My latest short story Vindicta, a spine-tingling tale about a ghost ship, is now available for your reading pleasure, having been published by Medium publication Fictions. Set shortly after the end of World War II, it concerns a jewel thief and murderer whose past catches up with him whilst fleeing for South America.
What inspired this story? Initially my youngest son, who said I hadn’t written a ghost ship story before, so I should have a go. Because I’d been researching British merchant navy losses to German U-boats during World War II, I was struck with inspiration for the time period, as well as some of the other subject matter. This included Jewish treasures looted under Nazi occupation, sold through dubious sources. The title is Latin for vengeance, so a certain amount of guesswork concerning the narrative can be extrapolated from that. Although I hope the finale still surprises.
Things have been exceptionally busy for me on multiple fronts lately, with ongoing articles on Medium, short stories, Patreon, and further writing opportunities that have come my way. However, I thought it high time I gave an update as to the status of the novels I’m actively working on, or actively showing to literary agents and publishers.
Ravenseed
This Dark Ages-set fantasy of love, lust, betrayal, and vengeance rather hit a dead end when I submitted it to literary agents and publishers earlier this year. I considered self-publishing, but my instinct is to hold on to it for the time being. I have a sneaking suspicion I’ve not exhausted mainstream publication possibilities. I suppose I’m disappointed by the initial response, but then again, the novel is quite unconventional in a number of ways. It has three points of view – one present tense first person, one third person, and one past tense first person, depending on which part of the story is being told (there are two additional framing device narratives in the present day, though the bulk of the story is the Dark Ages stuff). On top of this, the story is fantasy, with a hefty dash of forbidden romance, which genre-wise falls outside my primary gothic mystery oeuvre.
The White Nest (not the real title)
This gothic mystery thriller is currently being considered by literary agents, and I’m pleased to report some interest has been shown, so there is potential hope on that front. If I manage to land an agent and publisher, naturally I’ll break the news here, so watch this space. I should add The White Nest isn’t the real title. I’m hanging on to that information for now. Well, I was, until I accidentally let it slip in a video update on Patreon. So, if you’re a Patreon supporter you know the real title. Please keep it secret for now, like we discussed.
The George Hughes Trilogy (new titles to be confirmed)
I previously published what I call the George Hughes trilogy under different titles: George Goes to Mars, George Goes to Titan, and George Goes to Neptune. These novels are science fiction adventures aimed at the Harry Potter/Alex Rider demographic (and the young at heart) packed with interplanetary action and thrills. I’m very proud of them. However, I’m not proud of the titles they were originally released under, as in retrospect, it makes them sound like books for much younger children. Hence why they are currently unavailable. I’m retitling them, and also taking an opportunity to do a hefty redraft, to tidy up the manuscripts. These novels were some of the first I wrote, and having learned a great deal since those days, I want to bring the text up to my current standards. But the stories themselves have not changed. I hope to have the newly titled versions out by the end of the year, which is a deadline I may not manage, but I shall certainly aim for it.
I’ll add an update soon concerning the status of the various short stories I’ve worked on this year. It will include where you can read my latest ghost story, Vindicta, and my plans for a second short story anthology. Watch this space.
As I’ve recently launched on Patreon, I’ve decided to combine my monthly Medium highlights with Patreon highlights. If you aren’t already a supporter on Patreon, please take a look at this link, which outlines my writing goals for the next year, clearly stating how much I wish to raise and why, and offering support levels of £2, £4, £8, and £25 per month, with different benefits at each level. Please consider supporting me, even if only at the lower level, as every pound makes a huge difference.
The big Patreon news this month is, as of this week, I’ve started serialising the current draft of my novel The Balliol Conspiracy. This somewhat unusual story begins as a psychological mystery, evolving into a romantic spy thriller of sorts akin to novels such as John Buchan’s The Thirty-Nine Steps and Hitchcock films like North by Northwest.
The Balliol Conspiracy proved a real change of pace for me when I wrote it, as frankly, I wanted to write a novel that (for once) wouldn’t give my mother nightmares. As such, I strove to keep events at a PG level, even though it is a grown-up thriller with a strong, suspenseful narrative. At its heart, this is a history-based treasure hunt tale, leading to a new lease of life for its bereaved protagonist, who has a mysterious compulsion for purchasing and cataloguing suitcases left in airports. I don’t want to say too much more, except that it also involves Balliol College in Oxford, the infamous “Galloping Gertie” Tacoma Narrows bridge disaster, and the head of Oliver Cromwell!
If you become a “Knight of the Dillon Empire” at £8 per month, you get at least one draft chapter of The Balliol Conspiracy per month, as well as all the benefits of the lower “Ally of the Dillon Empire” and “Free Citizen of the Dillon Empire” tiers. These include updates on all I’m doing, which sometimes take the form of videos of me prattling in various locations such as Dartmoor. You also get draft previews of short stories, deleted snippets of published books, exclusive peeks at rejected cover artworks, further insights into my creative process, and more.
I hope many of you consider supporting me, and that you enjoy the exclusive material. In the meantime, here’s a selection of my highlights from Medium over the past month. Those of you who aren’t Medium subscribers get three free reads per month. However, if you decide to subscribe to Medium to read all my work (and the work of many others), please do so via this link, as it means I financially benefit from your subscription. Thank you for supporting my writing endeavours, and I hope you enjoy the following.
That’s it from me this month. Thank you again for all your support, and a special big thank you to my ten first monthly supporters on Patreon – Claus, Robin, David S, David P, Steve, Yasmine and Ville, Sterling, Galina, Ian, and Gillian, plus those who have contributed one-off donations on Ko-fi. And also to Ruth and Iain. I’ll leave it there, before this degenerates into an Oscar acceptance speech, suffice to say, it is greatly appreciated.
Over the past few weeks on Medium, I’ve been showcasing some of the opening chapters from my novels. The series draws to a close with this initial segment of my dystopian sci-fi coming of age novel Children of the Folded Valley. Since it partly draws from my own experiences of growing up in a cult, it is perhaps the most “personal” of my novels currently in publication (though the term “personal” always strikes me as faintly absurd, as I consider all my stories personal in some way).
Here are the first few paragraphs:
We spend our adult lives trying to regain what we lost in childhood.
I do not claim to be unique in that respect. Whilst it might be argued that I lost more than some, we all, I think, chase after what we once had or never had. What we lost cannot be replaced, but we chase after it nonetheless.
Some think of what they lost with romantic rose-tinted spectacles, whilst others are more pragmatic. Some deny it, others get angry about it, others still accept it and seek help from friends, family, lovers, therapists, priests, gurus, or anyone else who will listen. But I cannot do that. I can never tell my friends, my colleagues, my wife, or my children what happened to me in the Folded Valley.
Since escaping all those years ago, I have been searching; but mine is not a sentimental journey. I do not long for the past, yet nor do I think of it as exclusively bad. I don’t ever want to go back, but I want things that are trapped there, lost forever.
What I lost, I lost on the railway line that runs along the southern edge of Dartmoor. I can still see the train disappearing; a silhouette against the bleak moors and darkening sunset skies. I can still smell the freshly cut grass, sense the cool breeze and feel the stinging tears. I remember the relief at escaping, the fear of what lay ahead, and the horrible churning sensation at the knowledge that everything I had ever known was gone.
That happened in August 1982.
From Children of the Folded Valley by Simon Dillon
You can read the whole of the chapter here, and read my companion piece article on this series here. Alternatively, to purchase a copy of Children of the Folded Valley (ebook or paperback) click here (for the UK), here (for the US), or here, if you wish to purchase via Smashwords.
Simon Dillon Books 
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