Haunted Road Trip Cover Reveal + Release Date Announcement

Cover Reveal

THE DEAD OAKS

Book Three: 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.

Available

September 9, 2019

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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)

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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

DREAM WEAVER Release Date

DREAM WEAVER, the third and final book in the ROAM series, is action-packed, surreal, and unpredictable!


PREVIEW SYNOPSIS:

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.

DREAM WEAVER will be released March 2020 through NineStar Press!

Catch up on the rest of the ROAM series, now available on Amazon!

Dream Interpretation & How I Dream Journal

As a Dreampunk author, keeping a dream journal is a pretty natural thing to do.  I used to keep up with one years ago but I had fallen off the wagon.  However, I had been wanting to get back into it for a while and finishing up writing my Dreampunk trilogy, the ROAM series, inspired me to start!

The benefit of keeping a dream journal, other than immortalizing some of the most embarrassing things that might ever run through your mind (is that a pro or a con?), is that it makes you incredibly self-aware.

I believe that dreams serve two purposes.  The first being exercises from your own subconscious in the form of critical thinking challenges.  Suppose there's an issue in your waking life that you keep ignoring.  Your dreams present the matter to you in order for you to work out a solution.  Or maybe you're anxious because of something that you fear and so your dreams facilitate a controlled environment where you have the opportunity to face that fear and hopefully conquer it.  The second purpose that I believe dreams have is to serve as a connection to the universal subconscious.  When we sleep, our minds are free and we are more receptive.  Have you ever had an instance where you were thinking about a song, got in the car, turned on the radio, and that very song was playing?  Have you ever thought about a person or place that hadn't crossed your mind in years and then later that day or the next, suddenly you find out news about them or you start to see others mentioning them everywhere?  That's the power of the universal subconscious.  And so why wouldn't the universe relay messages through dreams?  I know, my inner-Ethan Roam is showing here. :)

To create my dream journal, I chose a basic journal design that was available at Michael's Arts & Crafts.  Since I'm a planner addict, I knew I wanted to decorate it similarly to how I use my daily planner.  I ended up choosing the Happy Planner "Free Spirit" sticker sheets because they had a lot of moon, dream, and zodiac options that fit perfectly.

For fun, I went ahead and decorated the first page with some of the stickers and a few of my favorite dream-related quotes.

The rest is pretty self-explanatory.  I've included a couple of photos of the more entertaining entries here. I journal what my dream was, mark if it was a good dream or a nightmare, and what the interpretation might be.  I would say that most are fairly obvious but if you're unsure what to make of yours or if you're not familiar with dream analysis already then you can always use dream interpretation guides.  There are a few free websites that can help with this.  To decorate, I like to add little doodles to illustrate something memorable from the dream and add a few stickers and washi tape to fill the space.  

I've kept up with this journal throughout June and I will continue to keep dream journaling.  I try to journal shortly after I wake up so that I don't forget any details because we all know how quickly they slip away.  I also don't journal on days that I don't remember what I dreamed or if the dream was something that was truly upsetting to the point that I'd rather just forget it than write it down.  So, dream journaling doesn't have to be too time-consuming if you'd like to give it a try.

(Even though it was a nightmare, this dream makes me laugh now.)

The majority of my dreams this month actually ended up being centered around writing/publishing--so that was interesting.  Also, I'm apparently scared of alligators (??  News to me.) so that will make our tentative visit to Gatorland later this year very interesting. LOL

Do you keep a dream journal?  Is it something that you'd like to try?  Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading,
Dez

Want to check out my Dreampunk books?

You can find them HERE.

HUNTER is now available at:

AMAZON | B&N | NSP

Signed Books & My Next Project

Hello, friends!

I've finally done the thing!  It's been way overdue.  Signed copies of ROAM and HUNTER are now available on my website!  I'll also be throwing in signed bookmarks with orders while supplies last.

June has just begun but I already feel like it's jam-packed!  I've outlined my next book and I plan to begin the writing process this week.  If you subscribe to my newsletter (signup form also on my website) then you already know that I'm going to (finally!) be working on the third book in my YA LGBTQ Paranormal Novella series, The Dead Oaks.  I have a crazy/fun adventure lined up for Jasper, Wes, and Liv and I can't wait to get started!

If you'd like to follow along with the writing process then please consider joining me over on Instagram.  I tend to post there most often.  I would love to have you along for the ride!

x, Dez

HUNTER is now available at:

AMAZON | B&N | NSP

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

Writing HUNTER: Special Extras

(Special thanks to @aparanormalromance for providing this photo)

HUNTER has been out in the world for a little over a month now and I'm so thrilled with how well it's been received!  For those of you that have already read it and are wanting more of the ROAMverse, here are some Special Extras:

WRITING HUNTER: A Dreampunk Author's Journey

If you've been following me for a while then you know that HUNTER was originally self-published in 2017.  Once ROAM was picked up by NineStar Press, I submitted HUNTER shortly afterward and they signed it as well.  So, even though HUNTER is now seeing its official re-release through a publishing company in 2019, I actually wrote the story around this time two years ago.

I'd initially written ROAM as a stand-alone novel but, just a few days after completing it, I knew there was an even bigger story to tell.  Not to mention the characters wouldn't leave me alone!  And I mean that in the best way.  At the time, Dacey was speaking volumes so I decided to go ahead and write his story, The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett.  Once that prequel was finished, I had already set some major story arcs in motion and was ready to play them out with a sequel.

Other than the obvious desire to explore Ethan and Grady's relationship further, I began to really flesh out what I wanted from a Dreampunk story and how to continue the original message of the first book in a way that would still feel fresh and unique.  HUNTER owes a lot to the creative journey that I took in writing The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett.  It honestly wouldn't be the same without me having dived into that prequel first.  I had the chance to make the story so much more complex and to bring back some of my favorite characters.  It also allowed me the opportunity to set the stage for what's to come next...

HUNTER: Bonus Content

A HUNTER-inspired Mood Board on Pinterest.

What I listened to while working on this book: HUNTER Spotify Playlist

A fun Character Interview with Ethan, Grady, & Chris

Still want more?  Add some ROAMverse Merch to your collection!

HUNTER: Feedback

Readers have been incredibly supportive of this book!  I think I've received more positive messages on this one than any of my other books so.  Most people are excited about an event in the book which is a spoiler--so I can't mention it; but I'm glad it made so many people happy.  Readers also love the Dreampunk aspect of the series and the continued world-building.  I've also had a lot of lovely comments about Benny which, honestly, makes my heart soar every time because Benny is the first ROAM character that I ever created.  He predates the story itself because he's actually based on an original character that I used to roleplay as many many years ago.  haha  :)

Thanks again to everyone that has grabbed a copy of the book and also to those that have taken the time to send me messages and/or leave reviews!  If you have any other HUNTER-related questions or topics that you'd like to see me cover in future blog posts, please leave a comment or email me through my website.

Haven't read HUNTER yet?

No worries!  It's available here:

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