I know I have been telling a lot about promos recently, but that’s because I am doing my bit to promote others’ work while promoting my own, because we indie authors need to support each other. So, today is only a brief mention of a new promo that’s all about historical fiction. Here’s the link and the banner:
Good to see they used ‘Finding a Way’ in the banner. I have my three series starts in there, and it’d be great if you could share this link around, and click on it yourself and give me some kudos points. All the books are in KU, so if you are enrolled, they’ll cost you nothing extra to browse or read. There are a lot of what look like late Regency or early Victorian dukes and their mistresses on the covers, some WWII stories, some American, some that look to be 1930s, and at least one that’s much older in setting and looks a little Viking. So, there is plenty to explore among the 70 titles on offer.
‘The Wharf Rat Guild’ set in 1662 (the time of Charles II) looks interesting, ‘Grace in the Wings’ looks right up my street as it has a theatrical setting, and ‘Trading Thomas’ is now on my TBR list because it is based on true events, we’re told. So, here is the link again.
Where There’s a Will
If you want to see the cover of the next Delamere Files, due out next week, then you will have to a) join my private Facebook group Jackson’s Deviant Desires where I am showing the cover today, or b) wait a little longer and I’ll put it up here next week. The book is all but finished and ready to go – I am just waiting for the full cover and the layout which I will commission over the weekend. So, not long now and you can read more about the annoyingly humorous and odd Will Merrit as he leads his first case.
In the Meantime…
In the meantime, I have visitors here for two weeks, and they arrive in a few hours, so I have much to do in preparation. I’ll continue to post here and at my Symi island blog over at Symi Dream (which I update five days per week), and I’ll let you know there or here if I hear anything more about interviews, promotions and any other news concerning my work.
Today’s news is that Guardians of the Poor is one of my books in a promo at Book Funnel. If you like historical adventure, action, mystery and/or military novels, then there is a select number of titles being promoted by a small group of authors, me being one of them. All the titles are available on Kindle Unlimited.
As you’ll see, I have ‘Deviant Desire’ in there as well as ‘Guardians of the Poor.’
Guardians is set around workhouse life in 1890s London. It starts with a newspaper article from July 1890 which was inspired by a real article from March of that year which concerned a workhouse master (the superintendent) and one of his younger charges. Also feeding my inspiration was an article from around the same time concerning fraudulent activity at the Chelsea workhouse. I combined several real-life incidents to create my story, which is set in the Hackney workhouse. That’s a place I visited in the 1980s and 90s when some of its buildings were being used as parts of Homerton Hospital.
Anyway… I started the Larkspur series there, and in case you’ve not read it, I’ve reproduced the opening couple of pages here to get you started. Dalston Blaze and Joe Tanner go on to become students at the Larkspur Academy where they meet a cast of other young men all of whom have special talents, but all of whom have fallen foul of prejudice or the law. Joe Tanner more so because he is completely deaf, and can only communicate with Dalston through their invented and partially taught sign language. (That was fun to write!)
The series runs for seven books and climaxes with ‘The Larkspur Legacy’ which draws together both this series and the Clearwater Mysteries, before leading into The Delamere Files.
Here is the opening of Guardians of the Poor, and the link to the Kindle Unlimited promotion for 25 exclusive historical action, adventure, military and mystery novels.
Lloyd’s Weekly London Newspaper July 20, 1890
The Shocking Charge Against Two Men. On Friday last, Dalston Blaze and Joseph Tanner, both 18, were indicted for inciting each other to the commission of unnatural offences. The prisoner, Blaze, had been for his life an inmate of the Union Workhouse, Hackney, and Tanner much the same time, but were working as porter-inmates in accordance with the New Poor Law of 1834.
Sometime in July of this year, another officer of this workhouse, a man named Skaggot, reported to the police an offence alleged to have been committed in the workhouse. Inquiries were immediately made, with the result that proceedings were begun against Tanner and Blaze.
Evidence against the accused was presented in the form of pictographs, making this case unique, and somewhat open to interpretation. According to the prosecution, these symbols, when interpreted, prove the men were inciting each other to perform an unnatural act.
Edward Capps, the workhouse master, was called, and said he knew of no such unnatural conduct between Blaze and Tanner, and gave evidence of good character. He said, ‘I am keen the men are returned to the Workhouse to continue their good work there.’
However, there is another complication to this case. The prisoner, Tanner, was not in court and is missing.
Mr Willis, defending, was addressing the jury on the character of the Master, when the jury foreman interposed. He said the jury did not desire to hear counsel for the defence, because the conduct of the workhouse official had nothing to do with the case. Thus, the defence was told to stand down.
The Common Sergeant then pronounced Blaze guilty of the commission of unnatural offences, and pronounced the same verdict against the missing defendant, Tanner, and called the proceedings to a halt. He remanded Blaze back into custody until sentencing. The magistrate imposed on Scotland Yard to find and bring to court the accomplice, Tanner, before the sentencing, the date being set for two weeks hence.
Reynold’s Newspaper Sunday, July 27, 1890
The Hackney Workhouse Scandal. The case for sentencing will be heard this Thursday in the Central Criminal Court before the Common Sergeant, Sir William Charley. Dalston Blaze and Joseph Tanner, both 18 of the Hackney Workhouse, have been indicted for inciting each other to the commission of unnatural offences. Mr Avery will represent the prosecution; Sir Easterby Creswell has replaced Willis as the defence; Sir Malcolm Ashton will be watching the case on behalf of the workhouse officials. Reynolds Newspaper will be reporting.
The case has attracted attention due to the unusual evidence of the pictograms used in the planning of the crime, and because of the absence of the second criminal, Joseph Tanner who has not yet been recovered after effecting his escape from custody following the initial arraignment. We are also interested to learn why Sir Easterby Creswell has taken the case as it appears to be a mundane matter, and sentencing a foregone conclusion. Sentencing for this crime is usually five years imprisonment, and there is no reason to suspect this case will be any different.
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