Happy Release Day to THE DAPPER DETECTIVE!
That's right! My newest book baby has just been unleashed upon the world and I'm so excited to share the second installment of this duology with you all! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Read THIS POST to find out more about the behind-the-scenes of writing this book.
Haven't read the first book? It's on sale for a limited time!
Happy Reading! ❤
THE DAPPTER DETECTIVE releases in one week (November 4)! I'm so excited to finally be able to share the sequel to THE DANDY MEDIUM with you all! This story has been a journey to write and it's so satisfying to finally see it being published and ready for the world.
I began writing THE DAPPER DETECTIVE at a time when my life vastly changed. Due to medical bills and *gestures widely at the economic state of things*, I went back to work full-time. As you can imagine, it's taken me quite a while (a year now) to find my optimum writing time with a fully packed life schedule. Especially, as someone who primarily feels like writing comes more naturally in the middle of the day (not very doable with a full-time job). Along with trying to optimize my schedule, I ended up facing more health challenges which slowed me down. The short version is that over the past year, I had COVID for two weeks and a mysterious illness for several months which turned out to be a distended gallbladder that I then had to have removed. Shortly after recovering from that, I switched jobs and had to have time to adjust to another schedule. All of this is to say that writing this book was a struggle, not because of the story but because life was just A LOT. But then again, when is it not? Even though it took me much longer to finish this story than I would have liked, I'm extremely proud of how it turned out. And although it took me a full year, I finally feel as though I'm finding a good writing groove again and I'm looking forward to creating more stories!
THE DAPPER DETECTIVE picks up shortly after the events of THE DANDY MEDIUM. Alfie and Sebastian have been working together on cases for months and Alfie has realized that he's ready to make the permanent change from working out of Madame Violetta's psychic shop to being a full-time consulting medium in Sebastian's department. But leaving the Night District doesn't wind up being the positive change he's hoping it will be.
Supernaturals begin to go missing and Francis, the lead vampire of the Crimson Bat Society, reaches out to a reluctant Alfie for help in solving the disappearances.
In this second installment, we dive deeper into the world of Nott Haven's vampires, werewolves, and the founding families' secrets. Alfie and Sebastian must fight their way through cemetery brawls, vampiric curses, betrayal, and the effects of a rare magic mushroom.
As with every story, one of my favorite parts of the writing process is immersing myself in inspiring imagery and music. These curated pictures and songs are a reflection of the characters I've developed and the scenes I've crafted. Feel free to enjoy diving into my inspo board and playlist!
INSPIRATION BOARD on Pinterest
What's Next?
The first question I get with any book release is always: "When does the next one come out?" ๐
Well, the next book in line to release is actually the follow-up to the Dreampunk anthology, MIRRORMAZE. The second anthology, SOMNISCOPE, is set to be released by early 2024. I have a short story included titled, Looped. If you like surrealism and psychiatric ward settings, then be sure to grab a copy once preorders go up! I'll keep you updated.
As for my Nott Haven books, I'd originally planned for this to be a duology. And it, quite possibly, will stay as that. However, while this book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, it does end with a lingering sense that things aren't over; and the Nott Haven world has proven to be so rich in characters and possibilities that I'm considering revisiting it at some point. I don't know if it would be more Alfie/Sebastian stories or spin-off stories set in the same town but featuring other characters (I'd love to write from Roxie and Bernard's perspectives at some point). There's hope for more, but they're down the list in terms of priority of projects for the time being.
My next writing project, which I'm currently outlining and world-building, is a new LGBTQ Dreampunk series! If you enjoyed my ROAM series then you'll probably love this one too. I haven't decided if it will be set in the ROAMverse or if it will completely be its own thing; still ruminating on that. I like the idea that cameos could happen, but I also see the value in starting fresh. I'll share more as that project moves along!
To keep up with my writing projects, please follow me on Instagram or Facebook as I'm most active on those two platforms.
As always, thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support! Being able to share the characters and worlds I create with other people who love them as much as I do is the best gift and keeps me motivated to keep imagining exciting new stories! I hope you all enjoy THE DAPPER DETECTIVE!
Your Friend in Words,
❤ Dez
The Dapper Detective releases November 4th!
LGBTQ Paranormal
Victorian Gothic Gaslamp Fantasy
Vampire Murder Mystery
Magic Mushrooms & Cemetery Brawls
Cover + Blurb Reveal
๐ฉ๐ฎ Happy 2nd Bookiversary to 'The Dandy Medium'! Celebrating with a 99 cent sale now through Aug. 15th!
๐ฉ๐ฎ THE DANDY MEDIUM: https://books2read.com/u/mdqGlW
๐ฎ His problem isn't communing with the dead. It's communicating with the living. ๐ฎ
Alfred “Alfie” Hughes is a spiritual medium who has more than enough people in his social circle. Unfortunately, they're all dead. That is until Detective Sebastian Davies arrives in Nรณtt Haven, a tourist town known for its active nightlife, and deems Alfie's abilities—perhaps, even his company—worthy of closer inspection.
A circus performer, known as The World Bender, mysteriously disappears and a slew of peculiar murders accumulate. Suspecting foul play as unusual as the crimes themselves, Sebastian enlists Alfie to guide him through the town's supernatural underbelly to find answers; and, in the process, Alfie might solve the biggest enigma of all: human connection.
I had intended to post a Camp NaNoWriMo update halfway through the month and then got too busy and forgot! But we're nearing the end now and I'm here to report that I've made it halfway through my developmental edits of The Dapper Detective! This means I'm right on track to where I'd hoped to be at this point.
My goal is to now finish up the rest of the dev edits over the next two weeks and then I can begin a short round of, what I like to call, "Atmospheric Edits". This is where I go through the manuscript and make sure to sprinkle in descriptions that help maintain the atmosphere/vibe of the story throughout. I've actually done pretty well with this in the manuscript so far, so that should only take a few short writing sessions and then I'll be on to line edits.
One of my favorite parts of revisions/edits is coming across lines I've written but forgotten about and feeling as though the characters took on a life of their own and wrote them themselves. Here's one of my favorites from this story:
Have a great week and Happy Reading!
❤ Dez
We'll use the term "pile" figuratively here, because I don't already own the physical copies of most of the books I'm going to list. But here are the books that I'm looking forward to reading this summer!
Happy Summer Solstice!
It's hot as a hellhound where I'm from (TX). Yesterday, we broke our record high for this time of year at 114 degrees! So, it looks like it's shaping up to be the perfect summer to STAY INSIDE! Which is fine because Camp NaNoWriMo is right around the corner.
Most of you probably know what Camp NaNoWriMo is by now, but if not, it's an offshoot of NaNoWriMo which stands for National Novel Writing Month (which takes place in November) where authors attempt to write a 50K word novel in one month. Camp NaNoWriMo is a bit different. It takes place twice a year (April & July) and the goal doesn't have to be to write an entire novel. It's more about making major headway in a specific area or knocking out goals on multiple projects.
My focus for this Camp NaNoWriMo is going to be getting through as much of the developmental edits on THE DAPPER DETECTIVE as possible. I'd LOVE to complete them by the end of July, but as long as I make some major progress then I'll be happy. I just finished the second draft this past week and while I'm happy with the story, I know it needs to be bulked up a bit. So, developmental edits will help with this by giving me the opportunity to see where I can add more scenes or get a little more descriptive.
If things go my way, universe willing, I'm hoping to have this book out by Autumn of this year. Fingers crossed! I know so many of you looking forward to this story and I'm eager to get it into your hands.
Since Camp NaNoWriMo is a more social event between writers, you'll probably see me back on social media a bit more during July. I'd love to have you join me there on my progress through writing this book! You can find me on Twitter and Instagram.
Have a great week, everyone!
❤ Dez
Two years ago, NineStar Press published my first Contemporary Gay Rom-Com novel, Hollywood To Horses! This story was incredibly fun to work on and is one of my favorite books I've written.
๐
Mateo Harris, a retired Olympic Show Jumper, achieved just about everything he could want in life. Rising from a nobody to becoming a beloved gold-medalist, co-owning H&H Riding Academy with his cousin—and best friend—Emily Hall, and he’s one of the most powerful and respected men in his hometown of Sweetspire, VA. Nothing can shake the foundations of the life he’s built for himself. That is until he hears his nemesis and former crush, Christopher Wright II, has moved back to town.
Christopher, a runaway movie star, has returned to Sweetspire to inherit the family business: Wright Stables, the only rival riding academy Mateo has ever had to worry about. With Christopher’s charm, talent, and fame taking charge, Mateo is faced with real competition both in and out of the arena. He’ll have to be at the top of his game to prove he’s still the number one equestrian in town, but every encounter with Christopher becomes as challenging as any obstacle he’s faced on horseback.
๐
Hollywood To Horses is 50% off on NSP this month with code: PRIDE23
Happy Reading!
❤ Dez
All of my ebooks published by NineStar Press are
50% OFF this month with code: PRIDE23
Happy Reading!
❤ Dez
I've been hard at work on The Dapper Detective (the sequel to The Dandy Medium)! It's coming along, I assure you! Out of all the books I've written, this one has taken me the longest to write. Partly, because I had some health issues slow me down. And partly, because I just want to make sure everything about it is as close to perfect as possible. I know you can never make a story perfect, but I have a vision for this one and where it might possibly lead in the future and I just want to make sure I get it right.
I'm currently working through the second draft (over halfway through it) and I already know I'll probably add several scenes before I call it complete and begin the editing process. I hate to attach deadlines/timelines to creative projects, especially knowing how quickly a health issue can throw you off course; so I won't give any solid release date yet but I will say that I'd love to have this out to you by October/November. I am certainly working very hard to try and make that happen!
Here's what you can expect:
๐ฉ Alfie & Sebastian return for another murder mystery!
๐ฆ The Crimson Bat Society takes a leading role!
๐ A deeper dive into the lore of the Nรณtt Haven world!
๐ Woodland Magic!
Another thing in the works is SOMNISCOPE: A Dreampunk Convergence, the anthology sequel to MIRRORMAZE. I have a short story entitled, Looped, which will be featured. You can see the full list of contributing authors HERE. Release date is TBD, but hoping for a late 2023 / early 2024 publication.
If you'd like to catch up on this anthology series, you can read my short story Thatcher Maugden and the Dream Witch in MIRRORMAZE.
๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฎ
Future Projects
Once I complete The Dapper Detective, I have several other projects I'm considering. It'll depend on my mood at the time; but in the future, you can look forward to these projects:
- The Dead Oaks: Omnibus
- A new Dreampunk series
- A Nรณtt Haven Spin-Off
There are other, more abstract at the moment, stories I would love to write as well. I really want to get some other LGBTQ books out there that aren't just M/M. I have few series ideas for F/F stories and I'm also tempted to test the waters of releasing a Kindle Vella series as well.
So, as you can see, I'm not lacking in ideas! Just the time to execute them all. ๐
Until then, if you haven't had a chance to read The Dandy Medium, it's available on Amazon!
Happy Reading!
❤ Dez
Welcome back, friends!
You may follow me on social media but it's been several months since I've posted here. And even if you do follow me on social media, you may have noticed that I haven't been quite as active on any of my platforms lately. Which leads us directly into why I'm slowly reviving my blog!
To put it as concisely as possible, life is busy and social media can be stressful. I had some health issues at the end of last year and early part of this year, plus changing jobs (I'm now back to working at a fine arts museum. Yay!), and I've just been feeling a general disconnect from the sort of energy that social media platforms bring. The only one I truly enjoy using is Instagram, but I don't have a whole lot of free time to create visual content on a regular basis to make the algorithm love me.
So, in the spirit of staying connected while also protecting my free time, I've decided to attempt to start posting here weekly (most likely my posts will go up on Mondays) and I will still post links to my social media platforms to let you know. I will also use them for other occasional posts, but at least you'll know that this is the place where I'll be more regularly and I hope to be able to share so much more with you here about what writing projects I'm working on along with life updates and things that just generally interest me.
I'm hoping this will be a much more personal way to stay connected with you all while providing a place you know you can go to find out updates and more about my books!
Please feel free to let me know what you'd like for me to post about here and if there are any specific topics that you'd be interested in seeing me cover.
I'll be back next week (like I said, hopefully Monday!) with updates on my progress with The Dapper Detective.
Thanks for reading!
๐ค Dez
