Over the next few days, I’m publishing one teaser image per day from my upcoming short documentary A Thorn in Winter: A Look Inside, ahead of its release on YouTube next Friday. These teaser images are frame grabs from the documentary, sometimes zoomed in quite a bit to give more of a “tease”.
Here’s the second teaser image: The main road through a sleepy little town in southwest Devon that I’ll identify in the documentary.
(Image credit: Copyright Gajmo Productions)
For next few days, I’m publishing one teaser image per day from my upcoming short documentary A Thorn in Winter: A Look Inside, ahead of its release on YouTube next Friday. This documentary provides an introduction to the story of the novel (without major spoilers). It features an interview with me, a look at some of the locations in southwest England where the story is set, and a few dramatic recreations set to readings from the text.
These teaser images are frame grabs from the documentary. Most of these are zoomed in a little or a lot, so you’re not quite seeing the whole picture, and there’s more of a “tease” to it (in the same way I offered a tease preview of a section of the novel cover before revealing it in full).
Here’s the first teaser image: A Dutch angle of a church building.
(Image credit: Copyright Gajmo Productions)
My new supernaturally tinged mystery thriller novel, A Thorn in Winter, is out now! I’m thrilled to finally share this nail-biter with you, and I hope you find it suitably page-turning.
Here’s a bit of a plot tease, from the back cover:
Bored council worker Leila is restless in her marriage. Secretly relieved by the sudden death of her husband’s best friend, who’d been blackmailing her over an affair she’d had with a local TV news presenter, she is alarmed to discover a link between the blackmail and a decades-old unsolved murder. What’s more, she bears an uncanny resemblance to the victim.
With the affair still threatening to destroy her marriage, an encounter with a tarot card reader pushes Leila into further investigation. With every discovery she makes, Leila becomes less certain who she can trust. A myriad of secrets lie along her perilous path to a terrifying truth that could cost her life.
Also, for good measure, here’s the bio about yours truly, also from the back cover:
Simon Dillon is a prolific author, primarily of thriller and horror novels including Death Nest, The Irresistible Summons, Spectre of Springwell Forest, and his latest, A Thorn in Winter. An avid advocate of page-turning mystery and suspense, he lives in southwest England with his wife and children, deriving endless inspiration from his surroundings, local history, folklore, and mythology. When he’s not exploring the moors and coasts or submerged in a book, he’s probably at the cinema.
Over the next few weeks on this site, there will be further articles exploring different aspects of the novel, excerpts, and even a short documentary exploring this novel in more detail (but without spoilers). Watch this space.
Paperbacks and ebooks of A Thorn in Winter are now available. You can order from Amazon here, directly from my publisher, Ring of Culture, here, from Waterstones here, from Blackwells here, and from various other outlets.
(Header image created by author in Canva. Novel cover courtesy of Ring of Culture Creative Services.)
Following the recent teaser image of the cover for my new supernaturally tinged mystery thriller novel, A Thorn in Winter (published by Ring of Culture), here it is, finally revealed! Full release details will follow soon.
(Image courtesy of Ring of Culture Creative Services.)
As you may know, my new mystery thriller novel A Thorn in Winter is out soon (precise released date to be announced). I’ve been going back and forth with my publisher, Ring of Culture, preparing for this release. Here’s a tiny tease of the cover, which I’ll reveal in full soon.
(Courtesy of Ring of Culture Creative Services.)
I am ecstatic to announce that my mystery thriller novel, A Thorn in Winter, will be published this autumn. The precise date is to be confirmed, but my publisher, the Ireland-based Ring of Culture, has agreed to let me make the announcement early on my website.
Needless to say, I’m absolutely thrilled by this news. Thank you all so much for all your support and encouragement over the years. This publication deal is a major victory and the culmination of many years of hard work. I wrote A Thorn in Winter in early 2023, and it has since been through a few drafts, but beta reader response has been ecstatic. I can’t wait to share this book with you, so watch this space.
At this point, I’m remaining tight-lipped on the plot, but I can tell you it’s a page-turning whodunnit involving a young woman initially caught in a web of blackmail, only for her to uncover something much more sinister when a tarot card reading links her situation to a decades-old unsolved murder case. She discovers an alarming personal connection to the victim and consequently finds herself in deadly peril.
This twist-laden tale features everything you’ve come to expect from my modern gothic thrillers, including an imperilled heroine, sinister locations, buried secrets (literally and figuratively), and a host of supporting characters who aren’t quite what they seem. There’s also a romantic subplot of sorts, amid themes of infidelity, revenge, and something potentially supernatural. A rollercoaster of suspicion and suspense, you won’t want to miss this one.
Over the next few months, more will be revealed (include an exact publication date), so watch this space. Please note, the above image is not the official artwork, merely something I put together for this update.
(Image created by author in Canva.)
One of my major goals this year was to write the first draft of my new gothic mystery novel. I can tell you that I have now completed this. It’s a twisty-turny murder mystery thriller with hints of the supernatural, and I’m rather pleased with how it turned out.
Drumroll… The title is A Thorn in Winter. This title not only sounds suitably sinister but has a hidden meaning that only becomes apparent as the plot unfolds.
It concerns a young woman who is being blackmailed. Upon learning her blackmailer is linked to a decades-old unsolved murder, she discovers an alarming personal connection to the victim, and consequently finds herself in deadly peril.
I don’t really want to get more specific than that at this point, as this is one of the most twist-laden novels I’ve ever written. At the same time, it delves into themes of infidelity, revenge, and even reincarnation. It ticks many of my gothic mystery trope boxes: Imperilled heroine, sinister locations, buried secrets (literally and figuratively), and supporting characters who aren’t quite what they seem. It’s a rollercoaster of suspicion and suspense, and I think it has some emotional heft too (there’s a melancholy romantic subplot of sorts).
The bulk of the novel is set in the fictional town of Modbridge, with occasional visits to Plymouth. Modbridge is a small town based on the real town of Modbury. The name combines the two local towns of Modbury and Kingsbridge. The steep main road running through Modbury, with shops either side, is also a key location that inspired a similar location in the novel.
Not for a while, as I’ll probably sit on this manuscript for at least a year, per my standard procedure, before looking at it again with fresh eyes. On the other hand, I’m about to polish up the novel I completed this time a year ago, The Hobbford Giant, with a view to submitting it to agents and publishers. So you are one step closer to seeing that one. Watch this space.
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