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~

NEW RELEASE - The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett

Someone SINister is waiting for you!

It's finally here!  'The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett' is now available on Kindle!  You can get your copy HERE.

Thank you so much for all of your support and enjoy these mischievous vampires this Halloween season!

~Dez~

Wilde Wednesday: How Oscar Helped Shape Dacey Sinnett

I'd like to make this a regular feature on my blog but I don't blog regularly so, I suppose, that would make it relatively a matter of perspective as to how "regular" it is.  It feels apropos to dedicate some time to the inclusion of Oscar Wilde's influence on my own work as he is singly the most pivotal of all my inspirations.  In many ways, he is my muse in both my creativity and personal existential exploration which are incorporated themes in my books.  It's important to me to spread awareness of his life and work and also to carry on the spirit of his ideas and writings.  Thus, I've also become a member of the Oscar Wilde Society in support of precisely that endeavor.

My books are not intended as an echo or mimic.  They are uniquely their own.  They have their own voice and say the things about life and existence that I personally wish to be said.  They deal with a multitude of different topics.  They are, essentially, my own personal revelations shared with the world in the only way in which I feel comfortable being entirely honest and raw with my audience.  I simply enjoy employing the paranormal to help me do that.

That being said, and having had some readers request it, I would love to take time now and again to delve deeper into the ways in which Oscar's work has played its role in shaping the stories that I enjoy writing most.  Think of this as an occasional pit stop of analysis on dissecting my own work with a Wildean filter.

I felt that, with the upcoming Kindle release of The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett, this quote was a great place to begin.  (I can't cover all the ground in one post.  I will simply tackle one angle at a time; which is why a series of blog posts over time makes the most sense.)  Firstly, because The Picture of Dorian Gray is my favorite book.  Secondly, but most importantly, because the sentiment plays heavily into the way that I threaded the relationship that exists between Dacey Sinnett and Marcus von Rottal.  I'll try my best to expound upon this without revealing too many spoilers.

In a sense, there is a bit of Dorian Gray in both Dacey and Marcus.  I would say Dacey better represents the earlier Dorian (though much less innocent) and Marcus the darker version he becomes by the end of the story.  Essentially, they are two men that land on the same path, engage in the same vices, but still manage to retain their own personalities and convictions (Though, they are always magnetically drawn together despite their better judgement.).

This is where the quote and Wilde's personal life begin to weave together in my reinterpretation of an interpersonal dynamic that ultimately forms the, more tragic, basis of my vampires' relationship with one another.

Right now, Wildeans are having an "Aha!" moment.  If this isn't you then, for the sake of not spoiling anything, I will only say to please take some time one afternoon, evening, or preferably night (Night research is always the best, don't you agree?), to look into the history of Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas.  In this regard, the similarities might guide the reader into seeing a parallel of Dacey being like Oscar and Marcus more like Bosie.  Although, it should be noted, there is no definitive outline or boundary for this and both characters are indubitably their own personalities.

Neither were purposefully modeled directly with Oscar or Bosie in mind.  Rather, they were born of the idea of splitting apart who Dorian Gray became and the man he originally was and setting both characteristics against the same obstacles.  The Oscar/Bosie correlation was something that came to me after I'd already outlined the book but then I felt as though it were staring me right in face.  A nuance that I hand't necessarily planned initially but that couldn't be denied once I saw it coming to life in their interactions.

As I stated earlier, my stories are not complete homages to Wilde but he definitely has his place on the color wheel of inspiration that's constantly spinning in my mind while I create.  My favorite muse, indeed.

I hope you enjoyed this feature!  If you have any questions or would just like to discuss this topic further then please feel free to talk to me on Twitter or submit a query on my Goodreads Author Page (that way other readers can get involved).

Also, if you're a fellow Wildean and would like to join the Oscar Wilde Society then please visit their page through the link on my sidebar.

Thanks for reading!

~Dez~

COVER ART REVEAL - The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett

I'm excited to share the new cover art for 'The Revelation of Dacey Sinnett' with you all!  This will be for the upcoming print & Kindle editions!  I'm finishing up edits and last minute formatting and shooting for a release in the next few weeks.  I'll keep you posted on my progress through social media.

Getting this book release prepped has taken up most of my time but I'll be posting a new chapter of 'HUNTER' on Wattpad soon.  I also had a great time meeting readers at West Texas Table Top Con a few weeks ago!  It was awesome to get to meet some of you in person and hear your thoughts on 'ROAM'.  I hope to have a book signing soon so we can all meet up again!

Thanks for reading!
~Dez~