Grady's Halloween Party - ROAM Extras

Grady’s cheeks burned, and he cleared his throat as he took a step away from the lustful vampire, grasping desperately for something to say to distract him.

“I…love your suits. You’re both very dashing,” Grady finally managed.

“Oh, these old things?” Dacey laughed and rolled his eyes. “Please. We’ve literally had them for a century. Added the goggles, though, as they seem to be in vogue amongst the creatives these days. I always do enjoy a good subcultural trend. Although, Marcus made the valid point that they are extremely frivolous.”

“Well, what’s the point in wearing a costume if you’re not going to be frivolous?”

“That’s exactly what I said!”

________________________________________________________

ROAM is a great Autumn read, seeing as it takes place in October. Near the end of the book, Dr. Grady Hunter hosts his annual Halloween gathering; inviting all of his supernatural clientele to celebrate at his home. And now you're invited to join the party!

WHAT TO WEAR

What's a Halloween party without costumes? While dressing up is encouraged, we do recognize that some guests are proud of their supernaturally frightful nature and we welcome you just as you are!

GUESTLIST

It's Shady Pines' biggest paranormal shindig of the year! So, expect to see all of your favorite local ghosts and ghouls, vampires, werecreatures, and more! They're all looking forward to gossip, appetizers, and boos.

ON THE MENU

Speaking of appetizers, don't be embarrassed to remind others that you are not here for nibbling. It does get confusing for some. Especially to those who don't drink...wine.

FESTIVITIES

Along with food and banter with banshees, you can also look forward to parlor tricks, fortune-telling, communion with dark spirits, and seances to welcome those traveling long distances. Live piano music will also be provided by this year's special guest, Ethan Roam.

BEWARE

While we hope you have a magnificent night full of devilish delights, we caution you to avoid inviting any of the other guests home afterward. They have a tendency to become permanent roommates...

Have a fangtastic Halloween and celebrate at your own risk!

Dr. Hunter's Halloween Hostess,
Dez

[Photos from Pexels & iStockPhotos]

AVAILABLE NOW

AMAZON | B&N | KOBO | NSP

New Short Story | Thrift Store Vampire

Happy Hauntings, Darklings!

I have an early Halloween treat for you all.  My new short story, THRIFT STORE VAMPIRE (Winner of the WattpadVampires contest), is now up and free to read on my Wattpad page!
TSV is a Vampire Comedy with:

Halloween Party Vibes

Newbie Vamp Girl

Cursed Costumes

To-Die-For Puns

Enjoy this "spoopy" story, and have a Happy Halloween!

13 Favorite Films To Watch In October

Everyone has their go-to Halloween films for the month, so I thought I'd take a moment and share my Top 13 Favorite Films to Watch in October!  These aren't the only ones I like but they're the ones I gravitate toward watching the most.

Compiling this list, it was easy to see what settings and tropes appeal to me most.  I'm also very much drawn to great character performances and atmospheric storytelling.

Bram Stoker's Dracula

I like to start the month off with this one because it's such a perfect mood setter.  It cleanses your palette of the summer and shifts you into Autumn mode effortlessly.  Every frame is a work of art.  Also, Cary Elwes is a bonus.

House On Haunted Hill

Honestly, any Vincent Price film will do.  I just tend to end up watching this one the most.

Halloween

Dr. Loomis really makes this whole film for me.  It wouldn't be the same without him and I probably (definitely) wouldn't like it as much.  He's one of the classic characters that has had an influence on my work (you can probably see bits of this character type in both Grady and Arthur from my ROAM series).

Dracula

My favorite of the classic Universal Monster films!  There are some truly great moments in this one and a few hilarious lines as well.  Ultimately, it's another character performance that really wins me over.  Dwight Frye's Renfield will forever be a favorite.

Victor Frankenstein

Okay, so I openly admit there are a lot of flaws in this film.  I also hate the ending (lol). That being said, I still love to watch it.  The cinematography appeals to me and it's incredible fun most of the time.  The cast is a huge selling point.  James McAvoy, Daniel Radcliffe, Mark Gatiss, and Andrew Scott (who is as marvelous in this as he is in all things).  Ignore the missteps and embrace the spirit.

Crimson Peak

By far my favorite del Toro film!  The beauty and cruelty of this Victorian gothic romance is everything I could ever want in a horror romance movie.

Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray is my favorite book of all-time and there have been a number of film/television adaptations of the story/character.  Even though this one strays from the novel, I still feel that it's one of the best adaptations in terms of staying true to Dorian's actual character (minus the physical differences; book Dorian was a blondie).  Ben Barnes creates dark magic in this film, Colin Firth is the perfect Lord Henry, and I will never to able to imagine a better Basil than Ben Chaplin. I'm forever grateful this film exists to rewatch to my darkling heart's content.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

If you don't love this film, we can't be friends.

Young Frankenstein

I adore this one more and more every year.  Gene Wilder really set the bar.

What We Do In The Shadows

Watch on basghetti night.

Hocus Pocus

I know, I know.  It's horribly cliche' at this point.  But I will never pass up the chance to watch the "I Put A Spell On You" scene.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

These last few picks are totally predictable, but I mean, I think we all share a love for them in some way.  Nightmare Before Christmas; great soundtrack and a must-watch on Halloween night (preferably right before bed to prepare you for the coming season).

Ghostbusters (I, II, and the Real Ghostbusters)

Ghostbusters has been my favorite film since childhood and I've been a Ghostbuster for Halloween (and other occasions!) multiple times in my life.  I got my start in writing with GB fanfics.  Obviously, I watch both I & II religiously.  And The Real Ghostbusters series is a great addition to your viewing list for October!

Bonus Watch:

Penny Dreadful

Not a film but worth the viewing hours!  Oh, how I miss this series.  If I ever had time to write fanfics again, I would probably start with this one because I wasn't at all ready for it to end.  If you haven't seen it and you love classic Victorian gothic literature then I highly recommend it!  All your faves are there doing all sorts of diabolical things.  Every episode is a true bloody treat.


Well, there you have it!  Now I'm curious to know, what films are your October viewing staples?


Your Fiendish Film-Loving Friend,
 - Dez

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OUT NOW

Haunted Road Trip: The third Dead Oaks novella!

Available on Amazon

COMING SOON

DREAM WEAVER: The fourth and final ROAM novel. March 9, 2020.

ROAMiversary! One Year Later

One year ago today (Oct. 1st), ROAM had its first traditional publishing through NineStar Press!  Previously, the book had been self-published.  And this past April, its sequel, HUNTER, was also released through NSP.

I'm happy to say that the ROAMverse is still going strong and I'm so excited for everything to come!  Thank you all for joining in on the adventures of my band of paranormal Dreampunk misfits.

Some Fun ROAM Extras:

ROAM Pinterest Boards

ROAM Playlist

ROAM Launch Party Transcript

Conceptualizing ROAM

The Mechanics of Sleep Travel

Fun Casting ROAM

What's Next For The ROAM Series?

DREAM WEAVER, the third ROAM book will be headed your way in March 2020!  This will complete the main trilogy and tie up the end of Ethan and Grady's story.  Eventually, ROAM will also be released in Spanish through NineStar Press.  It's in the works but no date is set yet.

Future ROAM Plans?

As you may know, The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett is a prequel to ROAM.  In a similar vein, I have also been sitting on plans for a short story prequel series about Grady's life before moving to Shady Pines.  I can't give you any real timeframe for when I might write these because I have a number of other projects that I really need to focus on and I also haven't decided the best way to go about releasing something like this yet.  I'm considering doing it as a supporter project through Ko-Fi but I'm still on the fence.  HOWEVER, I do have plans to write more stories in the ROAMverse, focused on new characters which will more than likely include cameos from some old favorites.

Until then, be sure to keep following this blog and join me on Twitter!  I'll be posting more ROAM-related things very soon.

Yours, always dreaming up new stories,
- Dez

Want to be the first to know things?

Sign up for my newsletter on my website!

OUT NOW

Haunted Road Trip: The third Dead Oaks novella!

Available on Amazon

COMING SOON

DREAM WEAVER: The fourth and final ROAM novel. March 9, 2020.