Tag Archives: Books

Coming Soon, Later, and Perhaps Never: March 2022 Update

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Credit: Pixabay

Once in a while, I post an update of where I’m at with my pile of unpublished novels, in their varying states of disrepair. These range from completed first drafts to manuscripts polished and ready to go. However, this list doesn’t include the novel I’m currently writing (I’ve almost finished the first draft). Nor does it include the rapidly growing pile of short stories I have waiting in the wings.

Why the update? Partly to whet reader appetite, and partly for my own sanity, so I’ve a nice at-a-glance piece that lays out which are likelier to see the light of day. (Those that definitely won’t aren’t included.)

These novels are divided by genre (sort-of).

Fantasy

Ravenseed

This Dark Ages set fantasy novel is currently sitting with potential publishers/agents. If I get good news, it will be announced here. As for the plot, it’s a brooding, melancholy tale of knights, sorcerers, and enchantment, simmering with love, lust, betrayal, and revenge. Alongside the Dark Ages story is a parallel framing story set in the present.

Release likelihood: If I can’t find a publisher I’ll self-publish, hopefully this year.

The Faerie Gate (plus sequel)

My long-delayed, horror-story-for-children is now on its fourth draft. Originally written in 2015, it’s my scariest novel primarily aimed at children. But this dark fairy tale is also a compassionate story of a young adolescent coming to terms with the separation of her parents. Last year, I penned the first of a planned trilogy of sequels (currently untitled), set some years after this novel. These stand alone and can be read with or without knowledge of The Faerie Gate.

Release likelihood: Definitely my intention, even though I keep holding it back. I might wait until I’ve written the other two novels in the sequel trilogy before taking the first one any further.

The Deviant Prophet

Another dark fairy tale, but this time for adults. Fantasy and reality clash in a disturbing tale of religious oppression, amid a vivid and surreal world parallel to our own. The initial inspiration for this came from a close friend’s extraordinary dreams. I finished a third draft four years ago, and haven’t looked at it since.

Release likelihood: I’m holding on to it for now, but I’d love to see this published at some stage.

Goldeweed

An epic, three-volume saga I have shaped on and off for almost twenty years. Set in a vast imagined realm on many different planes of reality, it details three love stories that play out against an apocalyptic backdrop at the end of an era. Currently longer than War and Peace, it’s a tale I have rewritten and tinkered with for some time, and I’m still not entirely happy with it. It needs another serious rewrite, which I will undertake when I allocate some serious time.

Release likelihood: Depends on whether unhelpful perfectionism thwarts my ambitions.

Gothic Mystery Thriller/Horror

The White Nest

This novel is something of a culmination for me; a summing up of all the tropes, themes, and ideas I have explored in earlier gothic mystery novels. But although there is an element of Now-That’s-What-I-Call-a-Simon-Dillon-Gothic-Mystery about this novel, it is also radically different in two ways. Firstly, it features a male protagonist. Secondly, it is the most intensely personal novel I’ve written since Children of the Folded Valley. Yes, I know all writing is “personal”, but this one really jabbed raw nerves in an ultimately cathartic way, tapping into traumas regarding siblings, parental fears, false guilt, and more. It is also something of a coming-of-age novel, despite the genre trappings. One more point: The White Nest refers to something sinister in the story, but it’s only a placeholder title. I’m keeping the real title secret for now.

Release likelihood: Needs another polish, but probably my next priority after Ravenseed.

Wormcutter

From something I wrote in 2020, to something I wrote in 2007 (from an idea I had researched on and off since 1996), this detective thriller/horror hybrid begins as an apparently open and shut murder investigation, then escalates into a humdinger of a conspiracy, until it ends up in the most disturbing territory I have ever explored in a novel (definitely 18 certificate stuff). Currently on its fourth draft, and due for another polish.

Release likelihood: Unlikely any time soon. I’m proud of this novel, but I think it might be wiser to hang on to it for the time being, as I do have some concerns about how it could be received.

Miscellaneous

The Balliol Conspiracy

This somewhat old-fashioned, Hitchcockian romantic spy thriller is a conspiracy story of a different kind (much more PG territory, unlike Wormcutter), and proved a real change of pace for me when I wrote it. A strong, suspenseful central mystery results in an historic, fact-based treasure hunt, leading to a new lease of life for the bereaved protagonist. I don’t want to say too much more, except that yes, it does involve Balliol College in Oxford. I also wanted to write a grown-up book that, for once, my mother would be able to read without having nightmares. Currently on its second draft, its actually grown on me quite a bit since I first wrote it, and my wife thinks I should attempt more stories of this kind. But I suspect it is a one-off. We’ll see.

Release likelihood: A distinct possibility, perhaps even soon, but probably self-published.

A Statement of Disbelief

A satirical novel set in the dubious world of Christian television fundraising. It’s only had one draft, and I’ve not reread it for a while. However, I had great fun writing this.

Release likelihood: Unlikely at this point, but I’m not ruling it out.

One final point: My trilogy of children’s sci-fi adventure novels, George Goes to Mars, George Goes to Titan, and George Goes to Neptune, have been withdrawn for the time being. Why? Frankly, these early self-published works didn’t really take off the way I’d hoped. I think they were let down by two problems: 1) The lack of a proper edit, and 2) Titles that make them sound like books for very little children, even though the target audience is the Harry Potter/Alex Rider demographic. My plan is to give them a thorough edit, new titles, and rerelease them in this format at some point hopefully soon (with a clear note that they were previously published in an earlier form under a different name).

How Long Between First Draft and Publication?

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Someone recently asked how long it takes between first draft and publication of my novels. The short, boring answer is “it depends”. However, I try to ensure a decent amount of time for reflection between drafts, especially between first and second drafts. I find that an interval of a year, or at least six months, gives the necessary distance for some degree of objectivity.

Trying to rewrite a first draft immediately is fraught with problems. Having just been through the intense rollercoaster of writing novel-length fiction, at that stage, I’m simply not able to discern what should stay, go, be tweaked, or rewritten, with any degree of critical judgement. By that point, I’m often sick of the whole endeavour, convinced it’s rubbish (normally having started thinking it’s a masterpiece).

By now, I’m familiar enough with my own authorial ups and downs to ignore both feelings – the idea that I’m creating a masterpiece, or the idea that it’s rubbish. I know that time and distance will provide the truth. For this reason, some of my early novels will (rightly) never see the light of day. Others I initially deemed rubbish have turned out rather well, when viewed with the distance of time.

In truth, the distance between first draft and publication has greatly varied. For instance, I wrote the first draft of my most popular novel, Children of the Folded Valley, in 2011. I sat on it for six months, then made a few tweaks, before then showing it to my father, who had a superb suggestion to improve it. That precipitated a rewrite, though sadly my father never got to see the finished novel, as he died shortly afterwards. Children of the Folded Valley was ultimately released in 2014, three years after I finished the first draft.

In stark contrast, Echo and the White Howl was written during the summer of 2017, after my youngest son (then eight years old) requested a story about wolves. I don’t write animal fiction, but made the attempt on this occasion, rushing from first draft to self-publication in December of that year, so he’d have the novel in time for Christmas. Hardly anyone has read this novel, but I’m very proud of it. Most importantly, my son loved it.

Most of my published work is in the gothic mystery horror/thriller genre, but normally there are a few years between first draft and publication. For example, my first draft of The Irresistible Summons was written in 2015, but it wasn’t published until 2019. In the interim, there were several revisions and deletions (which I detail here). Again, I’m very pleased with the finished novel.

On top of this, some of my novels have sat on the shelf for years in various states of disrepair – from first draft to nearly ready for publication. The oldest of these is another horror novel, entitled Wormcutter, which I wrote in 2007. Due to some of the subject matter, I’m a bit nervous about ever releasing this one, so it may stay there indefinitely. I’ve also a number of fantasy novels waiting in the wings, the oldest of which dates back to 2008. I hope those see the light of day at some point.

A Quick Plea for Reviews

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I write a lot of fiction; short stories, novellas, and particularly novels. I’ve dabbled in horror, gothic mystery thrillers, dystopian science fiction, children’s adventures, and the odd love story. At various points, I’ve self-published and have been traditionally published by small independent houses. Suffice to say, being a full-time writer is a scary but exciting path. However, indie authors like yours truly really do rely on reviews to get those pesky algorithms to show our work to other potential readers.

All of which brings me to my plea: If you have read or enjoyed any of my novels or short story collections, please can I ask you to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or any other site where you might have purchased it? It needn’t be long. One sentence is fine. “I enjoyed it” is fine. It doesn’t need to be an in-depth critical analysis (though by all means do so, if you feel inclined).

Reviews are vital to supporting authors, as I’ve already explained. I don’t ask this because I’m terribly insecure and crave constant affirmation (nice though that is). I ask because taking just a few seconds to leave a high star rating and single sentence really does help support struggling authors like yours truly (yes, you may get out the violins). If you enjoy my work, please consider it, as the more reviews there are, the more I am able to make a living at this.

For those of you who have and continue to leave reviews: Thank you so much. It is appreciated more than I can hope to convey.

My Goodreads page is here.

My Amazon page is here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

My Smashwords page is here.

Infestation Reviews

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I’ve had a couple of great five-star reviews from readers on Amazon for Infestation: A Horror Anthology, including one from Danish author Claus Holm (author of the excellent Tempus series).

“Dillon has once again produced a book to make your spine freeze like an icicle, and occasionally make you feel slightly sick to your stomach. The main story in Infestation deals with giant spiders, and it is both gross and great at the same time.
Several stories in the collection are remarkable, and able to bring out various emotions. I literally cried once.

There is also a prequel to the novel The Irresistible Summons, allowing my favourite character Raven some more time on centre stage.

Simon Dillon is one of Britain’s best horror authors and this book is definitely another feather in his cap.” – Claus Holm, Amazon.

I also got this review:

“Each story is a carefully woven journey crafted in riveting excellence. I dare you to stop reading a story halfway – highly doubtful that anyone could. A true imagery craftsman! Compelling and delicious to devour.” – Lisa B, Amazon.

Infestation: A Horror Anthology includes a six-chapter science fiction horror novella – the eponymous Infestation – along with five other short stories: Once in a Lifetime, Spinner, Regression, Influencer, and White Horse. The latter two are exclusive to this volume, and as Claus Holm notes, White Horse is a standalone prequel to my gothic mystery novel The Irresistible Summons. All told, the collection comes to a good value 77,000 words, and constitutes a great opportunity to read a selection of my shorter horror fiction pieces in one place..

Infestation: A Horror Anthology is available on Kindle and paperback from Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). It can also be ordered via Smashwords here.

New Novella: Bloodmire

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Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

Over the past seven weeks, the wonderful people at Medium publication Fictions serialised my fantasy novella Bloodmire. The plot concerns a Dark Ages knight undertaking a quest to rescue the young woman to whom he is betrothed. She has been captured by a mysterious Beast and taken into a mysterious and dangerous uncharted forest. On his quest, the knight encounters bandits, witches, and strange supernatural beings, journeying ever deeper into the forest, and ever deeper into himself.

Sounds trope-tastic? I can assure you Bloodmire is not a straightforward tale of damsels in distress. In fact, it’s a narrative designed to invite different interpretations and perspectives. Inspiration wise, it draws on everything from Arthurian legend (particularly Sir Gawain) to Heart of Darkness. It is also intended as a companion piece to my upcoming novel Ravenseed and features one of the supporting characters. However, I stress Bloodmire requires no prior knowledge of Ravenseed. It stands entirely alone.

I’ve had some terrific response and comments so far, so do check it out. Part One of Bloodmire can be found here, with links to subsequent parts at the end of every instalment. I hope you enjoy it.

Happy New Year!

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Photo by Moritz Knöringer on Unsplash

Happy New Year! With the year of change that was 2021 in the rear-view mirror, I’m hoping this year will see many exciting developments with my writing. I shall of course keep you fully appraised on this blog, so here are a few of my plans for 2022.

First and foremost, I am writing a new novel. It’s another gothic mystery, currently untitled, which I hope will sit nicely alongside previous titles such as The Birds Began to Sing and Phantom Audition. I won’t mention anything about the plot at this point, other than to say it is set in a fictional south-west England town and features a young journalist who gets drawn into a local mystery with links to her past. That’s deliberately vague, as I am protecting what I believe to be a pretty rock-solid story with a cracking finale.

Secondly, I will continue to contribute articles to Medium, though I might slow down a little in that regard whilst getting the first draft of the aforementioned novel on paper. Film reviews will continue to be available both on this blog and on Medium, but other articles on literature, film, music, television, and the odd rant, will be exclusive to Medium.

Thirdly, I aim to resurrect The Tangent Tree film podcast this year, with my co-host Samantha Stephen. Yes, I know I said I’d do that last year, but life threw a few spanners in the works. This year however, I hope to deliver on that promise.

Fourthly, I hope to publish at least one further anthology of short stories. This time they won’t be horror stories, but some of my more romantic pieces, and perhaps some fantasy, satire, and a couple of exclusives, akin to what I did with Infestation: A Horror Anthology last year.

Finally, I am taking another crack at the mainstream publication route with my fantasy novel Ravenseed and am actively chasing agents and publishers to that end. I had planned to do this last year, but again, life threw a few gremlins into the mix. At any rate, Ravenseed is a gripping, grown-up tale of love, lust, betrayal, and vengeance, primarily set in the Dark Ages, with a parallel story in the present (or rather, in 2019, to avoid pandemic references). I’m rather pleased with this novel, so I hope agents and publishers are similarly positive. Here’s hoping, and as always, I will keep you updated.

2021 In Review

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I’ve had a highly unusual year in 2021. For one thing, I’ve made the awkward transition to full-time writer. Much remains uncertain. However, I don’t intend to bore you with the cycle of fear and self-doubt that are the inevitable concomitant of any writer who takes such steps. Instead, I’ll dive right in with what I’ve been up to over the past twelve months.

New Release: Infestation: A Horror Anthology

Perhaps most excitingly, this collection of scary shorts was released. Infestation: A Horror Anthology included a six-chapter science fiction horror novella – the eponymous Infestation – along with five other short stories: Once in a Lifetime, Spinner, Regression, Influencer, and White Horse. The latter two are exclusive to this volume, and White Horse is a standalone prequel to my gothic mystery novel The Irresistible Summons.

Infestation is set in the near future, at a time when mysterious giant spider nests have appeared. No one knows where these nests came from, but nations are adjusting to the challenge of living alongside dangerous oversized arachnids. A mercenary desperate for money to purchase medical treatments that can save his wife is hired by an influential businessman. His objective: Infiltrate a spider nest on a mission of vengeance.

For information about the plots in the other stories, simply click on their respective links, and it will take you to articles about each of them. I’ve had some very positive response to this story, and to the collection in general, which is encouraging. At 77,000 words, I feel this anthology represents a good value selection of my shorter horror pieces.

Gothic Mystery New Covers

Some of my gothic mystery horror thriller novels were reissued with new covers. Check them out below.

Work in Progress: Sequel to The Faerie Gate

The Northern Lights feature in The Faerie Gate. Photo by Vincent Guth on Unsplash

Yes, I know I’ve not yet released my very dark and scary children’s 2015 novel The Faerie Gate, despite talking about it a great deal on this blog. However, in early 2021 I started writing not one but three sequels. It is a hugely ambitious project that in some ways is The Lord of the Rings to The Faerie Gate’s The Hobbit. I’m very pleased with it so far, though I halted once I completed the first of the three sequels. I have a very clear plan for the remaining novels, but there are other projects I wish to complete first. Since I am acutely aware of the dangers of “doing a George RR Martin”, I’m going to hang on to the three sequels until all have been fully written. However, The Faerie Gate I may well release before that, since it stands entirely alone.

Medium

Yours truly, in a rare smiling photo (as seen in the interview mentioned below).

As part of my expansion into full-time writing, I am building an audience on Medium (currently 1.6 thousand followers and climbing). I’ve proud of the many articles I have on that site, often placed in prestigious publications. If you have a Medium subscription, please consider following me. In addition to articles on film, music, literature, television, and the odd rant, I have published a number of novellas and short stories there, and will continue to do so.

Here are a few Medium pieces from the past year of which I am particularly proud.

Leave – One of several short stories written and published this year. Life takes an unexpected turn for a young wife desperately missing her royal marine husband during the recent Afghanistan War.

How and Why to Write Gothic Mysteries

The principles for penning a passionate, sinister, satisfying page-turner. (Apologies for the use of American English; The Writing Cooperative publication insists on it.)

“Are We Allowed?” — Cancel Culture’s Illusion of Authority

One of the most alarming phrases cropping up in missives from those tiptoeing around the eggshells of cancel culture.

Why I Can’t Abide Film, Music, or Literary Snobs

My ongoing irritation with elitist popular-is-rubbish attitudes.

Ten Things I Absolutely Can Live Without

The Dillon Empire edition: Read at your own risk, and don’t say you weren’t warned.

Retro Rewind: How E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Changed My Life

Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece was the Damascus Road moment that converted me to cinema.

My Favourite James Bond Songs

Ten terrific title tracks from 007 films.

Ten Films There Ought to Be a Law Against Watching on Television

I shudder to think of anyone discovering these for the first time on the small screen.

And just because I can’t resist including it, here’s my interview with The Writing Cooperative: Write Now with Simon Dillon

The Guardian

I also managed to get an article published in The Guardian this year, which makes a nice addition to my writing CV. It’s a short, slightly tongue-in-cheek piece exploring why so many of my childhood films are having their BBFC ratings upgraded from PG to 12A in the UK. You can read it here.

The Tangent Tree

Finally, for those of you wondering what has happened to film podcast The Tangent Tree (which I co-host with Samantha Stephen), I hope this will be resurrected in 2022. Various spanners in the works this year prevented the creation of new episodes.

To finish, I want say a big thank you to all of you, for your ongoing readership and support. Thank you so much for reading my novels and short stories. I hope you enjoyed them. Also, thank you for leaving reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere. For those of you who follow me on Medium, thank you for reading and supporting me there too. It has been a tumultuous year, but there are exciting things ahead. I will revealing my plans for 2022 on New Year’s Day, so watch this space.

Infestation Unpacked: White Horse

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My recently released book Infestation: A Horror Anthology features my Infestation novella – a six-chapter sci-fi horror tale – along with five other short stories. In my final entry in this series examining each story in the collection, here’s a closer look at White Horse, which like Influencer is exclusive to this volume.

Raven is a snarky, ambitious young camera operator/editor working for a production company specialising in documentaries that usually debunk the supernatural. Whilst on a location scout/research excursion with her producer, they meet a woman claiming her house is haunted. Although initially thinking her an opportunist after television fame, Raven comes to believe there might be something to her claims. Also, the woman’s face is unsettlingly familiar…

White Horse is a prequel to my gothic mystery horror novel The Irresistible Summons, in which Raven is a supporting character. Here she is the protagonist, working alongside a different producer, investigating a sinister and apparently supernatural mystery with a link to Raven’s childhood. I should add that no prior knowledge of The Irresistible Summons is required to read White Horse. It is entirely standalone, though it does hint at what is to come for Raven in the dying embers of the story.

Like the other stories in this collection, White Horse is a variation on the running theme of guilt, in this case involving a moral dilemma in Raven’s past. Where did the idea come from? Fellow author and friend Claus Holm had been pestering me for years to write a spinoff from The Irresistible Summons featuring Raven, and eventually I had an idea I considered worthy of development. White Horse delves more into Raven’s background and motivations, and is, I believe, a fine companion piece to the novel. I’m rather pleased with it, and I hope you like it too.

Incidentally, the title refers to the Uffington White Horse, an extraordinary piece of minimalist Bronze Age art in which a large chalk horse is rendered on a hillside. There are several White Horse hills in the UK, but the Uffington White Horse is the most famous. The story takes place near said hill, and aside from the geographic setting, there are (fictional) occult elements linked to the hill that prove relevant to the narrative.

Infestation: A Horror Anthology is available on Kindle and paperback from Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). It can also be ordered via Smashwords here.

Infestation Unpacked: Spinner

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My recently released book Infestation: A Horror Anthology features my Infestation novella – a six-chapter sci-fi horror tale – along with five other short stories. In the penultimate instalment of this series examining each story in the collection, this week I take a slightly deeper dive into Spinner.

Graphic designer Isabel is trapped in an abusive relationship with her bullying business owner partner Tyler, which is exacerbated once Covid lockdown hits in early 2020. They have recently moved into a new home; one which the son of the previous owner, Maud Spinner, was particularly keen to get off his hands. Never a good sign. Nor are the sinister sounds coming from the basement…

Photo by Marten Newhall on Unsplash

As a fusion of abusive relationship drama and supernatural horror, Spinner is dark, claustrophobic, and frightening. The running theme throughout the Infestation anthology concerns guilt, real or perceived. In the case of Isabel, she is constantly gaslit and made to feel guilty by Tyler. This set-up feeds into her later paranoia over the malevolent supernatural presence in their home, and whether maybe, just maybe, it might all be in her head.

Spinner almost didn’t get included in this collection, as I had concerns it wasn’t quite up to scratch. However, when I tested the story on Medium, I received some very strong positive feedback, here for instance, from people for whom the story resonated on a personal level. It is worth adding that Spinner is partly informed by the experiences of two people I know personally, besides a few obvious literary horror giants such as MR James and Stephen King.

Infestation: A Horror Anthology is available on Kindle and paperback from Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). It can also be ordered via Smashwords here.