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.

My Ten Favourite Sci-Fi Films

A much procrastinated over selection featuring UFOs, futuristic dystopias, AI nightmares, reality television, time travel, and more.

My Ten Favourite Vampire Films

Twilight emphatically excluded with extreme prejudice.

Ten Great Films Under 90 Minutes

If your time is limited, great movie choices are still possible.

Why is The Wicker Man So Terrifying?

Robin Hardy’s 1973 folk horror classic still gets under the skin.

Is It Ever Acceptable to Use a Phone in a Cinema?

Short answer: No. After a recent extraordinary confrontation, I can’t believe I’m still having to say this.

I Pity Those Who Don’t Find ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ Funny

Any excuse to talk about John Cleese’s hilarious classic comedy heist thriller.

Race, Representation, and The Rings of Power

How online review-bombing extremists are ruining legitimate critical discourse of the Tolkien TV series.

Underrated Disney: The Journey of Natty Gann

A neglected gem from the Disney wilderness years.

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.