My Dreampunk Books

The fictional worlds of Dreampunk take on many forms due to the genre's surreal basis. Many authors will have their own opinion on what constitutes a story as "Dreampunk", though one of the best descriptions so far can be found here. Due to the nature of the genre, each author has their own tendency to prefer to focus on varying aspects of Dreampunk. In my own work, I love to utilize the "Dream World" as an actual place that can be visited and a sort of in-between of our physical plane and other dimensions accessible through the universal subconscious. I also like to incorporate "dream tech" into my stories with a nod to two other more prominent genres: Cyberpunk and Steampunk.

With a new anthology, SOMNISCOPE, soon to be released, here's a brief look at my Dreampunk books so far and what I'm working on this year!

THE ROAM SERIES

ROAM was my first foray into the genre and my debut novel. In this series, I introduce the Dream World, delve into a Sandman dogma, and introduce both magical occult items and dream tech. This trilogy remains the basis for most of my Dreampunk work and while other stories may not include these characters, they are linked within the same "ROAMverse" if you will.

THE REVELATION OF DACEY SINNET

This prequel to the ROAM series is more of a Victorian Vampire novel, but near the end does open itself up to the label of Dreampunk by introducing other characters from the ROAM series and a bit of the aforementioned magical occult items.

THATCHER MAUGDEN AND THE DREAM WITCH

This short story included in MIRRORMAZE, is set in the ROAMverse but features all-new characters set in the Edwardian era. This story takes place primarily in the Dream World and introduces very Steampunk-influenced dream technology. 

LOOPED

Looped is my entry in the upcoming SOMNISCOPE, and has a more Contemporary setting. This short story is a Psychological Suspense tale that takes place in a mental health facility and is my most surreal writing thus far.

PROJECT "DWC"

My current work-in-progress, which I'll refer to as Project DWC, evokes much of what I created in the ROAM series in terms of world-building but will be an entirely new series with a new cast of characters. I have yet to decide if any ROAM characters will make cameos, but it's not out of the question.

I'm currently working on the first draft of the first book in what, I'm hoping, might become a multi-book series. At the very least, I could see it being another trilogy.

It's a Dreampunk Urban Fantasy featuring LGBTQ+ characters, dream witches and dream magic, dream creatures, and a lot of new dream tech.

It's incredibly fun to write and I can't wait until the day when I can finally share this new story with you all!

Until then, be on the lookout for Looped in SOMNISCOPE, coming soon! Subscribe to my newsletter on my website to be the first to hear when it's available.

Happy Reading!

❤ Dez

Somniscope is Coming Soon!

 

I'm thrilled to share that SOMNISCOPE: A Dreampunk Convergence published by Fractured Mirror Publishing is coming soon! This Dreampunk anthology features short stories by indie publishing's most prominent Dreampunk authors! And I'm honored to say that not only do I have a story included, but it's also the opening story of the book! My contribution is titled Looped and I can't wait for you to read it!

Release date to be announced SOON. The publishing company is just waiting on a few backend details. 

BLURB:

Another lonely night, another borrowed dream. You know you’ll never get to sleep on your own, so why bother trying? It’ll only waste time, and you’ve got to be up in six hours. Five and a half now.

What is it about other people’s lives that satisfies that gnawing hunger in your chest, if only for a moment? Living in someone else’s skin scratches an itch that can’t be reached any other way. All the little parts of yourself that aggravate like a pebble in your shoe… they’re just gone. Sure, everybody’s got problems, but they don’t have your problems, not exactly. It’s this momentary relief that keeps you coming back night after night.

So you pull out the device, plug it into the wall beside your bed, slip on the headset, and lie back onto your pillow. You close your eyes and listen to those ten hypnotic clicks, your countdown to dreamland. Precisely one second after the tenth click, you lose consciousness. There in front of your eyes is the loading screen…

Books I'm Looking Forward To Reading in 2024

One of my priorities for this year is to make as much time for reading as writing. Here are a few of the books I'm looking forward to this year!

THE PRISONER'S THRONE by Holly Black

I have been OBSESSED with Holly Black's Elfhame books. Look, Cardan checks all the boxes for me; what can I say? And while this new series focuses on the next generation of characters, I'm still having just as much fun losing myself in her dark and mystical elven world. This is the book I'm most looking forward to!

BRIDE by Ali Hazelwood

While Contemporary Romance isn't one of my go-to genres, I've enjoyed everything Ali Hazelwood has written with her STEM-based books. I'm curious to see how her writing style transfers over to paranormal romance.

THE BOTANICAL DAUGHTER by Noah Medlock

I've been following Noah's writing journey online and I'm excited to finally get to read his debut novel that I've seen teasers of for a couple of years now! Everything about this Victorian Gothic novel sounds right up my alley.

This year, I'm also looking forward to catching up on a lot of series that I have missed out on over the past few years. I'm also interested in reading more non-fiction and maybe delving into more Fantasy books. I'm sure most of my reads will still consist of MM Romance and Paranormal, because those are my favorite genres. I also plan to sprinkle in some graphic novels and a few vintage middle-grade reads for fun.

I'll be posting what I'm reading on Goodreads and my Bookstagram.

What's the top book you're most looking forward to reading this year?

As always, Happy Reading!

❤ Dez

Happy New Year!

 

Happy New Year, friends!

2023 was a wild ride of highs and lows. Everything from having my gallbladder removed to taking our 15th wedding anniversary trip to Walt Disney World! A few other highlights were seeing Blink-182 in concert, turning 40, and my daughter turning 20. From the writing/publishing side, it was a bit of a slow year for me (mostly due illness/surgery) so I only had the chance to write and publish one story: The Dapper Detective. But I'm more than thrilled with that story and how well it was received! If you grabbed a copy already, thank you again for delving into the Nott Haven world!

I haven't made New Year's resolutions in a while, opting to choose a "word for the year" the past few years. For 2024, I'm choosing a phrase! Create Magic. I really want this year to be about prioritizing creating new stories, art, and habits in my daily life that really enhance focusing on the magic in life. This means a lot more Dreampunk content will be heading your way!

Here are the stories I plan to write/publish this year:

Also, as many of you know, social media has been an inconsistent and draining place for most of us. Platforms are being hijacked by their hate-spewing owners, algorithms are unforgiving, and just the general time-consumption of it all. So, I've really been putting a lot of thought into where I'm going to allocate my time when it comes to my online presence as an author. For the first quarter of the year (I'm going to see how it goes), I will mainly be on Instagram because even though the algorithm hates me there, I do generally enjoy using the platform more than any of the others. I plan to cross-post to Facebook. Other than that, I hope to update this blog more regularly and engage more on Goodreads (especially since I'd like to spend more time this coming year reading as much as I write). Please feel free to join me any of these places to keep up with my writing progress, my reading, sales, and new releases. I love engaging with my readers and I'm hoping that narrowing down the platforms that I'm on will help me to stay better connected with you all!

Wishing you all a very happy and magical 2024! ✨

💜 Dez

THE DAPPER DETECTIVE is out NOW!

 

Happy Release Day to THE DAPPER DETECTIVE!

Get it today!

That's right! My newest book baby has just been unleashed upon the world and I'm so excited to share the second installment of this duology with you all! I hope you love it as much as I do!

Read THIS POST to find out more about the behind-the-scenes of writing this book.

Haven't read the first book? It's on sale for a limited time!

Happy Reading! ❤

Writing THE DAPPER DETECTIVE: Behind The Scenes

 

THE DAPPTER DETECTIVE releases in one week (November 4)! I'm so excited to finally be able to share the sequel to THE DANDY MEDIUM with you all! This story has been a journey to write and it's so satisfying to finally see it being published and ready for the world.

I began writing THE DAPPER DETECTIVE at a time when my life vastly changed. Due to medical bills and *gestures widely at the economic state of things*, I went back to work full-time. As you can imagine, it's taken me quite a while (a year now) to find my optimum writing time with a fully packed life schedule. Especially, as someone who primarily feels like writing comes more naturally in the middle of the day (not very doable with a full-time job). Along with trying to optimize my schedule, I ended up facing more health challenges which slowed me down. The short version is that over the past year, I had COVID for two weeks and a mysterious illness for several months which turned out to be a distended gallbladder that I then had to have removed. Shortly after recovering from that, I switched jobs and had to have time to adjust to another schedule. All of this is to say that writing this book was a struggle, not because of the story but because life was just A LOT. But then again, when is it not? Even though it took me much longer to finish this story than I would have liked, I'm extremely proud of how it turned out. And although it took me a full year, I finally feel as though I'm finding a good writing groove again and I'm looking forward to creating more stories!

THE DAPPER DETECTIVE picks up shortly after the events of THE DANDY MEDIUM. Alfie and Sebastian have been working together on cases for months and Alfie has realized that he's ready to make the permanent change from working out of Madame Violetta's psychic shop to being a full-time consulting medium in Sebastian's department. But leaving the Night District doesn't wind up being the positive change he's hoping it will be.

Supernaturals begin to go missing and Francis, the lead vampire of the Crimson Bat Society, reaches out to a reluctant Alfie for help in solving the disappearances.

In this second installment, we dive deeper into the world of Nott Haven's vampires, werewolves, and the founding families' secrets. Alfie and Sebastian must fight their way through cemetery brawls, vampiric curses, betrayal, and the effects of a rare magic mushroom.

As with every story, one of my favorite parts of the writing process is immersing myself in inspiring imagery and music. These curated pictures and songs are a reflection of the characters I've developed and the scenes I've crafted. Feel free to enjoy diving into my inspo board and playlist!

INSPIRATION BOARD on Pinterest

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

What's Next?

The first question I get with any book release is always: "When does the next one come out?" 😅 

Well, the next book in line to release is actually the follow-up to the Dreampunk anthology, MIRRORMAZE. The second anthology, SOMNISCOPE, is set to be released by early 2024. I have a short story included titled, Looped. If you like surrealism and psychiatric ward settings, then be sure to grab a copy once preorders go up! I'll keep you updated.

As for my Nott Haven books, I'd originally planned for this to be a duology. And it, quite possibly, will stay as that. However, while this book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, it does end with a lingering sense that things aren't over; and the Nott Haven world has proven to be so rich in characters and possibilities that I'm considering revisiting it at some point. I don't know if it would be more Alfie/Sebastian stories or spin-off stories set in the same town but featuring other characters (I'd love to write from Roxie and Bernard's perspectives at some point). There's hope for more, but they're down the list in terms of priority of projects for the time being.

My next writing project, which I'm currently outlining and world-building, is a new LGBTQ Dreampunk series! If you enjoyed my ROAM series then you'll probably love this one too. I haven't decided if it will be set in the ROAMverse or if it will completely be its own thing; still ruminating on that. I like the idea that cameos could happen, but I also see the value in starting fresh. I'll share more as that project moves along!

To keep up with my writing projects, please follow me on Instagram or Facebook as I'm most active on those two platforms.

As always, thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support! Being able to share the characters and worlds I create with other people who love them as much as I do is the best gift and keeps me motivated to keep imagining exciting new stories! I hope you all enjoy THE DAPPER DETECTIVE!

Your Friend in Words,

❤ Dez 

Pre-Order THE DAPPER DETECTIVE Today!

 

The Dapper Detective releases November 4th!

PRE-ORDER NOW

LGBTQ Paranormal Victorian Gothic Gaslamp Fantasy Vampire Murder Mystery Magic Mushrooms & Cemetery Brawls