Over the next few weeks, I’m highlighting each of the six novellas and short stories in my new fantasy anthology, The Dark Forest Within. To start, here’s a look at the first tale in the collection: A short story entitled Papercut.
Created by author in Canva.
The oldest story in the volume, Papercut, was originally written in 2018, the same year I wrote my novel Ravenseed (I consider The Dark Forest Within a companion piece to that novel). I submitted it for inclusion in the Dragon Soul Press anthology First Love. Because supernatural themes were permitted in the brief, I offered this contribution. It was accepted, and the story was traditionally published before rights reverted to me. I’m including it in this collection because it remains a favourite among my short stories. Also, it fits the anthology theme like a glove.
The story concerns Gabriel, a lonely teenage boy living with his strict Jehovah’s Witness mother. He is visited in dreams by a mysterious paper girl. I don’t want to get into too many further plot specifics (I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it), but a surreal romantic adventure ensues, visiting the occasional dark corner. That’s not surprising, as the story deals with darker themes, including oppressive religious legalism, absent fathers, and overcoming fear. It’s also set at Christmas, along with the second story in this volume (I thought they’d go well together).
Inspiration for this story came from a variety of eclectic sources. A-ha’s iconic video for “Take on Me” influenced some of the pictures I saw in my mind whilst writing. Stop-motion visual effects guru Ray Harryhausen provided further inspiration, specifically regarding his classic Jason and the Argonauts (1963). There’s even a pseudo-Cronenbergian riff in the story, though I’d hesitate to call it “body horror” in the way one expects from his films.
Ultimately, Papercut is a sweet and fairly straightforward opener compared with the more complex tales that present themselves later in the anthology. I daresay it will strike a chord with anyone who has been in a cult, for one thing, but it mostly emerges as a feel-good modern fairytale.
The Dark Forest Within is out now in ebook or paperback via Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). For Draft2Digital and its various outlets, you can pick up ebooks and paperback copies here.
I’m thrilled to announce that my new fantasy anthology, The Dark Forest Within, is out now. These six tales of magic and mystery, darkness and danger, adventure and romance, triumph and tragedy have been carefully curated by yours truly as a companion piece to my novel, Ravenseed.
Let me be clear upfront: You do not need to first read Ravenseed to read this collection. Nor does reading these stories first spoil Ravenseed in any way, shape, or form. Each of these half-dozen novellas and short stories is designed to stand alone.
Weighing in at over 100,000 words, this epic collection is excellent value, featuring some of the best fantasy tales I’ve written to date. Selecting what to include and exclude was a tricky process, as I wanted the stories to read as a collective experience whilst also being thematically and tonally in keeping with Ravenseed. Some of these stories were previously available to Substack or Medium subscribers, but 40,000 words worth of material is previously unpublished, unseen anywhere up until now.
As such, here’s a brief introduction to each story. Over the next few weeks, I’ll discuss them in more detail in separate articles.
Papercut – Gabriel, a lonely teenage boy living with his strict Jehovah’s Witness mother, is visited in dreams by a mysterious paper girl.
An In-Between Christmas – On a spiritual plane between life and death, Sophie, a struggling writer, tries to contact her comatose father.
Window of the Soul – Amid a world torn apart by civil war, an adolescent girl called Inessa faces soul-threatening danger when her stepfather wants to cut out her eyes.
Wulfric’s Quest – In many ways, the centrepiece of this collection, this previously unpublished 27,000-word novella involves a peasant farmer attempting to track down an elusive wizard following a vision of impending catastrophe in his village. Set in the Dark Ages, this could be interpreted as a sequel to Ravenseed or as an entirely unconnected story, one parallel universe away from it.
Winged – Another previously unpublished story, this features the knights in Ravenseed as supporting characters in the first act before the new protagonist, a mysterious woman named Amelia, undertakes a dangerous quest alone. A direct prequel to Ravenseed.
Bloodmire – Published here for the first time with my slightly revised (and preferred) finale, this is another Ravenseed prequel featuring a minor but pivotal supporting character from that novel in one key scene. It concerns a knight undertaking a quest to rescue his betrothed, who has been captured by a supernatural beast. But is this knight as pure-hearted and brave as he appears?
For the purists out there, the original, slightly different Bloodmire finale will remain on Medium for posterity. But for the record, I consider this tweaked version definitive.
As the title of this collection suggests, the deeper the protagonists go into the forests (and there are forests in every story of one kind or another), the deeper they go into themselves. Whether they concern dreams, different dimensions, or our own world long ago during the Dark Ages, I hope these tales resonate with you.
The Dark Forest Within is out now in ebook or paperback via Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). For Draft2Digital and its various outlets, you can pick up ebooks and paperback copies here.
Exciting news! My new fantasy anthology, The Dark Forest Within, is released next week. A selection of novellas and short stories packed with adventure, romance, darkness, danger, magic, monsters, mystery, triumph, tragedy, and a sprinkling of humour. Some of these tales have previously been published online to subscribers on Medium or Substack, but others are exclusive to this volume.
After last week’s tease, here’s a proper cover reveal.
Created by author in Canva.
Conceived as a thematic companion piece to my novel Ravenseed, this collection includes two tales that function as direct prequels featuring characters from that novel. But if you’ve not read Ravenseed, don’t worry. No prior knowledge is required, and each of these stories stands alone.
The centrepiece is a 27,000-word novella entitled Wulfric’s Quest, which can potentially be interpreted as a sequel to Ravenseed, though featuring entirely different characters. Again, reading Ravenseed first is not required, and it won’t spoil the novel if you read this anthology first. That’s all the detail I’ll give for now, but watch this space for further announcements and articles over the next few weeks on each of the stories in the collection.
The Dark Forest Within is released on Monday the 2nd of June. You can pre-order this anthology on Kindle via Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). For Draft2Digital and its various ebook outlets, pre-order here. Print copies will be available from the 2nd of June.
The Dillon Empire hereby wishes you a very Happy New Year, and hopes you have a splendid 2025. Tradition dictates that l set out my main writing plans for the year ahead, so here’s what I hope to achieve.
Since August, I’ve been researching, outlining, and creating character profiles for my next novel. It’s the first in a series of dark mystery thrillers with a supernatural edge featuring a private detective and her assistant investigating a particularly baffling murder. Each of these novels will be a standalone mystery, but a bigger mystery will start to reveal itself in the background as the novels progress. As you can see, this is a hugely ambitious project as I’ve not consciously undertaken the writing of a series before (The George Hughes Trilogy was an accident in that respect, so doesn’t really count). At any rate, I am about to start writing the first draft of the first novel, so I’ll keep you updated on progress.
Also, this year, I might release another of my novels: horror-thriller mystery The Hobbford Giant. I’m still shipping that one around agents and publishers, but if I draw a blank, I may self-publish it. Alternatively, I might self-publish another volume of short stories (probably some of my fantasy tales, a few of which have previously appeared on Medium and Substack, and some of which have never been published before). I can’t say for sure which way I’ll leap, but one or the other of those will hopefully be available by the end of the year.
On top of this, I aim to write a clutch of new short stories, as well as pen another significant segment of my epic sequel to an as-yet unpublished children’s fantasy novel I wrote ten years ago, tentatively entitled The Faerie Gate (though that title will change). I had hoped to make progress on that novel last year, but that didn’t happen for various reasons; mainly, I’d bitten off more than I could chew, and something had to give. However, this year, I hope I’ll have the window to get another chunk finished. The novel is about half finished at present, and if I can get to two-thirds finished by the end of the year, that would be splendid. It’s turned into a bit of a monster in terms of length, so this novel could wind up being divided into separate volumes akin to The Lord of the Rings. But we’ll see. At present, I still think of it as one novel.
Beyond all that, I plan to revise and polish the mystery novel I wrote last year. I call it False Witness at present, even though that isn’t the real title (I’m keeping it a secret, for now). In addition, if The Hobbford Giant fails to get snapped up by agents and publishers, I’m going to send out A Thorn in Winter; another mystery novel which I originally wrote in 2022. As you can see, I’m not giving up on that front. Who knows? Perhaps this will be the year I find a mainstream publisher (I’ve had novels traditionally published in small indie presses before, but not by any of the big guns).
It will be interesting to see where I get to with all the above by the end of the year. I’m sure I’ll be immensely busy. In the meantime, thank you for supporting my writing. Again, I wish you all a very Happy New Year.
A rather forced smile makes me look a bit evil by the Christmas tree.
The first and most important thing to say in opening this lookback over 2024 in my fiction writing is thank you to everyone who has bought my novels and short stories or reviewed them (or both). I’m also thankful to everyone who has supported me in other ways, whether via Patreon, or through Medium, or by subscribing to read my work on Substack. I’m extremely grateful to all of you. I know this is already sounding like an Oscar acceptance speech, so before it degenerates into such nausea, I’ll move on with a quick glide through my fiction work in 2024.
New Novel Release: Ravenseed
After years of dithering, I finally released my first-ever fantasy novel: Ravenseed. An epic adventure of love, lust, betrayal, and vengeance primarily set in the Dark Ages, with a parallel plot in the present, this novel has been warmly received so far. I’m extremely proud of this story, and I’m thrilled to finally have dipped a toe into the world of fantasy, as it is such a difficult genre to get right. For years I was scared of putting off non-fantasy readers, whilst not getting it right for those who eat, sleep, and breathe such tales. But it turned out well in the end. Ravenseed represents what I’m most proud of in my fiction writing this year.
Ravenseed is available on Kindle or paperback from Amazon here or from Draft2Digital and other outlets here.
New Novel First Draft Written: False Witness (not the real title)
This year, I’m also extremely pleased to have written the first draft of a new novel. It’s not really called False Witness (too generic, and too many other novels already have that title). I’m keeping the real title a secret for the time being, but that will do as a placeholder to discuss it in public. The plot concerns a prank that goes wrong, as well as a dark secret in the protagonist’s past that comes back to haunt her present. And yes, I know that’s vague and could apply to pretty much every thriller I’ve ever written, but I really don’t want to say too much more at this stage. Just believe me when I say this dark secret is exceptionally dark.
New Novel Rewritten: A Thorn in Winter
I originally wrote this mystery thriller in 2023. I’d intended to prepare the second draft this year, so that was another annual goal duly ticked off. I plan to submit it to mainstream agents and publishers probably next year in the hope of finally cracking into bigger markets (I have been traditionally published before, but with smaller indie publishers). So far, feedback on this novel has been positive, so who knows? Perhaps this will be the one. The story? It’s still mostly under wraps for now, but I will reveal the first act features a tangled web of blackmail, before a decades-old unsolved murder comes into the picture.
Novel Submitted to Agents and Publishers: The Hobbford Giant
You’ll get to see this horror-thriller novel pretty soon, I daresay. Why? Because I will almost certainly release it next year – unless the remaining mainstream agents and publishers I’m waiting to hear back from snap it up. I’ve had some hugely encouraging feedback about The Hobbford Giant, but it is now looking unlikely that it will land a traditional publisher. I’m not discouraged, as I have many other novels lined up to try. Besides, this way you’ll get your hands on it sooner. What’s it about? Here’s part of the pitch I’ve been using:
Is it sometimes better not to know the truth? This question lies at the heart of The Hobbford Giant. 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: “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.
I hope that whets your appetite. More on this novel soon.
Short Stories
In between writing, rewriting, or submitting novels, I’ve penned half a dozen short stories and novellas. Some of these were published on Medium and Substack, as well as a couple I wrote last year which were held over for this year. Here’s a complete rundown of those released this year. The titles link to Medium. Links to subsequent parts are included at the end of every instalment. Each story is also available on Substack.
Horror. At a private girls school, an English teacher fond of shoplifting and married men stages a cursed play linked to a centuries-old ghost story. Also available on Substack.
Fantasy. A young woman tries to contact her comatose father on a spiritual plane between life and death. Also available on Substack.
Other Achievements This Year
You may have noticed I’ve slightly changed things on this site. I’ve made some visual tweaks, and I’ve also disabled comments. It is easy to interact with me on other platforms – on the Simon Dillon Books Facebook page, Medium, Substack, and Patreon, for instance – so I felt this site ought to be more like a brochure, showcasing my fiction work.
On the subject of Substack and Patreon, I’ve started running exclusives on the former, with monthly videos, and the serialising of my supernatural thriller novel The Thistlewood Curse available to those paying $5 per month. For that, paid subscribers also get access to my full film review archive, plus classic film analysis, top tens, and more besides. There’s a free subscription level too, purely for new release film reviews, but those disappear behind a paywall after four weeks. If you’re considering subscribing to my Substack page, but haven’t done so yet, take a closer look here.
As for Patreon, here I offer 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), interviews with some of my characters, deleted scenes (sometimes entire chapters), and other material found nowhere else. Level of access depends on whether you become an Ally of the Dillon Empire, Free Citizen of the Dillon Empire, Knight of the Dillon Empire, or General of the Dillon Empire. Check out my Patreon page here, for more information.
All things considered, 2024 has been a challenging and fulfilling year, with many (though not all) of my annual goals achieved. As usual, I’m taking a short break over Christmas, but as per my tradition, I’ll reveal my goals for 2024 on New Years Day. Watch this space.
It only remains for me to thank you again and wish you all a Merry Christmas.
(All images by author or created by author in Canva, unless otherwise stated.)
What have I been up to lately? Lots, as it happens.
New novel
Most of my recent writing time has been spent working on the outline, character profiles, and research for my next novel. I’m very excited about this one, as I hope it will be part of a longer series, featuring the same protagonist. It’s a supernaturally tinged whodunnit, which will come as no surprise to any of you, given that mystery horror-thrillers are my bread and butter. But this is the first time I’ve planned a series of novels in that genre. It’s a challenging project, but one I can’t wait to share with you all. I begin writing the first draft in January.
New short story: An In-Between Christmas
Outside the next novel(s), one of my recently written short stories, An In-Between Christmas, is now being serialised in Fictions on Medium (see part 1, here). As a taster, here is the logline for this bittersweet dark fairy tale: “A young woman tries to contact her comatose father on a mysterious spiritual plane between life and death.”
An In-Between Christmas is also being serialised on Substack (here). It will appear in weekly instalments, every Monday, with the final part appearing on the 23rd of December. However, if you can’t wait that long, or if you want to read the story outside of Medium and Substack, all six instalments are available on Patreon, but at a price. I’m taking advantage of their new “buy a one-off post” scheme, so that’s available too, at a cost of £3 per instalment. I agree, that’s a bit steep, but that’s Patreon’s minimum price per post. All Patreon support is hugely appreciated, of course.
Substack or Patreon?
If you want full access to my short stories and novellas, as well as classic cinema articles, top tens, film review archive, and more, then Substack is probably a better bet at $5 per month (the free version gives you new release film reviews only, though after four weeks they disappear behind a paywall). Patreon provides more exclusive behind the scenes material, and exclusives such as video updates, story previews, deleted scenes, unseen designs, more in depth articles about my creative process, and so forth. But if you simply want to see the finished products, Substack is better value for money. Of course, if you’re on Medium, much of what I publish on Substack is there too. However, there are going to be exclusives on Substack very soon, so do bear that in mind if dithering over where best to view my work.
Subscribe to me on Substack here or support me on Patreon here.
Another new short story
Beyond all this, I’m working on yet another new short story. This time it’s a comedic detective story, the details of which I’m keeping under wraps at present. This story also has a connection to my new novel, but I’m keeping quiet on exactly how for now, except to say the light tone here will be in stark contrast to the much darker edges of the new novel.
That’s about it for now. Expect my final update for 2024 next month.
Over the last month, most of my fiction writing activities have centred around short stories. The first of these, a new fantasy tale presently untitled, is set at Christmas and concerns a young woman with a father in a coma. At the hospital, She meets a mysterious man who transports her to another dimension where she might be able to contact her father, if she undertakes a perilous journey. That’s all I’m going to say about the plot for now (I’m being deliberately vague on details) but I hope it will run on Medium and Substack this December.
The second short story is about a private detective investigating the murder of a much-loathed man involved in an online scam. However, this story might not see the light of day, because I wrote it mainly as an exercise in getting to know the protagonist of my next novel. I may write two or three more short stories involving this character in other cases, and might publish them further down the line, if all goes well with the novel, and if the short stories are compelling enough in their own right.
All of which brings me to the next novel. The preparations for writing the manuscript in earnest are presently underway. I’m preparing plot outlines, character profiles, undertaking research, and generally getting ready for the big push to write the first draft, early next year. Hence, the short stories being centred on the private detective protagonist.
That’s pretty much all I can say at present about my fiction writing. I’ll keep you updated with further news when I have it. However, if you are a Medium subscriber, or if you subscribe to me on Substack, do check out my ghost story presently being serialised on both platforms: Rachael.
Created by author in Canva.
A spooky, supernatural horror tale, Rachael is in five parts, the first four of which are now available to read. Here’s the subheading I’ve used: “At a private girls school, an English teacher fond of shoplifting and married men stages a cursed play linked to a centuries-old ghost story.”
Check out part one here (on Medium) or here (on Substack). The end of each instalment features links to subsequent parts, of the final part will be published on the 31st of October.
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.
What have I been up to lately? Well, I’ve been enjoying my holidays, taking a bit of time off having done a lot of promotion for my recent fantasy novel Ravenseed. But what have I done when I’ve not been taking time off? Mostly writing short stories. I’ve written two of these, plus a novella. Here’s a little bit about each.
35 Chestnut Terrace
This is a mystery thriller directly inspired by a Sherlock Holmes short story. I shan’t say which, as I wouldn’t want to spoil your enjoyment either of my story, or of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s (in case for some absurd reason you’ve not read every Sherlock Holmes story already). The title pertains to the scene of a dreadful crime. The plot? A young woman tries to exonerate her fiancé of a horrific murder, but is he innocent?
35 Chestnut Terrace will be serialised in four parts on Medium and Substack this September.
Rachael
A spooky, supernatural tale, about which I remain fairly tight-lipped for now. It’s set in a private girl’s school, and the protagonist is a teacher. The plot involves a play, an ancient curse, and a ghost. I had a lot of fun writing the main character for this one, as she’s not the most well-behaved of my protagonists.
Rachael will be serialised in five parts on Medium and Substack this October.
Wulfric’s Quest
The title may change, but this novella is a second companion piece to Ravenseed, set in a kind of parallel universe Dark Ages Britain. I’m not giving any plot details at this point, but thematically, this is very much cut from the same cloth as both Ravenseed and the other companion piece novella I wrote, Bloodmire. Between the novel and its two supporting tales, I’ve probably written quite enough material set in the Dark Ages, for the time being at least. When will this one be published? I’m not sure. I might hang on to it as an exclusive for an upcoming fantasy anthology.
Ravenseed is available from Amazon on Kindle or paperback here (in the UK) and here (in the US). It is also available from Draft2Digital and their associated outlets here.
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