My latest novel, Peaceful Quiet Lives, has been released. Not “dropped”, as one often hears these days, but “released”. “Dropped” just sounds careless and irresponsible, and presumably could lead to breakages.
Anyway, I have released this novel as a surprise, with no real build up, even though I have been dropping hints in posts like this one, and announcing it indirectly by interviewing one of the supporting characters, who ends up threatening me (see my post earlier this week).
Here is the blurb from the back of the book:
Two Nations Under God. Can their love survive in either nation?
Life, love, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are a distant dream for Sam and Eve. Their forbidden love falls foul of laws in both nations born from the ashes of the Second American Civil War.
A satire of political and religious fears, Peaceful Quiet Lives is a thought-provoking and powerful dystopian future shock.
Because Peaceful Quiet Lives sits outside my usual genre writing of mainly gothic mysteries and children’s adventure novels, I decided to self-publish the novel rather than approach publishers. I’ve not released anything in 2020, so I wanted to surprise my readers with something new. On top of that, it seemed timely, given current events in the US.
I’ll be talking more about the novel on the blog in the coming weeks.
Peaceful Quiet Lives is available as a download or paperback from Amazon. Order your copy here (in the UK) or here (in the US).
A couple of years ago, I posted an article with the same title, expounding on exactly where I was at with my novels, in their varying states of disrepair. Here’s a full update, sort-of divided by genre. Bear in mind one of these will be released very soon, almost certainly before the end of the year.
Fantasy
Ravenseed – This Dark Ages set fantasy novel is now on its third draft, having received largely positive feedback from various sources. It’s a brooding, melancholy tale of knights, sorcerers, and enchantment, simmering with love, lust, betrayal, and revenge. Alongside the Dark Ages story is a parallel framing story set in the present.
The Faerie Gate – My long-delayed, horror-story-for-children is now on its fourth draft. Originally written in 2015, it’s definitely the scariest novel I’ve written that is primarily aimed at children, and it really pushes the envelope in that respect. But this dark fairy tale is also a very compassionate story, about a young adolescent coming to terms with the separation of her parents. I’m also planning an epic sequel which may end up being more than one sequel, set in the same universe. The sequel(s) might be aimed at a more “young adult” readership. I’ll know more once I start writing this next year.
The Deviant Prophet – Another dark fairy tale, but this time for adults. Fantasy and reality clash in a disturbing tale of religious oppression, amid a vivid and surreal world parallel to our own. The initial inspiration for this came from a close friend’s extraordinary dreams. I finished a third draft earlier this year.
Goldeweed – This is an epic, three volume fantasy saga I have been shaping on and off for almost eighteen years. Set in a vast imagined realm on many different planes of reality, it details three love stories that play out against an apocalyptic backdrop at the end of an era. Currently longer than War and Peace, it’s a tale I have rewritten and tinkered with for some time, and I’m still not entirely happy with it.
Gothic Mystery Thriller/Horror
The White Nest – This novel is something of a culmination for me; a summing up of all the tropes, themes, and ideas I have explored in earlier gothic mystery novels. But although there is an element of Now-That’s-What-I-Call-a-Simon-Dillon-Gothic-Mystery about this novel, it is also radically different in two ways. Firstly, it features a male protagonist. Secondly, it is the most intensely personal novel I’ve written since Children of the Folded Valley. Yes, I know all writing is “personal”, but this one really jabbed raw nerves in an ultimately cathartic way, tapping into traumatic fears regarding siblings, parental fears, false guilt, and more. It is also something of a coming of age novel, despite the genre trappings. One more point: The White Nest refers to something sinister in the story, but it’s only a placeholder title. I’m keeping the real title secret for now.
Wormcutter – From something I wrote in 2020, to something I wrote in 2007 (from an idea I had researched on and off since 1996), this detective thriller/horror hybrid begins as an apparently open and shut murder investigation, then escalates into a humdinger of a conspiracy, involving the Freemasons and much more… until it ends up in the most disturbing territory I have ever explored in a novel (definitely 18 certificate stuff). Currently on its fourth draft, and due for another polish.
Miscellaneous
The Balliol Conspiracy – This somewhat old-fashioned, Hitchcockian romantic spy thriller is a conspiracy story of a different kind (much more PG territory, unlike Wormcutter), and proved a real change of pace for me when I wrote it. A strong, suspenseful central mystery results in an historic, fact-based treasure hunt, leading to a new lease of life for the bereaved protagonist. I don’t want to say too much more, except that yes, it does involve Balliol College in Oxford (see above picture). I also wanted to write a grown-up book that, for once, my mother would be able to read without having nightmares. Currently on its second draft, its actually grown on me quite a bit since I first wrote it, and my wife thinks I should attempt more stories of this kind. But I suspect it is a one-off. We’ll see.
Peaceful Quiet Lives – This dystopian tale imagines a bleak American future, satirising the worst fears of both sides in the so-called culture wars. At the same time, it is also a love story, featuring protagonists who fall foul of political extremists of all persuasions. This novel is currently on its fourth draft, and represents a real oddity for me, as it is quite unlike anything I’ve ever written. Like Children of the Folded Valleyand The White Nest, it is also a highly “personal” novel.
A Statement of Disbelief – Another satirical novel, this time set in the dubious world of Christian television fundraising. It’s only had one draft, but quite honestly, I’m not sure it will ever see the light of day. However, I will confess it was great fun to write.
Short Stories – It’s also worth mentioning that I’ve written quite a collection of short stories, mostly horror and science fiction (including one of novella length). I may publish a volume of these at some point.
To reiterate, one of the above will almost certainly be released before the end of the year. Can you guess which one? Watch this space for an imminent announcement.
Every so often, I write an email, social media post, or blog urging my wonderful readers to please, please, please, take a minute to leave a review of my novels (or short stories) if they enjoy them.
Why do I ask this? Online reviews are absolutely essential to writers, especially little-known authors like yours truly who either self-publish, or more recently publish through a small indie publisher. We don’t crave reviews because we are insecure and require constant affirmation; we crave them because the more there are, the more algorithms show our work to more people. Reviews are an author’s lifeblood, and in many cases help us (indirectly) put food on the table.
Reviews don’t need to be long or eloquent. “I enjoyed it” is absolutely fine. If you can add that on Amazon and/or Goodreads, you will have been an immense help. Thank you very much to everyone who has left reviews. It is hugely appreciated.
With that rather begging (but continually necessary) appeal out of the way, here are my top five most reviewed novels (current combined totals taken from both Amazon and Goodreads). Most of these are four or five star reviews; which is nice, obviously.
5. Phantom Audition (20 reviews) – My personal favourite of the novels on this list. A gripping and sinister psychological gothic mystery, it concerns a bereaved actress, who lived in the shadow of her much more famous actor husband, prior to his death. A series of unsettling discoveries lead her to believe her husband may have rather buried himself in his final role. Did it have a bearing on his apparent suicide? Was it murder? Could he even have been influenced by vengeful supernatural forces? Phantom Audition is a page-turner that messes with the mind of the reader as much as it’s imperilled heroine.
4. Spectre of Springwell Forest (21 reviews) – A full-blooded gothic ghost story, guaranteed to send shivers down the spine. Easily the scariest novel on this list, Spectre of Springwell Forest concerns a young woman called Lily who moves to a sleepy village near Dartmoor, with her husband and young daughter. Lily discovers a sinister painting in her attic that shows the mouth of a mysterious abandoned railway tunnel in a forest. She is unsettled to discover other villagers have paintings (by a local artist) of the same image in their homes, though they remain tight-lipped as to why. Later, after discovering the real abandoned railway tunnel in a local forest, a mysterious spectral figure appears in the paintings that only Lily can see. The figure gradually becomes visible at the mouth of the tunnel, then slowly emerges, getting closer and closer as time passes. At the same time, Lily’s daughter begins to exhibit strange and disturbing behaviour. Intrigued? Read it if you dare…
3. The Birds Began to Sing (27 reviews) – Another gothic thriller, this one features a huge twist ending. The story largely takes place in a sinister country mansion that once belonged to the late, great author Sasha Hawkins. Several wannabe authors arrive at the mansion to take part in a mysterious writing competition, to pen the finale to an unpublished Hawkins manuscript. Among these is Alice Darnell, who is hoping this will finally lead to her big break. However, peculiar competition rules, enigmatic dreams, and ghostly apparitions lead her to question her sanity, as she is drawn into a tangled web of deceit, revenge, and murder.
2. Uncle Flynn (75 reviews) – The first novel I published is an old-fashioned treasure hunt story aimed at the young and young at heart. It concerns an anxious boy called Max who is plagued by fears and panic attacks. He is visited by his archaeologist uncle, and together they set about uncovering the truth behind local legends of buried treasure on Dartmoor, with roots going back to the time of Henry VIII’s sacking of Catholic monasteries. With rival villainous treasure hunters on their tail, can they get to the treasure first? More unsettlingly, why are the police also after Max’s uncle? Dedicated to my eldest son, this novel is first and foremost intended as a gripping and mysterious adventure, but it also features themes of overcoming fear and the dangers of mollycoddling – especially in the twist ending (yes, I do enjoy writing a good twist ending).
1. Children of the Folded Valley (259 reviews) – Still my most popular novel by a huge margin, this tale of a man looking back on his life growing up amid a mysterious cult clearly struck a chord among readers. It’s a mysterious and melancholy dystopian tale, with themes of religious oppression, loss of innocence, disillusionment, coming of age, rebellion, uprising, and the haunting power of traumatic memory.
Very loosely informed by some of my own childhood experiences, perhaps it is my most “personal” novel to date. Having said that, all writing is personal to some degree, so regardless of how many raw nerves I decided to jab with this book, I can’t attribute its (relative) popularity to that alone. I also like to think my writing has improved a lot since I penned Children of the Folded Valley as there are one or two sections I’d definitely approach differently if I wrote it today.
I completed the first draft in 2011; a fact I constantly point to, in order to dismiss those who view the novel as a cathartic response to the sudden death of my father in 2012. In fact, my father helped shape the final version. I spoke over the phone with him after he read the initial draft, and he made one particular suggestion that he felt would tip the story from “good” to “great”. Hugely excited at his idea, I thanked him profusely, and told him I would definitely adopt it. He seemed very pleased.
That was the last time I ever spoke to him.
Children of the Folded Valley is dedicated to both my parents.
Looking for the perfect Christmas present for that difficult relative? Why not give them a book this year? To be more specific, why not give them one of my books?
In this, the final of three articles, here’s a look at two of my novels that are one-offs. I don’t write teenage romantic drama, but I did write Love vs Honour as I couldn’t get the story out of my head. Although it begins as a romance, the story contains many of the themes present in my other novels – religious oppression, abuse of power and so on – and this is a much darker tale than it first appears.
In the case of Children of the Folded Valley, it’s a dystopian tale of about a man looking back on his life growing up in a cult, but with a sci-fi twist. It is also by far my most successful novel (to date).
Here’s is the blurb from the back of each novel:
Love vs Honour
Two Religions. Two Deceptions. One Love.
When Johnny meets and falls in love with Sabina, their bond proves stronger than a teenage holiday fling.
Fearing the disapproval of their strict Christian and Islamic families, they undertake an elaborate deception to continue seeing one another. Johnny pretends to convert to Islam whilst Sabina pretends to covert to Christianity to appease their parents.
But how long can this deception last before it unravels?
During a journey to visit his estranged sister, James Harper recalls his childhood in amysterious valley cut off from the outside world, where he grew up as part of a cult called the Folded Valley Fellowship.
In this seemingly idyllic world, the charismatic Benjamin Smiley claimed to be protecting his followers from an impending nuclear apocalypse.
But the valley concealed a terrifying secret.
A secret that would change Smiley’s followers forever.
Click here to order Children of the Folded Valley.
Looking for the perfect Christmas present for that difficult relative? Why not give them a book this year? To be more specific, why not give them one of my books?
In this second of three articles, this post explores my children’s novels. Yes, I don’t just write gothic mystery horror thrillers. I have also dabbled in children’s adventures, mainly aimed at the Harry Potter/Alex Rider demographic. Most of these novels were written for my children, often at their request (Echo and the White Howl was penned for my youngest for instance, who wanted a story about wolves). But these stories aren’t just for children. They are for the young and young at heart, often tackling themes and ideas that are just as incisive for the adult reader.
Here’s is the blurb from the back of each novel:
Uncle Flynn
When timid eleven year old Max Bradley embarks on a hunt for buried treasure on Dartmoor with his mysterious Uncle Flynn, he discovers he is braver than he thought.
Together they decipher clues, find a hidden map and explore secret tunnels in their search.
But with both police and rival treasure hunters on their tail, Max begins to wonder if his uncle is all he seems…
Curiosity lands Tim Rawling in a world of secrets, spies and a desperate race against time.
The haunted house, the monster and the mad scientist are only the beginning of a terrifying adventure…
Click here to order Dr Gribbles and the Beast of Blackthorn Lodge.
Echo and the White Howl
When a wolf pack discovers humans lurking near their territory, Echo senses dark times ahead.
Despite the warnings and omens, Aatag, the pack Alpha, refuses to flee… leading to a cruel turn of events that forces Echo into exile, and a quest for revenge that will change the pack forever.
George Hughes Trilogy (comprising George goes to Mars, George goes to Titan, George goes to Neptune)
From the back ofGeorge goes to Mars:
When George Hughes discovers he has inherited the planet Mars, he goes from poverty to becoming the richest boy on Earth overnight.
Accompanied by his new guardian, a mysterious secret agent, and a crew of astronauts, George voyages to Mars to sell land to celebrities wanting to build interplanetary homes.
But sabotage, assassination attempts and an alien threat plunge him into a deadly adventure.
At the risk of sounding like a nauseating Oscar acceptance speech, 2018 has been an extraordinary year for me, and I am very happy to have made a number of significant breakthroughs with my writing.
Novels and Short Stories
Firstly and most emphatically, my first novel ever released by a traditional publisher is out now. Courtesy of Dragon Soul Press, Spectre of Springwell Forest, is a ghostly gothic nail-biter with a creepy central mystery guaranteed to keep you turning the pages… until the horrible truth is revealed. You can order your copy here (in the UK) and here (in the US).
Dragon Soul Press is a US based independent publisher specialising in fantasy, science fiction and horror. They also publish anthologies. One of these, a horror anthology called All Dark Places, featured my short story Once in a Lifetime. They’ve got another anthology coming soon, a romantic fantasy volume called First Love, for which I have sent another short story entitled Paper Cut. I am waiting (fingers crossed) to see if I made the, er, cut…
Works in progress
I have also been occupied with these two novels, outside of my “comfort zone” thriller/horror genres. I didn’t write these concurrently, because obviously my poor brain can only cope with one thing at a time (walking and talking can be a challenge). Anyway, fantasy I find particularly tricky. I love to read it, but writing it requires a very different level of focus.
Said fantasy novel, Ravenseed, is a brooding, melancholy tale of knights, sorcerers and enchantment, set in the Dark Ages, simmering with love, lust, betrayal and revenge.
The other genre I’ve dabbled in this year, is dystopian future-shock. Peaceful Quiet Lives is set in a future America, satirising both sides of the so-called culture wars. I’m going to stay tight-lipped on further details, for now.
On the blog
This year I’ve enjoyed covering lots of different topics. It’s always great to write on subjects I am passionate about, and hopefully spark a bit of debate. If you fancy giving any of these a re-read or missed them the first time round, here are some of my favourites.
If you are scratching your head this year over Christmas presents, why not consider giving one of my novels? At the risk of sounding like a cliché, I have written across a variety of genres and therefore have “something for all the family”.
First and foremost, I have a novel about to be released on the 20th of December entitled Spectre of Springwell Forest. A nail-biting, page-turning ghost story, this supernatural mystery is my first novel to be published by Dragon Soul Press, and a must for any fan of bone-chilling suspense. Simply click here (in the UK) or here (in the US) to pre-order your copy. (NOTE: at present this pre-order is for the Kindle version only. Stay tuned for updates on the paperback.)
Here is the blurb from the back of the book:
Lily Henderson has a horrifying secret buried far in her past. She hoped it would never be revealed. Now she has no choice.
To save her family, Lily must keep them from returning to the village of Springwell, where she lived with her first husband and young daughter decades previously.
In the past, after moving to Springwell, Lily encounters secretive locals, government scientists, and rumours of a ghost haunting the forest.
Are they linked to the mysterious deaths of local children? Do paintings by a local artist predict when tragic events are getting closer? Will Lily’s daughter be next?
“Two were taken. More will follow.”
If you enjoy stories with devious twists on the spectrum between psychological thriller, supernatural mystery and horror, why not also try The Thistlewood Curse or The Birds Began to Sing? The former is a gripping mystery involving astral projection and murder on Lundy Island. The latter concerns a peculiar writing competition in a remote and sinister Dartmoor house.
My short story Once in a Lifetime is also available, as part of the Dragon Soul Press All Dark Places anthology. A disturbing tale of existential dread, this short is based on a nightmare I had earlier this year. It concerns a man waking up in an entirely different life. As he struggles to understand what has happened, memories of his previous existence rapidly vanish, and are replaced with those from the life he has awoken inside.
On a rather different note, we have my most successful (and arguably most “personal”) novel to date, Children of the Folded Valley. A dystopian memoir mystery with a science fiction edge, the plot concerns a man looking back on his life growing up in a strange cult.
For the young and young at heart, I have written a number of gripping tales, including treasure hunt adventure Uncle Flynn (my debut novel) and Dr Gribbles and the Beast of Blackthorn Lodge, which involves spies, haunted houses, mad scientists, and monsters (and that’s just chapter one).
My most recent novel for younger readers, Echo and the White Howl, is a thrilling animal fiction adventure about a pack of wolves set in the wilds of Alaska.
I must emphasise my stories aimed at children are not just for children. Amid the humour, thrills and scares are themes many adults will appreciate too.
Finally, Love vs Honour represented something of a departure for me, in that it is a teenage romantic drama. But many of the themes present in my other novels – religious oppression, abuse of power and so on – are present and correct here, and this is a much darker tale than it first appears. I don’t consider it a complete success for reasons I have discussed in more detail here, but I still think it is well worth a read.
All the above books can be ordered on Kindle or as paperbacks from Amazon here (for the UK) and here (for the US).
My brain needs a break. Here’s a scary picture of me in brain meltdown mode.
Given the rather excessively productive year I have had so far (first drafts on two longer than usual novels, lots of editing on earlier, currently unreleased novels, and a couple of short stories), I have decided to take a short break from writing and from posting on this blog. However, I will be back in the first week of September, and I will still post film reviews of any films I see at the cinema.
In the meantime, if you’re a regular visitor to this blog, or are stumbling on it for the first time, why not buy or download one of my novels?
I write in a variety of genres, so here are five that might interest you:
Children of the Folded Valley – By far my most popular novel to date, this tale of a man looking back on his life growing up in a strange cult has over eighty mostly rave reviews on Amazon, and seems to have struck a chord with a lot of readers. It even seems to have got under the skin of people who didn’t like it (eg “Disturbing, distasteful and fascinating all at the same time” was one “negative” reader comment). I’ve also been told it’s my most “personal” novel to date, whatever the hell that means, although to be fair it is partly inspired by some of my own experiences in a cult during the early part of my life. Check it out here.
Uncle Flynn – A story about overcoming fear and the dangers of mollycoddling disguised as a treasure hunt adventure, this is my second most popular novel, and again, Amazon reviews are mostly raves. It is aimed at all ages, so don’t be put off by the “children’s book” label. For example, one reader said “In this day and age I sometimes find myself reading books like this unaware. I loved it and I’m nearly 69 years old. Uncle Flynn is a real treat.”
The Birds Began to Sing – A nail-biting psychological thriller about a wannabe writer entering a mysterious writing competition in a remote country house, this will satisfy anyone who loves a gripping, sinister narrative with a big twist ending. The reviews on Amazon are unanimous raves, with one reader commenting: “I kept guessing, thinking up various theories but never really sure which one would solve the mystery. As it turned out, none of my ideas were right!”
Echo and the White Howl – An animal fiction adventure about wolves in Alaska, mixing dirt-under-the-paw revenge story realism with a dash of the metaphysical. Tonally it is akin to something like Watership Down, and just as much aimed at adults as children. Here’s what one reviewer had to say: “The wolves bring to mind Jack London as well as George Orwell’s Animal Farm, but Dillon does it his own way, as always, with the spiritual/religious features that are common in his work.”
Love vs Honour – Teenage romantic drama isn’t a genre I typically I dabble in, but this novel is something of an outside curiosity compared with my usual work. It details a tale of star-crossed teenage lovers with a religious twist, as the protagonists try to appease their religious parents by pretending to convert to Islam and Christianity respectively. A tangled web of deception ensues, building to a much darker final act that some readers think is brilliant and some readers absolutely hate. Why not have a read here and decide for yourself?
Anyone who grew up in a cult, or amid a stifling religious atmosphere, may find my most successful novel, Children of the Folded Valley, resonates with their own experience. Certainly I’d be lying if I claimed my own rather peculiar past didn’t inform this story. Before I wrote it, I knew I would eventually have to confront certain demons when doing so, and for that reason put off the task for as long as possible. But eventually the voices in my head became too loud, so they had to go on paper.
Even if you don’t come from an oppressive religious background, multiple readers claim Children of the Folded Valley is a gripping, page-turning tale. Just check out the many five star reviews.
Download your copy of Children of the Folded Valley FREE from Amazon Kindle here, for the next five days only.
The George Hughes trilogy is a thrilling, action-packed space tale set just over a hundred years in the future. Each story is a stand-alone adventure, but I recommend reading the novels in order nonetheless, as they do follow on from one another.
All three can be downloaded FREE from Amazon Kindle during the next five days.
Also, I must emphasise, these books are not just for children. Adult readers have found plenty to enjoy too (especially those who have picked up on some of the subtexts).
When George Hughes discovers he has inherited the planet Mars, he goes from poverty to becoming the richest boy on Earth overnight.
Accompanied by his new guardian, a mysterious secret agent and a crew of astronauts, George voyages to Mars to sell land to celebrities wanting to build interplanetary holiday homes. But sabotage, assassination attempts and the possibility of an alien threat plunge him into a deadly adventure…
A year on from his adventures on Mars, George Hughes faces an even deadlier peril as he travels to Titan on an urgent rescue mission. The mysterious Giles returns to help him, but assassins are once again on his tail, and a new, far greater alien menace lurks in the shadows waiting to strike.
In this spectacular sequel to George goes to Mars and George goes to Titan, George Hughes faces his most dangerous adventure yet.
Following the Titanian invasion, a deadly and very personal threat forces George to undertake a voyage to a top secret Martian research base on Neptune.
On this remote outpost, he uncovers a diabolical plot. But George is too late to prevent the catastrophe.
A catastrophe that will change his life forever…
Here are a couple of reviews from adults:
“A thoroughly enjoyable read” – Mark, Amazon.
“Reading like a cross between one of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ pulpy Mars adventures and a Robert Heinlein ‘juvenile’, this improbable yarn (just how many “saved in the nick of time” coincidences can one novel contain?) about a rags-to-riches-to-hero boy named George was nonetheless page-turningly entertaining. Perfect rainy day/sick day reading.” – Elizabeth Olson, Goodreads.
And here some thoughts from the target audience (at least I assume so, given the tone of their reviews):
“This was totally amazing! Involves space ships, aliens and more! A totally exciting adventure you’ll love!” – Anonymous, Barnes and Noble.
“Pure awesomeness! Packed with suspense and adventure, as well as LOTS of action!” – Anonymous, Barnes and Noble.
Love vs Honour
Uncle Flynn
Dr Gribbles and the Beast of Blackthorn Lodge
Echo and the White Howl
George Hughes Trilogy (comprising George goes to Mars, George goes to Titan, George goes to Neptune)
Given the rather excessively productive year I have had so far (first drafts on two longer than usual novels, lots of editing on earlier, currently unreleased novels, and a couple of short stories), I have decided to take a short break from writing and from posting on this blog. However, I will be back in the first week of September, and I will still post film reviews of any films I see at the cinema.
Simon Dillon Books 
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