Stop running long enough and the demons will catch up.

When I moved to Paris I thought I was chasing a dream: the infamously people-centered French lifestyle filled with good food, better wine, and long chats on open terraces. What I didn't realize was that while I was doing the chasing, I was also being chased.

The last time I wrote a memoir, I hadn't even started therapy. It's amazing how much can change and just how quickly. This book starts in the eye of the storm that was my life. The brief calm in launching a book and pausing my vlog only gave space for things to get much, much worse.

Whether you're interested in what it's like to be an influencer in a city like Paris, to build a business from the ground up, or to simply try and find your place in the insanity of this era, there's something for you here. But this book is really for the lonely ones who fear their dreams will never come true, that the solitude will overwhelm them, and they'll waste their days doomscrolling in the dark. You are not alone, and I shared this story to help you know it in your bones.

I hope it finds you exactly at the right time.

-- Praise for Desert of the New --

"Can a city be a lifeline? In Swanson's follow-up memoir, Paris plays such a role—and an always compelling backdrop—as he peels back the layers of his personal and creative journey. An honest and heartfelt look at healing and rebuilding."

Lindsey Tramuta - Journalist, bestselling author and host of The New Paris Podcast

"At first glance, this book may seem like a love letter to Paris, but it unfolds into a heartfelt tribute to 'Home,' wherever that may be. It inspired me to reflect on my own notions of self, relationships, and life. We often hear that the unexamined life is not worth living; this book feels like a mirror of that sentiment.

"The examined life is worth celebrating—a journey worth embarking on towards a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us."

Tamer Kattan - Award winning comedian, writer, & actor