Here’s a quick update on Delamere ten, ‘A Depraved Indifference.’
When I stopped work yesterday, I was at 92,000 words and halfway through a climax, if you see what I mean. I had two of my heroes just about face to face with the villain (whoever he is), and they had just discovered what is about to happen, with time running out, and now have an impossibly situation to resolve without loss of life. They are also in the belfry of St Mary le Bow church, Cheapside, London, in the middle of the night. Why has all this come about? Because the villain has a depraved indifference to human life caused by other people’s indifference to him. It will all be explained in the story.
Meanwhile, here is a plan of the church, which is the only image to have joined my research folder in the last few days.
In my folder so far, I have a rare photo of the inside of St Clement Danes church, a photo of Morley’s hotel from the late 1890s (Trafalgar Square), some maps and other church floorplans. All this is based around ‘Oranges and Lemons,’ but the nursery rhyme has been twisted by my villain, as you will see, hopefully before this month is out.
New Month, New Promos
Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter if you want to get news on new promos. I have six this month, and will be sending out information about them on Saturday, when the newsletter comes out. Tell you what, I’ll give you a preview of the first one now.
MM Romance & Fiction
There are 22 MM titles here, some, like mine, you may already know, but there are others I’ve not seen advertised before. Plus, there are some new authors to explore and a variety of niches within MM romance.
Now, this is only an idea at this stage, but once I have finished ‘A Depraved Indifference,’ I may start on another volume of the Clearwater Tales. If I do, it will take the same format as volume one, with a few characters from Clearwater, Larkspur and Delamere meeting up en route to somewhere (Cornwall, probably, for Christmas), and each one telling a short story. The tales will then have to be linked by someone or something.
I made a start when I was between Delameres a few months ago, but then stalled because I wasn’t sure I’d chosen the correct five characters to meet by accident. I think I will have to ask readers which five they think should make an appearance…
Anyway, today, I thought I’d let slip a few words from this potential project so you can see what you think. Actually, see whether you can guess who the characters are. In this clip, Harry is the stationmaster, and there is a quiet lad alone in a corner of the station waiting room. The other two are big characters from one of the series, but can you guess who? (This isn’t complete or edited, it’s just a snippet, for fun.)
Chapter I
THE PROLOGUE, PART ONE
In which our players chance upon each other in a winter fog at a remote junction that was once a halt.
On Saturday, 23rd December 1893, the Morning Post reported: Exceedingly dull weather has prevailed at nearly every station, thick mist of fog being reported at a large number of them, both on the coast and inland…
(Later, in the remote, fog-bound station waiting room…)
One stood warming himself at the fire with his back to the room, and Harry was unable to see his face, though from his posture and clothes, he also took him to be on the young side. The other, on seeing Harry at his post, rose from the armchair he had taken and floated across the room. At least, that was how the approach looked, for the man was so… It was difficult to find the word at first, it hovered somewhere between captivating and frightening. Captivating because of his dark skin and eyes, his broad and open smile, and the precise manner in which he slipped off his gloves. He was frightening for the same reasons. The eyes held and refused to let go. Harry had not met many men with such tanned features, and the way he removed his gloves made him appear as if he was about to commit a strangulation. Despite all that, the word he settled on was regal.
‘Good evening.’ The dark man greeted him with a calm tip of the head, and in a voice as smooth as his skin. ‘May I trouble you for coffee? I see no menu.’
‘Evening, Sir. That’s right. The menu is whatever I have brought to share, but I always have tea, coffee and cocoa to warm my passengers.’ Now realising the man was a gentleman, Harry took him into his confidence. ‘I also have something a little stronger for the menfolk, but we mustn’t tell the magistrate.’
The stranger smiled. ‘I understand,’ he said. ‘You have my silence on the matter, Sir. Myself, I was brought up in a faith that forbids me from taking alcohol.’
‘I see.’
‘However, just because I was brought up beneath it doesn’t mean I allow myself to remain smothered. Therefore, if you have a shot of whisky, feel free to drop a splash in my cup. The largest you have, as I feel we may be in for a long wait. Correct?’
‘That you are, Sir,’ Harry sympathised. ‘I will make you as comfortable as I can for the evening. Take your seat. I will bring it across, and if there is anything else, just say. I have some hampers made up if you’re on a long journey, and I only charge cost price.’
‘You are kind,’ the swarthy stranger declared, and Harry preened at the compliment.
The new arrival at the fireplace had turned and now stood with his hands on his hips, parting his long overcoat and revealing a slim, some would say athletic body that was made statuesque by the not-quite-fashionable tightness of his clothing. Harry took no offence. He had once had such a physique, and comparing his now to his guest’s, decided the blond man was not yet married. What he was, however, was inquisitive, because he stared at the silent boy for some time before sighing, as if disappointed at not being noticed. From there, he watched the swarthy man at the counter, and all the way back to one of the fireside armchairs, before deciding where to sit.
He chose the opposite armchair, and as he sat with his coat and legs thrown open, his eyes never left the darker man. Harry raised an eyebrow at the provocative behaviour, while the other man smiled politely, and produced a newspaper from his luggage.
The samovar water had come to temperature by the time the two spoke, and with no other sound than the clock, the flames and the water burner, it was no trouble to hear their conversation, which Harry listened to out of concern for his passengers, and not to learn gossip. On a night such as that one, when there was a long wait, it also helped to pass the time.
‘Excuse me, mate…’ The younger, blond one opened the discussion. ‘Yeah… Hello?’
‘Good evening. May I be of assistance?’
‘Just passing the time, really. Fancy a chat?’
‘I am not averse to a conversation, Sir, but I may not be very interesting. Would you like a newspaper instead? Or a book?’
‘No thanks. Unlike you, I’m not a very good reader.’
‘Oh? You can tell how I read?’
‘I can tell you read fast, and you’re heading towards Cornwall, like I am.’
The darker man looked around his feet where his luggage stood, and then back at the blond.
‘I have no labels on my luggage… How?’
‘You’re reading last week’s copy of the West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser,’ the other replied. ‘Now, I got to admit that London’s my gaff, but I’ve been in this business a few months now, so I’ve got me nose in and out of a few riddles. From what I remember, that newspaper’s only printed in Truro. I dare say a few copies find their way to London and other places, but not immediate, like, if at all. I say that, ’cos if there’d been one out today, you’d have had a copy. Maybe. Just a guess, ’cos I don’t know where you’re coming from. Like I said, I’m passing the time.’
The second stranger seemed entertained and impressed. ‘Your deducement is correct, Sir. I am, indeed, on my way home to Cornwall.’
‘Yeah, alright. We’re going to be here for some hours, mate, so maybe we can do away with the Sir, business?’
The darker man was probably of Arabic extraction, Harry mused as he added whisky to the man’s coffee. The lighter one was from London, or nearby, south certainly, and yet, the Arab was better spoken. A prince, perhaps, he thought as he made up the tray, adding, for good measure, two glasses, some water, two slices of his wife’s fruit cake, and the half bottle of scotch. They could have it; he had plenty more. By the time he delivered the tray, and his guests had gratefully accepted his offerings, the men were on surname terms and chatting quietly.
Things are heating up. The crimes are becoming more baffling; someone’s not saying something for some reason (there’s a cover-up), but Jack and Bax are determined to put a stop to someone’s evil game before it’s too late. It’s already too late for some, and the pressure is on from both London police forces. To top it all, I think I have invented Jack’s ultimate sparring partner, the evil genius who will hound him for the rest of his career, and probably afterwards. Someone who may appear in the next story, or who may vanish for a while, only to resurface later…
As you might gather, ‘A Depraved Indifference’ is really taking shape, and I am now into the final reel. There are still roughly 25,000 words to go (at least) to bring the story to whatever conclusion it will have, but I am up to 73,000 words and, at last, Jack and his men finally have some information they can work on. The next big clue will be an invitation, but before I get there, I need to investigate something that has happened at St Dunstan’s Church, Stepney.
‘When will that be? Say the bells of Stepney.’
That will be as soon as I have posted this and made another cup of tea. Then, I will continue with chapter twenty-four. Soon, I’ll have to set about writing the blurb and thinking of a cover. Gosh, this being a full-time author thing makes for a great life!
PROMO
As for a special promo this week, maybe you could throw some attention and love to a set of:
LGBTQIA+ Historical Romance novels from various authors.
The promoters say that the kind of Historical romances that qualify will be: – a book that ends in a HEA or HFN – set before 1950 – main characters are LGBTQIA+
Well, made for Clearwater or what? I’ve entered Deviant Desire and Finding a Way into this one. I couldn’t add the Larkspur Series, because I could only put in two books, but Larkspur runs on from Clearwater, so people will find it on their own – if they make it through the 10 Clearwater stories, which I hope they do.
First, let me say thank you to everyone who has taken the time and trouble to post a review of any of my books on Amazon. They really do make a difference, as do rates. I’m pleased to say that Snake Hill has already attracted some lovely words of praise, such as:
The writing is lyrical with visuals. The story at the end had me misty-eyed. He captures the depth of male friendships and love perfectly.
This one especially touched me in a way that left me happy and sad at the same time.Every book in this series, along with the original series, is an excellent and exciting read.
I’m not here to hear my praises sung, although it is very rewarding to do so, and it’s always a boost when you read a positive review; it’s moving, too, and boosts self-esteem. The star ratings also help, and although I seem to have a mysterious reader who relishes dropping in one, two or three stars about half an hour after a book comes out, my star ratings are usually four or five, I am pleased to say. Finding a Way, which came out in August 2023, has 199 already, and Deviant Desire, published in 2019, has picked up 322 so far, as well as some excellent reviews. (Plus one which reads like a disgruntled author trying to trash a book because it was better than he could have done, while giving away some of the plot.) That is a no-no in the review world; you never give away twists or plots, but some people can’t help themselves. Ah well…
So, the message of today, folks is, please don’t hesitate to leave reviews whenever you can. Even if it’s only one or two lines, the more reviews and stars a title has, the more chance there is of Amazon recommending it – the same goes for Goodreads, I believe, and other publicity sites. My ‘Follow me’ list is towards the top of the right-hand column, if you use any of those platforms and want to follow me.
Meanwhile… Promos!
Banyak & fecks was taken out of a historical fiction promo for some reason. Either they didn’t like the gay aspect (boo), or it wasn’t bodice-ripping enough for them, and there was no busty wench on the front cover falling out of her clothing and into the arms of a swarthy lord of the manor, I don’t know, but there you go. Still, there are more to indulge in, such as today’s recommendation, which is:
Fall In Love: MM Romance in Kindle Unlimited
If you simply hanker for good, old-fashioned MM Romance, and you’re on KU, then this is the one to check out. You can add up to 30 new titles to your library.
You can do so by clicking the banner, as always, and having a browse. I’ll be back on Wednesday with an update on ‘A Depraved Indifference,’ which is coming along very nicely (well, it’s a bit gruesome in places, but otherwise, it’s quite nice).
The work in progress news this week is that I am now up to 63,000 words of the first draft of A Depraved Indifference. The mystery has thickened, and finding a solution has become more urgent because there have now been two major incidents to which Jack and Baxter have been called. So far, they have visited four churches around London, and if you want a clue as to why, then take a scroll down to Saturday’s post. We have also met a couple of new characters from the City of London Police who may survive the story or who may not, and we have also met our villain. Sort of.
We still don’t know who he is, but we know why he is doing what he is doing. I wanted a subplot for this story; otherwise, it’s simply a mystery, and wouldn’t have enough depth, so I thought the subplot could be the villain’s backstory, and the explanation for why he is doing what he is doing. I want the reader to feel sorry for him, yet not. To empathise with him, but wish they didn’t, because of the things he does. That’s the idea I am playing with, yet I still don’t know his name. Maybe we never will. Maybe I will save that for a future story.
That’s the joy of ‘making it up as you go along’ aka writing; you can do what you want because, after all, you are writing a novel, and it is meant to be novel.
So, I shall get back to it and keep you up to date in future posts.
Meanwhile, my Wednesday suggestion for additional reading has to do with stories where characters start off as friends and end up as lovers. Your kind of story or not? Why not check out these:
MM Friends to Lovers. This much-loved and classic MM genre is getting an airing at this promo with 24 cute titles where mates become more than mates. Included in there are my Students and Mentors of Barrenmoor Ridge, one of my best-selling titles (Mentor), and, with Students, I think my only F-to-L book… Then, I just remembered ‘The Blake Inheritance’ and ‘The Stoker Connection,’ which are also F-to-L, so maybe I should consider adding them next time.
This nursery rhyme has been in my head since I started writing ‘A Depraved Indifference’, and for a very good reason, which will become clear when you read the book. (Maybe next month, certainly by November.) I’m excited to tell you about the action through the story, but I can’t, of course, so I will just have to get on and finish it, so we can then discuss it, but I will say that it is definitely a mystery, and it has something to do with the nursery rhyme, ‘Oranges and Lemons.’
A letter from a publication of 1891, noted that beadles and porters of St Clement’s Inn (London) handed out oranges and lemons at New Year, so it wasn’t just children who knew the song. It is sung to the melody of certain church bells, St Clement Danes being one.
The melody of the sung rhyme is always the same, but the couplets can vary, and it always starts with St Clement Danes.
South-west view of the church of St Clement Danes
There are various versions of the lyrics, and it’s not unheard of for people to add their own, as happens in my story. I have gone for the standard version as written in The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, although I notice that the ending can also vary. In some modern versions, they have changed the bit about having your head cut off to something less violent. I can’t think why. It’s only a nursery rhyme, and I grew up with a chopper chopping off my head and ‘the last man is dead’, and I haven’t grown up to be a head-chopper-offer.
Below is the version I grew up with, and I remember playing the Oranges and Lemons game on the field in summer at primary school. We would have two children stand making an arch with their arms, and as we sang the rhyme, we took turns to walk beneath the arch. On the last line, the ‘chopper’ came down, and whoever was caught had their head chopped off. (Not really. It was a rural school, but not barbaric.)
Oranges and lemons, Say the bells of St Clement’s. You owe me five farthings, Say the bells of St Martin’s.
When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey. When I grow rich, Say the bells of Shoreditch.
When will that be? Say the bells of Stepney. I do not know, Say the great bells of Bow.
Here comes a candle, To light you to bed. Here comes a chopper To chop off your head. Chip chop chip chop the last man is dead.
St Clement Danes is top right (You will also notice Holywell Street.)
There is also a debate, or several, about which churches are referred to in the rhyme. Some say St Clement’s isn’t the church in the Strand, but the one over at Eastcheap, and so on, but there are probably as many arguments for each one as there are additional lyrics.
Bull’s eyes and targets, say the bells of St Margaret’s, for example; I’ve never heard that one before.
Anyway, Oranges and Lemons features in the story and so far, and so do some other interesting ‘props.’ At the moment, I am asking myself, ‘What do the following have in common?’
A church organ, a medical skeleton, graffiti, a charitable organisation, and a ring? The answer? A Depraved Indifference – coming soon.
PROMO
This Saturday’s ‘please give these books some attention’ promo is the one I take part in every month because it is organised by Book Mojo, and they never send me unsolicited AI emails about book promotions.
MAYHEM & MOTIVES: Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense Reads – September Edition The M&M, Book-Mojo collection this month includes my three series starters. There are 45 titles to check out, all various kinds of thriller or mystery, and not necessarily MM related, but still, a good read.
You know how it works, click the banner to reach the page of books…
I am now at chapter 15 of the first draft of ‘A Depraved Indifference.’ Chapter 15 is usually what I consider the halfway mark. Roughly. As I’ve said before, I aim to make each of my mysteries around 100,000 words in length, and it just so happens that, at the end of chapter 14, I am up to 47,000 words, so another three thousand through chapter 15, and I will be stepping over the threshold into Act Three. Or that may happen in chapter 16, depending on how Jack’s meeting goes with Inspector Smith of the City of London Police, which is about to happen.
The Four Acts
If you were wondering about the four acts, it’s a very common film structure, particularly for action/adventure films.
Act One, there’s no problem, everything’s as it should be, and then there’s a call to adventure, and the hero takes it, or deliberates, then must take the adventure.
Act Two, he’s now got a problem to deal with, so the question is, what is this problem?
Act Three, after a halfway twist or turning point, he now knows what the problem is, but not how to deal with it, so Act Three is about ‘How do I solve this?’ This can involve gaining emotional as well as physical strength.
Act Four begins around the crisis of the story, when the final obstacles are in his way and he must overcome them in order to succeed. He must go ‘underground’ as it were in a ritualistic rite of passage to he can emerge victorious at the climax. There’s then a denouement or rounding off of leftover themes, and that’/s about it.
So, my Chapter 15 is happening around the time of the end of Act Two, and we’re just about to have a twist. Kind of. Anyway, that’s where I am with ‘A Depraved Indifference.’ And now…
Promos
Aug to Sept SPY Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense Sales Promotion
This one runs until the 20th September. There are 46 titles covering all aspects of mystery and thriller, and my three series starters are in the list.
Monthly Menagerie of Menage
This promo is open to steamy books with two or more love interests. As you might tell from the title, there’s a heat element to this collection. That’s why I put in my only really ‘hot’ title, ‘The Mentor of Wildhill Farm,’ which, tbh, is often more heat than anything else! There are 17 books here, but they include str8 novels, box sets and collections.
First, my monthly newsletter will be sent out this morning (Saturday) at 10.00 GMT + 2. It contains a brief news section and a heap of new promo suggestions with everything from steamy MM to standard historical fiction. Look out for that, and if you haven’t already subscribed, you know what to do!
A Depraved Indifference
The update here is that I am now up to 35,000 words of the first draft, so about four chapters away from the halfway mark. It’s not set in stone that I write each novel to 100,000 words, but it is what I like to aim for. I think my longest is 150,000 words, which is ‘The Larkspur Legacy’, but then, that is really parts two and three of a much longer story that starts with ‘Starting with Secrets.’ I guess you could say, together, they make one continuous mystery adventure of around 260,000 words.
The complete sentence that inspired the title of Delamere Ten is, A Depraved Indifference to human life, and it looks like this mystery is going to give Jack and Baxter some gruesome scenes to investigate. So far, I have three connected mysteries, one of which is a nasty and inventive murder. I now need to invent a few more and give Jack a worthy adversary who may go on to become his archenemy.
At the moment, I am looking into the history of a church called St Dunstan’s and All Saints, in Stepney, East London. I came across a blog titled, A London Inheritance, which has a fascinating post about the church, if you are interested, go and have a read. It also held this image:
It’s a map from 1720, and the church is ringed in red. What I also find interesting here is that at the bottom of this image, you can see both Shadwell, where Baxter comes from, and next to it, Limehouse, where Jack and Will Merrit are from. As you can see, they are noted as being hamlets. Later, the wider area became known as Tower Hamlets because it comprises an area near the Tower of London that was made up of hamlets.
St Dunstan’s is only one of several locations used in my next book, which is set in August 1893, and starts at the time of Simeon’s 17th birthday.
Of course, none of this will make any sense unless you have read the Delamere Files books, but if you have, you will be pleased to know that life goes on in Delamere House, although with a moral Vs professional dilemma for my main man, Jack.
More will be revealed in time – but not too much! Have a great weekend, and remember to look out for the newsletter and check out the promos.
The blog is well worth visiting if you are interested in London history and want a guided walk.
Here’s a note for anyone else who might have published a book or two, and it’s about the way scummy scammers are using AI to make money. Here’s the start of an email I received this morning:
I recently explored *Snake Hill (The Delamere Files Book 9)*, and I was captivated by the way you weave suspense, rural legends, and complex character dynamics into this installment. The tension around the mysterious disappearances, the fire snake folklore, and the responsibility placed on both Jack and Simeon makes this book an engrossing read for fans of crime and mystery. Even with such a thrilling narrative, it seems this book hasn’t yet reached he wider audience it could captivate…
Do they think I am daft? Explored a book? What, you set out from the Royal Geographical Society with a brief to…? The rest of it is generated by an AI thing using my blurb, the text you can read on Amazon, which I wrote. All the person behind this is doing is generating dodgy text based on a book’s blurb, and having their system send out an email. These things then go with text like: Have you found it challenging to connect *Snake Hill* with readers who would enjoy the depth of your series, the unfolding mysteries, and the suspenseful twists…
This email suggested I contact ‘Mary’ and, like most, it promised promotion leading to untold wealth. It wanted me to reply and beg them to help me publicise the book(s). Then, what they would do is take my money and get AI to send out a few random spams to random email addresses and move on to the next victim.
Bring the Past to Life with Historical Fiction
I am now receiving at least one of these emails every day, But, because I use Mailwasher, I see them before they get to my laptop, not that they are dangerous or anything, but Mailwasher comes with various commands. I can permanently mark and report the email address as spam, and I can also bounce it back, so the person/machine at the other end thinks my email address doesn’t work. Hehe.
I don’t reply because I will only get more spam from the same AI if I do, but I’d love to reply: ‘So, tell me, as you have read the book and see its potential, can you tell me, a) what is the first full sentence on page 213? And b) why you started a series at book nine and not book one?
I bet, for every one of me (who is slightly experienced in this self-publishing game) there is a newbie out there who falls for this trick and parts with money because their book isn’t selling as well as they thought it would – and they thought it would because AI wrote it for them. Believe me, I have published over 40 full-length novels (every word of which I have written myself), and without a massive publisher and their publicity machine, you ain’t going to make a living, so don’t waste your cash on AI-generated spammers.
You may know that I use old newspapers and publications a great deal when researching for my 1890s mystery novels. Sometimes, I use them for inspiration and turn to the Illustrated Police News to find ideas for stories. At other times, I use them to find advertisements for things so I can use props that were real at the time, soaps, hair products, and in the case of ‘A Depraved Indifference’, a watch.
Here’s the front cover for the Police Illustrated News of 137 years ago on September 8th.
Click to open a PDF of the page (larger)
The central illustration is headed ‘Revolting and mysterious murder of a woman – Buck’s Row, Whitechapel.’ This is coverage of Mary Ann Nichols, a Jack the Ripper victim killed on 31st August 1888. Just out of interest, my grandfather was born on 8th September 1905, and my husband on 8th September 1967, and if you have read the Clearwater series, or Delamere, you will know that both houses stand side by side in Buck’s Avenue. It’s a made-up street in Knightsbridge, just about where the barracks are, overlooking Hyde Park, but I chose Buck’s on purpose. Anyway…
Morley’s Hotel
One of the places I wanted to know more about was Morley’s Hotel, so I have turned to the newspaper archive again to see what I could see. So far, I’ve not had much luck, but I have discovered that the hotel, which was in Trafalgar Square, was, in 1893, owned by the James brothers, so I have dropped them into Jack Merrit’s investigation. Currently, I am on chapter eight of the new story and it’s going along well. I am a quarter of the way through, and we have had two seemingly unconnected discoveries, a birthday, and Will has solved two cases, once while getting out of a carriage.
Morley’s Hotel stood where South Africa House now stands on the east side of Trafalgar Square and was a massive building. However, there seems to be very little information about it. I found out that Buffalo Bill once stayed there and an American soldier shot himself there in 1892, but that’s about it. I couldn’t help wondering how much of a rival it was for D’Oyly Carte and his Savoy Hotel up the road, or the Charing Cross station hotel. I will keep researching. The newspaper archive does cost a little to subscribe, but there is some free material, and you can find out all about it here: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
Excellent Promo: Thrillers and Mysteries
Next week, my newsletter will be out, and new promos will start. One, though, is already up and running and since it started, sales of my series have begun to rise – which is excellent news for me! This promo runs into September, so there’s still plenty of time to browse and maybe find new authors to read and follow. It’s a collection of mystery and spy thrillers, and there are 46 titles to check out. Have fun!
