2023 Writing + Publishing Plans

 

Happy Yule, Happy Holidays, and a very Happy New Year to all!

As we round out 2022, I just want to say again how grateful I am to each and every one of you who read my stories. I've always said that I mostly write them for myself and if anyone else happens to enjoy them then that's a wonderful bonus. And it does mean so very much to me any time someone leaves a nice review or comment about my books. So THANK YOU! And I hope you continue to stick around for more stories to come. 💜

Speaking of, I'm here to share my writing and publishing plans for 2023! I'm going to spend the last week of December mainly relaxing before I dive back into working on any projects, but for the most part, I already know what I plan to work on in the year ahead.

First, sometime in 2023, I'll have a new short story, 'Looped', published in SOMNISCOPE: A Dreampunk Anthology which is the follow-up to MIRRORMAZE (both published by Fractured Mirror Publishing and edited by Dreampunk visionary, Cliff Jones Jr.). There isn't a set release date yet, but it is in the editing process.

I'll also be simultaneously working on THE DAPPER DETECTIVE (the sequel to THE DANDY MEDIUM) and THE DEAD OAKS: OMNIBUS. I'm not sure which will release first, but I'm hoping to have one release in the Spring and the other by Autumn. I can't force the muse, so I've decided to let it guide me on which project it would prefer to work on each day.

THE DAPPER DETECTIVE will bring back Alfie and Sebastian on a new mysterious case of murder and deception. But this time, they'll have the leader of the Crimson Bat Society, Francis the vampire, helping (or hindering, as Alfie sees it) their investigation. This story will delve deeper into the history of Nótt Haven and perhaps open up some possible storylines for spin-offs. THE DANDY MEDIUM and THE DAPPER DETECTIVE are meant to be a duology, but I've very quickly come to realize that so many more stories can be told within this world so there's a possibility of more Nótt Haven books featuring other characters in the future.

THE DEAD OAKS: OMNIBUS will be a rerelease of all of the previous DEAD OAKS stories combined into one giant volume and will include a new short story and new cover art. I've always wanted these stories to exist in physical form, not just ebooks, so this will be a great way to offer print editions of the series. I'll most likely host a lot of D.O.P.S.-themed giveaways around the time of this release, so keep your eye out if you need some Jasper & Wes merch in your life! 😉

And if I have any time left at the end of the year, I have some new ideas that I'm hoping to begin work on. Currently, I'm leaning into a new Dreampunk series, but I also have other stories brewing that I might delve into depending on how I feel when the time comes. I'm also toying around with creating a second pen name for a new genre, but more on that another time.

I hope your holiday season is bright and the new year is fruitful!

Happy Holidays & Happy Reading!

Dez 💜

NaNoWriMo Updates + The Bird App

 

We're a little over halfway through November, friends! My current NaNoWriMo word count is 15,701. And like all best-laid plans... I've decided to take a step back from NaNoWriMo. I'll still be writing, only without the pressure of having to try and hit specific word count goals every day. Outside of writing, I also work a full-time job and I was just informed I'll have to have my gallbladder removed soon (Happy holidays to me, right?). So, I think slowing down this season is probably smart. But I will still keep you all updated on my writing progress with this book!

Speaking of staying in touch, I know a lot of you are leaving Twitter. With that in mind, I'm going to do my best to try and keep this blog updated more regularly so we will have a chance to stay connected. I'm hoping to get into a routine of posting here at least once a week. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook if you'd like. Or just sign-up for my newsletter on my main website if you want to make sure you don't miss any new releases or book sale announcements from me.

Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate, and happy reading!

💜 Dez

NaNoWriMo 2022: Week One

 

I hope you all had a very happy Halloween/Samhain! Salem loved the pumpkins but wasn't as big of a fan of the trick-or-treaters. 😹 We had a decent amount come by (though, surprisingly only one Eddie Munson!) but still ended up with three bags of candy left over, so we're all set on treats for the rest of the year.

This week also kicked off National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! If you subscribe to my newsletter or saw my last blog post then you already know that this NaNoWriMo I'm working on the sequel to THE DANDY MEDIUM which is titled THE DAPPER DETECTIVE. It's MM Gaslamp Fantasy and will complete the Duology. Although, I do have plans to write other books in the future within the same universe.

I'm also participating in the #LGBTQWriMo tag on Twitter. However, seeing as Twitter is in a bad place at the moment and its future is unsure, I would love it if you would follow me on other platforms so we can stay connected. You can find me on: Instagram, Facebook, and this blog! 🖤

This first week of NaNoWriMo went well overall thanks in large part to the fact that I had already started early and entered the month with 12K on this project. I was only able to write 3 of the first 5 days since I'm also now working a full-time job and my personal life was very busy. I don't imagine that changing over the rest of the month. In fact, I expect it will only become busier; so I'm not going to be too hard on myself if I can't make time to write every single day. I'm just glad to finally be making some good progress on this story and I'm looking forward to sharing more with you all about it!

I hope you all have a great weekend and here's looking forward to more words written for NaNoWriMo week two!

Thanks for reading!

💜 Dez

Preptober Update + Title Reveal

 

I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) again this year and I'm excited to officially announce that the project I'll be working on is THE DAPPER DETECTIVE, the sequel to my MM Gaslamp Fantasy novel THE DANDY MEDIUM.

I've actually gotten a head start. I've already written the first 12K words. This Preptober (the NaNoWriMo nickname for October since it's when we do our prepping), I reread what I'd already written and have been jotting down notes, ideas, and further fleshing out my outline so I'll be ready to hit the ground running on November 1st.

I've also made the decision that these two books will be a Duology. This story picks up several months after the events of THE DANDY MEDIUM and Alfie and Sebastian are pulled into another gothic murder mystery. But will they be able to survive this time? Who's ready for another Alfie & Sebastian adventure?!

If you haven't read THE DANDY MEDIUM yet, you can get caught up HERE!

You can also follow along with my progress next month on the NaNoWriMo site and, of course, I'll be posting my process and behind-the-scenes tidbits on social media.

I'm looking forward to sharing more with you all soon!

Have a Happy Halloween my spooky friends!

- Dez 🖤

BELIEVING BIGFOOT is OUT NOW!

 

Harvey Clark knows better than to believe in Bigfoot hoaxes. In fact, it’s his job to debunk all the things that go bump in the night. When Harvey books a cabin in Woodland Lake, Minnesota, he intends to do just that for a corporate client paying a hefty sum to disprove anything paranormal is hiding in the woods they hope to build on.

But the town’s obnoxiously handsome city planning manager, Jonah Bernardi, seems intent on thwarting any attempt Harvey makes to collect information on their local Bigfoot, the Woodland Wildman.

What Harvey expected to be an easy task turns into his most difficult case yet when he winds up alone in the middle of the woods at night, face-to-face with the truth.

EARLY REVIEWS

"This was a really fun read. Low stress, low heat, just a good old fashioned cryptid hunt with a couple of guys making eyes at each other from opposite sides of the table."

- A.E. Bross (Author of 'Sands of Thea')

"If you enjoy Sasquatch lore, mountain cabins in the fall, gorgeous flannel wearing axe-throwing locals, and in the mood for a quick short story, this one is super cute and fun."

- Ivy (IG: thegirlsareader)

"I loved this story. It was a nice spin on Sasquatch stories with cute leads. There's plenty of snappy humor and also great atmosphere. If you've read Dez's other books there is a fantastic crossover moment that got me excited at the possibility of a crossover book. (Note to Author: I really want that! I think everyone should want that!)
The writing is so fun, it's always hard to put a Dez Schwartz book down. This one is just another excellent example."

- Jennifer Patino, Goodreads

GET IT TODAY!

Believing Bigfoot Pre-Orders + Release Date!

 

BELIEVING BIGFOOT releases September 30th! Pre-Order now available!

Harvey Clark knows better than to believe in Bigfoot hoaxes. In fact, it’s his job to debunk all the things that go bump in the night. When Harvey books a cabin in Woodland Lake, Minnesota, he intends to do just that for a corporate client paying a hefty sum to disprove anything paranormal is hiding in the woods they hope to build on.

But the town’s obnoxiously handsome city planning manager, Jonah Bernardi, seems intent on thwarting any attempt Harvey makes to collect information on their local Bigfoot, the Woodland Wildman.

What Harvey expected to be an easy task turns into his most difficult case yet when he winds up alone in the middle of the woods at night, face-to-face with the truth.

PRE-ORDER HERE

TITLE + COVER REVEAL

 

Hello, friends!

I'm excited to finally share the title and cover of my next MM Paranormal Romance story with you all! BELIEVING BIGFOOT will be released this Fall (official release date TBA)!

Harvey Clark knows better than to believe in Bigfoot hoaxes. In fact, it’s his job to debunk all the things that go bump in the night. When Harvey books a cabin in Woodland Lake, Minnesota, he intends to do just that for a corporate client paying a hefty sum to disprove anything paranormal is hiding in the woods they hope to build on.

But the town’s obnoxiously handsome city planning manager, Jonah Bernardi, seems intent on thwarting any attempt Harvey makes to collect information on their local Bigfoot, the Woodland Wildman.

What Harvey expected to be an easy task turns into his most difficult case yet when he winds up alone in the middle of the woods at night, face-to-face with the truth.

Save it to your TBR on GOODREADS today!

Celebrate PRIDE with NineStar Press!

 

Independent publisher, NineStar Press, is having a 40% OFF sale throughout June! This sale includes ebooks of ROAM, HUNTER, DREAM WEAVER, and Hollywood To Horses.

Like This Show? Read This Book!

 

Curious to try my books, but don't know where to start? Already read one that you liked, but want to know which to try next?

Here's a fun guide to help direct you to the series that might best fit your tastes!

Like This Show? Read This Book!

Are you fascinated by dreams, nightmares, psychological suspense, and mischievous supernatural creatures and deities? ROAM is a Dreampunk adventure series whose lead protagonist has to unravel the surreal ties between the dreamscape and the waking world while constantly questioning how much he can actually trust his allies. // New Adult - MM Urban Fantasy

Teenage Romance. Mysteries. Supernatural Forces. If you like teen angst with a jump scare or two, then The Dead Oaks is right for you! This series takes place in an abundantly haunted Connecticut town where amateur ghost hunting leaves its teenage residents with more frightening encounters than they bargained for. // Young Adult - MM Paranormal Fiction

Are you a sucker for Gothic Literature and Victorian fashion? Do you crave a gaslamp lit world of vampires and ghosts? The Dandy Medium (the first in an ongoing series) is a dark Victorian gothic fantasy full of murder and mystery. With a spiritual medium as the leading man and a dapper detective at his side, you'll find yourself swept up in underground supernatural worlds and crossing the veils between worlds to solve a spree of serial murders. // Adult Fiction - MM Gaslamp Fantasy

I hope this guide inspires you to dive into one of these series! Which are you most interested in?

Happy Reading!

- Dez

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Spring Updates

 

Happy Spring!

Summer is nearly here and it's hard to imagine that we're almost halfway through 2022 already. I haven't posted here since the beginning of the year so I wanted to share some updates on what's going on in my writing life!

There's a lot going on in the world (we all know so I won't get into it here), and I feel as though--to an extent--the weight of it has slowed down my writing process this year; BUT I am consistently writing, so I do have a few things to update you on.

Work-In-Progress

My main project at the moment is the sequel to The Dandy Medium (the paperback edition is currently on sale on Amazon). This M/M Gaslamp Fantasy catches us back up with Alfie and Sebastian several months after the events of the first book. New crimes are afoot and this time they heavily involve the citizens of the Night District. I won't say too much, but a certain vampire and his underground society play a huge role in this story! As for progress, I'm about 1/4 of the way through the first draft.

Coming Soon

If you enjoyed the Dreampunk Anthology Mirrormaze then you'll be pleased to hear that a second Dreampunk Anthology will be releasing later this year titled Somniscope! My short story contribution to this one is titled Looped and is a surreal, psychological drama. A bit different from what you've seen from me so far but still in line with my Dreampunk style (ex: ROAM series). This new anthology, featuring a wonderful group of Dreampunk writers, will release in December 2022.

Aside from writing, I've also taken on a role as a Proofreader for NineStar Press! I'm thrilled to be able to keep finding ways to contribute to the LGBTQ book community.

As you can see, I'm keeping busy. But I am hoping to get into the habit of updating this blog more regularly.

Thank you all for your continued support!

Until next time, Happy Reading!

- Dez

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2022 Writing Projects

 

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a great holiday season (and if not, then here's to a fresh start!). First of all, I want to say thank you for all of your continued support over the years, but especially in 2021! I saw a lot of growth with readership and I hope to continue to reach more people who love LGBTQ Fiction. 2021 was an interesting year for me writing-wise. I published my first Contemporary story (Hollywood To Horses) and received Runner-Up honors in two categories of the Rainbow Awards the first year that I ever dipped my toes into the book awards circuit. In total, I wrote and published two books and sold two short stories to anthologies. Pretty good considering how many challenges I faced throughout the year!

So, here's what I'm working on heading into 2022:

• Nótt Haven: Book 2 (a sequel to The Dandy Medium) - It's looking like this will end up being a duology with possible spin-offs in the future.

• The Dead Oaks: Omnibus - I've been wanting to do this for a while and now feels like a good time. The goal is to release an omnibus edition of the entire Dead Oaks series (re-edited and with a new cover) which will possibly include a new short story.

• Somniscope - this follow-up anthology to Mirrormaze will release in December 2022 and will include my new short story, Looped.

• New Dreampunk series tentatively titled Dreampunk 2.0 - ROAM was my debut series and also my first venture into a genre that I ultimately helped define. I have a new series idea in mind which will also be very Dreampunk but I haven't decided yet how entwined it'll be to ROAM or if I'll keep it completely separate. This will be the beginning of a new giant project and I probably won't begin working on it until closer to the end of the year.

On The Back-Burner:

• Nótt Haven: Book 3 - On the off chance that I just write up a storm this year and actually have time to do more than the aforementioned, I do have another Nótt Haven story already in mind but it would be a spin-off.

• Experimental - I have a few ideas that will be unlike anything I've done before and I have yet to decide if I'll write them under this pen name or a new one. If I get to work on any of them, I'll keep you posted with more details.

What's Scrapped:

• I hate throwing out any story idea, but sometimes they just don't work out. I had mentioned back in Autumn a new short story that I was working on. If you follow me on other platforms you may remember seeing some talk of this or some aesthetic inspo photos. I've decided to scrap this story. Recently, I've seen the same premise begin to be published by other authors in the same genre and as disheartening as it is, it kind of killed my vibe. Maybe I'll revisit it in the future, but for now, I'm calling it quits on that one.

But that's okay! I feel like I have enough writing projects going to keep me busy for a very long time. 😁

Which story are you looking forward to the most?

I'm excited for you to join me on my writing journey this year and look forward to sharing new stories with you all soon!

Cheers! 🥂