All Simon Dillon Novels Currently Available

Featured

Posted on September 30, 2022 by simondillon

Horror and Thrillers

Death Nest: A widower fears his young son is cursed when he shows disturbing behaviour akin to that of the widower’s younger brother, before he vanished twenty years previously.

The Irresistible Summons: A television producer who debunks the supernatural encounters a genuine haunting in a London office block.

The Birds Began to Sing: An aspiring novelist enters a mysterious writing competition at a sinister mansion.

Phantom Audition: The grieving widow of a famous actor begins to suspect a supernatural hand at work in his apparent suicide, linked to his final acting role.

Spectre of Springwell Forest: A mother comes to believe her young daughter is cursed, after discovering a mysterious painting in her attic containing a gradually revealed figure, which only she can see.

The Thistlewood Curse: A detective and her paranormal consultant suspect supernaturally assisted murder after the sudden heart attack of a Lord’s son on Lundy Island.

Children’s Adventures

Uncle Flynn: A timid boy gradually overcomes fear and mollycoddling as he searches for hidden treasure on Dartmoor with his enigmatic uncle.

Dr Gribbles and the Beast of Blackthorn Lodge: A monster, a mad scientist, and a haunted house… That’s just the beginning for a boy who finds himself caught between spy factions near the end of the Cold War.

Echo and the White Howl: A exiled young wolf seeks revenge after his Alpha father is murdered by a pack rival.

The George Hughes Trilogy

The Martian Inheritance, The Titan War, and The Neptune Conspiracy: Teenager George Hughes unexpectedly inherits the planet Mars. He finds himself the target of covert assassins, hostile aliens, and even darker forces. But he also comes under the protection of a mysterious secret agent, and finds friends in unlikely places.

Other Novels

Children of the Folded Valley: A man looks back on his past when he grew up in a mysterious cult cut off from the rest of the world.

Peaceful Quiet Lives: Forbidden lovers fall foul of laws in both nations that emerged following the Second American Civil War.

Love vs Honour: Teenage lovers pretend to convert to Islam and Christianity to appease each respective set of parents.

Ravenseed: As a teenage girl reads a mysterious account of two knights in the Dark Ages attempting to break an enchantment, her face is gradually disfigured. But she is obsessed with discovering the outcome and unable to stop reading.

All titles are available from Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). Some of the above titles are also available from Draft2Digital and their various outlets (such as Smashwords).

If you enjoy my novels and short stories, please consider supporting my writing on Patreon or Ko-fi. Thank you.

Opening Chapters: The Birds Began to Sing

Posted on September 23, 2022 by simondillon

This month on Medium, I’m showcasing some of the opening chapters from my novels. These will be primarily from my gothic mysteries, though there may be one or two others. This week I feature the first part of gothic psychological thriller The Birds Began to Sing.

I wrote this novel back in 2012, and in all honesty, I think if I were writing it today, I’d open the book differently. Yes, I have a bit of satirical fun with the publishing industry, but I fear it comes off as a little petulant. Still, I love the book overall, and am proud of it. Here are the opening paragraphs.

Rejection is normal. Everyone experiences rejection at some time in their life, so there is no point getting upset about it. Don’t give up. Just move on. Tomorrow might be better.

That’s what Alice Darnell kept telling herself. Yet having her writing rejected again and again by agents and publishers was beginning to feel worse than getting dumped by a boyfriend. She had just received another rejection letter from a literary agency through the post, and every time she read one it felt like something inside her died. Her bedroom now had an entire wall plastered with rejection letters of one kind or another, all of them saying more or less the same thing:

Dear Alice,

Thank you for your sample chapters and synopsis which we read with interest. Unfortunately we don’t feel this is one for us, but we wish you the best of luck elsewhere.

Kind regards

The Publisher/Agent

Alice thought a more honest summary might read as follows:

Dear Alice,

I’m not sure why you bothered to send us your sample chapters and synopsis, as you are not an established author. Obviously, we didn’t bother reading it. You might want to try elsewhere and see if anyone is foolhardy enough to take on an unknown author, but don’t count on success.

Indifferent regards

The Publisher/Agent

Alice pinned the most recent rejection letter alongside the others, and glanced at the alarm clock at the side of her bed. Almost half past nine. She had a cold, and had already called in sick so wouldn’t be going to work. That meant a day alone trying to rest, recuperate and watch daytime television whilst trying not to feel too depressed.
From The Birds Began to Sing by Simon Dillon.

You can read the whole of the chapter here, and read my companion piece article on this series here. Alternatively, to purchase a copy of The Birds Began to Sing (ebook or paperback) click here (for the UK), here (for the US), or here, if you wish to purchase via Smashwords.

Do I Get Scared Writing Horror?

Posted on August 6, 2021 by simondillon

My youngest child asked me an interesting question today: Do I get scared writing my horror novels? I feel like the answer ought to be no, since I’ve already plotted out the narrative and know exactly what’s going to happen. I’m aware of all character arcs and know where everyone ends up, alive, dead, or worse. Yet despite this, in all honestly, the answer is yes.

It is often assumed that horror fans (and writers) are hardened, desensitised individuals, but this silly stereotype simply isn’t true. Stephen King apparently has to sleep with the light on. I have much sympathy and have previously expounded on this subject at greater length. Writing horror – which in my case subgenre-wise is a blend of gothic mystery, supernatural thriller, and ghost story – definitely makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention at times.

My point is that visceral emotional response ought to be the result of any fiction writing. A novel should be immersive in that way, generating an appropriate reaction in the reader. In the case of horror, I want them to feel suspense, thrills, fear; a burning desire to get to the bottom of the supernatural mystery, underscored by an awareness that once they learn the truth, they might wish they hadn’t. Horror fiction should be bracing and invigorating, rewarding the nerve of the reader with the masochistic catharsis inherent in the greats of the genre.

If I didn’t experience at least a bit of that, when writing The Irresistible Summons, Spectre of Springwell Forest, The Thistlewood Curse, and so forth, I wouldn’t be a very good writer. I believe an author should be thrilled by the telling of their story as they write it down. Every word should remind them that this is their kind of tale; the kind they love to read, share, and about which they love to enthuse. So yes, those novels did generate a little creeping dread as I penned them – especially when doing so late at night, when everyone else in the house was asleep and the shadows decided I need a bit of company.

If you’re curious (and brave enough) you can check out my scarier novels on Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). They are also available on Smashwords here.

Recent Reviews

Posted on July 9, 2021 by simondillon

Here are four new (or newly discovered by yours truly) five-star rave reviews for my novels.

For my most recent novel Peaceful Quiet Lives, this from A Critical Reader on Amazon:

“What an appropriate book for the here and now! While it may be a fictional account of a future America’s “Second Civil War” which breaks it into two separate countries, one far left and one far right, it is written as political satire of our current state of affairs.

Aside from the politics, readers will be swept up in the love story between Sam and Eve and the struggles they go through.

A must-read!”

For dystopian sci-fi memoir Children of the Folded Valley, an enthusiastic endorsement from Mathew Graves, on Amazon:

“Well-written and deeply personal, this book weaves together religious fanaticism and science fiction wonderfully and had me on the edge of my seat throughout. I would love to see this story adapted to the screen one day but in the meantime I highly recommend reading the book.”

Next, I rather like this amusing assessment of my gothic horror mystery Spectre of Springwell Forest:

“This book was immediately gripping. It has a lot going on, but it all works so well together that it doesn’t feel over the top. I mean, there are ghosts, witches, government coverups, possession. It sounds bonkers, and I guess it is, but it never gets ridiculous.”

Finally, here’s an unnamed Amazon customer on my sinister psychological thriller The Birds Began to Sing:

“Amazing thriller with a brilliant twist at the end which even the most hardcore of murder mystery readers wouldn’t see coming. A must read.”

In closing, a plea: Reviews are vitally important to indie authors such as yours truly, so if you do read one of my novels and enjoy it, please do leave a review, on Amazon, Goodreads, or ideally both (using the same review for both is fine).

I don’t need these reviews because I’m in need of constant affirmation (although affirmation is always nice). These reviews are vital because they act as sacrificial offerings to the Algorithmic Overlords, who in their beneficence, then point other readers in the direction of my work. They don’t need to be long or eloquent. “I enjoyed it” is fine. But if you like my work, or even if you hate it for all the right reasons – “Too scary”, “Too disturbing”, “Too offensive”, “Too unbearably sad”, etc – the best possible way to support me, other than buying my novels, is to please, please, please leave reviews. Thank you very much to those who already do. It is hugely appreciated, as this literally helps me to earn a living.

Check out my novels from Amazon here (in the UK), here (in the US), or alternatively on Smashworlds here.

What My Villains Reveal About Me

Posted on November 6, 2020 by simondillon

In storytelling, a great antagonist is as important as a great protagonist. The most satisfying narratives feature determined, active characters facing off against equally determined opposing forces.

A recent article on this blog listed ten of my favourite literary villains. Here are three antagonists from my own novels that I suspect, in retrospect, personify what I take a dim view of, drawn from personal experience, as well as political and spiritual outlook. Whilst some villains in my stories must remain anonymous, for fear of spoilers (particularly those in my gothic mystery horror/thriller novels), these three I can talk about upfront, without ruining the plot.

Graham Brooks (The Birds Began to Sing) – Although he isn’t the main villain, and only appears in one chapter during the first act, Graham Brooks is small-minded, petty, power-crazed, two-faced, and vindictive. He represents everything I despise about modern business management, with his meaningless targets, character assassination performance reviews, ghastly corporate lingo, and utterly phoney belief in so-called “teamwork”. I also took the opportunity to depict how much I loathe people who insist “problems” are “opportunities” (see what I did there?). As my protagonist Alice observes, alcoholics don’t have drinking opportunities.

Imalik (Echo and the White Howl) – Imalik is an ambitious and extremely dangerous wolf, who enters into a Faustian deal with a mysterious and malevolent supernatural force. He murders the pack Alpha, and forces other packs in the surrounding land into a union by systematically slaughtering the elk, moose, and other prey in their terrain, thus making them dependant on him for food. Imalik’s totalitarian dictatorship can be read as an allegory of any fascist state you care to name, especially those that have deliberately created food scarcity as a means of control. I didn’t intend Echo and the White Howl as anything more than an adventure story about wolves in Alaska, but in retrospect, some of my despair at short sighted political stupidity and greed over issues like overfishing may have crept in.

Benjamin Smiley (Children of the Folded Valley) – Of the many villainous faces of religious oppression in my stories, none are more diabolical than Benjamin Smiley. Exactly how he came to lead the mysterious Folded Valley Fellowship can’t be revealed here, suffice to say he is a master manipulator who preys on the weak and emotionally vulnerable, as per all cult leaders. His apparently miraculous powers of healing hold his congregation rapt, ensuring his more dubious activities (including assertion of sexual rights over whomever he chooses) go unquestioned. Benjamin Smiley is based on a number of real people I encountered during childhood, adolescence, teenage years, and even adulthood. Abuse of religious power remains the number one theme I return to in my novels, time and time again.

Best read in the run-up to Christmas: The Birds Began to Sing

Posted on October 16, 2020 by simondillon

Let’s face it: gripping gothic mysteries are best read at this time of year, when leaves are falling and nights are drawing in. As it gets colder in the approach to Christmas, nothing beats snuggling up in front of the fireplace with a mug of tea, and a sinister, spooky thriller.

In the first of a two-part series, I pick two of my published novels that are best read in the run-up to Christmas, beginning with The Birds Began to Sing. It concerns Alice Darnell, a struggling, not-yet published author, who has suffered the usual setbacks faced by wannabe authors, namely rejection from agents and publishers. Yes, I know this already sounds self-indulgent, but bear with me.

Alice is ambitious, but she isn’t an insufferable narcissist. Significant past trauma, including drug addiction, has left her with psychological scars, an occasional tendency to slip into delusion, as well as a peculiar bird phobia. A couple of incidents in the opening act – one involving an apparent stalking on the London underground, and a misunderstanding during a work performance review – underline her potentially fragile psyche.

When Alice finally acquires a literary agent, he enters her into a mysterious writing competition at Blackwood House on Dartmoor. Alice has been chosen, along with other candidates, to write the final act of an unfinished manuscript, penned by the late, great Sasha Hawkins; a bestselling author of popular thrillers, who died at a tragically young age, in a car crash. Blackwood House is the ancestral family home of Sasha Hawkins, and her former publishers have persuaded her family to host the competition.

The winner of the competition will have their ending selected for publication, as well as their own novel. However, a number of peculiar rules must be strictly observed. Competitors have to stay at Blackwood House for two weeks, where they must write the ending cut off from all contact with the outside world. Intrigued and somewhat bemused, Alice agrees to join in, excited at the potential opportunity.

However, once she arrives at Blackwood House, and the competition gets underway, strange things starts to happen. Alice is unsure who to trust, as she is drawn into a labyrinth of deceit, revenge, and perhaps even murder. But the biggest secret of all is more shocking than Alice could have possibly imagined.

The Birds Began to Sing draws inspiration from mystery classics such as Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, to Agatha Christie whodunnits, specifically Sleeping Murder, and also the gothic literature of the Bronte sisters, particularly Jane Eyre. There’s even a bit of Michael Crichton or Dan Brown style conspiracy thriller in the mix, and a dash of Arthur Conan Doyle, most obviously The Hound of the Baskervilles. But The Birds Began to Sing is also a unique and nail-biting thriller in its own right.

Intrigued? Here’s what a few Amazon reviewers had to say:

“I loved this! Absolutely awesome read clever plot and ruddy brilliant twist! If you love a good mystery and a bit of a thriller this is for you!”

“An excellent psychological thriller… kept me turning pages right to the end.”

“A maze of spooky encounters… Full of exciting twists and turns.”

“A memorable lead character, mystery, suspense, eerie settings, a couple of genuine surprises, all sprinkled in with a healthy dose of wit.”

“A terrific read for lovers of suspense and mystery.”

“A great read and I loved the twist. Did not expect it at all.”

I should add that the bulk of the narrative (from act two onward) is set during the run-up to Christmas.

The Birds Began to Sing is available in paperback or on Kindle from Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

I’ve Got a Trope and I’m Not Afraid to Use It

Posted on August 14, 2020 by simondillon

PHANTOM AUDITION Genre fiction writers are often accused of writing “formulaic” stories. It may surprise you to know I plead guilty as charged. My children’s adventure novels contain many well-worn tropes. My gothic mystery/horror thrillers likewise. Why? Because the reader expects them, and would be disappointed if I didn’t deliver.

simon-dillon-irresistible-summons-full-res It is vital, especially in genre fiction, to give the reader what they want but not the way they expect it. Genre writers understand this. Agatha Christie’s novels and crime fiction in general is hugely formulaic, but also fiendishly difficult to write well. Like most genre fiction, they are an easy target for literary snobs.

In short, I have a trope (several in fact), and I’m not afraid to use them. However, I aim to use them in interesting and original ways. Here are ten tropes used in my quintet of gothic mystery horror/thrillers.

Imperilled heroine – All these books feature a tenacious, insatiably curious, likeable but flawed heroine, who is dealing with some kind of trauma either in the recent or distant past.

Big central mystery – Spooky paintings, sinister writing competitions, inexplicable sudden deaths, apparent messages from ghosts, and murderous cover-ups all feature in these narratives.

Haunted locations – Creepy forests, castles, mansions, or office blocks, are key locations in these stories.

Supernatural elements – Ghosts, demons, witchcraft, astral projection… These are often (but not always) explored.

Hidden labyrinths – Again, these novels frequently include mysterious and sinister secret passages, caves, mazes, closed off wings in mansions, and – in one case – abandoned tube train tunnels.

Cults and/or secret societies – I seem to come back to this trope time and time again. Obscure religious movements and/or clandestine organisations pulling strings behind the scenes are an important part in many of my narratives. Often said organisations are revealed in secret rooms at the heart of the afore-mentioned labyrinths.

Villain/antagonist with similar goals to the protagonist – I am fascinated by stories where protagonist and antagonist essentially want the same thing. Of my gothic mysteries, The Irresistible Summons explores this with particular potency.

Melodramatic overdrive – With gothic horror, I have no shame in dialling up the melodrama when called for, with all the blood, thunder, and passion evident in the greats of the genre.

Religious Oppression – My protagonists sometimes have a religiously abusive past, or else the issue is relevant in the present. This isn’t so much a trope, as a theme I find myself exploring again and again, along with abuse of power. I expect this is a result of my background, upbringing, and personal experience of such things. I suppose this is no bad thing, as many famous authors wrote their greatest works around the same theme. For instance, Charles Dickens, whose father was imprisoned for debt, wrote again and again about lost families and fathers. In my case, I seem to write again and again about oppressive religious environments. This is true of The Irresistible Summons and The Thistlewood Curse, but outside of my gothic mysteries, I explore these themes in novels including Love vs Honour, and particularly Children of the Folded Valley (by far my most “personal” novel to date).

Big twist ending – This needs no explanation. I love a good twist ending, but only when it comes off as both inevitable and unexpected. It’s no good pulling out the rug from under the reader without laying the necessary groundwork, or it won’t feel satisfying. I don’t always do this (I’ve always maintained there’s a big difference between a twist ending, and an unexpected plot turn) but twist endings can be great fun to write, when they are appropriate.

Check out my published works here. If you want to try before you buy, to see if you care for my writing style, by all means take a look at a couple of short stories I’ve made FREE to download here.

Vital Statistics: The Birds Began to Sing

Posted on May 22, 2020 by simondillon

For the next few weeks, I’m running a “vital statistics” series on my each of my gothic mystery novels, beginning with The Birds Began to Sing.

Title: The Birds Began to Sing

Plot: When aspiring novelist Alice Darnell enters a competition to write the ending for an unfinished manuscript by late, world famous author Sasha Hawkins, it appears she might have her big break at last.

However, upon arrival at Sasha’s former home – the sinister Blackwood House – Alice is unsettled by peculiar competition rules, mysterious dreams and inexplicable ghostly visions. She begins to question her sanity as she is drawn into a terrifying web of deceit, revenge and murder.

Expect: A big twist ending.

Wordcount: 89,000.

Current Amazon reviews: 12 five star reviews, 1 four star review.

Current Goodreads reviews: 5 five star reviews, 8 four star reviews, 1 three star review.

Scariness rating: 4/10. More psychological thriller/mystery than horror, and if it were a film, probably wouldn’t be rated stronger than 12A (that’s PG-13 for our American cousins). Yes, there is plenty of page-turning suspense, with our imperilled heroine wandering spooky corridors at night, but let’s put it this way; my notoriously easy-to-scare mother braved it, and managed to reach the ending unscathed.

Read if you enjoyed: Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte), Sleeping Murder (Agatha Christie).

To pick up a copy click here (for the UK) and here (for the US).

Fancy a gripping read?

Posted on March 6, 2020 by simondillon

Fancy a gripping, page-turning supernatural mystery? Why not check out any of the five novels below.

I refer to them collectively as the “Spooky Quintet” (a silly collective term, I know). Each one features a nail-biting central mystery, a tenacious imperilled heroine, sinister secret orders, shock twists, and plenty of wandering around gothic labyrinths of one kind or another.

To get your copy, simply click on the covers.

Christmas Presents: The Spooky Quintet

Posted on November 29, 2019 by simondillon

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 the first of three articles, this post explores the gothic mystery horror/thriller offerings from yours truly. Incredibly, none of these five novels – which I refer to as my “Spooky Quintet” – have had a single bad review. Check out Amazon or Goodreads, and you will see they are all raves. Also, if you’re worried about how scary these might be, some are more at the thriller end of the gothic mystery spectrum, and some more at the horror end. However, they are all page-turningly gripping, and full of suspense. For more information about the scariness factor in each, click here.

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

The Birds Began to Sing

When aspiring novelist Alice Darnell enters a competition to write the ending for an unfinished manuscript by late, world famous author Sasha Hawkins, it appears she might have her big break at last.

Click here to order The Birds Began to Sing.

The Thistlewood Curse

Can a ghost murder the living?

Lawrence Crane’s powers of astral projection are put to the ultimate test when he and his lifelong friend Detective Laura Buchan investigate a mysterious death on Lundy Island.

Sensing a dark power at work, they attempt to identify a human assassin under the control of supernatural evil.

But can they escape a terrifying, centuries-old curse?

Click here to order The Thistlewood Curse.

Spectre of Springwell Forest

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.”

Click here to order Spectre of Springwell Forest.

The Irresistible Summons

How far would you go to bring your loved one back from the dead?

Television producer Naomi Levinson makes documentaries debunking the supernatural.

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

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

Click here to order The Irresistible Summons.

Phantom Audition

He buried himself in a part, but never returned. Now she wants to know why.

Small-time actress Mia Yardley, recently widowed wife of renowned actor Steven Yardley, discovers her late husband’s secret acting diary.

The diary details appointments made with a psychic medium, who advised Steven on which roles to take. It also raises questions about his mysterious and inexplicable suicide.

Seeking answers, Mia speaks to the medium, but in doing so is drawn into an ever- deepening mystery about what happened to her husband during the final days of his life. Eventually, she is forced to ask the terrible question: was Steven Yardley murdered by a vengeful evil from beyond the grave?

Click here to order Phantom Audition

Simon Dillon Books

Updates and insights into Simon Dillon's novels

Tag Archives: The Birds Began to Sing