All Simon Dillon Novels Currently Available

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Posted on September 30, 2022 by simondillon

Horror and Thrillers

Death Nest: A widower fears his young son is cursed when he shows disturbing behaviour akin to that of the widower’s younger brother, before he vanished twenty years previously.

The Irresistible Summons: A television producer who debunks the supernatural encounters a genuine haunting in a London office block.

The Birds Began to Sing: An aspiring novelist enters a mysterious writing competition at a sinister mansion.

Phantom Audition: The grieving widow of a famous actor begins to suspect a supernatural hand at work in his apparent suicide, linked to his final acting role.

Spectre of Springwell Forest: A mother comes to believe her young daughter is cursed, after discovering a mysterious painting in her attic containing a gradually revealed figure, which only she can see.

The Thistlewood Curse: A detective and her paranormal consultant suspect supernaturally assisted murder after the sudden heart attack of a Lord’s son on Lundy Island.

Children’s Adventures

Uncle Flynn: A timid boy gradually overcomes fear and mollycoddling as he searches for hidden treasure on Dartmoor with his enigmatic uncle.

Dr Gribbles and the Beast of Blackthorn Lodge: A monster, a mad scientist, and a haunted house… That’s just the beginning for a boy who finds himself caught between spy factions near the end of the Cold War.

Echo and the White Howl: A exiled young wolf seeks revenge after his Alpha father is murdered by a pack rival.

The George Hughes Trilogy

The Martian Inheritance, The Titan War, and The Neptune Conspiracy: Teenager George Hughes unexpectedly inherits the planet Mars. He finds himself the target of covert assassins, hostile aliens, and even darker forces. But he also comes under the protection of a mysterious secret agent, and finds friends in unlikely places.

Other Novels

Children of the Folded Valley: A man looks back on his past when he grew up in a mysterious cult cut off from the rest of the world.

Peaceful Quiet Lives: Forbidden lovers fall foul of laws in both nations that emerged following the Second American Civil War.

Love vs Honour: Teenage lovers pretend to convert to Islam and Christianity to appease each respective set of parents.

Ravenseed: As a teenage girl reads a mysterious account of two knights in the Dark Ages attempting to break an enchantment, her face is gradually disfigured. But she is obsessed with discovering the outcome and unable to stop reading.

All titles are available from Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). Some of the above titles are also available from Draft2Digital and their various outlets (such as Smashwords).

If you enjoy my novels and short stories, please consider supporting my writing on Patreon or Ko-fi. Thank you.

Christmas Presents: The One-Offs

Posted on December 1, 2019 by simondillon

Looking for the perfect Christmas present for that difficult relative? Why not give them a book this year? To be more specific, why not give them one of my books?

In this, the final of three articles, here’s a look at two of my novels that are one-offs. I don’t write teenage romantic drama, but I did write Love vs Honour as I couldn’t get the story out of my head. Although it begins as a romance, the story contains many of the themes present in my other novels – religious oppression, abuse of power and so on – and this is a much darker tale than it first appears.

In the case of Children of the Folded Valley, it’s a dystopian tale of about a man looking back on his life growing up in a cult, but with a sci-fi twist. It is also by far my most successful novel (to date).

Here’s is the blurb from the back of each novel:

Love vs Honour

Two Religions. Two Deceptions. One Love.

When Johnny meets and falls in love with Sabina, their bond proves stronger than a teenage holiday fling.

Fearing the disapproval of their strict Christian and Islamic families, they undertake an elaborate deception to continue seeing one another. Johnny pretends to convert to Islam whilst Sabina pretends to covert to Christianity to appease their parents.

But how long can this deception last before it unravels?

Click here to order Love vs Honour.

Children of the Folded Valley

During a journey to visit his estranged sister, James Harper recalls his childhood in amysterious valley cut off from the outside world, where he grew up as part of a cult called the Folded Valley Fellowship.

In this seemingly idyllic world, the charismatic Benjamin Smiley claimed to be protecting his followers from an impending nuclear apocalypse.

But the valley concealed a terrifying secret.

A secret that would change Smiley’s followers forever.

Click here to order Children of the Folded Valley.

Christmas Present ideas

Posted on December 2, 2018 by simondillon

If you are scratching your head this year over Christmas presents, why not consider giving one of my novels? At the risk of sounding like a cliché, I have written across a variety of genres and therefore have “something for all the family”.

First and foremost, I have a novel about to be released on the 20^th of December entitled Spectre of Springwell Forest. A nail-biting, page-turning ghost story, this supernatural mystery is my first novel to be published by Dragon Soul Press, and a must for any fan of bone-chilling suspense. Simply click here (in the UK) or here (in the US) to pre-order your copy. (NOTE: at present this pre-order is for the Kindle version only. Stay tuned for updates on the paperback.)

Here is the blurb from the back of the book:

Lily Henderson has a horrifying secret buried far in her past. She hoped it would never be revealed. Now she has no choice.

To save her family, Lily must keep them from returning to the village of Springwell, where she lived with her first husband and young daughter decades previously.

In the past, after moving to Springwell, Lily encounters secretive locals, government scientists, and rumours of a ghost haunting the forest.

Are they linked to the mysterious deaths of local children? Do paintings by a local artist predict when tragic events are getting closer? Will Lily’s daughter be next?

“Two were taken. More will follow.”

If you enjoy stories with devious twists on the spectrum between psychological thriller, supernatural mystery and horror, why not also try The Thistlewood Curse or The Birds Began to Sing? The former is a gripping mystery involving astral projection and murder on Lundy Island. The latter concerns a peculiar writing competition in a remote and sinister Dartmoor house.

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THE THISTLEWOOD CURSE Cover (JPG Print version)

The Birds Began to Sing_1600x2400_Front Cover

My short story Once in a Lifetime is also available, as part of the Dragon Soul Press All Dark Places anthology. A disturbing tale of existential dread, this short is based on a nightmare I had earlier this year. It concerns a man waking up in an entirely different life. As he struggles to understand what has happened, memories of his previous existence rapidly vanish, and are replaced with those from the life he has awoken inside.

Folded Valley cover On a rather different note, we have my most successful (and arguably most “personal”) novel to date, Children of the Folded Valley. A dystopian memoir mystery with a science fiction edge, the plot concerns a man looking back on his life growing up in a strange cult.

For the young and young at heart, I have written a number of gripping tales, including treasure hunt adventure Uncle Flynn (my debut novel) and Dr Gribbles and the Beast of Blackthorn Lodge, which involves spies, haunted houses, mad scientists, and monsters (and that’s just chapter one).

My most recent novel for younger readers, Echo and the White Howl, is a thrilling animal fiction adventure about a pack of wolves set in the wilds of Alaska.

Echo and the White Howl Cover 10 (FINAL)

In addition, my George Hughes trilogy (comprising George goes to Mars, George goes to Titan and George goes to Neptune) are a trio of fast-paced science fiction adventures with thrills and perils galore.

I must emphasise my stories aimed at children are not just for children. Amid the humour, thrills and scares are themes many adults will appreciate too.

LvsHonour 1600 x 2400 Finally, Love vs Honour represented something of a departure for me, in that it is a teenage romantic drama. But many of the themes present in my other novels – religious oppression, abuse of power and so on – are present and correct here, and this is a much darker tale than it first appears. I don’t consider it a complete success for reasons I have discussed in more detail here, but I still think it is well worth a read.

All the above books can be ordered on Kindle or as paperbacks from Amazon here (for the UK) and here (for the US).

My brain needs a break

Posted on August 10, 2018 by simondillon

My brain needs a break. Here’s a scary picture of me in brain meltdown mode.

IMG_0660(1) Given the rather excessively productive year I have had so far (first drafts on two longer than usual novels, lots of editing on earlier, currently unreleased novels, and a couple of short stories), I have decided to take a short break from writing and from posting on this blog. However, I will be back in the first week of September, and I will still post film reviews of any films I see at the cinema.

In the meantime, if you’re a regular visitor to this blog, or are stumbling on it for the first time, why not buy or download one of my novels?

I write in a variety of genres, so here are five that might interest you:

Children of the Folded Valley – By far my most popular novel to date, this tale of a man looking back on his life growing up in a strange cult has over eighty mostly rave reviews on Amazon, and seems to have struck a chord with a lot of readers. It even seems to have got under the skin of people who didn’t like it (eg “Disturbing, distasteful and fascinating all at the same time” was one “negative” reader comment). I’ve also been told it’s my most “personal” novel to date, whatever the hell that means, although to be fair it is partly inspired by some of my own experiences in a cult during the early part of my life. Check it out here.

Uncle Flynn – A story about overcoming fear and the dangers of mollycoddling disguised as a treasure hunt adventure, this is my second most popular novel, and again, Amazon reviews are mostly raves. It is aimed at all ages, so don’t be put off by the “children’s book” label. For example, one reader said “In this day and age I sometimes find myself reading books like this unaware. I loved it and I’m nearly 69 years old. Uncle Flynn is a real treat.”

Love vs Honour – Did I fail?

Posted on June 8, 2018 by simondillon

In 2006, I wrote Love vs Honour, which I then self-published nearly ten years later, in 2015. The novel is a sideways step outside of my usual world of thrillers, horror, science fiction, fantasy and children’s adventures. Teenage romance isn’t something I dabble in, but when the premise of Love vs Honour occurred to me whilst stuck in traffic during an interminable bus journey, I felt the story was too good to ignore.

A tale of star-crossed teenage lovers with a religious twist, Love vs Honour begins as a conventional romance, with a holiday attraction leading to something more serious. Then it takes an unusual turn, as protagonists Johnny and Sabina try to appease their religious parents by pretending to convert to Islam and Christianity respectively. A tangled web of deception ensues, building to a much darker final act.

Reviews have been mostly positive. However, at least a couple of people have told me there is a big, gaping flaw in the centre of the story: Johnny is not likeable enough.

Romantic fiction is not my area of expertise, and it seems this factor was a colossal oversight. The typical male lead in romantic fiction is handsome, dashing, charming, intelligent, perhaps roguish and flawed in some way, but above all he should be desirable. By contrast, I wrote Johnny as a realistically conflicted, angst-ridden teenager. He has a dark past that colours his view of the present, sometimes in negative ways. Like many teenagers he can be selfish, sulky and not entirely sympathetic. His statements are sometimes exaggerated, and are very much his side of the story (for example, he is quite scathing of his parents who, despite their more extreme religious viewpoints, are kind and generous people). Obviously he isn’t without redeeming features either, and as the novel gradually reveals dark elements from his past, he perhaps becomes a person with whom it is a bit easier to sympathise.

However, I think my critics might have a point. Even if Johnny is a realistic and believable character, he simply isn’t likeable enough as a conventional male romantic lead. By contrast, I think Sabina is far, far more appealing, and whilst it is plausible that intelligent girls like her would fall for someone like Johnny, in a romantic novel it can lead to a feeling of the story being unbalanced. I think in retrospect I was wrong to strive for realism, and should have erred more on the side of genre convention.

I’m still very proud of Love vs Honour as I think it does contain interesting characters and thought provoking scenarios. In that sense, it is best viewed as a drama rather than a romance. I also stand by my ending, which provoked a little controversy as well. However, if I were writing the book now, I would make Johnny a much more appealing character. Experience is a great teacher, and in the unlikely event I try my hand at teenage romance again, I will bear in mind what I have learned.

Check out Love vs Honour here, if you are curious.

Christmas Present Ideas Part Two – Books for Grown-Ups

Posted on December 15, 2017 by simondillon

Christmas is rapidly approaching, but if you are scratching your head over potential presents, why not try one of my novels?

In this second of a two-part series, I take a quick look at what I have written primarily for adults (and in one case, for teenagers and adults).

This year I released The Thistlewood Curse; a gripping, page-turning tale that begins as a whodunit, becomes a supernatural thriller and finally escalates into full blown horror.

Here is the blurb from the back of The Thistlewood Curse:

Lawrence Crane’s powers of astral projection are put to the ultimate test when he and his lifelong friend Detective Laura Buchan investigate a mysterious death on Lundy Island.

Sensing a dark power at work, they attempt to identify a human assassin under the control of supernatural evil.

But can they escape a terrifying, centuries-old curse?

In a similar vein to the above, The Birds Began to Sing is a supernaturally tinged psychological thriller.

Here is the blurb from the back of The Birds Began to Sing:

When aspiring novelist Alice Darnell enters a competition to write the ending for an unfinished manuscript by late, world famous author Sasha Hawkins, it appears she might have her big break at last.

However, upon arrival at Sasha’s former home – the sinister Blackwood House – Alice is unsettled by peculiar competition rules, mysterious dreams and inexplicable ghostly visions. She begins to question her sanity as she is drawn into a terrifying web of deceit, revenge and murder.

My most “personal” novel to date, Children of the Folded Valley, is a coming of age memoir mingled with science fiction mystery.

Here is the blurb from the back of Children of the Folded Valley:

During a journey to visit his estranged sister, James Harper recalls his childhood in a mysterious valley cut off from the outside world, where he grew up as part of a cult called the Folded Valley Fellowship.

In this seemingly idyllic world, the charismatic Benjamin Smiley claimed to be protecting his followers from an impending nuclear apocalypse.

But the valley concealed a terrifying secret.

A secret that would change Smiley’s followers forever.

Finally, Love vs Honour represented something of a departure for me, in that it is a teenage romantic drama. But many of the themes present in my other novels – religious oppression, abuse of power and so on – are present and correct here, and this is a much darker tale than it first appears.

Here is the blurb from the back of Love vs Honour:

Two Religions. Two Deceptions. One Love.

When Johnny meets and falls in love with Sabina, their bond proves stronger than a teenage holiday fling.

But how long can this deception last before it unravels?

All the above books can be ordered on Kindle or as paperbacks from Amazon here.

(Note to self: I think I might use the word “terrifying” too much in blurbs…)

All my novels now available as paperbacks from Amazon

Posted on November 10, 2017 by simondillon

At long last, I have stopped procrastinating, deferring, delaying, dilly-dallying, putting off, hanging fire, dragging my feet, beating about the bush and taking a rain check (or a “precipitation verification” as I sometimes call it, since the expression, American in origin, uses the spelling “check” rather than “cheque”). At any rate, I have finally decided to get off my backside and do what I should have done long ago and, to finally come to the point, ensure all my novels are available in paperback from Amazon Create Space, complete with physical pages that you can actually turn.

With that deliberately silly paragraph out of the way, to be more succinct, all my novels are now available from Amazon in dead tree format. Simply click here, and you’ll find them all listed accordingly.

Plot Twists versus Unexpected Plot Turns

Posted on September 15, 2017 by simondillon

I have noticed some people confuse plot twists with unexpected plot turns. Here I shall attempt my own definitions of each, to explain the difference.

Earlier this year, I was most amused by a “bad” review of my novel Love vs Honour on Goodreads. The reviewer took great exception to the third act, stating the following:

“No…just No….
I hate such endings..
Wtf….
When the story got interesting then the author has to shock us?
No…
That’s bad..”

Obviously the reader is entitled to their opinion, and I am pleased that my writing got under her skin, but I maintain (and this is supported by many others who have read the novel) that the third act of Love vs Honour is not a pointless exercise in shock tactics but an outcome that was hinted at throughout – indeed the very first chapter clearly telegraphs where this is all going to end up.

LvsHonour 1600 x 2400

That said my intention in writing that novel was to create an unexpected plot turn, despite the hints that had been dropped. The third act should still feel like a shock, even though in hindsight it ought to seem inevitable. This was not a twist, but a new and unexpected narrative direction. However, an unexpected plot turn does not mean earlier events are viewed in a different light. In Love vs Honour, the first two acts are not open to drastic reinterpretation as a result of the third act.

By contrast a plot twist, particularly a final act plot twist, turns the entire story on its head, providing a rush of insight that causes the reader to see all events and characters in completely new terms. Said twists must be cleverly woven into the narrative in such a way that they come out of left field, and yet like unexpected plot turns, also seem inevitable in hindsight, causing the reader to wonder how on earth they didn’t see it coming.

In a number of my novels – including Uncle Flynn, The Birds Began to Sing and most recently The Thistlewood Curse – there are big, final act twists which mean the entire story has to be reassessed in light of the new information. How well these big twists work is of course up to readers to decide, but for better or worse, the events in those finales do mean the entire plots of those books are turned on their heads, hopefully in an entertaining and enjoyable way.

To conclude, a good example of the difference between the above narrative devices occurs in Alfred Hitchcock’s film Psycho. The notorious shower stabbing is an unexpected plot turn, whereas the finale in the cellar (when the nature of Norman’s “mother” is revealed) is a plot twist.

Here are some other examples of both from books and movies (I will tip-toe around spoilers):

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – The man with two faces finale is a big plot twist.

One Day – The bike accident late in the novel is an unexpected plot turn.

The Sixth Sense – Bruce Willis’s final discovery about himself is a justly famous plot twist.

His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass – The upshot of the romance between Will and Lyra, as a result of the difficult choice they are forced to make, is an unexpected plot turn.

Planet of the Apes – Charlton Heston’s final discovery on the beach is a plot twist.

Great Expectations – The demise of Miss Havisham is an unexpected plot turn.

The Empire Strikes Back – Darth Vader’s big revelation is a plot twist, one that turns the entire story of not just that film but also the previous film completely upside down.

Million Dollar Baby – What happens to Hilary Swank’s character following the sucker-punch is an unexpected plot turn.

Les Diaboliques – The nail-biting bath finale is a plot twist.

Dead Poets Society – What happens to Neil after he performs in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an unexpected plot turn.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – The identity of the mole in MI6 is a big twist.

Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia – Irene Adler’s escape is an unexpected (and unconventional) plot turn.

Murder on the Orient Express – The finale is one of the most famous whodunit resolutions of all time, and one of the biggest twists.

Kind Hearts and Coronets – The delicious irony of why the protagonist finally gets arrested is a particularly amusing unexpected plot turn in this sublime black comedy.

I could go on and on, but hopefully that clarifies my definition.

Download Love vs Honour FREE – for five days only!

Posted on August 16, 2017 by simondillon

Continuing my summer giveaways, Love vs Honour is available for the next five days as a free download from Amazon Kindle.

After falling in love, teenagers Johnny and Sabina pretend to convert to Islam and Christianity respectively, to placate the disapproval of both sets of parents. Then it gets complicated as their elaborate deceptions unravel in unexpected ways…

Yes, I know teenage romantic fiction isn’t really a thing I normally write, but rest assured this novel has the dark edges and challenging/controversial themes found in my other works so it really isn’t exclusively for the young adult readership. If you haven’t read it, why not give it a go?

Here are a few review snippets:

“You may find, as I did, it becomes a hard book to put down. The premise of a Christian and a Muslim pretending to convert to each other’s religion to be with each other for the sake of pure, unadulterated love creates a strangely addictive narrative.” – Graeme Stevenson, Amazon.

“This book is one of the few that made me cry. I love it. If you are a fan of emotional books then I urge you to read it. I give it 5 stars.” – Splufic, Goodreads.

“The ending of the book really made the whole thing.” – A Critical Reader, Amazon.

And just for balance, not everyone loved the ending. Check out this “bad” review from I_love_books on Goodreads:

“No… Just No…
I hate such endings…
Wtf….
When the story got interesting then the author has to shock us?
No…
That’s bad…”

Why not decide for yourself if you like the ending? Download Love vs Honour FREE here.

Are my novels one big existential crisis?

Posted on July 14, 2017 by simondillon

The other day, my wife made an observation about my body of work; namely that virtually all my novels, either peripherally or directly, concern an existential crisis. I thought about this, and have come to the conclusion that she is correct.

Notions of identity, delusion and not being able to trust reality are definitely a running theme in my work, along with other mainstays such as abuse of power, religious oppression and so forth. Here are some examples from the novels I have published thus far (avoiding major spoilers):

George goes to Neptune – Admittedly the first two novels don’t deal with an existential crisis, but the third in the George Hughes trilogy definitely does. George’s highly unusual battle with his dark side is what inspired me to write this third novel and complete the trilogy.

Uncle Flynn – The question of who is Uncle Flynn runs throughout the entire novel, particularly during the hunt for the hidden treasure. Throughout much of the story, police pursue him and his nephew Max across Dartmoor, for mysterious unknown reasons.

Dr Gribbles and the Beast of Blackthorn Lodge – An identity crisis of sorts lies at the heart of this story, involving Dr Gribbles’s daughter Emily and the Beast itself.

Children of the Folded Valley – Quantum physics and the nature of reality are a theme behind this story, still my most successful novel to date.

The Birds Began to Sing – From the very first chapter, it is clear that Alice’s perceptions of reality should be questioned. The suspense in many of the events that follow hinges on the question of whether or not what Alice is seeing is real or a delusion.

Love vs Honour – Spiritual identity crises form the heart of my attempt at teenage romantic drama.

Most recently, my supernatural thriller cum horror story The Thistlewood Curse pulls the rug out from the reader in a variety of existential crises involving ghosts, astral projection and more. You can download or buy a print copy of The Thistlewood Curse here.

Existential crisis remains a theme in virtually all my (as yet) unpublished novels, and this will no doubt continue to be the case.

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