Coming up with imaginative ways to publicise my novels can be a challenge. In the case of my supernaturally tinged mystery thriller Death Nest, I’ve run a gamut from the serious (how this is my most personal novel) to pranks (such as this fake interview that I’m pleased to say tricked a few readers, based on the comments). My latest attempt, a short film, is more in the latter category. Death Nest: The Disappearance of Simon Dillon is a meta-mockumentary that imagines the White Nest, a sinister and dangerous organisation within the novel, is real.
Also, this version of the film is slightly different to the version I previously uploaded on Patreon (if you saw it there already). I’ve made a couple of minor changes. Let’s call this version the “Director’s Cut”. We can even start a rumour that I didn’t get to finish it properly originally due to “studio interference”, if you like, instead of the more mundane truth that I wanted to add a couple of cutaways and a scary additional visual tweak at the end (that I won’t spoil).
The film pretends that because I recklessly detailed what they do in the book, the White Nest decided to silence me. Tommy Rogers, a private investigator looking into my disappearance, interviews former colleagues and friends. It degenerates into cheesy pseudo-Blair Witch style nonsense in the finale, but I thought, why not go the whole hog? With any luck, it will intrigue those of you who haven’t read the novel into picking up a copy. It will also make a great Christmas present for that difficult-to-buy-for relative. Here’s the film in full. I hope you find it entertaining.
Death Nest features a gripping central mystery, a romantic subplot, coming-of-age drama, and moments of horror and humour. To further whet your appetite, here’s the blurb from the back of the book.
From the author of Spectre of Springwell Forestand The Irresistible Summons… A nail-biting new mystery.
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 history will repeat itself, 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?
A riveting coming-of-age thriller exploring traumatic sibling relationships, parental fears, and the misleading nature of memory, Death Nest is Simon Dillon’s most gripping novel yet.
Additional potential Christmas presents can be found in other published novels from my back catalogue. These include horror, thrillers, children’s adventure stories, dystopian sci-fi tales, and my recent forays into fantasy with my novel Ravenseed (about which I have written here) and a companion piece anthology, The Dark Forest Within (about which I have written here).
Death Nest is available in paperback or on Kindle from Amazon here (in the US) and here (in the UK). It is also available via Draft2Digital and its various outlets, including Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, and Smashwords (click here).
I’m thrilled to announce my horror mystery novel The Hobbford Giant is now being made available to paying Substack subscribers. It will be serialised over the coming weeks, but to whet the appetite, the first chapter is available to everyone. I do not plan to release The Hobbford Giant in any other format at this time. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, this novel is a Substack exclusive. Here’s a brief tease of what lies ahead, plot wise.
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.
The Hobbford Giant belongs at the darker end of my fiction. It opens like a mystery thriller, but evolves into a psychological horror story with (possible) supernatural elements in play. It explores themes of repressed memories, childhood trauma, and what happens when lies are covered by more lies. The tagline “Some secrets can claim your soul” feels apt, for reasons I obviously won’t spoil.
The first chapter of The Hobbford Giant is available to read now, entirely free of charge. Head over to my Substack page by clicking here. To read later chapters as they are released, and for full access to the rest of my archive on Substack (including several novellas, short stories, film retrospectives, top tens, exclusive videos, and more), upgrade from being a free subscriber to a paid subscriber at $5 per month.
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.
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve completed the first draft of my latest novel. I typically write a new novel at least once per year, normally between January and April, having done the hard work of research, preparing character profiles, chapter outlines, and so forth, during the late summer months to around November of the previous year. It’s always a great feeling when I’m able to draw a proper line under the first draft.
What’s it called?
I’m keeping the real title a secret for now, but the working title was False Witness. I didn’t want to use that as a real title, considering how many published novels are entitled False Witness. Finding a unique title is very difficult these days and involves a lot of googling about to make sure it hasn’t already been used. Most titles cannot be copyrighted, so in one sense it doesn’t matter, but at the same time, it makes discoverability of my work all the trickier if I don’t come up with something entirely original.
What’s it about?
At the moment, the story is under wraps, suffice it to say, the 93,000-word manuscript is a nail-biting mystery thriller involving a prank that goes wrong. It also concerns a dark secret in the protagonist’s past that comes back to haunt her present. Yes, I know the latter statement could apply to just about any of my mystery thriller novels, but I’m keeping plot descriptions deliberately vague for now. I will add that this particular dark secret is unlike any I’ve written about previously, and it definitely ranks among the darkest of dark secrets hidden by my protagonists.
When can I read it?
Not for at least two years, alas. Why? Well, after completing a first draft, I generally put it aside for twelve months so I can approach the second draft with fresh eyes. In the meantime, I am about to start shaping the second draft of the novel I wrote this time last year; another gripping mystery thriller. With any luck, this time next year, agents and publishers will be mulling it over, and hopefully saying yes. That’s assuming they don’t first say yes to The Hobbford Giant, yet another horror-thriller mystery currently under consideration. If I get no bites, I expect that one will be self-published sometime in the autumn.
In the meantime, I have an equally exciting publication announcement coming soon, so watch this space.
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.)
One of my major goals this year was to write the first draft of my new gothic mystery novel. I can tell you that I have now completed this. It’s a twisty-turny murder mystery thriller with hints of the supernatural, and I’m rather pleased with how it turned out.
What’s it called?
Drumroll… The title isA Thorn in Winter. This title not only sounds suitably sinister but has a hidden meaning that only becomes apparent as the plot unfolds.
What’s it about?
It concerns a young woman who is being blackmailed. Upon learning her blackmailer is linked to a decades-old unsolved murder, she discovers an alarming personal connection to the victim, and consequently finds herself in deadly peril.
I don’t really want to get more specific than that at this point, as this is one of the most twist-laden novels I’ve ever written. At the same time, it delves into themes of infidelity, revenge, and even reincarnation. It ticks many of my gothic mystery trope boxes: Imperilled heroine, sinister locations, buried secrets (literally and figuratively), and supporting characters who aren’t quite what they seem. It’s a rollercoaster of suspicion and suspense, and I think it has some emotional heft too (there’s a melancholy romantic subplot of sorts).
“Modbridge” looks a bit like this. Photo by Beth Jnr on Unsplash
The bulk of the novel is set in the fictional town of Modbridge, with occasional visits to Plymouth. Modbridge is a small town based on the real town of Modbury. The name combines the two local towns of Modbury and Kingsbridge. The steep main road running through Modbury, with shops either side, is also a key location that inspired a similar location in the novel.
When can I read it?
Not for a while, as I’ll probably sit on this manuscript for at least a year, per my standard procedure, before looking at it again with fresh eyes. On the other hand, I’m about to polish up the novel I completed this time a year ago, The Hobbford Giant, with a view to submitting it to agents and publishers. So you are one step closer to seeing that one. Watch this space.
I sometimes mention reviews for my novels received in places like Amazon or Goodreads. However, I’m thrilled to see a pair of great reviews for Spectre of Springwell Forest and The Irresistible Summons on Medium, by the excellent Arpad Nagy. Word is spreading, and soon my nail-biting horror-thrillers will take the world by storm. Or at least, that’s always the aim.
In the meantime, here are a few of snippets from these greatly encouraging reviews. First up, concerning Spectre of Springwell Forest, Arpad says this:
“A fright-inducing, panic-charged paranormal mystery… Putting the book down is nearly as impossible as stopping the horror the story reveals.”
“With each turn of the page, unease swims in your stomach, and your throat goes dry. The reader wants to know what’s beneath the veil and needs to see the truth revealed, all the while wishing the main character would relent in pursuing the mysterious secrets of Springwell and the abnormal behaviours of its citizens.”
“Creepy, dark, shocking, and spooky from beginning to end… Don’t forget to take a long look at the book’s cover when you’ve finished reading.”
Ah, yes. The cover. Anyway, for the full article, click here. On to Arpad’s other piece, this time concerning The Irresistible Summons. Here are a few of his thoughts.
“An unstoppable descent into a paranormal nightmare.”
“From romantic nuance and religious references, Dillon drives the story into dark places. Horror arrives in various forms, and all of them are unnerving and most frightening is the possibility of some of them being real issues we could be facing soon.”
“The story makes you think, unwind and rewind the implications of what is happening, and you quickly lose faith in which characters you can trust. Dillon delivers the right amount of twists and turns, none of which I could accurately predict, and one of them is a real “didn’t see that coming” doozy.”
Arpad’s full review of The Irresistible Summons is here.
To pick up an ebook or paperback of either of these novels, click here (for the UK) and here (for the US). Alternatively, click here to obtain copies via Smashwords and their associated distribution channels.
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.
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.)
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I recently had a couple of great five-star reviews for two very different novels: One for children’s adventure story Echo and the White Howl, and another for horror-thriller The Irresistible Summons. I always feel immensely encouraged by such reviews, as nothing makes me happier than knowing I’ve entertained the reader in the manner I intended.
Echo and the White Howl is a story about wolves in Alaska that I originally wrote for my youngest son. I was pleased to see the reviewer below picked up on the influence of Watership Down, one of my all-time favourite novels, though as he says, this is also very much its own beast.
“This is an exceptional story written by a brilliant author. My favourite book is Watership Down and whilst this has similar themes it is an original story on a slightly darker tone mixed with a bit of fantasy. Beautiful descriptions of the habitat of wolves and a wonderful adventure of family and revenge on an evil act. This is a must for any lover of Watership Down.” (MA Holburn, Amazon)
The Irresistible Summons is the scariest novel I’ve written, or so I’m told. I’m pleased it kept this reader on the edge of her seat.
“An extraordinarily imaginative tale, the supernatural infused with technology, love and hatred and an intense sense of dread and mystery. Thoroughly enjoyed it.” (AlisoninOz, Amazon)
You can pick up The Irresistible Summons and Echo and the White Howl from Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US) or here (on Smashwords). If you do read and enjoy my novels, please consider leaving a short review. Not only are they a great encouragement, but they encourage Amazon’s algorithms to show my work to more readers. That’s why reviews – even just a one-liner – really help independent authors like me. As for all who have left reviews, thank you very much. It is immensely appreciated.
Simon Dillon Books 
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