Reflections + Resolutions

 

It's that time of year again! The time for reflecting and making plans for the upcoming new year. While I do understand that pretty much every year never goes quite as planned, I do still enjoy creating intentions to take into the new year and then trying my best to work on them between the day-to-day responsibilities and challenges of life.

2024 was an oddly challenging year for me because, on a personal front, everything was pretty normal. But as you all know, the world was still a dumpster fire and in mid-March, my day job produced a bully as my new boss and I spent eight months in complete frustration and dismay wherein my creative flow suffered until finally, in November, that negative person left and I was able to start to regain a sense of normalcy in the workplace again. However, I stand on the precipice of meeting yet another new boss this coming year, and I can only hope that they will be, at the very least, your average expectation of a boss. If not, I've certainly learned my lesson about protecting my mindset so that hopefully this time around, I can still create despite the challenges I cannot change. I think we're all going into 2025 holding our breath and hoping to stay above water for various reasons. And in the in-between moments, I hope we all still find it in ourselves to create a little magic.

As far as writing goes, 2024 ushered in the release of SOMNISCOPE: A Dreampunk Convergence. This is a collection of short stories from various Dreampunk authors and includes my story Looped. I hope you enjoyed it! And if you haven't grabbed a copy yet, now is a good time to add it to your 2025 TBR stack!

I also began writing Project DWC but stopped about 15K words in because of two reasons. One, the aforementioned attack on my creative energy. Two, I really wanted to rush The Dead Oaks: Omnibus into production. I spent most of the summer re-editing the previous four Dead Oaks books for this new edition and in the Fall, I began writing a new short story that will be included. It's almost complete and I plan to spend the first part of the year putting on the finishing touches and setting a release date.

I'm not making any promises about what will or won't be released in 2025, but my intentions are to:

Finish & Publish The Dead Oaks: Omnibus

Write a New Short Story

Continue Writing Project DWC

I'm also hoping to work on some mini-projects related to my books, such as more illustrations and maybe even a few craft projects. I'll share these on Instagram, so be sure to follow if that sounds like something you'd like to see!

I'm wishing you all a very happy new year and I'm here to support and cheer you on in all of your endeavors as well.

As always, thank you for all of your continued support and happy reading! 

❤ Dez

5 Tips + One BIG MISTAKE When Writing A Novella Series

 

I've just finished writing my first novella series and the final book is set to release later this month. Check out The Dead Oaks: Cursed Asylum here! 

If you're unfamiliar with the term, a novella is a story that is typically 15K-40K words in length. A novella series is exactly what it sounds like--a book series made up of these sorts of mini-novels.

So, I'm sharing my thoughts on the process of writing a novella series and what I've learned. I'm not saying this is the only way to do things. Every writer is different and you should always trust your gut. But these are the steps I took and what I feel was my biggest mistake!

1. Plan Your ARC

Chances are, if you're considering writing a novella series then you already have a pretty good idea of the story you want to tell or the characters you want to explore. You don't need to know all the details from the start but make an effort to loosely plot either a story arc or your main character's arc from the beginning. This will help you avoid writer's block along the way and is useful in spotting the overall "theme" of your series. Knowing the theme in advance will make marketing your story much easier down the road.

2. Choose Your Format

Will your books be stand-alones with a common thread or will they be sequential and necessary to read in order? Will they be written in first or third person, or possibly have multiple POVs (points-of-view)? Whichever you choose, keep this consistent throughout the series. If a reader loves your first book enough to move on to the next one, it's because they are going to expect more of what they adored the first time. Also, if possible, try to keep each book around the same length. If your readers are accustomed to your stories being 30K words then they might feel cheated if the next book is only 15K words (the exception being short-story spin-offs or those "Book 2.5" situations where the reader understands it will be shorter ahead of time). 

3. Keep A Series Reference Manuel

Some writers call it the "Series Bible" and it can be as little as a one-sheet reference, or a tabbed binder, all the way to an entire intricate Wiki. This will just depend on how robust your story-world becomes and physical or digital is up to your personal preference. For The Dead Oaks, I kept everything in a notebook. For future projects, I'm considering trying the Wiki method.

4. Consider Your Marketing Early

Consistency is key, right? This is just as true when trying to reach an audience. I stumbled with this in the beginning by not having the foresight to plan for all of my covers to match. Book two in my series stands out when set next to the others because the cover is so different. I highly recommend thinking about how you want to market your series and then planning for all of the covers to have a consistent design. Whether you hire a designer or design them yourself, make things easier by choosing elements early that you can incorporate onto every cover.

Along with cover art, start thinking about the online spaces where your ideal readers spend the most time and begin constructing a plan to reach them there. The earlier you make those connections, the more readers you'll have right from the start of your first book release.

5. Create A Release Schedule (MY BIGGEST MISTAKE)

I'm telling you. That whole consistency thing is more important than you may realize! Just like keeping your covers consistent and your format similar, readers tend to prefer books with consistent release intervals. Who would've thought? Apparently, not this novella newbie. lol In a way, my books were consistent but with such short novels releasing a full year apart from one another it was definitely hard to keep up the excitement and momentum. I was juggling more than one series and also writing a few standalones in between. My biggest piece of advice if you choose to write a novella series is to focus on ONLY that series until it's completed and to keep to a release schedule. You don't have to publish a book every month, but at least 2-4 times a year will make it much easier to keep your audience's attention. There are so many great books out there vying for readers, so just do your best to make sure you have something for them more often than not.

I hope these tips help you out if you're working on your own novella series! I love answering writing-related questions, so always feel free to shoot me an email or send me a Tweet and I will try to cover it in a future blog post!

Thanks for reading!

♥ Dez

Author Life: Morning Writing Routine

Confession: I did not start out as a Morning Writer by any means.  When I first began my writing journey, I was a Midnight-3AM Writer.  I would say this was because I was trying to live that Gothic-Dreampunk-By-Moonlight-Creative-By-Candlelight lifestyle but the truth is that it was the only way, at the time, to fit a solid chunk of uninterrupted writing time into my day.  I'm a wife, mom, and had a full-time job (I was a graphic designer for a decade and then did a brief stint as an Executive Assistant at a Fine Arts museum).  Now that I have the opportunity to stay home (which I am extremely grateful to my husband for being so incredibly supportive), I've been able to figure out what time of day I'm actually the most creative when it comes to writing.  You guessed it--mornings!

I like being able to start the day with a fresh mind so I can truly focus on whatever story I'm working on.  Also, knocking out a writing session first thing in the morning makes the rest of the day feel like a breeze no matter what I have going on because I'm already starting out feeling as though I've accomplished something.

Here's what my typical Morning Writing Routine looks like these days:

7:00 A.M.

Wake up.  Get morning chores out of the way.  Check emails.

8:00 A.M.

Make coffee. Review where I'm at in the story and then begin the morning's writing session.  I know a lot of author's like to take breaks every half hour or so but I'm more of the type to set a parameter for a session and then solidly work through it.  I'll either give myself a world count goal to meet or just a time frame (usually an hour and a half to two hours) depending on my progress versus whatever deadline I've given myself to complete the draft.

10:00 A.M.

Get dressed for the day and review my planner and To-Do lists.  I usually get some laundry going around this time and return any calls/messages/etc.

11:00 A.M.

My husband and I meet up for lunch every day which is nice and I'm incredibly happy that we're able to do that.

11:30 A.M.

MORE COFFEE!  And back to writing.  I'll finish up whatever scene or chapter that I was working on that day or use this time to do any needed research.  If I've already met my writing goal for the day and I don't have the energy to jump into a new scene then I'll use this as Administrative time to work on the more "business" side of things like marketing, promotion, and brainstorming content ideas.  This session usually lasts until about 1:00 P.M.

That's my Morning Writing Routine!  I have no clue how interesting/dull you all might find it. haha  But if you enjoy these sorts of posts then be sure to let me know in the comments or on social media.  I love to hear from you guys and if there are any topics you'd like to see me cover in terms of writing or publishing then please feel free to ask!

Thanks for reading!

- Dez -

HUNTER is now available at:

AMAZON | B&N | NSP

Author Life: My Publishing Story

I get asked about my journey into publishing fairly often so I thought I would go ahead and share my story here.

There are various points at which I could begin but for the purpose of answering the main question that I get: "How did you get a publishing contract?", I'll start at the point after which I had already self-published ROAM.

In fact, by the time I received my first publishing offer, I had already self-published four books.  I knew that I wanted to seek out a traditional publisher as well and had sent out a couple of query letters which were rejected.  One to a publishing company that responded that my book wasn't "what we're looking for right now" and one to an agent that auto-replied that they didn't have time to review new queries.  A lot of authors get a ton of rejections so I wasn't too upset but their responses made me decide to take some time to research querying a little more and just focus on self-publishing for a while.

In 2017, a year after I had stopped querying (it was perpetually on my "I'll get to it eventually" list), I ended up having a very unfortunate summer in which I broke my foot and was laid off from my job as a graphic designer where I had worked for nearly ten years.  The boredom of the recovery process and my overall "What have I got to lose?" mentality spurred me into action.  I spent time researching publishing companies that I thought would be a good fit for my M/M Paranormal novel, ROAM, and also freshened up my query letter.

I decided that NineStar Press would be the best place to start and I sent in my submission.  Three weeks later, I received an offer and the next day I was signing my first publishing contract!  

I recognize that not every author gets an offer so easily.  I do feel that perhaps the stars aligned in my favor at that time because if I hadn't been injured and entering unemployment then I probably wouldn't have felt the drive to go outside of my comfort zone and take that next step.  I also feel that I had more success the second time around because I did do my research on finding an appropriate publisher for my story and updating my query letter.  If you'd like for me to go more in depth about writing query letters then please let me know in the comments and I'll work it into a post!

I sent in my submission to NSP for HUNTER shortly before ROAM released and it was accepted as well.  I definitely plan to submit my manuscript to them for the third book and anything else I write that I feel would be in alignment with their company as they have been a pleasure to work with.

I also plan to continue self-publishing certain titles.  If you'd like to learn more about my self-publishing process, let me know that in the comments as well!

Thanks for reading and I wish you all the best of luck with your own creative journeys!

- Dez

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COMING SOON - April 8th 2019

ADD ON GOODREADS

OUT NOW

Amazon | B&N | NSP

It's time to face your nightmares.

UPDATES: March 2018

I'm a few days later on my monthly update than usual due to being extremely busy and also not feeling 100% the past week.  Today has been great for catching up on things and so now I'll get you caught up!

WRITING

Life has kept me pretty tied up with tedious tasks so this morning was the first time in nearly two weeks that I'd had a chance to write.  Thankfully, though, my muse returned and I'm back to working on The Dead Oaks: Book Two.  I know I'm making you wait a long time for this one and I apologize but it's still in the works, so don't worry.  One major difference between this follow-up to the original that I can let you in on early is that the characters are becoming more of an ensemble cast, which is quite fun.  You can sample a small preview on Instagram.

I also finally made a decision about Grady's Case Files (A prequel to ROAM).  As much as I would love to turn it into a webcomic, I have to be realistic.  I don't have the time or resources to tackle a massive project like that in the way that I would want to.  So, I'm going to write it as a series of short stories for Wattpad.  I'm very excited to get started on it. (Hence Grady making an appearance on my new blog banner!)

ART

I feel like my art is always in flux.  haha  And in all honesty, I will probably stop posting about it here unless it ties into one of my books.  If you'd like to keep up with it, I post pretty regularly on my Art Account.  Mostly now, it's just a way for me to relax at the end of the day.  I do still sell my work on Etsy or Redbubble, though, if you see something you like.

PERSONAL

I did get a chance to catch up on the newest season of Voltron: Legendary Defender!  This weekend is for working on personal projects and, very importantly, relaxing.  Going to bake cupcakes and do some journaling with my daughter.  I hope you all have a great weekend!

Grady's Case Files: A Work In Progress

I haven't "talked shop" on here in a while but that's something that I plan to rectify.  Starting with the indomitable Dr. Grady Hunter!

If you've been around for the past couple of years then you probably already know Grady.  He's one of my lead protagonists in the ROAM series and a reader favorite in terms of characters.  If you're new then you'll get to know him soon; especially when ROAM gets re-released through NineStar Press this July!  But this post is about the possibility of you getting to know him a lot better, much sooner!  At least...that's the tentative idea.

As stated in the post title, this is definitely a work in progress but also a long time coming.  Allow me to give you a little background.  I first wrote ROAM in the Autumn of 2015.  Grady was a full-fledged BAMF with quite a thorough, and vastly mysterious, backstory.  After finishing the first book and beginning work on the sequel, HUNTER (Currently unavailable due to ROAM finding a publisher.  HUNTER will have its own re-release down the road.), I quickly realized that there were so many possibilities for a prequel.  I had already tackled a prequel novel with The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett and I just knew that eventually I'd want to give life to all of the adventures that had already crept up in my mind in forming Grady's early years.  His pre-ROAM life; specifically in the early '90s.

Thankfully, I retain the rights to all of my characters and have quite a few liberties in writing whatever new material that I'd like for them.  And I finally feel that I'm ready to really dive into this project.  The characters are already there, the stories have been percolating over the past couple of years, so I really only lack making one definitive decision.  What format should I tell it in?

I'll start by discussing the current frontrunner; although, it would also be the most time-consuming and challenging.

Webcomic.  For years, I've had people telling me that I should create a graphic novel or comic.  As a freelance illustrator with a BFA in Studio Art, this seems like a no-brainer.  My style is already cartoonish and, to be honest, I could probably use some focus in my art life.  I tend be all over the place!  Taking on a project like this would be an exciting learning experience and it would also finally tie in my illustration with my books in a cohesive and fully encapsulating way.  It's terribly tempting.  EXTREMELY tempting.  The drawback would definitely be finding the time to work on it regularly.  But here's a peek at what some of the characters might look like:

Wattpad Short Story Series.  Another option would be utilizing old reliable Wattpad.  Really no drawbacks there and a lot of you found me through that platform in the first place.  I think this would be the most obvious option.

Blog Series.  That's right!  Posting them right here on the blog in its own series.  Not really sure how practical that would be.  And if I did it, then it would probably become a mixture of short story and minor illustrations.  A lot of planning would still need to go into a structure for this venue.

So, that's where I'm at.  Grady's Case Files.  I just need to choose a medium and then I can really get to work.  If you have any preferences, let me know!  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

x, DS

***

WEEKLY LINKS & THINGS

Alternative Model, Nils, keeps being lions and other beasts it's as amazing as it sounds.

If you're not already listening to  BØRNS you should be.

Whimsy & Noir is starting to illustrate her daily outfits and I hope she continues because they're rad.

Prisma Visions Tarot is its own brand of magic and I'm obsessed.

Blog Revival & 2018 Plans

SURPRISE!

That's right.  I've revived this old blog space.  I gave the built-in blog platform on my website a try for nearly a year (That's a fair enough shake.) and didn't really like it.  I prefer this format SO much more.  As you can see, I'm still working on updating and adding things but this will be my blog home now.  If you'd like to receive updates whenever I post, please scroll on over to the right-hand side and sign up through Bloglovin'.  Thanks!

I'm not even going to worry about deleting old posts here.  It's kind of fun to see the progress I've made.  And I won't be importing the past several months of posts because they were mostly just updates.  I think because I didn't like that platform it ended up deterring me from ever wanting to post anything there.  One of my many plans/goals for 2018 will be keeping up with my blog a bit more.  I've had a few people ask me in person if I blog or say that they would like to see me blog more.  So, NOTED.  Here I am.

2018 PLANS

The thing I'm looking forward to most in 2018 is the official re-release of ROAM through NineStar Press on July 30th!  I'm so happy this story has the opportunity to find a wider audience and I can't wait to see what they do with the cover art.  I feel insanely lucky to know that one of my favorite designers, Natasha Snow, is lined up to create it!  She's one of the best out there and I've read a number of books that she designed covers for.  Truly exciting!  The cover pictured above is actually a mock-up from the first test print when I was self-publishing.  I threw it together really quick just so I could try out a printer and see if they would work out for me.  There are only two physical copies that exist with this cover and one sits on my bookshelf in my writing nook to remind me of where I started.

Here's what else I've been planning and contemplating for the coming year:

WRITING GOALS

I'll probably be fairly busy in this area with the ROAM release.  Any other designated writing time I have will be put toward writing The Dead Oaks: Book Two (Which I've already started.) and a super secret manuscript that I plan to submit to my publisher once it's finished.  Also, as mentioned earlier, building up this blog space.

ART GOALS

At the end of this year, the thing that I feel I lacked doing most in this area was actually keeping up with my Etsy and Redbubble shops.  Thank you to everyone that bought something with that Riverdale Jughead illustration on it because I sold a number of those and that kept me motivated!  I think selling art can be difficult because you just want to draw what you feel like drawing and worrying about how well it will fit onto a marketable product is both annoying and, at times, stressful.  Right now, I'm only really offering the items Redbubble can make and mini-prints in my Etsy shop (Plus, a few sketchcards.).  I haven't made a solid decision on what other forms of art I could offer but I do have a couple of ideas that I might explore. If there's some specific item you'd like to see, let me know! Mostly, I just want to keep drawing and painting and see what happens from there.

I will have three pieces on display at the Stranger Things Art Show at De Nada in San Angelo, TX this coming March.  So come check it out if you're in the area!

PERSONAL GOALS

Oh, you know, the usual culprits.  Fitness is definitely on the list along with eating healthier.  Those should just be daily goals in general but holiday snacking is what makes you think of it more. *guilty smile*  Scrapbooking, organizing, and hopefully taking a trip.

Another personal goal will be to allow myself time to actually relax every now and then and to enjoy my successes without immediately feeling the obligation to jump into a huge new project.  I left myself feeling burnt out and exhausted many times this year or feeling like I hadn't achieved enough (When my achievements were actually insanely awesome!).  No more.  I'm going to start being as nice to myself as I am to everyone else.  Self care isn't just a trend.  It's important.

And I'll end this list off with a fun one.  MORE READING.  I have a new Instagram Author account (Still have the old account but it's just for art now.) where I'll be updating all of my Current Reads along with doing so on Goodreads.  I've toyed with the idea of posting book reviews here but I don't really think people engage with those as much.  You're going to read what you're going to read no matter what anyone else's opinion on it is.  So, I might try to find some other fun way of sharing what I'm delving into. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!  Thank you for all of your support and friendship this year and I definitely look forward to seeing what we all accomplish next year!

Cheers! x

NEW RELEASES

AMAZON

The Julbock by Dez Schwartz is now available on Kindle.

(Yule themed M/M Paranormal Romance Short Story)

UPCOMING BOOKS

ROAM

M/M Paranormal Dreampunk

July 30, 2018

Official re-release through NineStar Press.

THE DEAD OAKS: BOOK TWO

YA M/M Paranormal

Coming Spring 2018

The second in THE DEAD OAKS series.  Jasper, Wes, and Liv tackle personal demons, haunted houses, and something truly terrifying.  Graduation.

5 Character Creation Tips

I've mentioned in previous posts that I receive a lot of questions on my process of creating characters.  So, I am going to attempt to break it down for those that are interested.  These are the techniques and inspirations that work best for me but everyone is different, so feel free to pick and choose which things you'd like to try for yourself.

Since I've already written about the basics of character creation, I'm going to assume you already have a character established and that we're now working on fleshing them out so that they will be a fully individual and original character.  Generic tropes are boring for everyone.
 
Write A Character Sheet

I usually write my character sheets in the same notebook where I've outlined my story.  This is so you can easily reference all of those little details that you might have to refer back to while writing (i.e.- Physical Attributes, Strengths, Weaknesses, Personality Traits, etc.).  It doesn't have to be long.  Mine are usually written in bullet points and only take up half a page for each character.  These are your building blocks so don't feel bad if each description is only a few words;  you'll be constructing more along the way.

Create An Inspiration Board

This is incredibly easy and not very time consuming (Unless you want it to be.) since Pinterest exists.  Look up some quotes, mood setting photography, and maybe even some actors/models that match the vibe you want for your character.  Pretty self-explanatory and extremely fun.

Curate A Playlist

I like to use Spotify for this but use whatever service you prefer.  Personally, I make a playlist for each book and certain songs reflect certain characters.  However, making an entire playlist dedicated to one character would also be useful.  Just don't go overboard.  I try to keep my book playlists at 20-30 songs.  So, for a single character, I'd probably only make one with 5-10 songs that would effectively score their story arc.

(vibes // Vincent Roam)

Cast The Role

This can tie in with the Inspiration Board tip.  You don't have to do this but a lot of writers do.  Thinking of an actor/model/etc. as a "face character" is a fantastic tool once you begin writing.  It helps you envision things like expressions, tone, and body language.  Try to think of at least three people you would "cast" in your role. 

Playtest Them In Action

I mentioned this tip in a previous post.  It's very important to play out scenes in your mind more than once, or even to act them out for yourself, before you write them.  It forces you to really conceive all of the ideas, mannerisms, and feelings your character would be grappling with in a situation.  Also, it helps with constructing dialogue.



I hope these methods help you out with your process!  I've found they're a great way to develop characters and have a lot of fun in the process.

If you've created a number of characters already, are there any special habits you've formed along the way?  I'd love to hear them!

Thanks for reading!
Dez ☿

Meet My Characters: Dacey Sinnett & Marcus von Rottal

Joining in again with the weekly blog linkup hosted by WhimsyAndNoir!  This week's characters are ones that I've written about before here.  However, I know I have some new readers, so I'd like to reintroduce them!

(vibes // Dacey Sinnett & Marcus von Rottal)

Dacey Sinnett & Marcus von Rottal

Dacey Sinnett and Marcus von Rottal are my leading vampires.  Well, one is much more than that but I'll leave it to the books to give you that story.  They are featured in the ROAM series and helm their own story as antihero protagonists in the prequel, The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett.  They're also perpetually entwined in, an admittedly, unhealthy and deeply passionate relationship.  I tend to refer to them as my "problematic favorites" for a reason.

The invention of Dacey's character was rather serendipitous for me.  At the time of writing the first ROAM book, I had a vague plan in mind for Ethan Roam's journey.  I won't post spoilers but those that have been reading along with the newest book, HUNTER, will probably know what I'm referring to here.  It was an "idea" but the roles hadn't really been cast, so to speak.

Enter a chapter where I have to tackle a definite issue in Dr. Grady Hunter's life.  He was always meant to have a literal tryst with Death (*wink*) in the form of a vampire.  It was a solid life event for his character that I wasn't going to back down from.  In order to move the story forward, I had to create a vampire that I felt would have been compelling enough to entice someone as guarded, jaded, and sharp-witted as Grady.  And thus, Dacey was born.

I definitely looked to the works of my favorite writer, Oscar Wilde, for inspiration.  In many ways, Dacey is my take on a vampiric iteration of a mixture of Oscar himself and his most famous character, Dorian Gray.  Then, I sprinkled a bit of 80's neo-romantic goth vibe on top and ended up with a character that I absolutely adore writing.  And definitely one that would keep Grady, and pretty much everyone else, on their toes.

Dacey is a natural telepath and insatiable flirt.  Wouldn't you be too, if you could easily read the minds of everyone that was attracted to you?  He was born in 19th century France and worked as a cabaret pianist and street illusionist until he became a vampire.  From there, he joins forces with his sire, Marcus, as the second half of a deadly duo of dandies bent on commanding an existence based solely in pleasure and luxury.  That is, until everything begins to go wrong. 

(vibes // Marcus von Rottal)

Once I had made the big decision about Dacey's ultimate destiny, it became quite clear that I needed to map out his backstory and share it with readers as well.  I felt the best way to do this was to ease the audience in with a moment that would link both the prequel and segue this "idea" into the sequel.  Marcus' appearance at the Halloween party in ROAM was precisely for this purpose.  At that time, he's simply introduced as Dacey's sire and former lover.  The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett tells that story in full and establishes the setup for the events that will transpire in HUNTER.

 ("The Picture of Dorian Gray" ~ Oscar Wilde)

Marcus is an Austrian aristocrat that took up procuring and dealing occult antiques (Usually "black market" as they're almost always stolen.) in order to maintain his preferred lifestyle.  Circumstances lead him to meet Dacey and, for both, it's love at first sight.  He finds himself spending the rest of his existence with a chaotically possessive obsession for keeping Dacey at his side.  He's clever, manipulative, and not the least bit afraid to leave a situation with blood on his hands or his dinner jacket.

Whereas Dacey wants to explore everything and everyone that the world has to offer, Marcus has a sharp singular focus -- and that's Dacey.

Where do they go from here?

Currently, you can read more about them in HUNTER, which is available chapter by chapter, bi-weekly on Wattpad.  I'll be releasing the Kindle and paperback editions later this Spring.  They will also be returning for more action in the forthcoming novel DREAM WEAVER.

Don't be afraid to leave comments letting me know which characters you'd like to see featured here.  I'd love to hear your suggestions or thoughts on the ones I've already posted!  Also, please feel free to play along with the blog linkup.  I can't wait to meet your characters as well!

As always, thanks for reading! ♥

~Dez~

Author Q&A: Getting Into Character

Today I'm taking the time to answer a few questions I've received over social media so that the information is available to everyone.  Recently, I've mostly been asked about my characters so I'll devote this post just to them.  Here goes!

You deal with a lot of different characters in your books.  Do you have an organizational system to keep up with them?

Instant guilt trip.  I wish I were more organized!  haha
What I have are several notebooks filled with character details.  They are not curated in any sane or functional manner.  I just know where each one is in which book if I ever need to refer back.  I really do need to make an actual character compendium at some point to make my life easier but for now my process is flipping back and forth through various spiral notebooks. 

I'm an aspiring writer but I feel like I need to improve at making my characters relatable.  Your characters feel very real when I'm reading about them.  Any advice for a beginner?

Thank you!  Knowing people feel that they can relate to my characters means a lot to me.  As far as advice goes, I recommend fleshing out your characters as deeply as possible.  It's much more than just their appearance or what will happen to them in the story.  You have to know their hopes, fears, passions, distastes, and quirks.  Above all, give them each a central motivation that they never stray from in all of their actions.  I plan on writing a blog post about character creation in the near future, so I'll get more detailed with this then.  Another helpful practice is to "run scenes" with yourself.  You will sound crazy but do it anyway.  Speak the dialogue out loud; act it out.  It's a great way to decide how you'll describe their expressions and tone.  If you want your characters to feel real, you have to convince yourself that they are real.

Dacey was my favorite character in ROAM and I enjoyed getting a story all about him [in The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett].  Are there any other ROAM characters that you plan on giving their own books to?

It's something I've considered but that I don't have any definite plans for.  There are two spin-off stories in the works that I've mentioned before but neither will feature a ROAM character as the lead. Although, they will have cameos or play supporting roles to the new characters.

Feel free to send questions my way any time!  I enjoy hearing your feedback.

Thanks for reading!
~Dez~

5 Tips For Planning Your Novel

One of the things that readers and friends ask my advice of the most is how to begin the novel writing process.  They have a good story idea but feel as though actually writing it is a daunting beast of uncertainty.  I've given them pointers and tips that they felt really helped inspire them to get started.  These are all based on my personal experience and process and will hopefully help you out as well!

#1 - IDENTIFY YOUR CENTRAL THEME & PLOT

Let's jump into this assuming that you already have an idea for your novel.  Get a notebook because it will be your best friend (besides your characters) through this entire process.  First, write down what the theme of your story will be.  Is there a social message you're trying to convey?  Is it a coming of age tale?  A slow burn romance?  A post-apocalyptic adventure?  Whatever it is, jot it down.  Next to that, include a few short descriptions of the general tone or genre you'd like your story to fall under.  This will help you to keep everything feeling fluid and connected with purpose.

Now, let's talk about that plot.  Sometimes writers like to begin a story without knowing at all where it will go.  This is actually completely acceptable and, even if you do know where your story is headed, typically you will consider new ideas along the way and want to incorporate them.  Other times you will know exactly where your story is headed before you start.  So, whichever route you've decided to take, go ahead and write a paragraph or two down explaining to yourself what you want the story to be about or how it is intended to conclude.  Forcing yourself to put these ideas into words will help you to begin to actualize the story; which, in turn, helps tame that daunting beast you felt so uncertain about.

In other words, you now have a reliable foundation.  If you confuse or overwhelm yourself along the way, you can always refer back to this first page of your notebook where you've stated your intent.  It's less likely that you'll wander off your path if you have a map.

#2 - CREATE YOUR CHARACTERS

I could write an entire post on this one process alone and, honestly, I plan to.  So, for now, we'll just focus on the basics. 

Assign Roles - Protagonists, villains, minor characters.  Decide what roles you need to bring this story to life and then you can begin to get to know them.

Nice To Meet You - There are several things you can do to initially create your characters.  They are NOT naming them or deciding what they look like.  Just as in real life, you don't want to form an opinion about someone based on their name or their appearance.  Start by giving your characters simple personalities (Don't worry, they will become far more complex once you start allowing them to have dialogue and interact.), strengths, weaknesses, quirks, motivations, and fears.  Once you've established these core elements then you've got yourself an actual character!  Say "Hi" to them, give them a hug, talk with them; you are now connected for life.  The writing process feels a lot like hanging out with your best friends.  They just happen to be fictional.

Names & Faces - Now feel free to name them.  You'll find that establishing personality traits has already caused you to begin imagining what they might look like.  Picture them in various situations and think about what mannerisms they might have or the expressions they might make.  You'll find that you know exactly what they look like very quickly.  A lot of times, they might remind you of one of your favorite actors or actresses.  That's great too because now you have an easy reference if you need it.

#3 - DO SOME RESEARCH

This step might not always be necessary but most of the time it is.  You have your characters, you know your story, so now you just need to feel confident writing about the material.  This generally happens if you are writing science fiction, historical fiction, or horror novels.  There are time periods, places, concepts, etc. that might need further exploration and understanding before you begin to incorporate and describe them in your story.  Take as much time as you need for this.  Save as many resources to refer back to as possible.  And, please, at least try to be organized.  You'll save a lot of time and thank yourself later.

#4 - WRITE A GENERAL OUTLINE

Refer back to that short plot description.  Now you need to do one of two things (or both).  Either choose to write a timeline of events for your story to follow or go ahead and write a quick paragraph explaining what you intend to happen for each chapter.  Remember that none of this is final.  You can, and will, change it numerous times.  Always be flexible with your story because it will begin to flourish and develop along the way as you write your first draft.  However, taking the time to write a general outline like this is just another way to keep you focused and your story on track.  The more references you have to look back on while writing, the better.

#5 - DRAFT AN OPENING

You're all ready now!  You will also inevitably feel anxious about putting that opening line down.  Just do it.  Write from the heart, trust your gut, and listen to your characters.  If you don't like it, you can always go back and change it.  Nothing is seen by the world until you're ready for it to be.  So take the time to play around with a few different openings and see which one feels strongest to you.

Now you've done it.  You're writing a novel.

I hope you found these tips helpful!

Thanks for reading!,
~Dez~

New Release & Shop Talk

I hope everyone is having a great December so far!  I just wanted to drop in and let you know that the first couple of chapters of my new YA Paranormal Fiction series, The Dead Oaks, are now available to read on Wattpad! 

SYNOPSIS:
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 all been avoiding most:  Life.  And each of them must learn to deal with what it truly means to be haunted.


Typically, I plan to update this much like I currently do with HUNTER.  Bi-weekly, unless I have those lucky weeks with more time to work on writing.

   

Speaking of HUNTER, have you caught up to the latest chapter yet?  What did you think about that bombshell (without getting too spoilery)?  I think you will love where this story is headed.  It's probably not what anyone expected but you'll realize the clues have been there all along.  Enjoy the rest of the crazy ride!  There are a couple more books to come after this one that tie everything together, so plenty of surprises still await you.

     

As for my illustration work, (Which I generally don't talk about much on here because this blog is mostly for my books but I might start to incorporate it more.), I have some ideas lined up that I'm really excited to work on over the holidays and into the new year.  I've got a fairly solid idea of where my focuses will be.  I'm also getting my hands on some new creative tools soon and I can't wait to practice using them.  Vague, I know, but I'd rather just wait to post the results once I get to that point.

There's really only one area that I'm debating on:  What storefront to use to sell my work??  I really don't know.  Currently, I mainly use Etsy & Redbubble but they're both rather empty at the moment while I decide my next move.   Most of my sales have actually happened by people contacting me directly through DMs on social media.  So, I'm not really sure how I should move forward with that.  I am definitely going to keep using Redbubble because they give me the ability to offer products that I normally couldn't on my own; but for prints and original drawings... I'll either just stick with Etsy or maybe give Storenvy a second chance.  I know, personally, I purchase most art from Storenvy.  I've also seen people just sell their work directly on their Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr pages.  So many options!  What do you all think?  Thoughts, opinions, preferences, experiences?  Any feedback would be great.

Until next time, here: Have some Ethan/Grady feels!

 

Thanks for reading!
~Dez~

COMING SOON: The Dead Oaks

Thank you so much for your feedback on my last blog post!  I will, indeed, go ahead and work on both of my series simultaneously.  So, with that said, I will be posting up the first chapter of my new YA Paranormal Fiction series, The Dead Oaks, very soon!  Be sure to follow me on Wattpad for update notifications so that you can be the first to know when it's available.

Thanks for reading!
~Dez~

Vibes and a Q&A

I have a few thoughts to share today.  Before I get into that, though, I want to give a HUGE "Thank You" to everyone that purchased a copy of The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett on Kindle!  Also, much love and appreciation to everyone that has read it, either through there or Wattpad.  It made it to 1K Reads which is wonderful for a prequel story!  That means nearly everyone that read ROAM took the time to check out Dacey's origin story as well and I can't tell you how happy that makes me.

For those that have asked, I'm still working on getting print editions made.  I'll let you know the moment they're available.  I'll probably host a giveaway, so be on the look out for that.

I've started a fun little image series called "vibes" on my social media (I've included the first few here.).  Pretty straightforward and I love making them.  A mix of the "fan casting" idea and Pinterest-inspiration in collage form.

I'm about halfway through writing HUNTER!  Which brings me to the Q & A portion of today's post.  I've had a few inquiries flow in and so I'm going to go ahead and address them here so that everyone gets the information and not just the people that DMed.  Here goes!

• How many books will be in the ROAM series?

A:  This is a tricky question.  The base response would be 4 books total.  ROAM, The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett, HUNTER, and the final novel- DREAM WEAVER (also - There's your next title announcement!  haha).  However, that answer would be slightly misleading.  You see, I do plan to write at least two "spin-off" novels that will incorporate characters from the ROAM series in their own stories but with brand new lead characters.  I'm also not opposed to writing more "spin-off"'s in the future.  But, as for Ethan Roam and Dr. Grady Hunter, the four main books will cover their story arc to completion.

• Is Dacey dead or not?

A:  LOL, I get this question more than any other.  He would kill me if I told you.

• You've mentioned DůO is your next book.  Any details?  Is it part of ROAM or something else?

A:  DůO is one of the "spin-off" books.  It is a loose tie-in to ROAM but you won't have had to have read ROAM to read it.  Although, there will be a couple of character cameos that you'll enjoy if you have.  As for details, I don't want to get into it too much because it involves spoilers from HUNTER.  I will say, though, that the decision to write it before writing the final ROAM book is due to the timeline of events.  That's all you get for now.  :)

And now I get to turn the tables on you all!  I have my own question to ask.  You can feel free to answer in the comments or shoot me a message on social media at your leisure.  Here's the deal:  I've been "secretly" working on a YA Paranormal Fiction novella series.  It's completely separate from ROAM and, as novellas, the stories will be shorter.  So here's my question to you readers.  Would you prefer for me to only work on one series at a time OR do both simultaneously and just rotate?  Honestly, either way works for me, so I just want to know from a reader standpoint what you all would like best for your reading experience.

Thanks in advance for your input and please feel free to shoot me questions any time!  Now, I'd better get back to writing.  ;)

~Dez~
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"vibes" credits: Lyrics: Lana Del Rey, GUNSHIP // art: Len-Yan, Art of Animation/Tumblr

November 2016: Updates

I hope everyone had a fang-tastic Halloween!  I also hope you all enjoyed my short story, Fossegrimen.  If you missed out on it, have no fear.  It's available to read for free on Wattpad and I will also be offering it as a free download on Kindle soon.

Thank you to everyone that has read The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett!  I'm so glad to hear how much you all have liked it.  Getting DMs and comments about which characters are your favorites and why is incredibly fun.  If you have some free time, please leave a review on either Goodreads, Amazon, or both!  It helps the book reach more potential readers on those sites and I would love to get this series into as many hands, minds, and hearts as possible.

This year I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time!  "Casually" participating, anyway.  I'm not really trying to win any awards at the moment or compete with anyone or whatnot. (Oh dear.  Now I'm starting to sound like Dr. Grady Hunter...)  Mostly, I just want to see what all the fuss is about and I'm using it to track my progress while I write HUNTER.

Speaking of- HUNTER is back on track!  Now that Dacey has been let loose into the world (Print version still to come.), I can get my main focus back to Ethan and Grady.  I think you guys will really enjoy the twist this book will bring to the series as a whole.

What else?  Oh, yes.  Commissions are now CLOSED.  If you follow my social media then you probably know I also do illustrations.  Thank you so much to everyone that ordered from me this year!  I finished up my last commission of 2016 last night and I am done.  Probably for a long time.  While making extra cash is nice, working on commissions is extremely time consuming.  After a lot of deliberation, I've decided not to accept any more for a while with one exception:  I'm still willing to collaborate with other artists so long as your idea fits my aesthetic.  Have some supernatural dapper dudes you want drawn or colored?  I'm there!  Otherwise, I'm outties for now on the illustration game.  Save for working on my own projects, of course.  I've had a number of people request more illustrations of my OCs and even, potentially, some web comic style posts.  So, if I'm going to devote time away from writing to drawing then I'd rather it be for projects in that vein.  I'm sure you all understand.  Mostly, I just want to write!!

Do we feel good and updated now?  Was that a sufficient 'Welcome-To-November' blog post?  No?  You want more?  GOOD!  I HAVE SOME MORE!

I'm looking into putting some progress bar widgets onto this blog so you can keep track of my work.  Still trying to decide exactly how I'd like to go about that so it's just a WIP at the moment.  For now, here's an old school style write up of what's to come.

UPCOMING RELEASES:
Kindle
Short Story // Dark Fantasy, Historical Fiction
'Fossegrimen' - Mid. to Late November

CURRENT PROJECT:
Novel // Paranormal Fiction, Urban Fantasy, LGBT
'HUNTER: Book II of the ROAM Series'
Status: 22,500 words of approx. 50,000

NEXT UP:
Novel // Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy, LGBT
'DůO'
Status: Outline


That last one probably left you with more questions than answers.  ;)

Thanks for reading!
~Dez~