Preorder DREAM WEAVER Today!

DREAM WEAVER is now available for PREORDER on NINESTAR PRESS Order today and get it 3 DAYS EARLY (April 24)!

DREAM WEAVER is the exciting conclusion to the ROAM trilogy! Ethan Roam has faced a lot of nightmarish challenges—finding out he’s a sandman, falling in love with the man who once hunted him, and thwarting attacks from The Order of Azoth, a secret occult organization set on using his bloodline to conquer the universe by controlling immortality. And the battle is far from over. To defeat The Order and its leader, Phantom, Ethan must first find the original Sandman and then bring the fight to the Dream World. Saving the universe might be too tall an order for one dream creature, but with the help of his friends and some Celestial beings with questionable motives, Ethan just might be able to weave a trap of surreal proportions. EXCERPT: “Nightmare’s Gateway isn’t so much a place as a state of mind.” Mercury’s scythe appeared in his grasp. They’d learned he only produced the blade when things were about to get messy. “All that’s required of you is to suspend any disbelief you may have and cross the threshold. You’ll find his home quite…immersive.” “Since you’re most familiar with him, why don’t you lead the way?” Marcus chimed in a dare. For once, Grady and Marcus were on the same page. “As you death wish.” Mercury gave a cheeky nod. He strode with confidence into the swirling oblivion. The smoky tendrils consumed him, and he vanished from sight. “Will we even be able to survive going in there?” Grady asked Kit. “I think so,” Kit answered. “Depends on you, really. Just remember the truth. He’ll try to make you forget what’s real.” Grady frowned. “Well, that’s unnervingly vague. Thank you, Kit.” She gave them an encouraging smile and bounded into the darkness alone. “Second guessing your resolve?” Marcus teased him. “Not at all,” Grady defended. “Just trying to ascertain any helpful information before blindly jumping into what looks like a pit of cosmic despair. Yourself?” “I’m a vampire, Hunter.” Marcus smirked. “Darkness is my home.” He sauntered into Nightmare’s Gateway without a second thought. Ethan took Grady by the hand. “We’ll go in together. I’ll do everything I can to make sure we come back out together too.” Appreciating the solidarity, Grady squeezed his hand in return. They both allowed themselves to be engulfed by the Gateway. DREAM WEAVER (ROAM #3) releases April 27th! PREORDER from NSP and get your copy 3 DAYS EARLY!

DREAM WEAVER Cover Reveal + Blurb

Today I am beyond thrilled to finally get to share the cover for DREAM WEAVER with you all! And yes, that is Mercury! I absolutely love this cover and how it looks next to the previous two books. Our Dream Team!

DREAM WEAVER is the final book in the ROAM trilogy and has:

✨ Sandman Tricks

✨ Celestials & Dreamscapes

✨ Mercury Made Me Do It

✨ Jackalope Elemental—whaaaat?!

Add it on Goodreads today! Preorders available soon. Book releases March 30th from NineStar Press.

Ethan Roam has faced a lot of nightmarish challenges—finding out he's a sandman, falling in love with a man who once hunted him, and thwarting attacks from The Order of Azoth; a secret occult organization set on using his bloodline to conquer the universe by controlling immortality. And the battle is far from over.

To defeat The Order and its leader, Phantom, Ethan must first find the original Sandman and bring the fight to the Dream World. Saving the universe might be too tall of an order for one dream creature but with the help of his friends and some Celestial beings with questionable motives, Ethan just might be able to weave a trap of surreal proportions.

I'll be sharing more from DREAM WEAVER soon, including some fun extras like moodboards and playlists. Be sure to follow me on Twitter if you haven't already as I'll be posting things daily.

I can't wait to share this exciting conclusion with you all!

- Dez -

The Dead Oaks Series 101

***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*** The first three books in The Dead Oaks are now 99 cents each! This sale is good through February 5, 2020. However, I am planning on making this the permanent price for all Dead Oaks books soon.

Hi, friends!

If you're new here or haven't had a chance to check out my YA M/M Paranormal series, The Dead Oaks, then you'll find everything you need to get you started in this post. If you're already current on the series and just waiting for the next book then I have good news for you. The fourth, and final, book in the series will be out sometime at the end of 2020!

The Dead Oaks takes place in small-town Connecticut and follows the ghostly adventures of new friends, Jasper Jelinek and Wesley Shain. As they dive into the dark world of paranormal investigation and begin a friends-to-lovers romance, they befriend snarky skeptic, Liv Robles, and eventually adopt more people into their ragtag monster-hunting crew.

Here's what you can expect from each book:

GHOST STORIES

Jasper Jelinek believes in ghosts. Probably more than he believes in himself. After living a life of relative solitude and misanthropy, he suddenly becomes saddled with some unexpected new friends. Their obsession with the paranormal forces them to face the thing they've been avoiding most: Life. Together they learn that there's more to being haunted than just ghost stories.

MIDNIGHT MONSTERS

The Dead Oaks Paranormal Society finds themselves on their first official case. A haunted house seems like a promising place to capture conclusive evidence that the paranormal is real; but like all plans, nothing goes the way that they intend.

Unwanted tagalongs, misunderstandings, and a malicious not-so-ghostly entity all collide to put the strength of Jasper and Wesley's bond to the test. This monster hunting sleepover could end their team, and possibly their lives, faster than they'd come together.

HAUNTED ROAD TRIP

Wesley Shain is college-bound for a life in the theater, just as everyone always expected. Lately, though, he's been thinking paranormal investigation is a better career path. He just needs one weekend to prove it.

A haunted road trip wasn't exactly the romantic getaway Jasper Jelinek had hoped for but with a few friends, ghostly frights, and one steamy summer night, it might turn out to be precisely what his relationship needed.

Want to know as soon the final book is released? Be sure to join my mailing list at www.dezschwartz.com

Until next time,
♥ Dez 

Exclusive Excerpt from Haunted Road Trip

The Dead Oaks returns in less than two weeks!  Here's an exclusive excerpt from the first chapter of the new book, Haunted Road Trip:

“It's always so loud in here!”

Jasper wasn't opposed to live music. Not at all. He loved that he'd reached a point where his nights could be spent hanging out with friends at Neon Flux instead of just binge eating junk food and streaming movies online; not that he was opposed to that either. It was just nice to finally have friends.

But at the moment, Wes attempted to shout at him from across the table. They were crowded into a corner booth with Liv Robles, Caroline Strathers, Pheobe Tống, and Martin Chopra. Between the din of guitars and drums pounding out an obscure sub-genre of heavy metal that reminded Jasper of his cat, Zener, screaming for canned whitefish, and the cheers of the crowd, Jasper had no idea what on earth Wes was trying to say.

Exasperated, Wes kicked Jasper's foot underneath the table and motioned for them to leave.

Jasper nudged Pheobe and Martin who had no qualms letting him out of the booth. They took the opportunity to hit the dance floor and bust some seriously embarrassing moves which Jasper was thankful he wouldn't have to witness.

Wes grabbed his energy drink off the table in one hand and took Jasper's in the other. As soon as he was in earshot, he shouted, “Let's go outside!”

Jasper didn't want to blow out his vocal chords so he simply nodded and followed behind Wes as they pushed their way through the crowd and out the front door.

Even though the night air was warm, it still provided a nice reprieve from the heat of bodies building up inside of Neon Flux.

They walked to the side of the building where broken bricks jutted out and Wes hopped onto them like a makeshift bench. Jasper opted to lean against the building so they were eye level with one another.

Wes swept his loose black hair back out of his face and let the night breeze cool him off.

“Remember when I suggested we should go on a trip together this summer?” Wes took a sip from the can and provided Jasper time to recall the event as though it was on offer he'd easily forget.

Jasper's heart leaped but he didn't want to seem too overzealous. He tried his best to mask his excitement. “Are you finally ready?”

“More than ready!” Wes grinned so big his smile practically filled his entire face. “I've got it all planned out. All you have to do is pack your things.”

Jasper relaxed and let himself be thrilled. “Awesome! Where are we going?”

He had daydreamed a few times about where they'd take their first romantic getaway. He often pictured them on a beach; which was definitely a fantasy because he'd never actually been to the ocean before. He wondered how soon he'd need to be ready because he still needed to buy some new swim trunks.

“On a haunted road trip!” Wes proclaimed. His eyes lit up at the exact same moment Jasper's clouded with confusion.

“What is it, JJ? Not what you expected?” As always, Wes could see right through him.

“I maybe imagined something with a little more sand and sunsets.”

“Sex on the beach?” Wes raised an inquisitive eyebrow and offered a wicked smirk.

Heat immediately rose to Jasper's cheeks, “Or, you know...swimming.”

Wes shrugged it off. “We have all summer to swim. I've already booked our stops. We're taking a little tour of our home-state and hitting up every haunted dive within driving distance this weekend! So you'd better run it by your parents ASAP.”

Jasper was definitely surprised but nothing about Wes' idea sounded the least bit romantic. “Let me re-frame this for you. We're finally getting a weekend alone together and every night we'll be focusing on ghosts?”

“I love ghosts. You love ghosts. What could be more perfect?” Wes looked at Jasper as though he'd traded bodies with someone else.

Dreams of underwater sexy-times and sandy beach bums immediately dissipated from Jasper's mind. They were now replaced by cheesy tourist attractions and haunted hotel rooms. At least there would still be a hotel room involved. Maybe. Hopefully. Perhaps Wes had planned for something romantic in there after all.

“It sounds perfect. I'll run it by them first thing in the morning,” Jasper agreed.

Sucked in by Wes' enthusiasm, Jasper leaned over to steal a kiss.

Triumphant, Wes hopped off the bricks. “We'd better head back inside before the others ask too many questions and find a way to turn this into a packed Mystery Machine adventure.”

Join Wes and Jasper on their next adventure September 9th!  Pre-orders are available now!

The Dead Oaks Revisited + Info On Haunted Road Trip

On the edge of the quaint, historic town of Hazelwood, Connecticut lies a sprawling relic of dead trees that surround the woods.  A playground for wildlife, hikers, and--most recently--ghost hunters.  And it's basically Jasper Jelinek's backyard...

Welcome to The Dead Oaks!

We're hitching a ride on a haunted road trip with Jasper Jelinek and Wesley Shain!  I'll be revealing the cover for The Dead Oaks: Haunted Road Trip and announcing a release date sometime next week so keep an eye out!  Be sure to sign up for the newsletter on my website to see it before anyone else.

If you're already a fan of the series, you can look forward to:

💀 Haunted Inns
💀 Spooky Cemeteries
💀 Steamy Summer Nights
💀 Fights & Frights

If you're new to the series and curious to know what it's all about then here's a quick overview!

The Dead Oaks is a YA LGBTQ Paranormal novella series about a group of teenage ghost hunters.

Book One: Ghost Stories

Blurb:

Jasper Jelinek believes in ghosts. Probably more than he believes in himself. After living a life of relative solitude and misanthropy, he suddenly becomes saddled with some unexpected new friends. Their obsession with the paranormal forces them to face the thing they've been avoiding most: Life. Together they learn that there's more to being haunted than just ghost stories.

Where To Get It: Amazon

Book Two: Midnight Monsters

Blurb:

The Dead Oaks Paranormal Society finds themselves on their first official case. A haunted house seems like a promising place to capture conclusive evidence that the paranormal is real; but like all plans, nothing goes the way that they intend.

Unwanted tagalongs, misunderstandings, and a malicious not-so-ghostly entity all collide to put the strength of Jasper and Wesley's bond to the test. This monster hunting sleepover could end their team, and possibly their lives, faster than they'd come together.

Where To Get It: Amazon

Book Three: Haunted Road Trip will be dropping soon!  I'll post more sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes tidbits leading up to the release.

Until then, Happy Haunting and remember that it's always more fun if you bring a friend!

- Dez -

OUT NOW

HUNTER (ROAM, Book Two)

AMAZON | B&N | NSP

Signed Copies

LGBTQ Dreampunk series about a gay Sandman, his dapper bisexual occultist boyfriend, and scheming supernaturals determined to turn existence on its head.

Have any questions?  Ask Dez

HUNTER Now Available For Preorder

PREORDER NOW

Preorder to get the book three days early and use coupon code "PREORDER" for 30% off!

BLURB

Dr. Grady Hunter has a vampire infestation on his hands in the town of Shady Pines, but he’s been deserted by those best suited to help. After enlisting Chris Reed, a techno-mage, they find the vampires might only be the tip of a deadly iceberg.

Returning home from his dream travels, Ethan Roam is eager to experiment with his newly discovered powers. But Ethan isn’t the only familiar arrival in Grady’s life. As more reminders of his dark past crop up, Grady and Ethan are swept up in a mystery of cosmic proportions.

Grady must fight to keep an ever-evolving Ethan on his side while being challenged by the ghosts of his past.


Be sure to save your receipt!  I'm planning to give away some fun swag after the release to everyone that preorders. 

PREORDER HERE

Thank you, darklings!  See you on the page. x

- Dez 

The Dead Oaks: Where Jasper And Wes Go From Here

It's been eight months since the release of the second book, Midnight Monsters, in my YA Paranormal series, The Dead Oaks.  I haven't talked much about it over the past few months and I'm sure those of you that read it would like to know more.  So, here's what's happened since then and where it goes from here:

Midnight Monsters was self-published in June 2018 and although I've received a number of positive emails and messages about it, I still didn't see it gain much traction in sales.  I only have myself to blame for this as I was still a novice indie author (to be perfectly honest, I'm still learning so much about book marketing) and I didn't promote it like I should have.  I wasn't aware of possible venues for it at the time or that there are reviewers who will take on sequels without having had read the previous books.  Thankfully, I know of them now and will definitely reach out to them for future releases.  Another mistake that I feel I made was releasing it on Wattpad.  Wattpad is a great platform for YA and I wanted it to be available for readers that might not be in the position to purchase books like this themselves (i.e.- teens) and while I think that's still a great reason, perhaps I shouldn't have put the book in full on both platforms.  

Moving forward, I still have not made an official decision as to whether the rest of the series will strictly be a Wattpad series or if I will only release it on Kindle Unlimited.  There are pros and cons to both and I haven't had time to really weigh those yet.  However, if you personally have a preference then let me know!

As you've seen, I've been swept up in a very exciting time for me in publishing.  The first two novels in my ROAM series were picked up by NineStar Press!  ROAM was re-released this past October and HUNTER will be out in April.  I'm also currently working on the first draft of the third (and final) book in this series.  So, my writing life has mostly been filled with ROAM-related business.  This is why I haven't begun the third Dead Oaks book yet.

That being said, fear not!  I do plan to write it.  I have a general outline ready and as soon as I finish up the third ROAM book then I will begin working on it.  Ideally, I'd like to have it available for you by autumn of this year but if not, then at least by early 2020.  I will definitely keep you updated!  I love these characters so much and they continue to grow on me as they grow together.

As for any teaser bits, I can tell you this much:  
Roadtrip.  Cryptids.  Relationship Leveling-Up.

It will be worth the wait.  :)

Your Writerly Friend,
- Dez -

If you haven't read the first two Dead Oaks books yet, you can find them on Amazon and Wattpad.

- 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, what I'm reading, and writerly musings, you can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter.

OUT NOW

Amazon | B&N | NSP

It's time to face your nightmares.

 

COMING SOON

- HUNTER (ROAM: Book Two), coming April 8, 2019 through NineStar Press.

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]

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:

Interview on Editing

Guest Post about Atmosphere In Story

Guest Post about Conceptualizing ROAM

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!

Amazon (Kindle & Print)

Barnes & Noble (Print)

NSP (ebook)

~ Dez ~