You may have had your Easter by now, but over here in Greece, ours is yet to come (May 5th). Meanwhile, the special Easter promo of queer romance novels available on Kindle Unlimited is still running. My third series starter, ‘Finding a Way’ is in there with many other hot titles, and you can find them all by clicking the image:
So far, on Amazon, Finding a Way has had 56 rates and a few reviews. I am pleased to say that it’s gained mainly four or five stars (you can never please everyone), and some people have gone to great lengths to leave very positive reviews. Here are some snippets:
Find your way to reading this first book in a new series.
I highly recommend this book for those fans of Jackson Marsh who enjoy his style and humor.
I was hooked on this story from the very first sentence. As always, great characters are introduced to the reader and some cameo appearances of characters from previous series just tied everything so perfectly together.
His brilliant use of words, particularly with the more colourful, learned characters, is almost poetic in nature, while still being incredibly funny to read.
The scene between Jack and Larkin is sublime and other MM romance authors should take note that this is how you write a romantic scene.
Thank you to everyone who takes the trouble to write a review and post it. And also, a huge thank you to anyone who shares these blog posts, the books’ links and news of the Clearwater, larkspur, Delamere series, and my other books.
I am currently at 27,000 words of ‘Where There’s a Will’ and the story is falling into place nicely, as are the characterisations, the mystery – which is a slow build – and the atmosphere. There are also some light moments, and there’s to be very little angst, although there is a love story subplot going on.
Meanwhile, I was checking out some information about the others in the Delamere Series and was interested to see how many ratesFindinga Way the first book in the series has received so far. I was pleasantly surprised, and happy that they were all five or four-star ratings, but even better were the reviews. Not many, but enough, and some very glowing words from honest and happy readers. I liked the one titled, ‘Don’t Dilly dally, follow this author,’ because its title clearly resonates with the setting of ‘Follow the Van’, book three in the series. Like the rest, it was honest, pointing out what the reader thought was both good and not so good, and both sides of the coin are useful for the author to know. The other reviews, from Anthony Pisacano, Tony Wiliamson Jr, and CM are also well-written and honest, and I am not just saying that because they say nice things about me and the stories.
These reviews really encourage authors to keep going. Writing my books is now my full-time job and has been for some time, and the income I receive from them is what we live off. Here in Greece, over the winter when my husband isn’t working, it’s all we have, so reviews that attract more readers are more than welcome.
I must slip in this line from a review of ‘Follow the Van.’
Jackson Marsh uses this insight to give us a wonderful historical glimpse into how the early tubes ran back in the 1890s, the pollution, the danger, the 3 class travel system. This is one of the many things the author adds to these books which make them more than the sum of their parts and some of the most incredible reads out there.
Maybe I should change my end-of-novel tagline from ‘You keep reading and I’ll keep writing,’ to ‘You keep reviewing, and I’ll keep writing.’ I’ll keep writing anyway because it’s what I love to do, and these days, what I have to do if I want to eat. On which note, I must get back to chapter 10 of ‘Where There’s a Will.’
I will leave you with a photo I took yesterday showing the entrance to our harbour. I show you this for no other reason than to show off, lol. Then, there’s a not-so-subtle reminder of the current promo. Clicking over there and exploring other authors’ work really helps me and my sales as much as it helps theirs, even though it doesn’t cost you anything.
Taken during a good walk and a good plot & plan session in the open air.
I’ll be back on Saturday with other news and updates.
All these books are on Kindle Unlimited, and they are all romantic. Many have an image of a hunky or topless guy on the cover, or else the heroine, because all are romantic MM or FF in some way. As you can see, my Guardians of the Poor is in there with other top titles. Feel free to click through, then click the covers to see more details of the books, and if there’s something you like, head on over and grab it from KU or get yourself a Kindle copy.
The Things You Learn
Right now, I am working on ‘Where There’s a Will’, the fourth Delamere Files mystery set in 1892. In this story, Will and Jack Merrit are charged with attending the reading of a will. Why? They don’t know. Where? On a remote island in the Bristol Channel. I have based my island on the isle of Lundy, famous for its lighthouse, but also, for so much more. To get there, my characters have to travel to a place called Appledore on the north Devon coast. They could have travelled from Bideford, further upstream, but their island comes with its own ferryman, and I wanted a smaller location for the ferry to leave from.
While I was looking at the maps, and reading up a little about the area, I discovered that it wasn’t far from a place called Westward Ho! I knew that that was also the name of a novel., and I couldn’t help doing a little research because the character who talks about this place is something of a know-it-all (it’s not one of the Merrit brothers) and I wanted him to show us he is educated and knows all about this area.
This became a question of what came first, the novel or the village?
Westward Ho! Google Maps.
Strangely enough, it was the novel. Published in 1885, ‘Westward Ho!’ by Charles Kingsley was set in Bideford, nearby, and its story begins during the reign of Elizabeth I. The book was a bestseller, and entrepreneurs saw a way to use it to develop tourism in the area. The Northam Burrows Hotel and Villa Building Company, chaired by Isaac Newton Wallop, 5th Earl of Portsmouth, was formed in 1863, and to take advantage of the Victorian’s passion for seaside holidays, they called their hotel the Westward Ho!-tel.
Same place, 1890s-1910 map
Here’s a small advertisement for it from the North Devon Journal, June 1865.
As if that wasn’t interesting enough, the village they created for tourism, they called Westward Ho!, including the exclamation mark, meaning it is the only British place name to have punctuation. There are others around the world. Hamilton in the USA officially changed its name to Hamilton!, and in 1986, in Quebec, Canada, you can find a place called Saint Louis-du-Ha!-Ha!
Ha-ha! Now you know, and you may well have known already, but I didn’t, and it’s just this kind of unusual thing that makes research such fun.
Now, I am getting back to chapter six of the new book, and will leave you with a reminder to have a browse around the KU promo I’m currently a part of and see if you can find any new authors and titles to add to your ‘must-be-read’ list.
Hi everyone, and welcome to my Wednesday roundup of news. Today, I am very pleased to tell you I have made a good start on the next Delamere File mystery, and it’s titled, ‘Where There’s a Will.’
If you have been following the series, you will know that my two main characters are Jack and Will Merrit. Jack has featured as the lead of the first three books as he goes from being a hard-working London cabman to being a hard-working private investigator. He’s been trying to come to terms with his change in position, his sexuality, and his feelings towards the writer, Larkin Chase.
Book three will see his brother Will as the main character, although Jack is involved. Will has his own issues, though not around sexuality. He has a ‘condition of preciseness’ as he calls it, a kind of OCD, but not quite. It’s a fine line between madness and genius and Will is approaching that line, although he’s not mad.
Anyway… Where There’s a Will obviously relates to Will Merrit, but it also relates to the reading of a Will on a remote island in the Bristol Channel. The island is modelled on Lundy, though in the story it is Templar Island, and the brothers are charged to go there to be present at the reading of a will.
Why?
You will find out, but first I must find out, lol. I have written my synopsis on a small piece of paper, and here it is, the bottom one. Don’t look too closely as there’s an outside chance you might be able to read my scrawl and I don’t want to give you any spoilers.
(The top piece is the railway timetable from London to Bideford in October 1892)
So, I am already at chapter five, which is around 14,000 words into the story and so far, we have a quest, an unrequited love story theme, and a few laughs. We will soon be at the mystery stage before the threat and peril kick in.
In the meantime, I am pleased to say Follow the Van has been going well, and I have had a few private messages telling me how much readers have enjoyed it. Remember, if you can, reviews on Amazon really help because the more there are, the more coverage the books get.
I’ll be back on Saturday with news of another promo and some other information that might be of interest. Until then, have a good week!
Appledore, Devon, where chapter five is set. The yellow line is where the now defunct railway used to run.
Here’s a special promotion that’s going to run long enough to cover Western and Orthodox Easter. Over here in Greece, East Sunday is not until May 5th while in the UK and elsewhere it’s on March 31st. This means you’ve got six weeks of promo to look forward to with 80 titles being promoted during this time.
I, of course, have my three series starters in the list and am up there with other top writers of gay and lesbian romance and fiction. I was just browsing the list and noted a few interesting facts:
There are 80 titles.
All but three feature at least one model (boy or girl) on the cover.
The word ‘Desire’ appears in two titles: ‘Corrupted Desire’ by Ryder O’Malley, and Deviant Desire by Jackson Marsh. Oh, that’s me!
Some of the authors have appeared on my blog, i.e. KC Carmine.
There is a wide range of niches, themes, tropes, but with queer romance as the overarching common theme, and here are some I have gleaned from the covers:
Mystery books, lesbian literature, age gap and daddies, fantasy, history, medical, the priesthood, rakes, tough boys, fit boys, sword and sorcery, YA… A browse of the covers will give you a better idea, but plenty to choose from.
I hope you will pop over to the promo during the sates March 29th to May 6th and click on some of the covers to discover more about the books that lie behind them. Also, if you will, feel free to share the link around, on your Facebook pages and groups, and give us indie queer authors some extra publicity.
My first series starter is Deviant Desire – and that’s in the promo, of course. This is the novel that started the entire Clearwater world, and the 21 books within that world are now becoming a trilogy of three complete series.
Deviant Desire, like most of my novels, is a love story within a mystery, and in this case, the mystery is based on the story of Jack the Ripper. (Though I have changed it to the East End Ripper who is targeting rent boys.) It’s all about love across the great Victorian class divide and begins a love story that continues through 10 books and a prequel, and endures through the next series and beyond.
More about the other books in this great Easter promo as the days go by. Meanwhile:
Usually on a Wednesday, I give you an update about my current work in progress, and I will, but today, there is a little more news than that…
Follow the Van has just been released and the paperback version should be available in a few days. This is book three of the Delamere Files series which follows on from the Larkspur Academy Mysteries, though takes us away from Larkspur while keeping us in the Clearwater world. The first three books focus on Jack Merrit, his first love and his new job as an investigator. With him is his younger brother, Will, and book four takes Will’s point of view of the world. So…
Where There’s a Will has begun, and I am already on chapter three. I must admit, I’m not sure where the story is going, as I only have a rough idea, but I know it’s going to be fun and intriguing, though like the others in this series, not particularly steamy. Meanwhile…
The Students of Barrenmoor Ridge is in a special promo that is celebrating the best friends to lovers trope. In my contribution, two 18-year-old besties go camping, one is determined to come out to his best mate, but then, they are attacked, and in trouble, and the two characters from The Mentor of Barrenmoor Ridge have to come to their rescue, both physical and emotional. Yorkshire Dales, mountain rescue, nerdy teens, crush, best mates, and ‘fade to black’ sex, so suitable for anyone who’s around 16 and upwards.
The special Historical Fiction available in the Kindle Unlimited promo is still running, and you can find the books listed here until the end of the month.
And soon… Another promo will hit the screens and you’ll get another newsletter reminding you (if you are signed up for my newsletter). This one is called ‘Spend Easter with Queer Romance,’ and there are plenty of new titles available. Or, there will be soon as the promo doesn’t officially start until March 29th. However, Click Here and you will be able to see the covers, and after the 29th, you’ll be able to click them and find out more info. I have all three series starters in this promo.
That’s the news for now, and as you can see, there’s a lot going on!
I have a novel in a promo that’s running from 20th March to 24th April, so there’s plenty of time for you to browse the books on offer. As this promo is very clearly Best Friends to Lovers, I’ve put in my ‘The Students of Barrenmoor Ridge.’ This is a YA tale, mainly, about two BFs going hiking together, getting into trouble and needing the help of characters you may have met in ‘The Mentor of Barrenmoor Ridge.’ (It doesn’t matter if you haven’t, you can still enjoy The Students of…) The promo is for all levels of ‘heat,’ so you never know what you might find.
To explore more, simply click the link and take a look at the many books on offer. Click a cover to find more info (and get me brownie points for sharing), and enjoy discovering new authors and titles.
While you are merrily clicking things, click on my Jackson March Amazon page and in the next few days you will see you can download or order the next Delamere Files novel, ‘Follow the Van.’ As I write this, I am just waiting for the last of the files to come through from my design team, and then I can upload everything and publish the book. I’m hoping to do this on my birthday next Tuesday.
Here’s the blurb to keep you going, and if you want to see the full cover before the book is published, click the link at the end of this page.
Follow the Van The Delamere Files book three
Success in this business isn’t about what you know, it’s about what you don’t know.
When the eligible Eddy Hawkstone enlists Jack Merrit’s services to recover a stolen book, it seems like a straightforward task. However, the clues lead Jack into the turbulent world of the music hall, where he uncovers the unnerving tale of his father’s death at the feet of Marie Lloyd.
Desperate to prove himself to his mentor, Jimmy Wright, Jack finds himself entangled in a web of sexual temptation, loyalty, and fraternal bonds, all while grappling with his emotions for Larkin Chase.
To triumph, Jack must confront the shadows of his past and embrace the realities of the present. The path is fraught with danger and self-discovery and leads him to a twisting theatrical climax worthy of a melodrama.
Follow the Van is the third book in the Delamere Files series. The books should be read in order.
And now the cover… Another triumph from Andjela, click the Merrit brothers to see the full cover of Follow the Van which you can start reading in the next couple of days.
There’s a new promotion running on Book Funnel and this one celebrates the trope of Best Friends to Lovers. There are 49 books in this promo, and the page is a lovely long list of hunky-guy covers, topless men, and two boys outside a tent. Oh, that’s because my ‘The Students of Barrenmoor Ridge’ is included in this promo. This is a YA, coming out, coming of age, best friends to lovers novel set in the Yorkshire Dales, and can be treated as a sequel to ‘The Mentor of Barrenmoor Ridge,’ though it can also be read as a standalone.
I’ll be sharing more info about the Students on my Saturday blog, and there will be a newsletter soon. As per usual, if you have time to click through to the promo page and check out a couple of the titles, plus, if you can click the link in the email when it arrives, you’ll be doing me and the other authors a great service.
I’ll now go over and share this post on Facebook. Please feel free to do the same and get these 49 books some positive attention. Thank you.
As you might know, I have my three series starters in a month-long promotion. These are all historical mystery and adventure novels, and they are all available on Kindle Unlimited. If you’re not sure what that is, ‘KU’ as it’s often called, is a bit like a paid-for library. You subscribe each month and in return you can choose from over 4 million books, audiobooks, comics and magazines, ‘borrowing’ up to a certain amount each month. Perfect for avid readers. I expect there are some other benefits, and you can find out more about it from a Google search.
So, the books in this promotion are all available ‘for free’ if you have signed up to KU. I believe they are also available on Kindle generally and in paperback. I know mine are.
I try and promote the series starts as much as I can, in the hope that new readers will enjoy the first book, and go on to read the second, and so on. It sometimes happens that was and it’s great when it does. A couple of times in my writing career I’ve woken up to find someone has bought every book in all three series all in one shot. That’s 11 Clearwater Mysteries, seven Larkspur Mysteries, and so far, two Delamere Files (with a third one out any day now). Total coast of Kindles for that lot? Roughly $79.00. If a couple of people a day would buy the whole series… Pipe dream, perhaps, but it happens, just not to me.
So, this week’s highlighted novel is in the promotion. Finding a Way is the story that starts the Delamere Files. The ‘file’ in this case is the main man himself, Jack Merrit and the crime he suffered, and how he deals with it. In book two, Jack’s gone from being a cabman to being a detective, and his second file takes hm into the world of the Victorian public schools and old school ties. A Fall From Grace. The third book, Follow the Van, takes him and his very precise brother, Will, into the world of the music hall which was their late father’s domain as he was a top music hall entertainer.
Jack and Will Merrit in ‘Follow the Van.’
The next one in the series is to be Where There’s a Will. I am starting on that this week. I want to do something I’ve always wanted to do and have a classic (you could say clichéd) “reading of the will at a creepy old property during a storm”, kind of story. A Cat and Canary for the Merrit brothers to take part in. However, that’s as far as I am with it, and I am trying to think of ways to make it non-cliché before I dive in.
So, the point of this weekend’s ramble is to remind you that the promo is still on, and if you’re looking for more historical action and mystery, you can check out the books via this link.
Coming up on the 20th for a few weeks is a ‘Best Friends to Lovers’ promo with over 40 books on that theme taking part. The link is live but the book links are not: Click here to check it out.
Coming up on 29th March and running until the end of May is a ‘Spend Easter with Queer Romance in KU’ promo, with another set of books, including my three series starters and work from other top authors. Click here to check it out.
That sounds like the title of a novel soon to be a major motion picture, but it’s not. At least, if it is, it’s not one I’ve heard of. What it is though, is right now. The time between the books. One is currently being proofread, the other has yet to be started, and it’s the period when I never know quite what to do.
You’ve just finished another novel (almost), and you’re keen to leap onto the next, because there are still many stories to tell, but what’s this story to be? I have a title I want to use, and as I put the title of the next one at the end of the one before, I need to be sure that’s where I am going before I publish the one before. In this case, we’re talking the Delamere Files, where each story is a new investigation for our new detectives Jack and Will Merrit. So far we have had:
Finding a Way where Jack and Will receive the offer of a better life.
A Fall From Grace is their first real case with Jimmy Wright.
Follow the Van, which is Jack’s first case off his own back.
Where There’s a Will, which I want to be more about Will Merrit.
Also, during the first three, Jack and Will’s life changes dramatically. Jack finds the possibility of MM love with Larkin Chase but has trouble accepting it and his feelings towards men generally. In Follow the Van, Jack is tempted by someone, confused about love and Larkin, and finally decides to… Well, you’ll have to wait to read it, and that should be in only a couple of weeks’ time.
Meanwhile, I am pottering around with some ideas and found one that I’ve always wanted to do, no matter how clichéd it is. The creepy country house reading of the will story. A story like The Cat and the Canary which I loved when I was little (the Bob Hope version). Any stage plays or films along those lines were definitely my ‘thing’ years ago and they still are. The classic ‘cabin in the woods’ as we call them now, but with suspense, not horror.
Except, in my story, it won’t be a country house on the moors or a cabin in the forest, I am thinking of an island like Lundy with a lighthouse and a few buildings, and that’s it. Why our two heroes should go there and what mystery will need to be solved, let alone how/if there will be any MM romance going on, all remain to be seen. But, I will continue to think as I wallow in my Time Between projects, all the while knowing that new releases boost sales, and sales mean bread and butter. On which note, I will get on with some more pottering.
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