Tag Archives: Mystery

Spectre of Springwell Forest: Have you read it yet?

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Have you read Spectre of Springwell Forest yet? If you love a gripping supernatural mystery, why not give it a go?

Spectre promo 1

A nail-biting ghost story in the classic tradition of Susan Hill or MR James, the plot concerns Lily Parker, who, after moving to the sleepy village of Springwell, discovers in her attic an eerie painting depicting an abandoned railway tunnel amid a local forest.

When she learns the secretive villagers also have paintings of this image on walls in their homes, Lily begins to ask questions no-one is willing to answer. Then, after an uncanny encounter in the forest, a mysterious figure appears in the painting, emerging from the tunnel.

Every time Lily looks at the picture, the figure gets closer and closer. At the same time, Lily’s young daughter Olivia begins to exhibit increasingly strange, disturbing behaviour.

Spectre of Springwell Forest has had several great reviews. Here’s a sample from Amazon:

“A darkly intense and intriguing horror story full of mystery… Will have you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end.”

“A wonderful horror/thriller, which cannily interplays woo and rationality so that the reader can decide which explanation they favour. A creeping sense of unease starts almost immediately – even before you know what is to come you are shouting at Lily to leave well alone. Dillon writes excellently and believably as a 1st person female protagonist. The story is tightly written with little preamble which has a pleasingly sudden way of throwing you into this strange and disturbing village.”

“Carefully chosen words oozed from the text, creating a creepy feeling as the story went on. But the element of the novel that kept me turning the page was the suspenseful mystery and the attachment I felt to the mother protecting her child.”

“The story is slow-building and the spookiness develops in a subtle manner with an occasional BANG of fright. If you like subtle creepiness that builds as the story progresses, I’d recommend this. Good read for horror fans. Also good for those who enjoy sniffing out a mystery.”

“Spine-chilling, terrifying, absolutely gripping… a fantastic read, very well written.”

Spectre of Springwell Forest is available now and can be ordered here.

New release – The Irresistible Summons

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Exciting news! My next novel, The Irresistible Summons, is out on the 27th of July.

Published by Dragon Soul Press (who published my previous novel, Spectre of Springwell Forest), The Irresistible Summons is a gripping supernatural horror thriller that grabs from the very start and doesn’t let go.

The photos in this article tease a few locations from the novel – Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor, a haunted office block on Canary Wharf, and eerie, abandoned London Underground tunnels.

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

The nail-biting new novel from the author of Spectre of Springwell Forest…

Television producer Naomi Levinson makes documentaries debunking the supernatural.

When asked to film a promotional video for computer game company Persephone, she considers the task beneath her talents. But as production gets underway at the Persephone office block on London’s Canary Wharf, a mysterious disappearance, ghostly sightings, and lingering tragedy from Naomi’s past lead her to believe she might have stumbled into a genuine haunting.

As Naomi continues to investigate, past and present collide in a horrifying conspiracy. Cutting edge technology and ancient evil meet, leading to the discovery of a shocking and terrifying secret that could change the nature of life and death as we know it.

The Irresistible Summons is released on the 27th of July. Pre-orders will be available soon, and there will be a cover reveal within the next week or so. Watch this space.

Recent Reviews: First Love and Spectre of Springwell Forest

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I’ve had one or two very encouraging reviews on Amazon for my recent work. Firstly, there was this review for Papercut, my short story included in Dragon Soul Press’s romantic fantasy anthology First Love.

First-Love-Kindle“I had a fantastic time reading the anthology. My absolute favourite stories were A Season’s Time, Papercut, and The Rusalka of the Murashka. Mayhap I’m biased because I like stories with a folk and fairy tale twist, or it maybe that I love stories set in nature, or perhaps I simply loved the strong and surprisingly well fleshed out female characters in each story, and wanted them to get everything they wanted. But either way, my reading time was well spent with Shargorod’s little river, Chimney’s dreamscape and a nyad’s forest.”

Secondly, this lengthy rave review of Spectre of Springwell Forest proved particularly satisfying. It essentially told me I achieved everything I set out to achieve with this novel. Here is a slightly edited version:

SSF cover“A darkly intense and intriguing horror story full of mystery, Spectre of Springwell Forest… will have you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end. You won’t dare want to put this book down, as it will haunt you with the darkness that threatens a family, and that threatens to tear them apart in every way… Dark, intense, engaging, and truly gripping from beginning to end…

If you are a lover of horror novels, the supernatural, and don’t mind twisted endings then I think that this book will be a good fit for you. The damage that the family in this story suffers is truly believable. You would honestly think that this story could have happened to someone from the way that it is written so true to life. There are moments of where I normally would have been angry at characters for what they did, but this story felt so real and I loved it!

I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. There is nothing that I didn’t like about this story. It is twisted, creepy, dark, and mysterious and kept me engaged. The more I read the deeper I was pulled into the story. I loved the moments of where my jaw literally dropped in shock. I have to admit that I am one who enjoys books from time to time that gives you that less than happy ending, and this book does exactly that. A curse has been laid… and nothing will stop it. Enter Springwell Forest if you dare, but be prepared for the consequences.”

If you read and enjoy any of my stories, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads (or ideally both). Reviews on Amazon in particular really help. This isn’t because I require constant affirmation, but because reviews mean their algorithms show my work to more readers. As such, reviews are essential to the livelihood of small time or independent authors like yours truly. They don’t need to be essays. A simple “I liked it” is fine.

Thank you.

Title Announcement for my next novel (and other news)

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As well as promoting new releases Spectre of Springwell Forest and my short story Papercut (part of the First Love romantic fantasy anthology), I’ve made good use of the grim winter months writing another spooky mystery novel entitled (drumroll…) Phantom Audition.

St Johns Museum, Warwick

I struggled more than usual to find a title for this particular novel, even resorting to testing a few suggested titles on social media. But in the end, my closest friend suggested this title to me, and it stuck.

Phantom Audition revolves around Mia Yardley, a recently widowed bit-part actress grieving for her much more successful actor husband in his ancestral family mansion (like the one pictured above). Cryptic runes, a strange diary, a mysterious medium, and ghostly visions gradually lead to the unravelling of a sinister mystery. Is Mia being given a message from beyond the grave?

This novel sits more at the supernatural/psychological thriller end of my gothic thriller/horror spectrum, though there are still plenty of suspenseful, skin-crawling moments. I intend to beta test it very soon, and once that’s happened (and it’s been through various publisher hurdles), it should be available this October.

Before then I have another scary novel to unleash, called The Irresistible Summons. This is a haunted house story of a very different kind about which I will say no more at present, other than you can expect to have it in your hands in July.

In between those two releases, I might just release another short story. It all depends whether my somewhat offbeat submission to my publisher’s upcoming Coffins and Dragons anthology is accepted. Watch this space.

Spectre of Springwell Forest: Summary of Recent Articles

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SSF coverIf you haven’t yet picked up a copy of my ghost story mystery novel Spectre of Springwell Forest, why not give it a go? Here’s a one-stop shop with links to all the articles pertaining to this page-turning, spooky nail-biter.

Introduction to the novel

“Lily starts to make out a mysterious figure in the painting of the railway tunnel. As time passes, the eerie figure becomes more and more clearly defined, but Lily is disturbed to discover no-one can see it but her…”

Influences and Inspiration

“Two undoubted influences on the story are Susan Hill’s seminal The Woman in Black, and the shorts of ghost story par excellence author MR James…”

Trees, Tunnels and Toadstools

“I undertook research into hallucinogenic fungi for the novel (no, not that kind of “research”).”

Simple, Relatable Fears

“All great horror stories have, at their core, a simple and relatable fear which is then explored, exploited and exaggerated.”

Early reviews

A smattering of early review comments, including this one: “Spine-chilling, terrifying, absolutely gripping… a fantastic read, very well written.”

The Tangent Tree podcast interview

Samantha Stephen interviews me about Spectre of Springwell Forest and my writing in general. Listen on Spotify, iTunes, Podcast Addict or on the Tangent Tree website.

To order a paperback or e-book of Spectre of Springwell Forest click here (for the UK) and here (in the US).

Spectre of Springwell Forest – Initial Reviews

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Initial reviews for my ghost story mystery novel Spectre of Springwell Forest are starting to come in, and they are very positive so far.

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Here’s a sample from Amazon readers:

“A wonderful horror/thriller, which cannily interplays woo and rationality so that the reader can decide which explanation they favour. A creeping sense of unease starts almost immediately – even before you know what is to come you are shouting at Lily to leave well alone. Dillon writes excellently and believably as a 1st person female protagonist. The story is tightly written with little preamble which has a pleasingly sudden way of throwing you into this strange and disturbing village.”

“Carefully chosen words oozed from the text, creating a creepy feeling as the story went on. But the element of the novel that kept me turning the page was the suspenseful mystery and the attachment I felt to the mother protecting her child.”

“The story is slow-building and the spookiness develops in a subtle manner with an occasional BANG of fright. If you like subtle creepiness that builds as the story progresses, I’d recommend this. Good read for horror fans. Also good for those who enjoy sniffing out a mystery.”

“Spine-chilling, terrifying, absolutely gripping… a fantastic read, very well written.”

To order a paperback or e-book of Spectre of Springwell Forest click here (for the UK) and here (in the US).

Spectre of Springwell Forest: Simple Relatable Fears

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SSF coverAll great horror stories have, at their core, a simple and relatable fear which is then explored, exploited and exaggerated. In my opinion that is what makes for a really memorable scary tale, not blood and gore.

My new novel Spectre of Springwell Forest asks this simple question: how far would you be prepared to go, to protect your child? Would you run away from a possible supernatural threat? Or would you stand up it? What if you didn’t understand the evil force you were up against? Would you research it to try and find a way to defeat it, or would you think some questions don’t have good answers and run for it?

Lily Parker, the protagonist at the heart of the story, faces all the above questions. She is curious, but inwardly battles against a second instinct urging her to flee. In addition, her investigations take her to an increasingly lonely place. As she gradually asks questions, a breakdown in communication occurs within her marriage, alienating her from her sceptical husband.

The novel isn’t all mystery, suspense and scares. I make room for a few slightly satirical moments. For instance, the competitiveness of parents of primary school children and related playground politics, as well as some jokey nods to UK political history.

In addition, Spectre of Springwell Forest touches on the folly of mob justice, and one or two other questions concerning the precise nature of the supernatural force at the heart of the tale. I have always enjoyed horror stories that include enough ambiguity for the reader to bring their own interpretations. Despite the apparently inexplicable nature of events in the story, there are a few hints here and there that might just offer a more rational explanation, for those that want such a thing. Yes, it all builds to a shocking and unexpected finale, but even then… Well, I shall say nothing more, for fear of spoilers.

Spectre of Springwell Forest is out now. Pick up your copy here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

Spectre of Springwell Forest: Trees, Tunnels and Toadstools

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SSF coverFor all their supernatural shenanigans, I try to keep an air of realism (if not reality) in my horror stories, and my most recent novel Spectre of Springwell Forest is a case in point. To that end, I have tried to base the story locations on real places with which I am familiar. I have also conducted whatever research is necessary to try and maintain this illusion of realism.

I have had it pointed out to me that Springwell Forest is a real place in Northern Ireland. However, my Springwell Forest is not based there but in the south-west of Britain, in Devon near Plymouth, on the southern outskirts of Dartmoor. The village of Springwell draws inspiration from sleepy hamlets and villages such as Hemerdon and Sparkwell, which are located near where I live. It is also partly based on Aston in Oxfordshire, one of the places I lived as a child.

Springwell Forest is inspired by the woods near my house where I often go walking (deer are regularly seen there), but the abandoned railway tunnel is inspired by an area in Plymbridge woods, slightly further from where I live. I have never discovered magic mushrooms in these woods, but I undertook research into hallucinogenic fungi for the novel (no, not that kind of “research”).

Another question I am often asked concerns the subject of witchcraft, and how much research I did for those elements of the story. The simple answer is very little (at least, for this novel). The witchcraft element of the narrative is mostly made-up (and as far as I know, there is no secret society called the Pridwen Order in real life). However, because I wanted the story to have that afore-mentioned air of realism, I researched a few related subjects, such as differences between Wicca and witchcraft, and a handful of other elements that I won’t bore you with here.

Spectre of Springwell Forest is out now. Pick up your copy here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

Spectre of Springwell Forest – Influences and Inspiration

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What writers inspired my latest novel Spectre of Springwell Forest?

Two undoubted influences on the story are Susan Hill’s seminal The Woman in Black, and the shorts of ghost story par excellence author MR James (such as The Ash Tree and Oh Whistle And I’ll Come To You My Lad). There’s also a smidgeon of Don’t Look Now by Daphne Du Maurier present, along with a dash of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. In fact, pretty much all my favourite ghost stories have informed this novel in some way, shape or form.

In the case of The Woman in Black, one of the major inspirations was the structure of the novel, including the framing device, and the famously upsetting, terse finale. I’ve always loved the way that book begins in a more settled present; at Christmas (like my story) but with a sense that the apparent serenity of the present masks long buried pain. Certainly as Arthur Kipps recounts his bone-chilling visit to Eel Marsh House, it becomes apparent that he is opening wounds that have never really healed.

With Spectre of Springwell Forest, I wanted to capture something of this tone in the framing device structure, and with the nasty sting in the tail right at the end. Thematically my novel shares other DNA with The Woman in Black – the apparent threat to children, for instance. Don’t Look Now also deals with the death of children and the supernatural.

On the other hand, I didn’t want Spectre of Springwell Forest to be one hundred percent clear cut in its explanations. The Turn of the Screw has an ambiguity that has always appealed to me, and in my novel, amid the spooky shenanigans I wanted to hint that there might – just might – be a natural explanation.

In the case of MR James’s stories, it was more the terrifying tone of those tales that proved an influence, rather than plot specifics. His superbly suspenseful prose remains unsurpassed. If my book contains a tenth of the churning dread conjured by his writing, I will have done very well. Of course, my novel doesn’t set out to copy his work or the other afore-mentioned classics, but seeks to be its own beast.

Spectre of Springwell Forest is out now. Pick up your copy here (in the UK) or here (in the US).

Spectre of Springwell Forest – An introduction

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Spectre of Springwell Forest, my first novel published via a traditional publisher (as opposed to self-published) is out now.

A nail-biting, bone-chilling supernatural mystery, Spectre of Springwell Forest is a ghost story in the classical tradition, but with a number of important differences. Here is a more in-depth introduction to the story than I have previously written about on this blog.

SSF coverThe novel opens in Exeter, 2010. Lily Parker learns that her daughter Olivia is to move to the village of Springwell, near Plymouth. To the surprise of her husband Andy, this sends Lily into terrified despair. She tells him that Olivia absolutely must not move to Springwell, under any circumstances. Andy wants to know why, and Lily then tells him what happened to her many decades previously, in 1979, warning him that she has a horrifying secret that she had previously hoped to take with her to the grave.

In 1979, Lily and her then six-year-old daughter Olivia, along with her first husband Tom Henderson, move to the sleepy village of Springwell. Here they meet a tight lipped community of secretive villagers who seem to have something to hide. Lily then discovers a painting of an abandoned railway tunnel in her attic, by a local artist, Alison Merrifield. Lily is strangely drawn to the painting, particularly the dark maw of the tunnel, and ends up hanging the picture in her hallway.

After meeting her neighbour and other mothers dropping their children at the local primary school, Lily is surprised to learn they all have similar paintings in their homes, all of them painted by Alison Merrifield, all of them showing the same abandoned railway tunnel. The other mothers dismiss this as something of a village in-joke, and when Lily visits Alison in her local craft shop, Alison herself insists she cannot understand why the paintings of the abandoned tunnel are so popular. But Lily senses she is being lied to.

Shortly afterwards, when Lily and Olivia go for a walk in the local forest, they come across a fenced off area in the heart of the woods where the barbed wire has been mysteriously torn apart. Investigating further inside the fenced off section, they discover the very same abandoned railway tunnel of the painting, and enter the tunnel… where something I won’t tell you about happens.

After this incident, Lily starts to make out a mysterious figure in the painting of the railway tunnel. As time passes, the eerie figure becomes more and more clearly defined, but Lily is disturbed to discover no-one can see it but her. Worse still, as the sinister figure is revealed, Olivia starts to behave in an increasingly alarming manner…

Then things get really scary, building to a horrifying and unexpected finale.

I hope this introduction whets your appetite for the story.

Spectre of Springwell Forest is out now. Pick up your copy here (in the UK) and here (in the US).