The Dark Forest Within: An In-Between Christmas

Posted on by
Created by author in Canva.

Over the next few weeks, I’m highlighting each of the six novellas and short stories contained in my new fantasy anthology The Dark Forest Within. Continuing the series, here’s a closer look at the second story, An In-Between Christmas.

Originally published for Medium and Substack subscribers last December, An In-Between Christmas is a thematic spin-off from an earlier tale entitled In-Between. However, this novella is a standalone piece requiring no prior knowledge of the previous story. I originally intended also to include In-Between in this anthology but ultimately decided the narrative – about a recently deceased man harassed by ghostly political campaigners – didn’t really fit the themes and tone of this collection. It would be better suited for a future volume of satirical stories.

However, An In-Between Christmas fits the anthology theme like a glove. The “In-Between” of the title speaks of a realm between life and death (as in the previous story) but this time, the living can access it via a mysterious portal that appears in a hospital corridor. Why does it appear there? I won’t spoil those details, but I will say the plot involves Sophie, 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 within the In-Between, having undertaken a journey of his own there too. Mysterious adventures ensue, but Sophie is also drawn deep into the traumatic secrets of her past, which she must confront before reaching her father.

As with Papercut, this story is set in the days just before Christmas, which is why I put them back-to-back in the collection. This story is a little darker than Papercut, but not as dark as some of the later stories in the anthology. Like Papercut, there’s a romantic element, and (at one point) winter wonderland landscapes. However, An In-Between Christmas touches on grimmer subject matter at times, including alcoholism, bereavement, and another theme I won’t reveal, as to do so would be a spoiler. There are also monsters. Feel free to add your own symbolic interpretations for these, as I’m honestly not sure what part of my psyche this story came from, inspiration-wise, beyond a pathological need to entertain.

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.

The Dark Forest Within: Papercut

Posted on by

Over the next few weeks, I’m highlighting each of the six novellas and short stories in my new fantasy anthology, The Dark Forest Within. To start, here’s a look at the first tale in the collection: A short story entitled Papercut.

Created by author in Canva.

The oldest story in the volume, Papercut, was originally written in 2018, the same year I wrote my novel Ravenseed (I consider The Dark Forest Within a companion piece to that novel). I submitted it for inclusion in the Dragon Soul Press anthology First Love. Because supernatural themes were permitted in the brief, I offered this contribution. It was accepted, and the story was traditionally published before rights reverted to me. I’m including it in this collection because it remains a favourite among my short stories. Also, it fits the anthology theme like a glove.

The story concerns Gabriel, a lonely teenage boy living with his strict Jehovah’s Witness mother. He is visited in dreams by a mysterious paper girl. I don’t want to get into too many further plot specifics (I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it), but a surreal romantic adventure ensues, visiting the occasional dark corner. That’s not surprising, as the story deals with 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).

Inspiration for this story came from a variety of eclectic sources. A-ha’s iconic video for “Take on Me” influenced some of the pictures I saw in my mind whilst writing. Stop-motion visual effects guru Ray Harryhausen provided further inspiration, specifically regarding his classic Jason and the Argonauts (1963). There’s even a pseudo-Cronenbergian riff in the story, though I’d hesitate to call it “body horror” in the way one expects from his films.

Ultimately, Papercut is a sweet and fairly straightforward opener compared with the more complex tales that present themselves later in the anthology. I daresay it will strike a chord with anyone who has been in a cult, for one thing, but it mostly emerges as a feel-good modern fairytale.

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.

New Anthology: The Dark Forest Within Out Now!

Posted on by
Created by author in Canva.

I’m thrilled to announce that my new fantasy anthology, The Dark Forest Within, is out now. These six tales of magic and mystery, darkness and danger, adventure and romance, triumph and tragedy have been carefully curated by yours truly as a companion piece to my novel, Ravenseed.

Let me be clear upfront: You do not need to first read Ravenseed to read this collection. Nor does reading these stories first spoil Ravenseed in any way, shape, or form. Each of these half-dozen novellas and short stories is designed to stand alone.

Weighing in at over 100,000 words, this epic collection is excellent value, featuring some of the best fantasy tales I’ve written to date. Selecting what to include and exclude was a tricky process, as I wanted the stories to read as a collective experience whilst also being thematically and tonally in keeping with Ravenseed. Some of these stories were previously available to Substack or Medium subscribers, but 40,000 words worth of material is previously unpublished, unseen anywhere up until now.

As such, here’s a brief introduction to each story. Over the next few weeks, I’ll discuss them in more detail in separate articles.

Papercut – Gabriel, a lonely teenage boy living with his strict Jehovah’s Witness mother, is visited in dreams by a mysterious paper girl.

An In-Between Christmas – On a spiritual plane between life and death, Sophie, a struggling writer, tries to contact her comatose father.

Window of the Soul – Amid a world torn apart by civil war, an adolescent girl called Inessa faces soul-threatening danger when her stepfather wants to cut out her eyes.

Wulfric’s Quest – In many ways, the centrepiece of this collection, this previously unpublished 27,000-word novella involves a peasant farmer attempting to track down an elusive wizard following a vision of impending catastrophe in his village. Set in the Dark Ages, this could be interpreted as a sequel to Ravenseed or as an entirely unconnected story, one parallel universe away from it.

Winged – Another previously unpublished story, this features the knights in Ravenseed as supporting characters in the first act before the new protagonist, a mysterious woman named Amelia, undertakes a dangerous quest alone. A direct prequel to Ravenseed.

Bloodmire – Published here for the first time with my slightly revised (and preferred) finale, this is another Ravenseed prequel featuring a minor but pivotal supporting character from that novel in one key scene. It concerns a knight undertaking a quest to rescue his betrothed, who has been captured by a supernatural beast. But is this knight as pure-hearted and brave as he appears?

For the purists out there, the original, slightly different Bloodmire finale will remain on Medium for posterity. But for the record, I consider this tweaked version definitive.

As the title of this collection suggests, the deeper the protagonists go into the forests (and there are forests in every story of one kind or another), the deeper they go into themselves. Whether they concern dreams, different dimensions, or our own world long ago during the Dark Ages, I hope these tales resonate with you.

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.

New Anthology: The Dark Forest Within Out Next Week!

Posted on by

Exciting news! My new fantasy anthology, The Dark Forest Within, is released next week. A selection of novellas and short stories packed with adventure, romance, darkness, danger, magic, monsters, mystery, triumph, tragedy, and a sprinkling of humour. Some of these tales have previously been published online to subscribers on Medium or Substack, but others are exclusive to this volume.

After last week’s tease, here’s a proper cover reveal.

Created by author in Canva.

Conceived as a thematic companion piece to my novel Ravenseed, this collection includes two tales that function as direct prequels featuring characters from that novel. But if you’ve not read Ravenseed, don’t worry. No prior knowledge is required, and each of these stories stands alone.

The centrepiece is a 27,000-word novella entitled Wulfric’s Quest, which can potentially be interpreted as a sequel to Ravenseed, though featuring entirely different characters. Again, reading Ravenseed first is not required, and it won’t spoil the novel if you read this anthology first. That’s all the detail I’ll give for now, but watch this space for further announcements and articles over the next few weeks on each of the stories in the collection.

The Dark Forest Within is released on Monday the 2nd of June. You can pre-order this anthology on Kindle via Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). For Draft2Digital and its various ebook outlets, pre-order here. Print copies will be available from the 2nd of June.

Update: April 2025

Posted on by

This month’s big news: I finally finished the first draft of my new supernatural mystery thriller novel. This is slightly later than originally projected, but the novel threw out a few unexpected branches despite being meticulously planned. The first draft weighs in at about 100,000 words, but there will be some cuts to the manuscript for various reasons.

I’ll make trims due to the usual rewriting and tightening. However, more importantly, this first draft includes the beginnings of a few plot threads intended for subsequent novels, as this story is the first in a series. These brought the bigger mystery behind the series to life and helped in the planning of subsequent novels, but I’ll remove them in the second draft as I don’t want to frustrate readers with too many questions and loose ends in book one. The central mystery of the first novel is complete and satisfying in and of itself, so I intend to minimise hints and clues of the bigger, overarching narrative to come. Incidentally, JK Rowling did a similar thing when she removed the explanation of Horcruxes from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and saved it for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince four books later.

Thanks to this slightly inflated and overembellished first draft, I already have solid outlines for books two and three, plus a book I intend to appear around the middle of the series and the final book. Because I’m not entirely sure how many novels this series will run to, I can’t say exactly where that middle book will appear at this point. However, once I have the other novels plotted out (each will be a standalone mystery), the bigger plan will continue to evolve, and eventually, I’ll settle on a final number for this series. It could be as many as twelve novels, and it is certainly the most ambitious writing project I’ve ever undertaken.

The plot remains strictly under wraps for now. However, an extended version of this update, featuring details of the lead characters, some of the folklore that inspired the supernatural tinges of this mystery thriller, and an exclusive title reveal, is available if you become a Patreon supporter at Free Citizen of the Dillon Empire level or higher. Click here for more information. In the meantime, I’m about to start work polishing up various short stories as well as the second draft of the novel I wrote this time last year. Watch this space.

(Header Image created by author in Canva.)

Update: March 2025

Posted on by

A brief update on the new novel: I’m currently at about 91,000 words into the first draft. I’m well into the third act, and the book is taking shape nicely. I’m very excited about this novel. As you probably know if you’ve been following my updates, it is the first in a planned series of supernatural thrillers.

Of course, I had hoped to have the first draft finished by now, but it is taking longer than expected. I’ll get there, though. By the end of next month, without doubt. In the meantime, I’m still shopping A Thorn in Winter, a mystery thriller I wrote in 2023, around literary agents, hoping to spark some interest. If anything happens on that front, I’ll update you next month as well. In the meantime, I’d better get back to writing rather than keep spouting here. Bye for now.

(Header image created by author in Canva.)

Update: February 2025

Posted on by

What have I been up to lately? Well, besides the ongoing film articles and reviews that form a key part of my writing elsewhere, I’ve been hard at work on the first draft of my latest novel. It’s quite difficult to pen witty or interesting updates at this point in proceedings, since I’m naturally inclined to be tight-lipped about the plot, the title, and pretty much everything else. If you weren’t already aware, I can tell you this is a supernatural mystery thriller. It is also the first in what I hope will be a series, concerning the principal characters. However, each novel will be a standalone story in its own right.

I’m going to share more on this once the first draft is finished, but for now I’ll simply say this is probably the most ambitious long-term project I’ve undertaken as a writer, as there could be as many as twelve novels in this series. I’ve also penned a spin-off short story; a comedic mystery that contrasts the darker, scarier mystery of the novel. This short story is actually written by someone in the novel, so I’ve credited it to their character’s pseudonym. There will almost certainly be further short stories in this vein. Again, more on all that in due course.

As of today, I’ve written about 62,000 words (not counting the short story, which is about 9,000 words), and I estimate the final wordcount will be somewhere around the 90,000-word mark. I hope to have a first draft completed by the end of March, with the first round of initial revisions made by the end of April. I will then do what I always do and set the manuscript aside for a year, so I can review it with fresh eyes. In the meantime, I will work on other fiction projects.

That’s about it for now. Look out for further updates soon.

(Header image created by author in Canva.)

Update: January 2025

Posted on by
Me working on the first draft of my new novel.

I’m in haste, so this update will be brief.

New Novel

I’ve made a solid start to 2025 and am hard at work on the first draft of my next novel. What’s it called? What’s it about? I can’t give out any details at present, but I will say it is a supernaturally tinged mystery thriller and I’m very excited about it. That doesn’t really tell you anything, considering my genre mainstay, but if you want a few facts and figures, I can tell you I’m working on chapter eight, and I’m about 30,000 words into the manuscript. It’s also the first in a series that I have planned in rather minute detail. That said, each novel is a standalone story.

Other activities

Beyond that, I’m currently preparing A Thorn in Winter – the mystery novel I wrote in 2023 – to send to agents and publishers. I hope to have exciting news to share on that front soon, so watch this space.

I’ve also started serialising The Thistlewood Curse on Substack in weekly instalments. This is one of my earlier novels – another supernatural thriller – that has had tremendous response from those who have read it. I decided it would be fun to make it available this way as well. If you want to check it out on Substack, you can subscribe here (you’ll also get access to many of my other short stories, plus lots of film articles).

That’s it for now. I’d better get back to writing the new novel. Watch this space for further updates.

Happy New Year!

Posted on by
Photo by Natalie Kinnear on Unsplash

The Dillon Empire hereby wishes you a very Happy New Year, and hopes you have a splendid 2025. Tradition dictates that l set out my main writing plans for the year ahead, so here’s what I hope to achieve.

Since August, I’ve been researching, outlining, and creating character profiles for my next novel. It’s the first in a series of dark mystery thrillers with a supernatural edge featuring a private detective and her assistant investigating a particularly baffling murder. Each of these novels will be a standalone mystery, but a bigger mystery will start to reveal itself in the background as the novels progress. As you can see, this is a hugely ambitious project as I’ve not consciously undertaken the writing of a series before (The George Hughes Trilogy was an accident in that respect, so doesn’t really count). At any rate, I am about to start writing the first draft of the first novel, so I’ll keep you updated on progress.

Also, this year, I might release another of my novels: horror-thriller mystery The Hobbford Giant. I’m still shipping that one around agents and publishers, but if I draw a blank, I may self-publish it. Alternatively, I might self-publish another volume of short stories (probably some of my fantasy tales, a few of which have previously appeared on Medium and Substack, and some of which have never been published before). I can’t say for sure which way I’ll leap, but one or the other of those will hopefully be available by the end of the year.

On top of this, I aim to write a clutch of new short stories, as well as pen another significant segment of my epic sequel to an as-yet unpublished children’s fantasy novel I wrote ten years ago, tentatively entitled The Faerie Gate (though that title will change). I had hoped to make progress on that novel last year, but that didn’t happen for various reasons; mainly, I’d bitten off more than I could chew, and something had to give. However, this year, I hope I’ll have the window to get another chunk finished. The novel is about half finished at present, and if I can get to two-thirds finished by the end of the year, that would be splendid. It’s turned into a bit of a monster in terms of length, so this novel could wind up being divided into separate volumes akin to The Lord of the Rings. But we’ll see. At present, I still think of it as one novel.

Beyond all that, I plan to revise and polish the mystery novel I wrote last year. I call it False Witness at present, even though that isn’t the real title (I’m keeping it a secret, for now). In addition, if The Hobbford Giant fails to get snapped up by agents and publishers, I’m going to send out A Thorn in Winter; another mystery novel which I originally wrote in 2022. As you can see, I’m not giving up on that front. Who knows? Perhaps this will be the year I find a mainstream publisher (I’ve had novels traditionally published in small indie presses before, but not by any of the big guns).

It will be interesting to see where I get to with all the above by the end of the year. I’m sure I’ll be immensely busy. In the meantime, thank you for supporting my writing. Again, I wish you all a very Happy New Year.