Author Archives: simondillon

2025 In Review

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According to my wife, when I try to smile, I look evil. Photo by author.

Given that this annual review will inevitably come off as smug and insufferable to some, to begin, I’ll attempt to stem at least some of the cynicism by thanking the most important person: You. All of you who read my novels and short stories, and especially those who are kind enough to leave rave reviews. Thank you. I am immensely grateful to every single one of you. Your encouragement means the world to me, and I am so glad you enjoy my stories. I’m also just as grateful to all those who support me on Patreon, or who subscribe to my exclusive material on Substack. Again, it is hugely, hugely appreciated.

Here’s a brief rundown of what I’ve achieved over the past year.

New Anthology Release: The Dark Forest Within

Following the release of my first-ever fantasy novel, Ravenseed , last year, this year, I released an anthology of fantasy short stories and novellas entitled The Dark Forest Within. Featuring six tales of magic and mystery, darkness and danger, adventure and romance, triumph and tragedy, this volume is both a companion piece to Ravenseed and a carefully curated collection of tales in its own right. One of the short stories is a direct prequel to Ravenseed, with the knights Sir Matthew and Sir Peter returning as supporting characters to a new protagonist: The mysterious Lady Amelia.

Totalling around 100,000 words, each story features literal journeys into forests of one kind or another, and each story’s protagonist also features an inward journey, hence the umbrella title for the anthology. Some of these stories were previously available to Substack or Medium subscribers, but 40,000 words worth of material (specifically the stories Wulfric’s Quest and Winged) were previously unpublished and are exclusive to this volume. Another entirely new short story, entitled Offline Dream was initially selected for inclusion but ultimately omitted for various reasons. However, I have made it available exclusively to paid Substack subscribers (except part 1, which I made available free, as a taster).

More on the short stories in The Dark Forest Within here. It is out now in ebook or paperback via Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). For Draft2Digital and its various outlets, you can pick up ebooks and paperback copies here.

Substack: Short Stories, Novellas, and Exclusive Serialised Novels

I’ve written half a dozen short stories and novellas this year, most of which remain under wraps for the time being. One of these was the aforementioned Winged; four more are horror stories, and one other is top secret, for the time being. The horror stories will make their way onto Substack in 2026. Outside of anthologies, I’ve decided to publish short stories and novellas only on Substack from now on, so that’s another exclusive benefit to paid Substack subscribers.

For $5 per month, readers now get access to my entire short story and novella back catalogue (as well as syndications of almost every film-related article I publish on Medium), plus two serialised novels: Supernatural thriller The Thistlewood Curse (now fully available) and horror mystery The Hobbford Giant (new chapters available every Friday). The latter is not available anywhere else and won’t be for the foreseeable future. For more information about The Hobbford Giant, click here. As a taster, I’ve made the first chapter available for free, here.

New Novel First Draft Written: Title TBA

On the subject of novels, I wrote the first draft of a new one this year. It’s the initial story in a planned long-running series of supernatural mystery thrillers. I’m being extremely tight-lipped on details, but so far, I have revealed that the series is about an ex-police officer. She’s wondering what to do next in her life when a friend finds herself at the centre of a truly baffling, seemingly ghostly mystery, and asks for her help. A bigger mystery in the background is gradually revealed as the series progresses, but each novel in the series will feature a standalone story, including this one. I’m not putting out the title yet, or even a false placeholder title.

New Novel Rewritten: Killer Prank (not the real title)

This is the novel I wrote in early 2024, initially with the working title False Witness. The real title I had in mind was Killer Prank, but I’ve changed my mind about that, as it sounds too much like a Stephen King-style horror, rather than a mystery crime thriller. After further thought, I have a much better, more appropriate title, but I’m keeping it to myself for now. At any rate, this manuscript has now undergone a thorough spit and polish, as well as beta-reads and some great editorial feedback. I am presently submitting this to literary agents and publishers, so watch this space.

What’s it about? A prank that goes wrong, as well as a dark secret in the protagonist’s past that comes back to haunt her present. And yes, I know that’s vague and the dark secret in the past bit could apply to pretty much every thriller I’ve ever written, but I really don’t want to say too much more at this stage. Just believe me when I say this dark secret is exceptionally dark.

Novels Submitted to Agents and Publishers

In addition to the above novel, I also submitted another mystery thriller, A Thorn in Winter, to certain agents this year, but I’ve now withdrawn it for the time being for strategic reasons. I might choose to do another publishing exclusive on Substack, or I may self-publish it more widely, or I may approach other agents and publishers. Instinct tells me to hang onto it for now, so my focus with literary agents is now the aforementioned Killer Prank manuscript.

What’s A Thorn in Winter about? Again, it’s top secret, but I will reveal that the first act features a tangled web of blackmail, before a decades-old unsolved murder comes into the picture. I like it very much (as did my beta-readers), so when it finally sees the light of day, I hope you will too.

Other Achievements in 2025

My most significant non-writing achievement this year is the start of my new film podcast, Dillon on Film. I discuss new UK cinema releases, along with my co-presenter, Michael Kenny. We’re currently taking a bit of a break from it, but it will return in the New Year. Watch this space. In the meantime, all episodes to date are available for your listening pleasure here.

I’m also still Patreon, offering exclusive early access to short stories, sneak previews of artwork, exclusive insights into my writing processes, video updates, novel draft previews (including serialised unpublished novels), interviews with some of my characters, deleted scenes (sometimes entire chapters), and other material found nowhere else (for example, some of my Patreon supporters know the title of the novel I wrote this year, but they are all sworn to secrecy). Level of access depends on whether you become an Ally of the Dillon Empire, Free Citizen of the Dillon Empire, Knight of the Dillon Empire, or General of the Dillon Empire. Check out my Patreon page here for more information.

Finally, in case you missed it, here’s a short film I recently made to promote my mystery thriller novel Death Nest, released a couple of years ago. It’s a meta-mockumentary in which I have mysteriously vanished. Investigative reporter Tommy Rogers looks into my disappearance, interviewing friends and former colleagues, uncovering scary reasons why I might have been “silenced” by sinister forces. Hopefully, it will give you a giggle.

In summary, 2025 has been a productive year, and I achieved many of my annual goals. I’m still chasing that elusive mainstream publishing deal, but there have been many flickers of interest, and I will keep pushing those doors. One day, they will open. Perhaps next year. In the meantime, I’m taking a short break this month. It only remains for me to say thank you again. I wish you all a peaceful and restful Christmas.

(All images created by author in Canva.)

Death Nest: The Disappearance of Simon Dillon

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Coming up with imaginative ways to publicise my novels can be a challenge. In the case of my supernaturally tinged mystery thriller Death Nest, I’ve run a gamut from the serious (how this is my most personal novel) to pranks (such as this fake interview that I’m pleased to say tricked a few readers, based on the comments). My latest attempt, a short film, is more in the latter category. Death Nest: The Disappearance of Simon Dillon is a meta-mockumentary that imagines the White Nest, a sinister and dangerous organisation within the novel, is real.

Also, this version of the film is slightly different to the version I previously uploaded on Patreon (if you saw it there already). I’ve made a couple of minor changes. Let’s call this version the “Director’s Cut”. We can even start a rumour that I didn’t get to finish it properly originally due to “studio interference”, if you like, instead of the more mundane truth that I wanted to add a couple of cutaways and a scary additional visual tweak at the end (that I won’t spoil).

The film pretends that because I recklessly detailed what they do in the book, the White Nest decided to silence me. Tommy Rogers, a private investigator looking into my disappearance, interviews former colleagues and friends. It degenerates into cheesy pseudo-Blair Witch style nonsense in the finale, but I thought, why not go the whole hog? With any luck, it will intrigue those of you who haven’t read the novel into picking up a copy. It will also make a great Christmas present for that difficult-to-buy-for relative. Here’s the film in full. I hope you find it entertaining.

Death Nest features a gripping central mystery, a romantic subplot, coming-of-age drama, and moments of horror and humour. To further whet your appetite, here’s the blurb from the back of the book.

From the author of Spectre of Springwell Forest and The Irresistible Summons… A nail-biting new mystery.

After his young son Ben writes a disturbing story about murdering a boy in a forest, widower Nick Unwin is alarmed by eerie parallels between his son’s behaviour and that of his younger brother Jason, prior to his inexplicable disappearance twenty years previously. This tragic past returns to haunt Nick when he sees an image of his long-lost brother in a newly released film.

Fearing history will repeat itself, Nick decides to investigate, along with Tanith, an old flame from his early teenage years, with dark secrets of her own connected to Jason’s disappearance. But as they delve deeper into the labyrinthine mysteries of their past, long-buried memories resurface. Nick is forced to face the terrible fear that has plagued him for decades: Was he responsible for the death of his brother?

A riveting coming-of-age thriller exploring traumatic sibling relationships, parental fears, and the misleading nature of memory, Death Nest is Simon Dillon’s most gripping novel yet.

Additional potential Christmas presents can be found in other published novels from my back catalogue. These include horror, thrillers, children’s adventure stories, dystopian sci-fi tales, and my recent forays into fantasy with my novel Ravenseed (about which I have written here) and a companion piece anthology, The Dark Forest Within (about which I have written here).

Death Nest is available in paperback or on Kindle from Amazon here (in the US) and here (in the UK). It is also available via Draft2Digital and its various outlets, including Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, and Smashwords (click here).

(Header image created by author in Canva.)

Update: November 2025

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Writing-wise, most of this month has been spent planning the next novel. Character profiles. Research. Chapter outlines. Given that this is the second in a planned series (I wrote the first draft of the first novel earlier this year), my planning process is doubly important. I have solid outlines of where this series is heading in the overarching narrative, but each novel will be a standalone supernatural mystery thriller.

I’m extremely pleased with the first novel, which remains top secret, much as I’m bursting to tell you about it. All I can say is the protagonist is an ex-police officer. She’s wondering what to do next in her life when a friend finds herself at the centre of a truly baffling, seemingly ghostly mystery, and asks for her help. The second novel also begins with an inexplicable, possibly supernatural puzzle. However, at this point, the breadcrumbs are starting to drop, indicating the bigger story lurking in the background.

How many breadcrumbs of this sort get dropped is an important skill, I think. The last thing I want is for people to read the first book and feel it is incomplete, teasing them with half-baked cliffhangers. It needs to be complete in and of itself, with a satisfying resolution. To that end, I took a bit of an editorial hacksaw to the first draft (which was around 110,000 words; it’s now down to about 96,000) before giving it to beta-readers (I received elated responses, which is hugely encouraging). I’ll doubtless continue polishing the first novel next year, once I’ve written the first draft of the second.

Again, the second novel must also be its own entity, not beholden either to the first novel or subsequent novels. Therefore, the breadcrumb dropping is judicious. A name dropped here, a location mentioned in passing there. That sort of thing. But nothing that detracts from the specific mystery of that novel. The aim is not to raise questions that detract from the main narrative, but to sow plot seeds for future instalments that can gradually grow in the background.

Sometimes, when it is vital to introduce a mysterious element that will be important in subsequent novels, it is possible to disguise it and make it appear resolved when it isn’t. Based on beta-reader feedback, I managed this in the first novel. By the conclusion, one particular plot point, although it appears explained, actually remains unsolved and will be important in the third novel.

Anyway, that’s a vague and doubtless frustrating glimpse into the fictional world in which I am presently residing. I’ll be taking a break over Christmas, before hitting the ground running in January to write the second novel in this series. But I’ll be back next month, with my annual summary of what I’ve been up to in 2025.

(Image created by author in Canva.)

Update: October 2025

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What have I been up to lately? Several things, as it happens. Here’s a quick rundown.

The Hobbford Giant

As of today, eight chapters of the above horror mystery novel are available exclusively to paying Substack subscribers. The Hobbford Giant concerns young journalist Mira Webb, who, against the wishes of her parents, moves in with her estranged uncle after getting a job at the local paper in the southwest England town of Hobbford. Her first assignment involves a piece on archaeologists digging in the grounds of a children’s home closed years previously in the aftermath of an abuse scandal. Their discoveries may shed light on the legend of a giant that once menaced the area, but after she experiences ghostly visitations, and the archaeologists start winding up in comas, Mira comes to believe an ancient curse may be at work; a curse to which she has a horrifying personal connection.

This story explores, among other things, repressed memories, childhood trauma, and what happens when lies are covered by more lies. The ultimate revelation of the truth is far from a blessing. Indeed, it results in horrible moral quandaries and even worse. The first chapter can be checked out absolutely free here. I hope it whets your appetite for me. To read later chapters, and for full access to the rest of my archive on Substack (including several novellas, short stories, film retrospectives, top tens, exclusive videos, and more), upgrade from being a free subscriber to a paid subscriber at $5 per month.

Short horror stories

Further to my updates last month, I’m still writing short stories at the moment. Most of these are horror. Four are completed, and three are pretty dark. One is a ghost story of the kind I’ve written before, and two get into body horror territory, which is a little bit of a new area for me. The fourth story isn’t horror, but that one is top secret at present. I shan’t give titles or say any more yet, but these will eventually appear on Substack, I expect. Probably next year.

The next novel

In addition, I’m still planning my next novel. It’s the second in a supernatural mystery series. Having completed the first draft of the first novel earlier this year, I’m excited to return to this world. I love the returning characters and I’m enjoying introducing new characters. I hope to have a completed outline, character profiles, and completed research by the end of November. I plan to write the novel in earnest from January of next year.

Dillon on Film is back

Due to technical problems and subsequent illness from both me and my co-host Michael Kenny, Dillon on Film has been absent recently. However, we are now back with more reviews of new cinema releases and other film-related discussion. Click here for the most recent episodes on Spotify.

That’s about it for now. Look out for another update next month.

(Image created by author in Canva.)

Update: September 2025

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This will only be a brief update, as I’m juggling several writing plates at present.

For a start, I’m deep into the planning of my next novel, to be written in earnest early next year. This is the second in a long-running supernatural thriller series I’m planning. The first novel was written earlier this year, and I’m going to revisit that manuscript next year to start polishing, testing on beta-readers, and so forth. I’m very excited about this series, which introduces a couple of recurring investigator characters I’ve rather fallen in love with. I hope you do too, when you get the chance to read them. But that’s probably at least a couple of years away, at this point.

In the slightly nearer future, paying subscribers to my Substack page will get to see the horror short stories I’m currently writing, possibly as early as next year. One is a ghost story (first draft finished), the other a sort-of body horror piece that perhaps someone like David Cronenberg could make into a suitably twisted film (currently halfway through the first draft). These will be released after I’ve finished serialising The Hobbford Giant, a horror mystery novel currently being released in weekly instalments. To whet your appetite, why not read the first chapter here, absolutely free?

There’s more I could say, but I’m sure you’d prefer that I was hard at work writing, so I’ll get back to it. I’ll return with another update at the end of next month.

(Header image created by author in Canva.)

New Novel Exclusively on Substack: The Hobbford Giant

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I’m thrilled to announce my horror mystery novel The Hobbford Giant is now being made available to paying Substack subscribers. It will be serialised over the coming weeks, but to whet the appetite, the first chapter is available to everyone. I do not plan to release The Hobbford Giant in any other format at this time. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, this novel is a Substack exclusive. Here’s a brief tease of what lies ahead, plot wise.

Against the wishes of her parents, Mira Webb moves in with her estranged uncle, after getting a job at the local paper in the southwest town of Hobbford. Her first assignment involves a piece on archaeologists digging in the grounds of a children’s home closed years previously in the aftermath of an abuse scandal. Their discoveries may shed light on the legend of a giant that once menaced the area, but after she experiences ghostly visitations, and the archaeologists start winding up in comas, Mira comes to believe an ancient curse may be at work; a curse to which she has a horrifying personal connection.

The Hobbford Giant belongs at the darker end of my fiction. It opens like a mystery thriller, but evolves into a psychological horror story with (possible) supernatural elements in play. It explores themes of repressed memories, childhood trauma, and what happens when lies are covered by more lies. The tagline “Some secrets can claim your soul” feels apt, for reasons I obviously won’t spoil.

The first chapter of The Hobbford Giant is available to read now, entirely free of charge. Head over to my Substack page by clicking here. To read later chapters as they are released, and for full access to the rest of my archive on Substack (including several novellas, short stories, film retrospectives, top tens, exclusive videos, and more), upgrade from being a free subscriber to a paid subscriber at $5 per month.

(Header image created by author in Canva.)

Update: August 2025

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Why have I included an image of me on Dartmoor beneath the moon? I’ve no idea, but here’s a quick overview of what I’ve been up to lately with my writing.

Medium – New cinema release reviews and film articles are ongoing.

Substack – The above new release film reviews are syndicated to Substack for all readers, but paid subscribers get all my other Medium film articles too. In addition, they are presently enjoying my dystopian sci-fi short story Sweet Dreams, part of my anthology Love and Other Punishments. Substack subscribers are also about to get access to my horror-thriller novel The Hobbford Giant, as it will be serialised as an exclusive on that platform. Watch this space.

Patreon – At this time of year, I prepare a full account of which of my annual September to August writing goals I’ve achieved. However, the main focus this month has been the ongoing work on the epic sequel to my as-yet unpublished dark fairy tale/horror story for children, The Faerie Gate. I’ve been working on this project since 2021 as a bit of a side project, slowly chipping away.

Dillon on Film – My weekly film podcast has now launched and can be heard on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, and various other platforms.

Other Novel News – I’ve also planning the second novel in the mystery thriller series I began earlier this year. On top of that, I’m polishing up the manuscript of a novel I wrote in early 2024, as I prepare to submit it to literary agents. In short, it’s an extremely busy time in the Dillon Empire.

That’s about it for now. I’ll update you again next month.

Dillon on Film: A New Podcast

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A lot of you wonderful regular readers follow my new release film reviews on Substack. If you’d also like to hear me prattle about them in addition to reading my scribblings, you can now check out my new weekly podcast, Dillon on Film. It’s presented by the excellent Michael Kenny, who ensures I don’t waffle too much and keeps me on a leash. A bit like Governor Tarkin to my Darth Vader.

The first episode is available on Spotify now (click here) and features my spoiler-free thoughts on Weapons, Freakier Friday, the odd tangential rant (spoilerific trailers are in my crosshairs this week), and a classic film slot for Pulp Fiction (1994). The intention is to release new episodes every Friday, discussing films released in UK cinemas the previous week (my reviews will have appeared on Medium and Substack before each podcast). I say “release” rather than “drop” because “drop” just sounds careless, as though it might break. Who decided to start “dropping” things, all of a sudden?

Anyway, I hope you’ll check out Dillon on Film. Yes, I know everyone has a bloody podcast these days. Yes, I know some of you find the prospect of adding yet another to your regular listening as welcome as news of another Disney live action remake of an animated classic. And yes, if you really can’t bear to give us a listen, with counselling, I’m sure I’ll come to forgive you. But why not give it a whirl all the same? I’m also supposed to ask you to (checks notes) subscribe and give a five-star rating. If you feel so inclined, I would be most grateful.

We intend to syndicate this podcast to other platforms too (including Apple and Amazon), so watch this space.

The Dark Forest Within: An Anthology of Fantasy Tales

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In case you were unaware, my recently released anthology of fantasy novellas and short stories, The Dark Forest Within, has been extensively under the microscope on this site. Featuring six tales of magic and mystery, darkness and danger, adventure and romance, triumph and tragedy, this volume is both a companion piece to my novel Ravenseed and a carefully curated collection of tales in its own right.

No prior knowledge of Ravenseed is necessary to read this collection, nor do the two stories exclusive to it, acting as both prequel and sequel, spoil the experience of reading the novel in any way whatsoever. They are entirely standalone tales.

Totalling around 100,000 words, this epic collection is excellent value, featuring some of the best fantasy tales I’ve written to date. Selecting these six, and indeed ordering them, proved an interesting challenge, as I wanted the reading experience to feel collective and thematically unified. Each story features literal journeys in forests of one kind or another, and each story’s protagonist also features an inward journey, hence the umbrella title for the anthology, The Dark Forest Within.

Some of these stories were previously available to Substack or Medium subscribers, but 40,000 words worth of material (specifically the stories Wulfric’s Quest and Winged) is previously unpublished, unseen anywhere up until now. The first two stories in the collection are set in the present, the third is set in a modern parallel world, and the final three are all set in the Dark Ages in the Arthurian tradition.

To whet your appetite, here’s a little about each story in the collection in the order in which they appear.

Papercut

Gabriel is a lonely teenage boy living with his strict Jehovah’s Witness mother. He is visited in dreams by a mysterious paper girl. A surreal romantic adventure ensues, visiting the occasional dark corner. That’s not surprising, as the story deals with a few darker themes, including oppressive religious legalism, absent fathers, and overcoming fear. It’s also set at Christmas, along with the second story in this volume (I thought they’d go well together).

More about this story here.

An In-Between Christmas

Sophie is a young struggling writer, attempting to contact her comatose father, who is at the point of death. She is joined by a young man called Yousef, who has prior experience traversing the In-Between, a mysterious realm between life and death. Fantastical adventures ensue, but Sophie is also drawn deep into the traumatic secrets of her past, which she must confront before she can reach her father.

More about this story here.

Window of the Soul

This story is set in a parallel world gripped by a civil war between East and West. In the East, a young adolescent girl, Inessa, finds herself at the mercy of a domineering, abusive, paranoid stepfather who wishes to cut out her eyes and replace them with “double-glazed” synthetic eyes. He believes this will protect her from the evil spirits that may enter her soul if she reads books containing propaganda from the West. Inessa’s mother continually argues against this, but will she prevail? In the meantime, Inessa receives a secret summons to the nearby woodland and discovers a mysterious hidden library.

More about this story here.

Wulfric’s Quest

This can be read as a sequel to Ravenseed, if you wish to interpret it as such, but at 27,000 words, I consider this novella the centrepiece of the anthology. The titular Wulfric is a peasant farmer sent by his village on a perilous journey to track down the reclusive wizard Vulcyth. The villagers believe Vulcyth will be able to prevent a supernatural attack on their settlement, as foretold in a vision. Along the way, Wulfric is given shelter by Elise, wife of the knight Sir Roderick, who is presently away with the King fighting a war in the north.

Elise and Wulfric experience a powerful mutual attraction that seems mysterious and magical, though both restrain themselves. Events take a turn for the peculiar when Sir Roderick turns up, and Elise says she’s never seen him before in her life, claiming he is an impostor. Sir Roderick insists he is the one and only Sir Roderick, but claims to have never been married and that he doesn’t know Elise. Together, they journey into a forbidden forest, hoping to find Vulcyth and discover answers to the various mysteries. But an evil power conspires against them.

More about this story here.

Winged

A direct prequel to Ravenseed, set one year beforehand. The first act features Sir Matthew and Sir Peter, their squires Robin and Hugh, and their horses, all of whom feature in the main narrative of Ravenseed. However, whilst they are main characters in the novel, they are side characters here, riding in escort to Winged’s protagonist, a mysterious woman of the King’s court called Lady Amelia. At the advice of the King’s wizard, she undertakes a dangerous quest for reasons that she initially keeps secret from those escorting her. But Sir Matthew, Sir Peter, and the others are only instructed to escort her so far, to the end of the Forest of Arden. From there, she is to continue alone.

As the first act of the story progresses, it becomes clear there’s a lot more to Lady Amelia than meets the eye. She appears to have unusual powers. What’s more, when the party faces danger from attacking bandits, it becomes abundantly clear that she doesn’t require the protection of knights. Her escort is merely to keep up appearances. But what does she seek in the Forest of Arden, and why does she intend to travel off the safe paths through it, into areas where demons lurk in the most dangerous parts of the wood?

More about this story here.

Bloodmire

Sir William rides on a rescue mission into the dreaded Bloodmire Forest to rescue his betrothed. Witnesses claim she was abducted by a feared beast who dwells in the heart of the sinister woodland. During his journey, Sir William encounters bandits, witches, and other strange supernatural beings. But per the theme of this anthology, as he travels deeper into the forest, he travels deeper into himself. What he finds inside perhaps doesn’t quite conform to the noble knight Sir William wishes to believe that he is. In addition, he is warned at several points that his quest is futile. Is it? Should he listen to such advice?

This story is a spin-off from Ravenseed in that it features one of the supporting characters (a mysterious monk). Bloodmire is the darkest story in this volume, though I have slightly revised the ending in comparison with the original version published on Medium. More about that, and other elements of this story, here.

Bonus Substack Exclusive: Offline Dream

To be clear, this novella isn’t featured in The Dark Forest Within, but I have made it available online. It concerns a future where humans cannot dream without plugging their brains into the carefully controlled International Dream Network. A young student at Oxford has a natural dream involving a mysterious girl he’s never met. Unfortunately, this makes him a target to those who wish to exploit him for one reason or another. For more on why Offline Dream wasn’t included in the collection, and how you can read it exclusively on Substack, click here.

The Dark Forest Within is out now in ebook or paperback via Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). For Draft2Digital and its various outlets, you can pick up ebooks and paperback copies here.

(All images created by author in Canva.)

The Dark Forest Within Exclusive Bonus Story: Offline Dream

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When I decided to release a fantasy anthology, I initially jotted down several titles for potential inclusion. One of these was my previously unreleased novella, Offline Dream. However, when I settled on a theme for the anthology, namely the idea that the stories should feature dark forests of a literal and metaphorical nature (as each protagonist journeys deeper into the forest, they journey deeper into themselves), I realised Offline Dream didn’t fit this theme. What’s more, the story seemed too genre-fluid for the collection, beginning more in dystopian sci-fi mode, before becoming more fantastical as it progressed.

All the same, Offline Dream is a curious beast I’m quite proud of, so I’ve decided to serialise it exclusively on Substack as a bonus story of sorts. Or, you can think of it as a song left off a music album, as it didn’t quite gel with the other tracks, instead used as a single B-side, if you will (I discussed the music analogy in this Medium article). As for the story, it is set in a future where humans cannot dream without plugging their brains into the carefully controlled International Dream Network. A young student at Oxford has a natural dream involving a mysterious girl he’s never met. Unfortunately, this makes him a target to those who wish to exploit him for one reason or another.

You can read the first part of Offline Dream for free here, but the remaining four parts require a $5 per-month subscription. There’s also a lot more available for that monthly subscription, including access to my already fully serialised supernatural thriller novel The Thistlewood Curse. Here’s a link to chapter one, which again, I’ve made available for free as a taster. Paying Substack subscribers also get access to my full short story and novella archive on this site (there’s a lot of those in a variety of genres). From now on, Substack will be the main platform where my short stories and novellas are showcased online, so becoming a paid subscriber is a must if you want to read these as I constantly release new material. With extremely rare exceptions, I will no longer publish fiction on Medium.

Your $5 per month also gets you access to the full film review archive, as well as all my classic film retrospectives, top tens, and other material I also syndicate on Medium. And if that’s not enough, you get to see my monthly videos, where I discuss various subjects (sometimes suggested by subscribers), and you get to laugh at my awkwardness.

As for The Dark Forest Within collection, it is out now in ebook or paperback via Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). For Draft2Digital and its various outlets, you can pick up ebooks and paperback copies here.