What have I been up to lately? Here’s a brief summary of my recent writing endeavours.
Short Story: 35 Chestnut Terrace
A young woman tries to exonerate her fiancé of a horrific murder, but is he innocent?
This mystery thriller whodunnit, inspired by a Sherlock Holmes short story I won’t mention (for fear of spoiling both my story and Arthur Conan Doyle’s) has just concluded on Substack and Medium, having been serialised in weekly parts every Thursday.
Check out part one of this suspenseful tale on Substack here. If you don’t subscribe to me on Substack, click here to do so (or upgrade your existing subscription for the appropriate access). Alternatively, part one can be read on Medium here (this is a “friend link” appetiser, so should bypass the paywall, though you’d need to subscribe to Medium to read the remaining parts on this platform).
New Short Story
I’ve just finished another new short story, but it has yet to be tested with beta-readers, so it is somewhat under wraps at present. I won’t reveal the title, but it’s a dystopian thriller, set a few decades in the future, involving an Oxford university student whose unusual dream makes him a target of cultists and sinister government agencies with dubious agendas. This is sci-fi, but it also blends elements of fantasy, and arguably horror. Although a bit of an odd tale, I enjoyed experimenting with it.
At present, this short story sits at a rather bloated 18,000 words, so more of a novella. I may hack it down a bit as I can think of at least one character and subplot I’d like to excise. But on the whole, I’m pleased with this. The premise fits nicely with some of my previous dystopian short stories, such as those I included in my dystopian anthology Love and Other Punishments.
Patreon
I’ve also recently updated my Patreon aims (click here for full details). How did I get on with the goals I posted last September? Check out this article here. Accountability is important on Patreon.
I started my Patreon page a couple of years ago. This has attracted a small but wonderful group of people who believe in my fiction writing endeavours, and financially support my ongoing quest for mainstream publication. They are hugely appreciated, and whilst they provide ample encouragement, I’m keen to grow this branch of the Dillon Empire.
Depending on giving levels, these lovely people are named Allies, Free Citizens, or Knights of the Dillon Empire. All giving levels get my awkward video updates, like this one (which I’ve made free to view). Then, at higher levels, there are insights into my writing process, interviews with my characters, exclusive deleted scenes or bonus material, advance peeks at covers and artwork, and previews of short stories, novellas, and novels. I’ve also finished serialising chapters from my current draft of mystery thriller The Balliol Conspiracy and have recently started another serial of a draft novel, dark fantasy tale The Deviant Prophet.
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.
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.)
I’ve recently updated my Patreon goals and reflected on those achieved over the past year. On the whole, I did pretty well, I think. Out of eight major goals set, I achieved six and a half. It’s important to be accountable to one’s supporters, so I’ve laid out the details in this article.
I am still keep to attract further patrons, so please consider supporting me. I have four giving levels: Ally of the Dillon Empire (£2 per month), Free Citizen of the Dillon Empire (£4 per month), Knight of the Dillon Empire (£8 per month), and General of the Dillon Empire (£25 per month). Depending on the level of support, I offer monthly video updates, insights into my writing process, previews of short stories, chapter drafts, and cover art, interviews with my characters, serialised novel drafts, and exclusive material (including other fiction snippets) not seen anywhere else.
If you’re considering supporting me, why not head over to my Patreon page for more information? Here’s the link.
Whilst I carry on writing the first draft of the new novel in earnest (currently about 75,000 words in, closing in on the end of chapter 18), I’ve continued to be as prolific as ever on Medium and Patreon. Here are a few highlights.
On Patreon, I’m serialising the current unpolished draft of my psychological mystery thriller The Balliol Conspiracy. I’ve also kept up with my awkward video updates, and one or two other bits and pieces. Here’s a sample of what’s available to supporters.
Watch me awkwardly bumble my way through a writing update in a woodland, decidedly in need of a haircut, and sounding out of breath. Plus added snark from subtitles added by my eldest son.
I thought it might be fun to run a series of short interviews conducted with characters from my novels. First up, the protagonist of my most successful novel to date, Children of the Folded Valley. Here, I imagine him being harassed by a curious journalist in-between the events of acts two and three (which are alluded to in mysterious, hopefully intriguing terms, but not spoiled for those who haven’t read the novel).
This is a snippet of a satirical sci-fi comedy project I started fifteen years ago, abandoned, and am considering picking up again. It might wind up as a short story or novella, but this is a sample what I’ve written so far. It concerns an extremely reluctant alien invader, mired in middle management apathy.
The Dillon Empire lists the great director’s films in order of personal preference. (NOTE: There’s a link to the second part at the end, which in turn has a link to the third part at the end.)
You too can breed smug specimens of cinematic literacy. (NOTE: This is the final part in this series. There are links to all five previous parts at the beginning).
That’s a wrap for this month. Thank you again for all your support, and as always, a massive extra huge thank you to all my supporters on Patreon – Claus, Robin, Eric, David P, Steve, Emma, Sterling, Galina, Ian, Gillian, Yasmine and Ville, plus those who have contributed one-off donations on Ko-fi. Also, thank you to Ruth and Iain, and David S, and to everyone who has bought books, reviewed books, and promoted or supported me in other ways. You are hugely, hugely appreciated, and I couldn’t do this without you.
If you aren’t already a supporter on Patreon, please take a look at this link, which outlines my writing goals for the next year, clearly stating how much I wish to raise and why, and offering support levels of £2, £4, £8, and £25 per month, with different benefits at each level. Please consider supporting me, even if only at the lower level, as every contribution helps.
Those of you who aren’t Medium subscribers get three free reads per month. However, if you decide to subscribe to Medium to read all my work (and the work of many others), please do so via this link, as it means I financially benefit from your subscription.
I’ve had a busy start to 2023. Whilst writing the first draft of my latest novel, I’ve also been posting on Patreon and Medium, as usual.
On Patreon, I’ve added a number of new insights into my writing, updates, and other exclusive bits and pieces for my supporters. For instance, they now have chapters three and four of my novel The Balliol Conspiracy, which I’m serialising the draft, pre-edited version of, as a special bonus for those supporting at “Knight of the Dillon Empire” level (£8 per month), or higher. The Balliol Conspiracy, which will almost certainly be retitled when I eventually decide what to do with it, is a romantic psychological mystery-cum spy thriller a genre apart from my usual gothic oeuvre.
For Knights of the Dillon Empire, here are the two latest instalments.
Bridge engineer Stanley Orchard goes to Heathrow airport to collect the mysterious left luggage suitcase he bid for in an online auction, only to become suspicious he is being watched.
Stanley Orchard goes to visit his mother, having picked up the mysterious left luggage suitcase he’d bid for in an online auction. His mother has some surprising personal news, and an intriguing visitor.
My awkward video update shenanigans continue, and once again, as per my December update, my eldest son tries to muscle in on the act, leaving various sarcastic captions as I spout about what I’ve been up to. I’ve had some supporters tell me they are patrons for these video updates alone, as they enjoy watching me squirm on camera. I shall continue to indulge their sadistic whims. These updates are available from the lowest support tier and up, so if you wish to become an “Ally of the Dillon” Empire, it’s a mere £2 per month.
Supporters on Patreon at “Free Citizen of the Dillon Empire” level or higher (£4 per month) get these exclusive updates and insights into progress on my latest novel, and my writing process in general. If you want news about what I’m up to, you’ll hear it here first.
Elsewhere, I’ve been busy on Medium. Herewith some highlights, beginning with the first part of this series I’ve just started.
That’s a wrap for this month. Thank you again for all your support, and as always, an extra huge thank you to all my supporters on Patreon – Claus, Robin, Eric, David P, Steve, Emma, Sterling, Galina, Ian, Gillian, Yasmine and Ville, plus those who have contributed one-off donations on Ko-fi. Also, thank you to Ruth and Iain, and David S, and to every one of you who has bought books, reviewed books, and promoted or supported me in other ways. You know who you are, and I wouldn’t be here without you.
If you aren’t already a supporter on Patreon, please take a look at this link, which outlines my writing goals for the next year, clearly stating how much I wish to raise and why, and offering support levels of £2, £4, £8, and £25 per month, with different benefits at each level. Please consider supporting me, even if only at the lower level, as every pound makes a huge difference.
Those of you who aren’t Medium subscribers get three free reads per month. However, if you decide to subscribe to Medium to read all my work (and the work of many others), please do so via this link, as it means I financially benefit from your subscription.
Happy New Year from the Dillon Empire. I hope you’re enjoying your holiday. Time to reveal some of what I have planned for 2023, writing-wise.
Firstly, I’m penning another gothic mystery novel. This one involves a young woman caught in a web of blackmail, but that noir-ish opening gradually gives way to potentially supernatural horror elements that creep into the narrative. I don’t want to say too much more at this stage, but I’ve already written chapter one, and I hope to have a first draft within the next three months. The finished novel should sit nicely alongside my previous gothic horror-thrillers, including Spectre of Springwell Forest, The Irresistible Summons, and Phantom Audition.
Secondly, I plan to make good on one of my unrealised goals of 2022 and publish an overdue second volume of short stories. This one will probably stay away from horror, but it will contain romance, science fiction, fantasy, dark comedy, and various other genres. Most of the stories have been previously published on Medium and one or two other places, but at least two stories will be exclusive to this volume.
Thirdly, I plan to revise and polish The Hobbford Giant, so it is ready to show to agents and publishers, should the need arise. I wrote this novel last year, so I’m ready to take another look at it, having given a decent interval of time for the dust to settle on my objectivity. I have a good feeling about this one, so watch this space.
Fourthly, I shall continue pushing my gothic mystery The White Nest (real title still redacted for now) with literary agents, in the hope of securing mainstream publication. I’ve had some encouraging noises on that front, but nothing certain yet. It would be great to get to the end of 2023 with something concrete.
On top of this, I plan to continue writing on Medium and Patreon, and I have one or two other platform launches I’m planning for 2023, which I’ll keep quiet about for now. As ever, watch this space. Thank you for all your support of my writing endeavours, and once again, Happy New Year.
This year has been an exciting one, as I continue to make sense of my new profession: Full-time writer. Some of what that has meant I won’t bore you with. The duller freelance assignments are hardly worth mentioning, though they help pay the bills. However, in this piece, I will review the goals from my New Year post and see how they compare with what I actually achieved.
This gothic mystery novel was top of my year’s writing goals, and I’m pleased to say I now have a first draft. Next year, I will look at the manuscript with a more critical eye, having had a bit of distance from it, and start to polish it up.
A dark and sinister tale to sit alongside the likes of Spectre of Springwell Forest, The Irresistible Summons, The Thistlewood Curse, Phantom Audition, and The Birds Began to Sing, The Hobbford Giant is set in 1997, and concerns a young woman, Mira, who gets a job as a journalist at a local newspaper in the (fictional) town of Hobbford in southwest England. Years earlier, a huge abuse scandal caused the closure of the local orphanage where her parents grew up, revolving around the man in charge, Gregory Barry. Although he was due to be put on trial, Gregory Barry vanished without a trace before he could be prosecuted.
Mira stays with her reclusive uncle Artemis (her mother’s older brother), until she can find a place of her own. Art is a therapist to rich clients. He lives in a large house and seems to have done very well for himself, but for reasons I won’t get into here, he is estranged from Mira’s parents, who are less than keen on her staying with him. Once in Hobbford, Mira reports on an archaeological dig investigating a local legend about a giant buried in a nearby hillside. What took place in the Hobbford orphanage rears its ugly head as the plot thickens, and Mira soon discovers she has a highly personal connection to the mystery.
For this story, I was somewhat inspired by the real-life Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset, and the legends surrounding it. In my story, local legend states this giant was sent by a witch to take revenge, after the witch in question was persecuted. The giant was slain, and the body supposedly buried inside the hill. What bearing this has on the main narrative has to remain under wraps for the time being.
Another writing goal this year was simply to continue with my Medium output. This I have also achieved, having published well over a hundred exclusive-to-Medium articles. Here’s a sample of some of my favourites.
Once again, I set myself the goal of restarting this film podcast series. And once again, this didn’t happen. My producer and co-presenter Samantha Stephen also wants to restart this, but our paths in life have rather diverged of late. Samantha is busy pursuing her academic goals with great aplomb (currently working on her Masters) and no longer lives nearby, so that’s part of the reason we’ve not yet pulled our fingers out on this one.
Has The Tangent Tree had its day? I don’t know. I hope not. I’ll talk to Samantha again and if there is any news, I shall announce it here. But I don’t think it’s fair to include this on my annual goals list next year when a new series failed to materialise two years in a row.
My writing goals for 2022 also included releasing another short stories anthology. This didn’t happen either, but I still plan to do this, ideally early next year. On a more positive note, I wrote a handful of new short stories this year, some of which I’m holding on to for the time being, as they might wind up as exclusives for the aforementioned anthology. Three others were published in Medium publication Fictions.
In-Between
Originally conceived as a supernatural satire, this evolved into something far more personal. It concerns a recently deceased man whose attempts to haunt his family are constantly interrupted by ghost politicians attempting to secure his vote in an afterlife by-election. Check it out in full here.
Sweet Dreams
A science fiction thriller set in the near future, about a journalist investigating a tech company that manufactures nightmare-suppressing nanotech for children. Check out part one here. (NOTE: Links to subsequent parts are included at the end of each instalment.)
Vindicta
A spine-tingling ghost story set shortly after the end of World War II, concerning a jewel thief and murderer whose past catches up with him whilst fleeing for South America. Check out part one here. (NOTE: Links to subsequent parts are included at the end of each instalment.)
The final goal in this year’s list was to keep pursuing mainstream publication. This I did for my grown-up fantasy novel Ravenseed; an epic set mostly in the Dark Ages. Alas, this full-blooded tale of love, lust, betrayal, and vengeance didn’t get any bites. I’m hanging on to the manuscript for now, as I’m hopeful I may be able to generate interest in the future.
However, more hopefully, I have had a certain amount of interest shown by literary agents in my gothic mystery The White Nest (not the real title – I’m keeping that a secret for now). Here’s a snippet of my agent pitch, to give you a taste of the plot.
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 in (title redacted), my 99,000-word modern gothic mystery novel. It’s also a coming-of-age romance with hints of the supernatural, exploring traumatic sibling relationships, parental worries, false guilt, 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 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 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?
As I said, I’m hearing positive noises, and have good feedback post-full manuscript requests, but certain details need to be ironed out. I’ll keep you updated once I have definitive news, so watch this space.
Other Achievements This Year
One of the reasons I didn’t publish a short story anthology this year is because I chose instead to focus on the rewrite, retitling, and rerelease of The George Hughes Trilogy. As I’ve explained elsewhere on my blog, this trilogy of sci-fi adventure novels were originally titled George Goes to Mars, George Goes to Titan, and George Goes to Neptune, but I decided to withdraw them because I felt the titles didn’t do them justice (they sounded too much like picture books for very young children). I also wanted to polish the manuscripts up to my current standards, as the first novel, in particular, needed a shakedown, having been written well over fifteen years ago (I’ve improved a lot as a writer since then).
I rolled my sleeves up and did a big push on rewrites. The new titles are The Martian Inheritance, The Titan War, and The Neptune Conspiracy, each of which I much prefer. I’m enormously proud of these three stories, and always have been (the stories themselves haven’t changed). I designed new covers too. As a result, I’m doing a big push on these stories at the moment, as you’ve probably noticed. I have also released all three novels in a special omnibus volume that’s three for the price of two.
Finally, I decided to launch a Patreon page this year, to help with funding my writing endeavours. I offer people the chance to support me at four different levels (Ally of the Dillon Empire, Free Citizen of the Dillon Empire, Knight of the Dillon Empire, and General of the Dillon Empire), and so far, I’ve had over ten supporters. I post exclusive material for supporters, including exclusive sneak peeks at covers, images, title announcements, and so on, plus early access to short stories and novel samples, writing updates, video updates, film of the month recommendations, interesting deleted segments, and more. At present, for Knight of the Dillon Empire support level and higher, I’m serialising the draft version of my thriller novel The Balliol Conspiracy (the title may change if it is ever released).
Please have a look at my Patreon page here and consider supporting me. If nothing else, check out the hilariously awkward video of me at the edge of Wistman’s wood on Dartmoor last September, in desperate need of a haircut.
As you can see, I’ve certainly been busy during the last twelve months. I’m taking it a bit easier throughout the rest of December, as I’ve been rather flat out this year and could do with the break. What are my goals for 2023? I shall expound on that further on New Year’s Day. Watch this space.
It only remains for me to wish you all a Merry Christmas.
This month on Patreon, I’ve added several new articles, updates, and other snippets for supporters, including chapter two of my draft novel The Balliol Conspiracy. This romantic psychological mystery-cum spy thriller isn’t a part of my usual gothic oeuvre, but I am serialising the draft manuscript as an exclusive for those who support me at Knight of the Dillon Empire level or higher. For those of you who are supporters, in case you’ve missed these, here are a few highlights.
Bridge engineer Stanley Orchard is drawn into a web of intrigue after bidding an outrageous price for a mysterious suitcase in left luggage at Heathrow airport. However, this chapter is primarily a flashback, detailing his relationship with his now-dead wife.
Patrons often get exclusive insights or advance notice of announcements. Here I talk about a particularly irksome aspect of submitting to agents, and also include the pitch for my current submission, gothic mystery novel The White Nest. However, that isn’t the real title. It’s a placeholder temporary title. I will announce the real title here eventually, but if you’re a supporter on Patreon, you already know it, and have been sworn to secrecy (it’s included in this article).
Outside Patreon, I’ve also had the usual busy month on Medium. Here are a few highlights, beginning with a rather silly piece that I hope you find gigglesome.
The legendary maestro gave these disappointing films a set of scores to die for.
That’s it from me this month. Thank you again for all your support, and a special big thank you to all my supporters on Patreon – Claus, Robin, David S, David P, Steve, Emma, Sterling, Galina, Ian, Gillian, Yasmine and Ville, plus those who have contributed one-off donations on Ko-fi. Also, thank you to Ruth and Iain, and thank you to every one of you who has bought books, reviewed books, and promoted or supported me in other ways. You know who you are, and I wouldn’t be here without you.
If you aren’t already a supporter on Patreon, please take a look at this link, which outlines my writing goals for the next year, clearly stating how much I wish to raise and why, and offering support levels of £2, £4, £8, and £25 per month, with different benefits at each level. Please consider supporting me, even if only at the lower level, as every pound makes a huge difference.
Those of you who aren’t Medium subscribers get three free reads per month. However, if you decide to subscribe to Medium to read all my work (and the work of many others), please do so via this link, as it means I financially benefit from your subscription.
The Bodleian Library in Oxford also features in my novel The Balliol Conspiracy. Photo by Lina Kivaka on Pexels
One question authors dread is: Where do you get your ideas? A reasonable enquiry, but often a fiend to answer. Inspiration is a slippery, elusive thing; difficult to pin down in concrete specifics, and infinitely variable. Recently, I faced this question anew, when asked by someone considering supporting me on Patreon. Specifically, he wanted to know where I got the idea for my as-yet-unpublished mystery novel The Balliol Conspiracy.
He asked because for supporters at a certain level, I have just started to serialise this novel in draft form. It’s an exclusive bonus for their patronage, offering the opportunity to read a novel that, in all honesty, I’m rather unsure what to do with. Why am I unsure? Mostly because, as this potential patron pointed out, it sits rather outside my usual oeuvre. It’s a thriller, but it isn’t a gothic horror-thriller of the kind that forms the bulk of my novel output. It sits a genre apart, beginning as an unusual psychological thriller, before evolving into a romantic spy thriller of sorts, akin to something like Hitchcock’s version of The 39 Steps (which added a romantic element absent from John Buchan’s original novel) or North by Northwest.
So why write The Balliol Conspiracy at all, if it’s not really my thing? For a start, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve attempted to go “off-brand”, if you’ll forgive my use of an obscenity. Some years ago, I wrote animal fiction adventure novel Echo and the White Howl. Animal fiction is exceptionally hard to write well, as I discovered. A fascinating and challenging learning experience ensued. I had to go through the manuscript with a fine toothcomb, removing phrases like “couldn’t put his finger on what was wrong”, because, of course, wolves don’t have fingers. Nor could they have knowledge beyond what they would naturally know (no concept of the sea, for instance), yet they need emotional attributes to which human readers can relate: Courage, ambition, anger, love, a sense of humour, and so forth. It was an absolute minefield, but at least I could answer the question of inspiration in a clear, straightforward manner: I wrote it because my youngest son wanted a novel about wolves.
In the case of The Balliol Conspiracy, the question proved much harder to answer. I scratched my head, recalling a conversation with my history-buff adopted brother about how Oliver Cromwell seized the silver of Balliol College in Oxford for his New Model Army during the English Civil War (an incident referenced in BBC classic comedy series Yes Minister episode Doing the Honours). This may have been the spark for the story. Then again, around the same time, whilst directing a TV shoot near Tromso in Norway (of all places), a conversation I had with the cameraman also may have been the genesis of this project. Shivering in temperatures of minus twenty degrees Celsius, he told me about eccentric characters bidding in auctions for unclaimed left luggage at airports; a kind of pot-luck exercise that can lead to the discovery of curious items. This also sparked my interest and informed the premise of the novel.
Despite this sort of inspiration, I still can’t quite understand why I persevered with what proved to be an exceptionally difficult writing experience. The main reason I struggled is I was determined, for once, to write a novel that wouldn’t give my mother nightmares. I fought every instinct in my body to make left turns into horror territory, determining that come hell or high water, it would remain at PG levels of suitability (though it is a grown-up book). The Balliol Conspiracy is still a strong, suspenseful, compelling narrative, but damn, it was hard reining in my urge to make it gory and scary.
At its heart, this is a history-based treasure hunt tale, leading to a new lease of life for its bereaved structural engineer protagonist, who has a mysterious compulsion for purchasing and cataloguing suitcases left in airports. I explained this to my potential patron, but he didn’t seem satisfied with the premise, or my vague explanations about inspiration. But because spoilers are against my religion, I didn’t want to reveal anything further, except that the novel also involves Balliol College, the infamous “Galloping Gertie” Tacoma Narrows bridge disaster, and the head of Oliver Cromwell.
Relaying this clutch of eclecticism provoked a frown from my interlocutor. He seemed particularly bemused by how the Tacoma Narrows bridge disaster could intermesh with a story about left luggage and Oliver Cromwell’s head. Again, I didn’t want to get into spoilers, but I reiterated that the protagonist is a bridge structural engineer, and that there are some esoteric reasons why the incident has a place in the novel.
I’m not sure he was convinced, and again, I was left wondering what, if anything, will ultimately become of The Balliol Conspiracy. My wife insists it is a good novel, but it is definitely a one-off, and I don’t think I’ll be showing it to agents or publishers any time soon, as I’m trying to sell myself as a purveyor of gothic horror-thrillers. I may get it properly polished up and self-published at some point, and then my mother will finally have the opportunity to read it (without fear of nightmares). In the meantime, I hope the draft version proves a fun benefit for my Patreon supporters, but with any luck, they resist asking where I get my ideas.
(This article was originally published on Medium.)
To support me on Patreon, at £2, £4, £8, or £25 per month, check out my Patreon page here.
As I’ve recently launched on Patreon, I’ve decided to combine my monthly Medium highlights with Patreon highlights. If you aren’t already a supporter on Patreon, please take a look at this link, which outlines my writing goals for the next year, clearly stating how much I wish to raise and why, and offering support levels of £2, £4, £8, and £25 per month, with different benefits at each level. Please consider supporting me, even if only at the lower level, as every pound makes a huge difference.
The big Patreon news this month is, as of this week, I’ve started serialising the current draft of my novel The Balliol Conspiracy. This somewhat unusual story begins as a psychological mystery, evolving into a romantic spy thriller of sorts akin to novels such as John Buchan’s The Thirty-Nine Steps and Hitchcock films like North by Northwest.
The Balliol Conspiracy proved a real change of pace for me when I wrote it, as frankly, I wanted to write a novel that (for once) wouldn’t give my mother nightmares. As such, I strove to keep events at a PG level, even though it is a grown-up thriller with a strong, suspenseful narrative. At its heart, this is a history-based treasure hunt tale, leading to a new lease of life for its bereaved protagonist, who has a mysterious compulsion for purchasing and cataloguing suitcases left in airports. I don’t want to say too much more, except that it also involves Balliol College in Oxford, the infamous “Galloping Gertie” Tacoma Narrows bridge disaster, and the head of Oliver Cromwell!
If you become a “Knight of the Dillon Empire” at £8 per month, you get at least one draft chapter of The Balliol Conspiracy per month, as well as all the benefits of the lower “Ally of the Dillon Empire” and “Free Citizen of the Dillon Empire” tiers. These include updates on all I’m doing, which sometimes take the form of videos of me prattling in various locations such as Dartmoor. You also get draft previews of short stories, deleted snippets of published books, exclusive peeks at rejected cover artworks, further insights into my creative process, and more.
I hope many of you consider supporting me, and that you enjoy the exclusive material. In the meantime, here’s a selection of my highlights from Medium over the past month. Those of you who aren’t Medium subscribers get three free reads per month. However, if you decide to subscribe to Medium to read all my work (and the work of many others), please do so via this link, as it means I financially benefit from your subscription. Thank you for supporting my writing endeavours, and I hope you enjoy the following.
That’s it from me this month. Thank you again for all your support, and a special big thank you to my ten first monthly supporters on Patreon – Claus, Robin, David S, David P, Steve, Yasmine and Ville, Sterling, Galina, Ian, and Gillian, plus those who have contributed one-off donations on Ko-fi. And also to Ruth and Iain. I’ll leave it there, before this degenerates into an Oscar acceptance speech, suffice to say, it is greatly appreciated.
Simon Dillon Books 
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