I’ve always loved Halloween — it’s my second favorite holiday after Christmas — and there’s something magical about that time of year that never really left me. I wanted to tap into that feeling again, the sense of wonder and mystery I had when life was simpler and the world felt a little bigger.
So I started writing a story that let me step back into that space. A world I would have loved to wander through myself… eerie, playful, full of possibility. Creating it felt like revisiting an old memory and discovering something new inside it. And sharing that world with readers is one of the most joyful parts of the journey.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I’ve got a few more ideas rattling around in my head — stories that feel a bit more adult, a little grittier, with edges I’m curious to explore. And who knows… one of them seems to be whispering about becoming a trilogy.
It’s still early, but that’s part of the joy. Writing has opened doors I didn’t expect, and I’m excited to follow these new threads wherever they lead. If readers are willing to come along, I’d love to keep building worlds we can step into together.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
What I enjoyed most was how writing this story carried me back to my childhood — a time when everything felt a little simpler and the world didn’t weigh quite so heavily. It reminded me of those early days of curiosity and imagination… and even of my first crush, with all the awkwardness and wonder that comes with those early infatuations.
There was something sweet about reconnecting with those memories, like rediscovering a part of myself I hadn’t visited in years. Bringing that feeling onto the page made the writing process feel less like work and more like a return to something familiar and deeply human
If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Caleb: Jacob Elordi
Ava: Anna Cathcart
Liam: Timothée Chalamet
Dr. Vale: Lee Pace
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
I think this story is a must-read because of the way it unfolds — slowly at first, like a candle burning down in a dark room, and then suddenly you realize the shadows are moving in ways you didn’t expect. There’s a careful blend of suspense and a soft, growing romance, all wrapped in a tension that keeps tugging you forward.
What I love most is how the moments of quiet connection sit right beside the unsettling ones. It’s a story meant to pull you in gently, hold you close, and keep you wondering what might be waiting just beyond the edge of the light.
If readers enjoy that mix of heart, atmosphere, and mystery, then I think they’ll find something special here.
What did you edit out of this book?
There were moments when I felt the story tugging toward something a little steamier, especially as the characters grew closer and their emotions deepened. But I also wanted to honour the heart of the book — that youthful space where tension, longing, and connection can feel electric without crossing too far.
So I chose to keep the romance within a safe YA zone, focusing more on the emotion, the build-up, and those breath-catching moments that say so much without needing to go further. In many ways, holding back made the story stronger… it let the characters speak through their feelings rather than the physical details.
When the shadows come alive, Ava and Caleb discover the only safe place is in each other’s arms.
But the closer they get, the darker the truth becomes.
But the closer they get, the darker the truth becomes.
by Dustin Blackwall
Genre: YA Romantasy Thriller
Caleb Ward is trying to forget the night he almost died.
Ava Lin is trying to understand why he survived.
But Hollow Creek isn’t letting either of them move on.
What starts as a strange blackout spirals into a trail of eerie clues, shifting shadows, and a connection between Ava and Caleb that grows hotter and more undeniable with every new secret uncovered.
Something happened that night.
Something dangerous.
And it’s waking up.
The
lights exploded into darkness so fast it felt like the whole world had
been switched off. One second, the fairgrounds pulsed with noise; the
next, a hush dropped over everything - thick, heavy, wrong. Ava’s breath
caught in her throat as the shadows around the tents stretched, bending
in directions that didn’t match the lanterns flickering overhead.
“Caleb…”
She didn’t even finish his name. Her hand shot out on instinct, finding his fingers in the dark. His grip closed around hers immediately - warm, tight, desperate - anchoring her like a lifeline.
“Caleb…”
She didn’t even finish his name. Her hand shot out on instinct, finding his fingers in the dark. His grip closed around hers immediately - warm, tight, desperate - anchoring her like a lifeline.
Static
rolled through the air, not sound but pressure, brushing across her
skin like cold fingertips. The wind picked up and carried the faint
smell of scorched leaves and metal. Somewhere behind them, a ride
creaked slowly, even though nothing was moving it.
Caleb stepped close enough that she felt the heat of his chest at her shoulder.
“I’m here,” he whispered, voice low and unsteady.
Something moved at the corner of her vision - a ripple of shadow that stole her breath. But Caleb was already there, guiding her back against him, solid and unwavering.
The world still trembled, but she didn’t. Not with his strength at her back. In that moment, she felt it with aching clarity: as long as he held her, she could face anything.
All around them, people shouted - fragmented cries swallowed by the dark. A string of carnival lights fizzled overhead, sputtering blue sparks that made the shadows jump like living ink.
Ava squeezed his hand harder.
“We have to move,” she said, though she wasn’t sure which direction was safe anymore.
Caleb turned, pulling her with him, and in that split-second flash of dying light, she saw his face - terrified, determined, and somehow still looking at her like she was the one thing in this chaos he trusted.
The ground trembled.
The shadows bent again.
And together, hand in hand, they ran toward whatever waited in the dark.
Caleb stepped close enough that she felt the heat of his chest at her shoulder.
“I’m here,” he whispered, voice low and unsteady.
Something moved at the corner of her vision - a ripple of shadow that stole her breath. But Caleb was already there, guiding her back against him, solid and unwavering.
The world still trembled, but she didn’t. Not with his strength at her back. In that moment, she felt it with aching clarity: as long as he held her, she could face anything.
All around them, people shouted - fragmented cries swallowed by the dark. A string of carnival lights fizzled overhead, sputtering blue sparks that made the shadows jump like living ink.
Ava squeezed his hand harder.
“We have to move,” she said, though she wasn’t sure which direction was safe anymore.
Caleb turned, pulling her with him, and in that split-second flash of dying light, she saw his face - terrified, determined, and somehow still looking at her like she was the one thing in this chaos he trusted.
The ground trembled.
The shadows bent again.
And together, hand in hand, they ran toward whatever waited in the dark.
by Dustin Blackwall
Genre: SciFi Thriller
When data itself begins to speak, who decides what it’s trying to say?
Light Years To Midnight — a globe-spanning thriller where science, faith, and code collide in a race against a countdown written into the fabric of reality.
The
wind whipped dust across the plateau as Jonas crested the ridge, breath
burning in his throat. Below him, the satellite dishes of the abandoned
relay station stretched into the dark like a field of frozen giants.
Their metal frames groaned under the rising storm, each bent toward the
same invisible point on the horizon.
He wasn’t alone.
A faint beam of light—too controlled to be an accident—flickered between the dishes. Jonas crouched, heart thudding, watching as a woman stepped into view, her silhouette sharp against the skeletal machinery. She moved with the alertness of someone who had been running for far too long.
Elena.
He had seen her face in files, in encrypted packets, in the warnings that had chased him across continents. But seeing her here, in the flesh, felt unreal—like walking into a photograph he wasn’t meant to understand.
Before he could speak, a second figure emerged from the opposite end of the array. Maya paused only when she spotted Elena, recognition flaring across her face. They had never met, not really, but the anomaly had braided their paths tightly enough that the moment felt inevitable.
Jonas stood and lifted a hand, but movement in the distance froze him mid-step.
Engines.
Low, tactical, deliberate.
A convoy approached from the north, its headlights dark, its tires crunching through gravel like muffled gunfire. Special operations—unmarked, unhurried, confident. Not hunters, but collectors.
Elena’s eyes locked on his.
“Are they here for you,” she whispered, “or for all of us?”
Maya stepped closer, her breath sharp in the cold air. “Does it matter?”
Something pulsed beneath the earth—three beats, a pause, three more—vibrating up through the metal frames of the dishes. The sky above them shimmered, faint but unmistakable, as if answering the rhythm.
Jonas swallowed hard.
“No,” he said. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s already found us.”
He wasn’t alone.
A faint beam of light—too controlled to be an accident—flickered between the dishes. Jonas crouched, heart thudding, watching as a woman stepped into view, her silhouette sharp against the skeletal machinery. She moved with the alertness of someone who had been running for far too long.
Elena.
He had seen her face in files, in encrypted packets, in the warnings that had chased him across continents. But seeing her here, in the flesh, felt unreal—like walking into a photograph he wasn’t meant to understand.
Before he could speak, a second figure emerged from the opposite end of the array. Maya paused only when she spotted Elena, recognition flaring across her face. They had never met, not really, but the anomaly had braided their paths tightly enough that the moment felt inevitable.
Jonas stood and lifted a hand, but movement in the distance froze him mid-step.
Engines.
Low, tactical, deliberate.
A convoy approached from the north, its headlights dark, its tires crunching through gravel like muffled gunfire. Special operations—unmarked, unhurried, confident. Not hunters, but collectors.
Elena’s eyes locked on his.
“Are they here for you,” she whispered, “or for all of us?”
Maya stepped closer, her breath sharp in the cold air. “Does it matter?”
Something pulsed beneath the earth—three beats, a pause, three more—vibrating up through the metal frames of the dishes. The sky above them shimmered, faint but unmistakable, as if answering the rhythm.
Jonas swallowed hard.
“No,” he said. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s already found us.”
About the Author:
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Dustin is a lifelong fan of science and speculative fiction, blending his fascination with astronomy, technology, and the unknown into stories that explore the edge between logic and wonder. When he’s not writing, he’s reading, stargazing, or chasing trails on his dirt bike — always searching for what lies just beyond understanding.
Facebook-Instagram
Amazon-Goodreads
Dustin is a lifelong fan of science and speculative fiction, blending his fascination with astronomy, technology, and the unknown into stories that explore the edge between logic and wonder. When he’s not writing, he’s reading, stargazing, or chasing trails on his dirt bike — always searching for what lies just beyond understanding.
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