Tag Archives: Mystery

Death Nest: The Disappearance of Simon Dillon

Posted on by

Coming up with imaginative ways to publicise my novels can be a challenge. In the case of my supernaturally tinged mystery thriller Death Nest, I’ve run a gamut from the serious (how this is my most personal novel) to pranks (such as this fake interview that I’m pleased to say tricked a few readers, based on the comments). My latest attempt, a short film, is more in the latter category. Death Nest: The Disappearance of Simon Dillon is a meta-mockumentary that imagines the White Nest, a sinister and dangerous organisation within the novel, is real.

Also, this version of the film is slightly different to the version I previously uploaded on Patreon (if you saw it there already). I’ve made a couple of minor changes. Let’s call this version the “Director’s Cut”. We can even start a rumour that I didn’t get to finish it properly originally due to “studio interference”, if you like, instead of the more mundane truth that I wanted to add a couple of cutaways and a scary additional visual tweak at the end (that I won’t spoil).

The film pretends that because I recklessly detailed what they do in the book, the White Nest decided to silence me. Tommy Rogers, a private investigator looking into my disappearance, interviews former colleagues and friends. It degenerates into cheesy pseudo-Blair Witch style nonsense in the finale, but I thought, why not go the whole hog? With any luck, it will intrigue those of you who haven’t read the novel into picking up a copy. It will also make a great Christmas present for that difficult-to-buy-for relative. Here’s the film in full. I hope you find it entertaining.

Death Nest features a gripping central mystery, a romantic subplot, coming-of-age drama, and moments of horror and humour. To further whet your appetite, here’s the blurb from the back of the book.

From the author of Spectre of Springwell Forest and The Irresistible Summons… A nail-biting new mystery.

After his young son Ben writes a disturbing story about murdering a boy in a forest, widower Nick Unwin is alarmed by eerie parallels between his son’s behaviour and that of his younger brother Jason, prior to his inexplicable disappearance twenty years previously. This tragic past returns to haunt Nick when he sees an image of his long-lost brother in a newly released film.

Fearing history will repeat itself, Nick decides to investigate, along with Tanith, an old flame from his early teenage years, with dark secrets of her own connected to Jason’s disappearance. But as they delve deeper into the labyrinthine mysteries of their past, long-buried memories resurface. Nick is forced to face the terrible fear that has plagued him for decades: Was he responsible for the death of his brother?

A riveting coming-of-age thriller exploring traumatic sibling relationships, parental fears, and the misleading nature of memory, Death Nest is Simon Dillon’s most gripping novel yet.

Additional potential Christmas presents can be found in other published novels from my back catalogue. These include horror, thrillers, children’s adventure stories, dystopian sci-fi tales, and my recent forays into fantasy with my novel Ravenseed (about which I have written here) and a companion piece anthology, The Dark Forest Within (about which I have written here).

Death Nest is available in paperback or on Kindle from Amazon here (in the US) and here (in the UK). It is also available via Draft2Digital and its various outlets, including Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, and Smashwords (click here).

(Header image created by author in Canva.)

New Novel Exclusively on Substack: The Hobbford Giant

Posted on by

I’m thrilled to announce my horror mystery novel The Hobbford Giant is now being made available to paying Substack subscribers. It will be serialised over the coming weeks, but to whet the appetite, the first chapter is available to everyone. I do not plan to release The Hobbford Giant in any other format at this time. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, this novel is a Substack exclusive. Here’s a brief tease of what lies ahead, plot wise.

Against the wishes of her parents, Mira Webb moves in with her estranged uncle, after getting a job at the local paper in the southwest town of Hobbford. Her first assignment involves a piece on archaeologists digging in the grounds of a children’s home closed years previously in the aftermath of an abuse scandal. Their discoveries may shed light on the legend of a giant that once menaced the area, but after she experiences ghostly visitations, and the archaeologists start winding up in comas, Mira comes to believe an ancient curse may be at work; a curse to which she has a horrifying personal connection.

The Hobbford Giant belongs at the darker end of my fiction. It opens like a mystery thriller, but evolves into a psychological horror story with (possible) supernatural elements in play. It explores themes of repressed memories, childhood trauma, and what happens when lies are covered by more lies. The tagline “Some secrets can claim your soul” feels apt, for reasons I obviously won’t spoil.

The first chapter of The Hobbford Giant is available to read now, entirely free of charge. Head over to my Substack page by clicking here. To read later chapters as they are released, and for full access to the rest of my archive on Substack (including several novellas, short stories, film retrospectives, top tens, exclusive videos, and more), upgrade from being a free subscriber to a paid subscriber at $5 per month.

(Header image created by author in Canva.)

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.

Update: August 2024

Posted on by

What have I been up to lately? Well, I’ve been enjoying my holidays, taking a bit of time off having done a lot of promotion for my recent fantasy novel Ravenseed. But what have I done when I’ve not been taking time off? Mostly writing short stories. I’ve written two of these, plus a novella. Here’s a little bit about each.

35 Chestnut Terrace

This is a mystery thriller directly inspired by a Sherlock Holmes short story. I shan’t say which, as I wouldn’t want to spoil your enjoyment either of my story, or of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s (in case for some absurd reason you’ve not read every Sherlock Holmes story already). The title pertains to the scene of a dreadful crime. The plot? A young woman tries to exonerate her fiancé of a horrific murder, but is he innocent?

35 Chestnut Terrace will be serialised in four parts on Medium and Substack this September.

Rachael

A spooky, supernatural tale, about which I remain fairly tight-lipped for now. It’s set in a private girl’s school, and the protagonist is a teacher. The plot involves a play, an ancient curse, and a ghost. I had a lot of fun writing the main character for this one, as she’s not the most well-behaved of my protagonists.

Rachael will be serialised in five parts on Medium and Substack this October.

Wulfric’s Quest

The title may change, but this novella is a second companion piece to Ravenseed, set in a kind of parallel universe Dark Ages Britain. I’m not giving any plot details at this point, but thematically, this is very much cut from the same cloth as both Ravenseed and the other companion piece novella I wrote, Bloodmire. Between the novel and its two supporting tales, I’ve probably written quite enough material set in the Dark Ages, for the time being at least. When will this one be published? I’m not sure. I might hang on to it as an exclusive for an upcoming fantasy anthology.

Ravenseed is available from Amazon on Kindle or paperback here (in the UK) and here (in the US). It is also available from Draft2Digital and their associated outlets here.

(Image Credits: All created by author in Canva.)

New Novel Update

Posted on by
Created by author in Canva.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve completed the first draft of my latest novel. I typically write a new novel at least once per year, normally between January and April, having done the hard work of research, preparing character profiles, chapter outlines, and so forth, during the late summer months to around November of the previous year. It’s always a great feeling when I’m able to draw a proper line under the first draft.

What’s it called?

I’m keeping the real title a secret for now, but the working title was False Witness. I didn’t want to use that as a real title, considering how many published novels are entitled False Witness. Finding a unique title is very difficult these days and involves a lot of googling about to make sure it hasn’t already been used. Most titles cannot be copyrighted, so in one sense it doesn’t matter, but at the same time, it makes discoverability of my work all the trickier if I don’t come up with something entirely original.

What’s it about?

At the moment, the story is under wraps, suffice it to say, the 93,000-word manuscript is a nail-biting mystery thriller involving a prank that goes wrong. It also concerns a dark secret in the protagonist’s past that comes back to haunt her present. Yes, I know the latter statement could apply to just about any of my mystery thriller novels, but I’m keeping plot descriptions deliberately vague for now. I will add that this particular dark secret is unlike any I’ve written about previously, and it definitely ranks among the darkest of dark secrets hidden by my protagonists.

When can I read it?

Not for at least two years, alas. Why? Well, after completing a first draft, I generally put it aside for twelve months so I can approach the second draft with fresh eyes. In the meantime, I am about to start shaping the second draft of the novel I wrote this time last year; another gripping mystery thriller. With any luck, this time next year, agents and publishers will be mulling it over, and hopefully saying yes. That’s assuming they don’t first say yes to The Hobbford Giant, yet another horror-thriller mystery currently under consideration. If I get no bites, I expect that one will be self-published sometime in the autumn.

In the meantime, I have an equally exciting publication announcement coming soon, so watch this space.

2023 In Review

Posted on by
I was going to pose with a death stare for Death Nest, but my wife ruined that by telling a joke.

Annual reviews can sound terribly self-serving, so the first thing I want to say in this one is thank you so much to all of you. Thank you for buying my books, reviewing my books, and most of all, I’m thrilled that you are enjoying them. Thank you for all your kindness and support all this year, and through many previous years. Things are developing slowly but surely, as I ease my way into this full-time writing business, and I have much to celebrate and be thankful for in 2023.

New Novel Release: Death Nest

The achievement I’m most proud of this year is the release of my supernaturally tinged mystery thriller Death Nest. It’s had some stunning reviews so far (as you can see here) and readers are finding it every bit as gripping as I’d hoped. It’s a huge encouragement to me and something of a relief, considering how personal this novel is to me (as you may have already read about here).

New Anthology Release: Love and Other Punishments

This year also saw the release of another short story anthology entitled Love and Other Punishments. This one had a dystopian science fiction theme, with seven stories, most of them exclusive to this collection. Driverless cars being hacked by terrorists, mind-reading software implanted in the brains of office workers, nightmare-suppressing nanotech for children, and much more are explored in a wide-ranging set of tales incorporating satire, thrillers, and even a touch of romantic comedy. For more information, click here.

New Novel First Draft Written: A Thorn in Winter

Another major achievement this year was penning the first draft of this new gothic mystery thriller. It involves a young woman initially caught in a web of blackmail, only to uncover something much more sinister when a tarot card reading links her situation to a decades-old unsolved murder case. I’m very proud of what I hope is a page-turning whodunit, and I can’t wait to share it with you all.

New Novel Rewritten: The Hobbford Giant

This horror-thriller I originally wrote in 2022. It was on my list to polish up this year, and this has been done. It is now being submitted to mainstream agents and publishers in the hope that someone finally says yes on that front (I came frustratingly close this year with Death Nest, eventually self-publishing it, and feeling thoroughly vindicated by the positive feedback).

Here’s a brief idea of what the novel is about, from my pitch letter to literary agents:

Is it sometimes better not to know the truth? This question lies at the heart of The Hobbford Giant, my 83,000-word horror-thriller mystery. Set in 1997, it concerns a young journalist investigating an unusual archaeological dig, an abuse scandal at a former children’s home, an ancient folklore legend, and a dark family secret that connects her to all three. The story also explores repressed memories, childhood trauma, and what happens when lies are covered by more lies. A tagline for the novel might be: “Some secrets can claim your soul.”

Against the wishes of her parents, Mira Webb moves in with her estranged uncle, after getting a job at the local paper in the southwest town of Hobbford. Her first assignment involves a piece on archaeologists digging in the grounds of a children’s home closed years previously in the aftermath of an abuse scandal. Their discoveries may shed light on the legend of a giant that once menaced the area, but after she experiences ghostly visitations, and the archaeologists start winding up in comas, Mira comes to believe an ancient curse may be at work; a curse to which she has a horrifying personal connection.

Sound gripping? I hope so. Hopefully, agents and publishers will think so too. I’ll keep you posted with updates on this next year.

Short Stories

Image by Rizal Deathrasher from Pixabay

I’ve written six short stories and novellas this year, some of which were exclusives for the aforementioned Love and Other Punishments anthology. Two others were released on Medium and Substack, the latter of which I branched out into recently. At this point, Substack is a mirror of my Medium output, with a free option for people who only want the new release film reviews (as you’ve probably noticed, I no longer host those here), and a paid option for those wanting everything. However, I may well start putting exclusives on Substack too. Here are the two short stories in question. Links to subsequent parts are included at the end of every instalment.

Aftermath

After leaving a cult, a young woman returns to her estranged mother. Read on Medium here, or on Substack here.

Crockern’s Curse

A young couple investigating a childhood mystery on Dartmoor are menaced by supernatural forces linked to local folklore. Read on Medium here, or on Substack here.

Other Achievements This Year

One of my long term projects is an epic sequel to an as-yet unpublished fantasy novel for children entitled The Faerie Gate (though that title will probably change). This huge undertaking is a novel I return to between other writing priorities, and this year I managed to write a hefty chunk, to the point that it is now about halfway finished. I hope to write more of this monster novel next year.

I’ve also continued to give exclusive early access to short stories, sneak previews of artwork, exclusive insights into my writing processes, video updates, novel draft previews (including serialised unpublished novels), and other material found nowhere else, on my Patreon page. I still offer four levels of pricing support: Ally of the Dillon Empire, Free Citizen of the Dillon Empire, Knight of the Dillon Empire, and General of the Dillon Empire. I’ve grown my support a little this year, so that’s encouraging. Take a look at my Patreon page here, for more information.

In short, 2023 has been a breakneck year, with lots achieved, and much still to achieve. I’m taking a break over Christmas, but as usual, I’ll unveil my goals for 2023 on New Year’s Day. Watch this space.

It only remains for me to wish you all a peaceful, restful Christmas.

(All images by author or created by author in Canva, unless otherwise stated.)

A Christmas Present Suggestion: Death Nest

Posted on by
Image created by author in Canva.

Seldom-seen relatives one only catches up with at Christmas can be difficult to buy presents for. However, most people love a nail-biting, page-turning mystery thriller. To that end, I humbly suggest my recently released novel Death Nest.

I’ve written about this novel a little on Medium, principally in this Orson Welles-ish faux-interview prank designed to intrigue readers (I interview one of the supporting characters). I’ve also written a lot about it here, for example in this piece, which is probably as close as I’m ever going to get to a baring-my-soul, personal essay-type article. In it, I discuss the real-life fears and traumas that metaphorically and emotionally informed the novel.

But if that makes it all sound heavy and depressing, don’t be put off! Death Nest is first and foremost a gripping thriller with a touch of romance, a smidgen of coming-of-age drama, and the odd moment of supernaturally tinged horror. There are also a few funny bits, and that’s important in any novel if you ask me, purely to provide contrast.

Here’s the blurb from the back of the book to give you an idea of the plot:

From the author of Spectre of Springwell Forest and The Irresistible Summons…

A nail-biting new mystery.

After his young son Ben writes a disturbing story about murdering a boy in a forest, widower Nick Unwin is alarmed by eerie parallels between his son’s behaviour and that of his younger brother Jason, prior to his inexplicable disappearance twenty years previously. This tragic past returns to haunt Nick when he sees an image of his long-lost brother in a newly released film.

Fearing history will repeat itself, Nick decides to investigate, along with Tanith, an old flame from his early teenage years, with dark secrets of her own connected to Jason’s disappearance. But as they delve deeper into the labyrinthine mysteries of their past, long-buried memories resurface. Nick is forced to face the terrible fear that has plagued him for decades: Was he responsible for the death of his brother?

A riveting coming-of-age thriller exploring traumatic sibling relationships, parental fears, and the misleading nature of memory, Death Nest is Simon Dillon’s most gripping novel yet.

If you want to try before you buy, the first three chapters of Death Nest are available to read on Medium in Fictions. Here’s chapter one.

Of course, Death Nest isn’t the only novel I have available for potential Christmas presents. I’ve also written other mystery horror thrillers, children’s adventure stories, dystopian sci-fi tales, and one or two other things. For a full list of my published novels, click here.

Death Nest is available in paperback or on Kindle from Amazon here (in the US) and here (in the UK). It is also available via Smashwords and its various outlets (click here).

New Short Story: Crockern’s Curse

Posted on by
Image by Rizal Deathrasher from Pixabay

In October, I published a new short story. Crockern’s Curse concerns a young couple investigating a childhood mystery on Dartmoor are menaced by supernatural forces linked to local folklore. A spine-freezing tale of supernatural horror, this proved very popular with readers of the Fictions publication on Medium (where it was published). It’s in five parts, but there are links to every subsequent part at the end of each instalment.

Check out the first part on Medium here. Alternatively, if you are a subscriber to Dillon Empire on Substack, check out all five parts there, starting with part one here (again, there are links at the end of each segment to the next part). I’ll explain more about what I’m up to on Substack soon, but the short verison is you can get all my film reviews there for free (they disappear behind a paywall after four weeks), or else take up the paid option of $5 per month and in addition to unlimited access to the film review archive, enjoy all my other articles syndicated from Medium, including top tens, classic film analysis, and of course, short stories.

Enjoy!

Death Nest: Summary of Recent Articles

Posted on by

My new mystery thriller novel Death Nest is out now. I’ve been writing a lot about it recently, from many different angles. Here’s a summary of what I’ve been discussing, with links to the articles in question. First though, here’s a brief idea of what the novel is about.

A widower fears his young son is cursed when he shows disturbing behaviour akin to that of his younger brother, before he vanished without a trace twenty years previously. Gnawing dread that history will repeat itself is inherent throughout this modern gothic mystery novel. It’s also a coming-of-age romance with hints of the supernatural, exploring traumatic sibling relationships, parental worries, and the misleading nature of memory. 

After his young son Ben writes a disturbing story about murdering a boy in a forest, widower Nick Unwin is alarmed by eerie parallels between his son’s behaviour and that of Nick’s younger brother Jason, prior to his inexplicable disappearance twenty years previously. This tragic past returns to haunt Nick when he sees an image of his long-lost brother in a newly released film.

Fearing a repeat of history, Nick decides to investigate, along with Tanith, an old flame from his early teenage years, with dark secrets of her own connected to Jason’s disappearance. But as they delve deeper into the labyrinthine mysteries of their past, long-buried memories resurface. Nick is forced to face the terrible fear that has plagued him for decades: Was he responsible for the death of his brother?

The following articles explore different aspects of the novel and the making of it. I have worded them carefully to avoid plot spoilers.

Death Nest: Reflections on Writing My Most Personal Novel

This story is quite personal for me, as it has been informed (in broad metaphorical terms) by the sectioning of my youngest brother following drug abuse, as well as my own fears about the future of my autistic youngest son. The article above was slightly written through gritted teeth, as I’ve revealed a lot more of my personal life than I’m normally accustomed to, but I hope this provides some valuable insights.

Death Nest: Chapter 1 Excerpt

According to readers so far, this is an opening that immediately grips the reader. As an author that’s all very encouraging to hear.

Death Nest: Chapter 7 Excerpt

A second clip, this time from a flashback chapter, introducing a key supporting character.

Death Nest: Settings, Research, Revisions

Various locations in southwest England, as well as my home city of Oxford, were chosen as a setting. This article also touches on other research aspects, and some of the ways in which the novel was rewritten.

Death Nest: Inspiration and Influences

Here I discuss the initial idea for the novel, and how it evolved, including an abandoning of almost all the original premise, and the switching of the protagonist’s gender from female to male (my horror-thriller novel protagonists are usually female). I also mention other novels and a few films that informed the story.

Death Nest: Initial Reviews

The five-star raves are starting to trickle in! Check out some reader feedback here.

Death Nest is in paperback or on Kindle from Amazon (click here for the UK, and here for the US). It’s also available from Smashwords and its various outlets.

(All images designed by author in Canva.)

Death Nest: Initial Reviews

Posted on by
Image created by author in Canva.

The first reviews for my latest novel, mystery thriller Death Nest, are starting to trickle in. I’m thrilled to tell you they are five-star raves! I’m extremely pleased readers are finding this book as gripping and entertaining as I had hoped. My fears that the story would prove too painfully personal (for reasons discussed here) seem to have been unfounded. I’m glad.

Let’s take a look at what people are saying.

“Once I started reading this, I couldn’t put it down. The mystique of the storyline drew me in and held my attention until the very end.” – Joseph M Zobel, Amazon.

“I couldn’t put it down because the twists and turns kept me on my toes. Dillon’s deep dives into characters, narrative, mystery, and intrigue kept me totally engaged. There were no lulls… I was sorry when it ended.” – Annabelle Colbert, Amazon.

“The perfect pre-Halloween read. A wonderful combination of dark and supernatural forces with moral dilemmas in life that we can all relate to, and a thread of romance that runs right through the story… Thoroughly enjoyable (if deeply disturbing at times) and hard to put down from start to finish.” – Saltram, Amazon.

The above reviews can be read in full here.

If you’ve read and enjoyed Death Nest, please do add a review to Amazon or Goodreads (or ideally both). It doesn’t have to be long or eloquent. A one-liner saying you enjoyed it is fine. I seek reviews not to massage my ego (though obviously good reviews are encouraging) but because they are absolutely vital for independent writers like yours truly. Reviews mean the algorithms show my books to more people who potentially buy them. As such, reviews literally put food on my table, so a huge thank you to all of you who take the time to write them. It is so, so appreciated.

If you’ve not read Death Nest, here’s the blurb from the back of the book to whet your appetite.

From the author of Spectre of Springwell Forest and The Irresistible Summons…

A nail-biting new mystery.

After his young son Ben writes a disturbing story about murdering a boy in a forest, widower Nick Unwin is alarmed by eerie parallels between his son’s behaviour and that of his younger brother Jason, prior to his inexplicable disappearance twenty years previously. This tragic past returns to haunt Nick when he sees an image of his long-lost brother in a newly released film.

Fearing history will repeat itself, Nick decides to investigate, along with Tanith, an old flame from his early teenage years, with dark secrets of her own connected to Jason’s disappearance. But as they delve deeper into the labyrinthine mysteries of their past, long buried memories resurface. Nick is forced to face the terrible fear that has plagued him for decades: Was he responsible for the death of his brother?

A riveting coming-of-age thriller exploring traumatic sibling relationships, parental fears, and the misleading nature of memory, Death Nest is Simon Dillon’s most gripping novel yet.

Death Nest is available in paperback or on Kindle from Amazon (click here for the UK, and here for the US). It’s also available from Smashwords and its various outlets.