writerly musings, you can also follow me Instagram and Twitter.


OUT NOW



It's time to face your nightmares.

Soon To Be Released

- HUNTER (ROAM, Book Two), coming April 2019 through NineStar Press.

Thursday, October 18, 2018

The Mechanics of Sleep Travel: How Dream Travel Functions in ROAM



ROAM is as much an introduction into the mythos of its multiverse as the fictional guide The Mechanics of Sleep Travel which is featured within it.  If you've yet to read ROAM then I recommend bookmarking this post and coming back to it after you have in order to avoid spoilers.

Dream Travel has its own real world history with followers that study the abilities of  lucid dreaming and astral projection.  I took liberties with both of these practices during the creation of how the sandmen in my universe would be able to utilize their powers.  Essentially, I combined them and took things a few leaps forward.  If we're accepting that humans can lucid dream or project their "spirits" outside of their corporeal forms then a celestial being, such as a sandman, needs to be able to do more.  

Within the pages of ROAM, we see that Ethan does exactly that.  His corporeal form remains tethered to Earth while his spirit travels to a specific astral realm, the Dream World.  As he stretches his supernatural muscle and hones his power, he begins to realize that he can morph his abilities in new ways to affect the world around him and, eventually, to rip open veils in the fabric of the universe and perhaps even to other dimensions.  By the end of the book, Ethan has a basic understanding of how to create these portals on a small scale and the greater realization that his potential is, seemingly, limitless.


Is it possible that a tether isn't necessary for a dream creature?  Could he one day travel without even having to leave his corporeal form behind?  Time will tell when Ethan returns in the next book, HUNTER, coming April 2019.

Can't wait?  Curious to find out more about the ROAM mythos?  The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett is a prequel that features an important look into the past and a few cameos; including the introduction of one mysterious and charismatic doctor.

Happy Reading!
~ Dez ~


- Be sure to stay updated with special announcements and new releases through my newsletter!  You can sign up on the main page of my website.
- If you're also interested in my daily life and writerly musings, you can follow me Instagram and Twitter.

OUT NOW


Amazon | B&N | NSP

It's time to face your nightmares.

Soon To Be Released

HUNTER (ROAM, Book Two), coming April 2019 through NineStar Press.

[Images sourced from Pinterest]

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

ROAM Book Launch Recap


ROAM has finally traveled from my dreams into the real world!  Thank you so much to all of you that made the release week such a wonderful experience either by purchasing a copy, sending a lovely message, or both!  It was the busiest week my notifications have ever seen and I truly appreciate all of you taking the time to show your support.  It was also a week full of interviews, guest posts, and features.

With any big event there are always a few hiccups and one was entirely my fault.  I scheduled a Launch Party for ROAM on Facebook and it was my first time to host an Event on that platform... I didn't realize that it was set up as a "private" event.  Oops!  So, to anyone that had a hard time accessing it or even figuring out where to go, I do sincerely apologize.  I think next time I host a similar event, I'll just do it out in the open on Twitter.  But to make up for it, I've compiled all of the segments from the Launch Party here in case you missed out!

*~ Launch Party Recap // Topics & Answers ~*

Discussing the Synopsis of the Book:

For those that are here to get familiarized with the book, ROAM is a M/M Dreampunk novel published through NineStar Press. I'll talk a little more later about the Dreampunk genre but here's the synposis of the story:

Ethan Roam suffers from night terrors and vivid daydreams, which lead him to the doorstep of the eccentric Dr. Grady Hunter, who thrusts him into a world of supernatural misfits. Ethan quickly learns that there’s more reality to his dreams than he suspected.
As Ethan unravels the truth behind his nightmares and falls into his first experience with love, he also finds himself the target of a sinister plan.
Ethan’s trust in his new companions will be tested and he’ll have to decide who he can rely on and who he must defy in order to survive a fatal Halloween night.”
ROAM is about self-discovery and self-acceptance...also werewolves and vampires. :) It also takes place around Halloween so I'm thrilled it was able to get an October release.  


Character Introductions:

Ethan Roam is the main protagonist of the story. He knows there's something different about himself and he's been struggling to bottle it up and ignore it but reaches a point where he conceeds that he will finally have to open up and face his fears. That's where the mysterious Dr. Grady Hunter comes in. Fascinated by his charm and the supernatural world he's engulfed in, Ethan becomes obsessed with unraveling the truth about his new companion and, in turn, learns the truth about himself.

A friend of mine said that they are a “Power Couple” and I love that idea. They do compliment each other very well. I think that's because they're virtually opposites in every possible way except in what matters most. Which is that, at their cores, they both want to do great good for the world. They're both have unique strengths and, as a team, that extrapolates. Grady is an endless resource of knowledge and has deep connections to the supernatural world. He's charismatic, quick-witted, agile, and calculating. I don't want to give away spoilers, so I'll just say, Ethan brings a lot to the table once he figures himself out. Grady's personality is much darker than Ethan's. Ethan is, essentially, the light in the darkness. He's this big ball of eternal optimism but he's also naïve and insecure. By accepting and trusting one another, they balance each other out and make each other better men than they were before they met.

ROAM's Supernatural Side:

ROAM is filled to the brim with supernatural creatures. From sandmen, to vampires, to werewolves; there's also a healthy dose of witches and ghosts. I really wanted to emphasis the level at which Grady had immersed himself into the paranormal at this stage in his life. He's not only constantly surrounded by these beings but, in many cases, they defer to him. I want the reader to ask themselves the same questions that Ethan is asking along the way. “Why is that? How can an ordinary human command such obedience from creatures, essentially, more powerful than him? And most importantly, why does he want to?” I hope that reason ends up be as shocking to the reader as it is to Ethan.

I pay homage to my favorite time period in literature in this way. That Victorian era with Gothic notions was enthusiastically explored. Monsters morphed into metaphors and humans transformed into predators. The most influential books to my own writing are “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1890) by Oscar Wilde and “The Vampyre” (1819) by John William Polidori.   

Discussing Dreampunk:

One of the settings of this book is the Dream World. In the ROAM mythos, the Dream World is a real (or surreal) place that serves as a gateway to not only the universal subconscious but also other planes of existence. It functions much like an alien planet and is pulsing with magical energy. It's the first stop on a journey for any dream traveler.

Writing Dreampunk is incredibly satisfying because it's still a relatively young subgenre and there aren't many established rules. In fact, “no rules” is essentially one of its rules since, just like dreams, the only limit is how far you can push your own imagination. For a story to constitute as Dreampunk it only needs to have its plot or setting centered around dreams in some way. A few people feel that it needs to utilize dreams as a form of science but, overall, most fans of the genre don't feel that's absolutely necessary. However, Dreampunk does tend to show up most in Science Fiction with Horror as a close second. ROAM utilizes dreams as a supernatural element and dream travel as a superpower.

* ~ End of Launch Party ~ *

Other things you may have missed during release week:


To receive monthly updates on all of my shenanigans, please be sure to sign up for my newsletter on the website.

If you'd like to join the ROAM Readers Group on Facebook, we'd love to have you!

Thank you again for showing your support on release week!  If you've already finished reading ROAM, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.  The amount of reviews a book gets (no matter what star rating) helps authors immensely with getting the book in front of more readers.  I appreciate all of you that take the time to do this.  It doesn't have to be a long review.  One sentence.  Even one word helps.  :)

And if you still need to grab a copy, I've got you covered!


~ Dez ~

Monday, October 1, 2018

New Release ~ ROAM


Greetings, darklings!

ROAM is officially out in the world today!  I'm so happy that this story is finally able to reach a larger audience.  I hope you all enjoy it!

If you'd like to celebrate with me, tomorrow I'll be hosting a Launch Party on the ROAM Readers Facebook Group at 6:30 P.M. (CDT).

Later this week, I'll have several features and interviews coming to you through the blogosphere.  Follow me on Twitter or Facebook for those updates.

You can find ROAM available now at:

Amazon (ebook)
Barnes & Noble (Print & ebook)
NineStar Press (ebook)
Other print editions are available through most major retailers.

ROAM is also on Goodreads to add to lists and review.

Happy Haunts & Reading!
~ Dez ~