Recent Interviews with yours truly 3 – The Tangent Tree

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Here is the third of a recent batch of interviews given around the subject of my newly released modern gothic mystery/supernatural conspiracy thriller novel The Irresistible Summons. This time, the interview was conducted by Samantha Stephen, as a spin-off mini-episode of our film podcast The Tangent Tree. She asks some very thoughtful questions, including why the protagonists in my thriller/horror stories tend to be female. Listen on Spotify, Podcast Addict, or iTunes, or simply click here.

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The Irresistible Summons is out now on Kindle or in paperback. Click here (for the UK) and here (for the US).

Recent Interviews with yours truly 2 – Dragon Soul Press

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In the second of my recent interviews promoting my newly released novel The Irresistible Summons, I spoke with my publisher, Dragon Soul Press, about various things, including the writing process, avoiding predictability when working within genre formulas, what books make me cry, and my “writing kryptonite”. Click here to read the full interview.

Recent Interviews with yours truly 1 – Galina Trefil

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Over the next three days, I’ll be posting links to recent interviews conducted with me about my writing. These are mostly about my new novel The Irresistible Summons, but in this case, the interview was conducted by the excellent Galina Trefil, regarding my short story Papercut, written for romantic fantasy anthology First Love.

Galina asks incisive questions about fascinating subjects including literary symbolism, religious cults, loss of faith, and dream interpretation. I have to be honest and admit I was a lot more forthcoming about one or two rather personal subjects than usual. Check out the interview here.

The Irresistible Summons – Out Now!

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It’s finally here! My new novel The Irresistible Summons is officially released today! Check it out here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

Also, don’t forget you are invited to the Facebook release party for this book, today at 5pm UK time to 9pm UK time (12pm to 4pm East Coast time). Just click here at the appropriate time to join in the fun, games, giveaways, and so on.

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I will be hosting between 8:00pm and 8:30pm UK time (3:00pm – 3:30pm East Coast time), but my publisher, Dragon Soul Press, has cunningly invited other talented authors to co-host as well, at different times, including Zoey Xolton, Galina Trefil, Stephen Herczeg, Kevin J Kennedy, Anna Sinjin, and Charles Reis.

Here’s the blurb from the back of The Irresistible Summons:

The nail-biting new novel from the author of Spectre of Springwell Forest…

Television producer Naomi Levinson makes documentaries debunking the supernatural.

When asked to film a promotional video for computer game company Persephone, she considers the task beneath her talents. But as production gets underway at the Persephone office block on London’s Canary Wharf, a mysterious disappearance, ghostly sightings, and lingering tragedy from Naomi’s past lead her to believe she might have stumbled into a genuine haunting.

As Naomi continues to investigate, past and present collide in a horrifying conspiracy. Cutting edge technology and ancient evil meet, leading to the discovery of a shocking and terrifying secret that could change the nature of life and death as we know it.

The Irresistible Summons – Out Tomorrow!

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My new novel The Irresistible Summons – my second to be published by Dragon Soul Press – is officially released tomorrow.

Supernatural conspiracy thriller. Horror mystery. Modern gothic ghost story. These are all genre terms that apply to The Irresistible Summons. If you love a gripping, page-turning, suspenseful, spine-tingling nail-biter, why not give it a go?

Paperbacks are already out, and Kindle downloads can be pre-ordered. Check it out here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

Here’s the blurb from the back of The Irresistible Summons:

The nail-biting new novel from the author of Spectre of Springwell Forest…

Television producer Naomi Levinson makes documentaries debunking the supernatural.

When asked to film a promotional video for computer game company Persephone, she considers the task beneath her talents. But as production gets underway at the Persephone office block on London’s Canary Wharf, a mysterious disappearance, ghostly sightings, and lingering tragedy from Naomi’s past lead her to believe she might have stumbled into a genuine haunting.

As Naomi continues to investigate, past and present collide in a horrifying conspiracy. Cutting edge technology and ancient evil meet, leading to the discovery of a shocking and terrifying secret that could change the nature of life and death as we know it.

The Irresistible Summons – out this week!

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Simon Dillon - Irresistible Summons full resMy new novel The Irresistible Summons is out this week! 27th July is the official release, although paperbacks are already available. Kindle versions can be pre-ordered here (in the UK) and here (in the US). The Irresistible Summons is published by Dragon Soul Press.

Here’s the blurb from the back of the book:

How far would you go to bring the one you love back from the dead?

Television producer Naomi Levinson makes documentaries debunking the supernatural.

When asked to film a promotional video for computer game company Persephone, she considers the task beneath her talents. But as production gets underway at the Persephone office block on London’s Canary Wharf, a mysterious disappearance, ghostly sightings, and lingering tragedy from Naomi’s past lead her to believe she might have stumbled into a genuine haunting.

As Naomi continues to investigate, past and present collide in a horrifying conspiracy. Cutting edge technology and ancient evil meet, leading to the discovery of a shocking and terrifying secret that could change the nature of life and death as we know it.

A nail-biting supernatural mystery, The Irresistible Summons is a page-turning must for anyone who loves a good modern-gothic thriller.

The Irresistible Summons Facebook Release Party – You are invited!

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My new novel The Irresistible Summons is officially launched on the 27th of July (even thought paperbacks are already available).

My publisher, Dragon Soul Press, have arranged a Facebook Release Party on the 27th at 5pm UK time to 9pm UK time (12pm to 4pm East Coast time). Just click here at the appropriate time on the 27th to join in the fun, games, giveaways, and so on.

I will be hosting between 8:00pm and 8:30pm UK time (3:00pm – 3:30pm East Coast time), but there will be other authors present co-hosting as well, which I will announce in due course. One confirmed author co-hosting is the excellent Galina Trefil. If you haven’t checked out her short stories in the First Love and Sea of Secrets anthologies, I highly recommend doing so.

Pre-order your Kindle download of The Irresistible Summons or get a paperback copy here (in the UK) or here (in the US).

The Irresistible Summons – An Introduction

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simon-dillon-irresistible-summons-full-resHere’s a more detailed introduction to my upcoming novel The Irresistible Summons, to whet your appetite.

In a brief prologue, teenager Naomi Levinson laments the death of her boyfriend, Toby Lane. Toby and his entire family perished in a mysterious house fire, which Naomi comes to believe may have been started deliberately.

Several years later, Naomi is now an accomplished television producer making documentaries debunking the supernatural. When a shoot interviewing a possibly possessed killer in prison goes terribly wrong, the production company Naomi works for faces a lawsuit and possible closure.

Offered what could be her last job, Naomi is initially reluctant to take on filming a promotional video for computer game company Persephone. She considers the task beneath her talents. However, after production gets underway at the Persephone office block on London’s Canary Wharf, strange things begin to happen.

One member of staff inexplicably disappears. Ghosts are sighted, one of whom appears to be Toby. This re-opens old emotional wounds for Naomi, bringing back bittersweet memories of her strictly religious messianic Jewish parents, who disapproved of her teenage romance with him.

As Naomi continues to investigate, she begins to believe she might have stumbled onto a genuine haunting, one with disturbing links to her past, and possibly her future.

A horrifying conspiracy is gradually revealed. Cutting edge technology and ancient evil meet, leading to the discovery of a shocking and terrifying secret – one that could change the nature of life and death as we know it.

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The Irresistible Summons is published by Dragon Soul Press, and is officially released on the 27th of July. However, paperbacks are already out, and Kindle versions can be pre-ordered. Click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

The Irresistible Summons: Cover Reveal and Pre-Order

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Check out this brilliant cover for my upcoming novel The Irresistible Summons, published by Dragon Soul Press.

Simon Dillon - Irresistible Summons full res

I’m absolutely thrilled by what the artist at Salvation Creations did with this. The imagery perfectly captures the sinister tone.

Here’s the blurb from the back of The Irresistible Summons:

The nail-biting new novel from the author of Spectre of Springwell Forest…

How far would you go to bring your loved one back from the dead?

Television producer Naomi Levinson makes documentaries debunking the supernatural.

When asked to film a promotional video for computer game company Persephone, she considers the task beneath her talents. But as production gets underway at the Persephone office block on London’s Canary Wharf, a mysterious disappearance, ghostly sightings, and lingering tragedy from Naomi’s past lead her to believe she might have stumbled into a genuine haunting.

As Naomi continues to investigate, past and present collide in a horrifying conspiracy. Cutting edge technology and ancient evil meet, leading to the discovery of a shocking and terrifying secret that could change the nature of life and death as we know it.

The Irresistible Summons is available for pre-order now. Click here to pre-order in the UK and here to pre-order in the US.

STOP PRESS: Paperbacks are already available, so if like me you prefer dead tree versions to digital formats, you can order your copy today!

Spectre of Springwell Forest: Have you read it yet?

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Have you read Spectre of Springwell Forest yet? If you love a gripping supernatural mystery, why not give it a go?

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A nail-biting ghost story in the classic tradition of Susan Hill or MR James, the plot concerns Lily Parker, who, after moving to the sleepy village of Springwell, discovers in her attic an eerie painting depicting an abandoned railway tunnel amid a local forest.

When she learns the secretive villagers also have paintings of this image on walls in their homes, Lily begins to ask questions no-one is willing to answer. Then, after an uncanny encounter in the forest, a mysterious figure appears in the painting, emerging from the tunnel.

Every time Lily looks at the picture, the figure gets closer and closer. At the same time, Lily’s young daughter Olivia begins to exhibit increasingly strange, disturbing behaviour.

Spectre of Springwell Forest has had several great reviews. Here’s a sample from Amazon:

“A darkly intense and intriguing horror story full of mystery… Will have you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end.”

“A wonderful horror/thriller, which cannily interplays woo and rationality so that the reader can decide which explanation they favour. A creeping sense of unease starts almost immediately – even before you know what is to come you are shouting at Lily to leave well alone. Dillon writes excellently and believably as a 1st person female protagonist. The story is tightly written with little preamble which has a pleasingly sudden way of throwing you into this strange and disturbing village.”

“Carefully chosen words oozed from the text, creating a creepy feeling as the story went on. But the element of the novel that kept me turning the page was the suspenseful mystery and the attachment I felt to the mother protecting her child.”

“The story is slow-building and the spookiness develops in a subtle manner with an occasional BANG of fright. If you like subtle creepiness that builds as the story progresses, I’d recommend this. Good read for horror fans. Also good for those who enjoy sniffing out a mystery.”

“Spine-chilling, terrifying, absolutely gripping… a fantastic read, very well written.”

Spectre of Springwell Forest is available now and can be ordered here.