To say 2020 hasn’t gone the way I expected so far would be an understatement. However, in one respect it has gone to plan: I have just finished the first draft of my latest novel.
I won’t announce the title just yet, so let’s call it The White Nest for now. That won’t be the final title, but the White Nest is an element of the narrative. What is the White Nest? Is it something sinister? Obviously. This is a gripping gothic mystery akin to all my previous endeavours in that genre, including The Birds Began to Sing, The Irresistible Summons, Spectre of Springwell Forest, The Thistlewood Curse, and Phantom Audition.
The White Nest has a full checklist of my favourite gothic tropes, including a sleepy south-west England village, haunted forest, eerie mansion, secret tunnels, dubious secret experimental facilities, occult secret societies, ghosts, demons, curses, mysterious disappearances, childhood memories buried by trauma, rug-pulling twist ending… you name it. You could even call this novel Now That’s What I Call A Simon Dillon Gothic Mystery if you really wanted to, as it is something of a compilation of my preoccupations, genre wise.
Like some of my earlier novels, this one also straddles the borders between mystery thriller and supernatural horror. However, one key trope has changed. Instead of a tenacious imperilled heroine at the centre of the drama, this story features a male protagonist. In fact, this novel is different in a number of ways, because it is a highly personal work. Yes, I know, all writing is personal to some degree, but this one really does jab some of my raw nerves in the themes it explores – including the challenges in sibling relationships, parental fears, false guilt, coming of age, and more. In that respect, it is my most “personal” work since Children of the Folded Valley.
The actual plot? Sorry, that remains top secret for now. It’s likely to remain top secret for some time too, as I need the dust to settle on this one, before I return to it with a fresh eye. Although presently a hefty 105,000 words or so, I hope to shave about 10,000 words from that length, deleting a few less essential subplots and/or characters, much like what happened with The Irresistible Summons.
As for what I’ll be writing next, I do have a nifty idea for a fantasy novel, based on a rather strange dream I had last year. When I shared this dream with a colleague, she said that if I didn’t turn it into a book, she would! At any rate, I hope to begin at least outlining this one soon.
In between planning, I’ll probably pen the odd short spooky story, including one (or possibly two) set during the present pandemic. Watch this space.
Over the next few months, I’m highlighting some of my earlier novels. This month, I’ve been delving into treasure hunt adventure 
Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson) – The granddaddy of all treasure hunt adventures, the influence of this classic could hardly be overlooked. In particular, the character of Long John Silver and his relationship with Jim is a key inspiration. Silver is a compelling character, but he is dangerous, and you are never quite sure whose side he is on, or if he will suddenly turn on Jim. There are hints of this danger in the relationship between Max and Flynn in my novel.
Five On A Treasure Island (Enid Blyton) – I’m a big fan of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series. Whilst Five Go To Smuggler’s Top is my absolute favourite, this initial entry is also a cracking tale of children finding the treasure of local legend. It also illustrates one of the key principles of a great treasure hunt narrative (whether aimed at adults or children), in that the discovery of the treasure is ultimately and ironically secondary to obtaining something of even greater value – in this case, lasting friendship between the children, and the restoration of relationship between George and her parents. In my book, the treasure is important, but the restored relationship between Max and his father is the much greater prize.
Pigeon Post (Arthur Ransome) – Arthur Ransome’s superb Swallows and Amazons series are shamefully neglected by many these days. They normally concern boating adventures, but in this instalment, our heroes go prospecting for gold in the Lake District, whilst dodging the attention of a rival prospector. Other books in this series are more famous, but I always had a soft spot for this one. Peter Duck was another Ransome influence, incidentally.
The Goonies – A gang of children follow a map to buried treasure to save their neighbourhood from being torn down by smug property developers who want to build a golf course. Yes, it’s all rather noisy and obnoxious, but for children of a certain age (ie my age), this film can do no wrong. Packed with maps, cryptic clues, secret passages, booby traps, villainous rival treasure hunters, and so on, this is an obvious influence on my book that it would disingenuous to ignore.
Mary Poppins – The Disney film rather than the PL Travers’s novels are the inspiration here. Mr Banks routinely ignores his children (and to be fair, so does Mrs Banks). The magical Mary Poppins then appears, taking the children on extraordinary adventures whilst work drives Mr Banks to a nervous breakdown. However, upon realising what is important in life, Mr (and Mrs) Banks then are reunited with their children – at which point Poppins exits stage right. This theme is echoed in Uncle Flynn, with the establishment of the estranged relationship between Max and his father, which then gives way to adventures with Flynn, ahead of the big twist in the finale.
Over the next few months, I’m highlighting some of my earlier novels. This month, continuing my series on treasure hunt adventure 
Buckfast Abbey was another key location used in the book. Much of the history of the abbey works its way into the novel, especially regarding how Henry VIII burned priceless Catholic books, closed the abbey, and had its gold and other treasures transferred to London. William Petre, who is mentioned in the novel, oversaw this process. He later retired in the south-west, purchasing a couple of manors. Uncle Flynn moves beyond these facts to suggest William Petre had other motives for returning, namely that he had become obsessed with tracking down the treasure hidden by a few clever monks that had slipped through his fingers.
I’ve recently been interviewed on a number of blogs, mainly to promote my latest gothic mystery novel 
Simon Dillon Books 
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