Author Archives: camdenstevens

Deviant, Twisted and Unspeakable

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Deviant, Twisted and Unspeakable

Twisted Tracks, The Clearwater Mysteries book two – available in May

I have the proof of ‘Twisted Tracks’ back from my proof reader but I’ve not gone through it yet. I am up to about 55,000 words on ‘Unspeakable Acts’ (The Clearwater Mysteries book three) and want to get to the end of a first draft of that one before going back to ‘Twisted’, book two. Meanwhile, book one, ‘Deviant Desire‘, has a blog tour from 29th April until 12th May (articles and interviews appearing every day on different MM Romance blogs), and I want ‘Twisted’ out around the time that ends, so there’s no rush and I have plenty of time to have it laid out.

I was really blocked for about a week on ‘Unspeakable.’ I am kind of making it up as I go, but I knew the ending. The thing was, I got to about half way and had lft myself two days to fill before the climax – the characters were saying, ‘The gala is on such and such a day’ and I was sticking to that while wondering what they would be doing during those two days while they waited. Of course, I woke up one morning and said, ‘Why make them wait? Just move the gala forward.’ The gala at the City Opera House is the climax of the thing. Once I’d realised that, I was off again, and I reckon I’ve got around 30,000 words of what’s essentially an Act Three still to go.

Deviant Desire, The Clearwater Mysteries book one – available now on Amazon, print, Kindle and KU

I expect I will go beyond that as there’s a lot of madness and mayhem to get through, and then I can go back and edit and get the job done properly. For now, I’m steaming ahead into the world of German opera (an invented composer, a contemporary of Wagner) and backstage at the Opera House, while someone of great importance has arrived unexpectedly to witness the performance, during which one of Archer’s best buddies will be killed, on stage, if he doesn’t make a speech ‘outing’ the viscount. Silas and the new footman, James, have to work out the clue as the show is running and then find a way to stop a demented boy-whore murdering Cadwell Roxton, famed countertenor, while preforming ‘Aeneas and Dido’ – a retelling of the classic take where Aeneas kills himself (rather than Dido). Anyway… All rather mad but now I am unblocked, I’m back on track. Rather ‘Twisted Tracks’, I suppose, but then, that is a good name for a story.

Mentoring

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Mentoring

I want to find an aspiring new author I can help via one-to-one mentoring.

As my readers know, I tend towards an older/younger, mentor/student theme in many of my novels. At least, there is usually a more experienced character and a younger one who is not so experienced. Through the stories, the older mentors the younger, and sometimes it works the other way around, but this theme of passing on knowledge and experience is one that intrigues me and maybe that’s because I have a hankering for doing it myself. Mentoring, I mean, not the other stuff that goes on between the characters (inserts a knowing wink).

The Mentor of Lonemarsh HouseThe trouble I’ve had is finding a place where I can offer to do this. For example, I’ve posted in some of the Facebook gay writing groups offering a free service to anyone who is interested, and had a few replies, but mainly from people who missed the point of the offer. Maybe I need to reword it, but I don’t think so, it’s a simple offer.

Because of time and personal interest/experience, I’d be interested in working with a young, gay, male author who wants to improve their writing, someone with whom I can share my experience and thoughts, ideas, encouragement and knowledge, passing on what I have learned over the past 20 years as a professional writer. It’s as simple as that. I’m encouraging people to contact me and start a discussion so we can first find out more about each other to see if we can work together. Read my criteria, drop me an email, and we’ll take it from there.

The Stoker ConnectionAbout you
You want to start writing or improve your writing. Either way, you must be serious
You are a gay man over the age of 18, open to mentoring, advice and criticism
You are committed to developing your skills and listening to experience
You write in English
You are honest
Your writing doesn’t have to be MM romance, but it must be gay-men themed

About me
I have published 22 novels under two names
I am a married, gay man, English and educated to MSc level
I have won awards for my stories, musicals and film scripts
I earn my living through writing (yes, it can be done)

About the process
Contact me with a basic CV of your experience no matter if it’s limited
State what it is you want to achieve. Simply better writing? Developing a story?
Tell me about yourself
If you’re what I’m looking for, we’ll start an email discussion and take it from there.
I will reply to all emails honestly
I am not charging for this offer. In fact, if I think we are compatible, I will send you one of my books for free so you can read what I write and see if you think I’m for you
I can only take on one writer at a time
Our discussions will be private

So, there are no strings and no charge, but commitment and honesty are a must, and I can only accept one new writer at a time. Please double check the criteria and send me an email with your details. I’ll get back to you either way.

jack@jacksonmarsh.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Deviant Desire (release)

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Deviant Desire (release)

Deviant Desire is ready to go for publication, just about. I’m just waiting for a couple of minor changes to the book cover for the print version, and after that, it should be uploaded. As usual, it’s a nervous time. Have I done the layout properly? It looks fine on my Kindle and other devices, but how will it look on other people’s? That kind of thing, but I shall press the button soon.

There will be a book tour for this one, the first in a new series, ‘The Clearwater Mysteries’, but that’s not until April 26th, so you have plenty of time to be the first to read the start of this new and on-going adventure. Here’s the blurb, you’ll have the links soon.

Deviant Desire Jackson MarshThe Victorian East End lives in fear of the Ripper and his mission to kill rent boys. Silas Hawkins, nineteen and forging a life on the streets could well be the next victim, but when he meets Archer, his life changes forever. Young, attractive and rich, Archer is The Viscount Clearwater, a philanthropist, adventurer and homosexual.

When Archer suspects the Ripper is killing to lure him to a confrontation, he risks his reputation and his life to stop the madman’s murders. Every man must play his part, including Silas.

A mashup of mystery, romance and adventure, Deviant Desire is set in an imaginary London of 1888. The first in an on-going series, it takes the theme of loyalty and friendship in a world where homosexuality is a crime. Secrets must be kept, lovers must be protected, and for Archer and Silas, it marks the start of their biggest adventure – love.

Praise for Jackson Marsh

“No usual tried tropes here. Great story, natural dialogue, well-developed characters, and an unpredictable plot.”

“Amazing. Jackson Marsh has written a compelling mystery and a wonderful love story both at the same time.”

Deviant Desire (part 1)

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Viscount Clearwater, previously the Honourable Archer Riddington

It’s time I shared the blurb for the upcoming release, ‘Deviant Desire.’

The working title for this novel was ‘Deviant Lamplight’ which I liked, but it is a bit too close to ‘Curious Moonlight‘ which is already released and not related to this story at all. My cover designer is working on changing the title to read ‘Deviant Desire’ with the subtitle, ‘The Clearwater Mysteries part one’, and the MS is nearly ready to be proofed. Meanwhile, part two which follows on immediately from part one is in first draft stage and should be ready to release a few weeks after part one which itself should be ready by the end of March. So, not long now!

Here is the blurb for part one, ‘Deviant Desire’.

Silas Hawkins, street-rat and renter

The Victorian East End lives in fear of the Ripper and his mission to kill rent boys. Silas Hawkins, nineteen and forging a life on the streets could well be the next victim, but when he meets Archer, his life changes forever. Young, attractive and rich, Archer is Viscount Clearwater, a philanthropist, adventurer and homosexual.

When Archer suspects the Ripper is killing to lure him to a confrontation, he risks his reputation and his life to stop the madman’s murders. Every man must play his part, including Silas.

A mashup of mystery, romance and adventure, Deviant Desire is set in an imaginary London of 1888. The first in an on-going series, it takes the theme of loyalty and friendship in a world where homosexuality is a crime. Secrets must be kept, lovers must be protected, and for Archer and Silas, it marks the start of their biggest adventure – love.

Praise for Jackson Marsh

“No usual tried tropes here. Great story, natural dialogue, well-developed characters, and an unpredictable plot.”

“Amazing. Jackson Marsh has written a compelling mystery and a wonderful love story both at the same time.”

 

Interview at All Author

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Hi folks,

The team over at All Author have given me an interview on their site. Below, there’s a snippet and a link if you want to find out a little more about me, how I came to be writing Gay Lit, romance and erotica, and my thoughts generally on my writing process.

Meanwhile, I am working hard on ‘Deviant Lamplight’, a mystery/thriller based in a parallel London in 1888 during the Ripper murders. I’m doing loads of research about the plight and profession of Victorian rent boys and inventing a story along the lines of, What if the Ripper went after male prostitutes not female? There’s excitement, mystery, atmosphere, historical accuracy (as much as there can be) and even some humour. The social aspects are also fascinating. What if a titled gentleman, in this case, a viscount, fell in love with a street-renter? What social pressures would they face?

As usual for me, it’s a mashup of romance, mystery and thriller, plenty of sexual innuendo and maybe, later in the book, the opportunity for some very intimate action, but I’ve not reached that stage in the story yet.

And now, the interview, but first, the snippet.

When young, author Jackson Marsh wanted to be an actor. As a child, he was all about music, the piano and church organ in particular. Now he lives in Greece, his hobbies include walking and travelling when he can. The Mentor of Wildhill Farm was his first real foray into MM romance with some erotica. For him, the attraction of Kindle is immediacy. He thinks that the hardest part of writing the erotic sections in a romance is making sure they make sense. His advice is to get it out of your system, sit down and tell yourself the story in draft one, improve it in draft two, and then write draft three for your readers.

Interview link: https://allauthor.com/interview/JacksonMarsh/

 

Giveaways on Amazon

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Does offering your book for free work?

You make your book free on Kindle so anyone who wants to can download a copy. Why? The idea is you give away loads of copies in the hope readers will then buy another of your titles. Simple advertising and everyone likes something for free, so you get lots of publicity in return and without paying anything.

The Mentor of Lonemarsh HouseI have always been dubious, but I tried it at the end of last month. ‘The Mentor of Lonemarsh House’, one of the more romantic of the ‘Mentor’ series, hadn’t sold any copies in December so over the New Year period I put it up for five days for free. The title had already covered its cover and editing costs and had, in 2018, broken even in that respect. The giveaway on Amazon resulted in 577 copies being taken for free. I don’t know how many copies were read, they may have been downloaded and saved for the future, but clearly, 577 readers at least saw the title and author name while grabbing their freebie.

I didn’t expect the promotion to lead to the sale of other titles straight away, but I have noticed a change already, for the better, and the leader on the sales board after only five days since the giveaway ended, is ‘The Mentor of Lonemarsh House.’ Okay, so only four copies sold and 1,181 page reads under Kindle Unlimited (roughly another six copies) but considering there were none of either in the previous month, a huge improvement.

Is this because of the free giveaway, or just coincidence? I can’t tell. Did readers click on the title thinking it was still free but actually paid for it? I hope not. Was it because the title was up at the top of Amazon lists for a while because it was free? Who knows? What I do know is that although the resulting income has not yet matched the amount I would have made if 577 readers paid for the book, the promotion appears to have had a positive effect on sales of this title and others.

It will be interesting to see, over the next few days, if this trend continues or if it was just a New Year thing – readers spending money again after the Christmas break. Whatever happens, it’s good to know that people are out there reading and, hopefully, enjoy the books. The reviewers think so. “Wow, Wow, Wow….. This story has that slow long burn feeling to it that gets into you and doesn’t let you go” is a sample from one of the Amazon.com reviews.

So far, the answer to my question, Does offering your book for free work? Appears to be, yes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079QJP4KL

 

 

Review: Curious Moonlight

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Curious Moonlight has its first review already, and it’s a good one – better than good. I am thrilled, and this has inspired me to push on and start a second in what could become a series. ‘The Curious Moonlight Mysteries’ sounds like an excellent title for such a series. Our central boys, Luke and Peran (one sceptical, one a believer) set about solving unsolved hauntings but without using modern techniques. They rely on researching past stories and events, local history and records to piece together a) what happened to the presence haunting the properties, and b) why they should be hunting them. Then, they are able to figure out how to end the events.

That’s basically what happens in Curios Moonlight, but in the second part (plotted and 20,000 words written), they travel further afield to solve a mystery and, if successful, get paid. Could be fun and the start of something longer-term.

You can read the review here (Amazon.co.uk but it’s also on other Amazon sites).

The Stoker Connection – Paperback

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The Stoker Connection – Paperback

The Stoker Connection full coverMy latest romance/mystery novel, The Stoker Connection, is now available in paperback from all Amazon outlets. Here’s the link to the Amazon.co.uk page.

Scroll down for more info about this release.

The Kindle and Kindle Unlimited versions will be online in a couple of days.

The Stoker Connection – Cover

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The Stoker Connection – Cover

Only here folks! The first view of the cover of ‘The Stoker Connection.’ My next romance-mystery-thriller-young adult novel is due out in a couple of weeks. As of today, June 2nd, it’s with my wonderful proofreader, Ann, and the cover art has just come back from my equally wonderful designer, Andjela K.

What you see here on the front is:

The Stoker ConnectionDexter Mitchell, is top left, looking gorgeous and sporty. He’s into rock climbing and hiking, outdoor pursuits and cracking the hidden clues in Bram Stoker’s novel, ‘Dracula’ that he believes will prove the novel was a true story.

Morgan Davis is next to him, darker and more serious, exactly the same age and more of an academic than a sportsman. Morgan, like (and with) Dexter, is also about to make a breakthrough in his research to prove ‘Dracula’ was a true story.

Beneath them, outside Whitby Abbey in the fog, we have Simon on the left, and Tim on the right with his naff hair. Simon is Morgan’s best friend (and one-off lover), and Tim and Dexter have been mates since before they can remember. Tim is straight, but he and Dex do have something of a bromance going on.

The Stoker Connection full coverWhitby Abbey features on the cover (front and back) because part of the novel is set there, and the Abbey was used by Stoker in ‘Dracula’ as a location. The other locations I use in the novel are a mix of real places and imagined ones. I’ll let you into a few secrets:

Dex lives out on ‘Moremarsh’, an area in the south-east of England actually known as Romney Marsh (and here’s another secret: that’s where I am from). He volunteers at a theatre in Folkestone and although the theatre was real (I used to work there years ago) it’s no longer a theatre and last I heard was to be pulled down. Shame, it’s a beautiful old Edwardian building.

Morgan lives in Chippenham, and I chose that location because it’s roughly 170 miles (by car) from where Dex lives. You’ll see why that number is important when you read the book.

The Stoker Connection

This is the original photo of Tim and Simon. They are holding chainsaws which have nothing to do with ‘The Stoker Connection’ so we had to cover them in fog!

The boys travel to a house called Kyllion, and this is on top of Westerton Cliffs in Cornwall. Except it isn’t. It was invented by Stoker for ‘The Jewel of Seven Stars’, and I borrowed the house for a reason that will become obvious when you read the book.

They also visit Whitby Abbey (which I did once many years ago) and New Slains Castle in Scotland, again, you’ll see why when you read ‘The Stoker Connection.’

Those are the principal characters and locations. There are other characters of course, like Morgan’s mother, the forthright sex therapist who is based on a woman I knew a few years back; totally bonkers and very upfront.

The novel will be out soon, but in the meantime,  you can join my mailing list to be among the first to get the links to the published book on Amazon.