Reviving & Revisions: Rereleasing DůO

 

Spring is here! And with it for me comes a sense of renewed creativity. I'm pleased to tell you that I'm currently working on the last of my "catching up" projects which is revising, reformatting, and rereleasing my serial DůO (previously a Kofi exclusive) as a novella available to everyone! Once I complete this project, anything I work on moving forward will be completely new material. It's like the bookend on an era of my author career thus far! That's not to say that I won't continue to add to the series I've already written or spin off the characters into new stories. In fact, The Dead Oaks Omnibus and a DůO release allow me the transitional point to do exactly that in the future if I ever so wish!

If you've read the new short story included in The Dead Oaks Omnibus then you probably picked up on that possibility already!

Why Revive DůO?

I've wanted to do this for a while but I wanted enough time to pass that it wouldn't have made it less special to those who got to experience it when it was an exclusive. A few years have now gone by and I'm currently working on some revisions that will enhance the story. I adore all of the couplings and characters I've created but Oscar and Doyle have what is probably my favorite partnership of all the pairings I've ever written (their banter truly can't be beat!) and I want all of my readers to have access to their story. I know my entire reader base will thoroughly enjoy them. It's also a fun opportunity to delve back into the same storyverse that ROAM takes place. DůO is a prequel to ROAM; on the timeline it takes place in the 1980s but in a different galaxy (side note: I really should create a timeline graphic!). However, there are enough references to ROAM dogma that readers familiar with the series will connect the dots. It's also an enjoyable read even if you've never read the series! And, without getting too spoilery, the ending does set up a potential plot point if the muse ever hits me to write another Ethan/Grady adventure.

After this, I plan to return to my draft of a new MM Dreampunk novel with all new characters (I'm calling this one Project DWC until I'm ready to announce the official title).

Updates on a DůO release date to come!

As always, happy reading!

- Dez 🖤

Camp NaNoWriMo Update

 

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:

I'm so excited to be one step closer to getting to release this book and share this story with you all!

Have a great week and Happy Reading!

❤ Dez

Current Work In Progress

 

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:

🎩 Alfie & Sebastian return for another murder mystery!

🦇 The Crimson Bat Society takes a leading role!

🌙 A deeper dive into the lore of the Nótt Haven world!

🍄 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.

🔮🔮🔮

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 Nótt 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. 😅

Until then, if you haven't had a chance to read The Dandy Medium, it's available on Amazon!

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