Press Releases

Debut Novel Released

After graduating from Champlain College’s Professional Writing program in 2015, Dr. B. M. Valdez (they/them) continued honing their craft writing novels. Practice and expertise came together in October 2024 when their debut novel, Relapse, was released by Booklocker! Relapse is a dark fantasy exploring the theme of who is the true monster: the literal man-eating spider monster or the figurative monster in the form of a recovering serial killer turned schoolteacher.

Targeted to an adult market, Relapse follows the journey of recovering serial killer, Brian Dubisar, in his new life as a math teacher for troubled teens. His best friend, Azure, is a man-eating spider monster who would rather be human. When another of these monsters makes Brian a deal, he must decide between his conscience and his desire to kill. While Azure explores human emotion, Brian teeters on the edge of relapsing completely.

Dr. Valdez is passionate about the LGBTQIA+ community. Each of their books has the mission and commitment of portraying queer characters in a wide variety of stories across genres. They have a particular focus on the gay identity and showing these characters in a plot that doesn’t revolve solely around the coming out journey. Relapse is the first of many planned books to accomplish this goal.

The book is available on Amazon, the publisher’s website, and wherever books are sold. Dr. Valdez’s second book is currently in production with the publisher. For updates, check out their website at bmvaldez.com.