Update and Off

Posted on 08/02/2025 by Jack Marsh

I have to take a week off to rest my arm again, but before I do, I wanted to update you on what’s what and where I am, and remind you of the MM Romance, thriller and mystery promos I am taking part in (links below).

Currently, as you might know, I am writing the seventh instalment of the Delamere Files, ‘Acts of Faith.’ This will be the 26th book set in the Clearwater world, and I think lord Clearwater may very well make an appearance if only for half a scene. The book is coming along gradually because I’m unable to type as much, but also because it’s taking a fair amount of research. I can’t tell you all the details of that without giving things away, but I can tell you this:

Yesterday, I was at the Criterion Restaurant, Piccadilly. Except I wasn’t. Baxter and another character were, and the date was March 1893.

‘Acts of Faith’ centres around Baxter and his desire to move up from being a groom to a detective. It will also see him maturing in certain ways, and shaving his privates in the bath.

What? Yes, well… It’s Baxter ain’t it? Jack also appears a fair amount, because Baxter is his assistant, and Will and Ned are around in the background. There’s a new character who gets involved in the mystery, but more about him at a later date, and I reckon you’re going to have great fun working out a) what’s going on, b) what went on in the past, c) What’s going to happen, and d) to whom, by whom, how and when. I will be commissioning a cover and an illustration later this month.

All will be revealed in time.

I’ll be back with you in a week or so.

Meanwhile, here’s the reminder of the various promos if you want to click over to any and have a free browse.

Discover New Crime Series

Here, you can find 34 titles, some of which are mine: Deviant Desire, Guardians of the poor etc. Also, though, you will see The Saddling, The Witchling and The Easting, three in a series of books also by me. The main character of these three goes on a journey of self-discovery in a place that hasn’t changed for hundreds of years and yet exists in the 20^th century… I don’t want to give too much away, but think ‘The Wicker Man’ meets ‘Witness’ but gay…

https://books.bookfunnel.com/crimeseriespagefeb2025/hl4zk6n3nl

LGBTQI + Romance Sales

I’m not 100% sure about this one, tbh. The header tells us you can find free books and ARCs at this promo, but mine aren’t being given away for free. Maybe I’m in the wrong group for this one, but take a look and see what you can come up with. There are 47 titles, including Banyak & Fecks and the Mentor of Barrenmoor Ridge.

https://books.bookfunnel.com/bfhostlbtqiarombooks/ipn9p050q5

First In Crime Series

Find some series starters in the crime genre with this promo where there are over 60 titles to explore, each with blurbs and links to where you can download or order them. Again, my usual suspects are in there, but this is one of the promos that does me well, so I’m staying right there.

https://books.bookfunnel.com/firstinseriesKUfeb2025/pxp5mlbvc5

Mayhem & Motives (From February 8^th)

This is where I find most of my new readers these days, I’m sure of it. I work with Book Mojo from time to time and they do me well, so I like to support them back. In this case, they have 35 titles on offer. https://books.bookfunnel.com/crimeseriespagefeb2025/hl4zk6n3nl

https://books.bookfunnel.com/crimeseriespagefeb2025/hl4zk6n3nl

Acts of Faith

Posted on 29/01/2025 by Jack Marsh

At least, Delamare seven has a title, ‘Acts of Faith.’ There are many other books out there with that title or a variation of it, but none of them that I can see are gay historical fiction set in March 1893, so hopefully, I won’t cause confusion when this one is released. When will that be? I can’t yet say. I am up to 51,000 words, so halfway through, and someone’s about to make a link which will start the ball rolling downhill towards the crisis.

I am having a mild crisis of my own as I bought a new laptop last week, and I am still in the process of transferring things over. Setting Outlook for emails was a nightmare but it’s done now, and most of my most-used programs are installed. What I am now finding are the niggly little things that I added and changed over time are suddenly not there. For example, my file explorer used to save the four most recently used folders in the side menu and that was very handy. Now it doesn’t and even though I have set the box to do so, the programme doesn’t. I also have a thing where the autocorrect options I created (and there are many) are no longer there so I have to start that process again and add them one at a time when I see them. Strangely, though, when I do this, the resultant changes use ‘straight’ quotes and not the curly ones I want. Again, I have changed the auto-correct boxes so this shouldn’t happen and yet it still does. It’s not a great issue but I notice that when there’s a – for example – I don’t know, printed in the bokos the ’ comes out the wrong way around.

Anyway… The good news is, I am typing away and creating another complicated mystery throughline set against a growing friendship/love story, and it’s all going rather well. Oh – and I might have the face of a new character whose first name I want to change, but otherwise… Meet PC Charles Inning:

You can also meet a heap of novels and authors on the last promo push of this month, simply by clicking the banner below. I will be involved in more of these next month, and there will be a newsletter soon to give you more details.

The Book with no Title, a Quick Update

Posted on 22/01/2025 by Jack Marsh

Morning all! Here’s a quick update on where I am with Delamere seven, the current work in progress with no title. I am approaching the halfway mark and am around 40,000 words. Things are about to start to make sense. Lots has happened already, and you’re going to have a nice set of clues to try and crack before you, hopefully, say, ‘Ooooh, I get it now…’ and dive into the second half wondering who and why and what will happen next.

While this case has been unravelling, Benny Baxter has been going through a new phase of his life, and is about to embark on another, but I’m not going to tell you what.

Also, I have been delving into some research areas, albeit briefly, and have come across an interesting story that might make for a future novel. It’s a sad tale, but an interesting one of a boy who ran away from a Dr Barnardo’s home because of ill treatment. I asked a friend of mine to look him up in the census, but he had a very common name, and was hard to trace, but we found some follow-up information… but that’s a story for another day.

Meanwhile, I am just about to start on chapter 13, and I left Baxter with an unannounced visitor, so I best get on with that, before he gets out of hand and does something daft.

This week, by way of ideas for new authors and reading, I have a link to this free promotion if you want to click on through and have a browse.

Illustrated Police News, 1893

Posted on 11/01/2025 by Jack Marsh

As regular readers of my Victorian mystery series will know, I often refer to publications of the time for ideas, research and details. In the case of the currently untitled, seventh Delamere File, I have one of my detectives reading the Illustrated Police News from roughly the time the story is set. I say ‘roughly’ because there was only one copy of that month/that year on the British Newspaper Archive site when I looked, so I used one from a nearby month for the book. Here’s the front page of the IPN from the 4th March 1893:

And here’s a closer look at one of the drawings.

The illustrations were mainly on the front cover, with a few drawings inside, but nowhere near as many. This, for example, is page three of the same publication.

Apart from its lurid stories, what this publication gives me is an idea of policing methods of the time. Then, of course, you have the surrounding news, such as what the weather was like on the day, what was happening in overseas crimes, and, in the illustration, a look at what the scenery was like. By that, I mean, this one has a drawing of Poplar Town Hall as the artist saw it back then, rather than as someone might have photographed it in the 20th century. There are also short, dramatic stories which help give a feel for the creative writing style of the time, but they are also fun to read for the scandal and gossip.

They also lead me to new discoveries, and these can lie among the advertisements as well as the text. For example, I’d never considered an ‘Organette’ until I reached page four.

I’ll try and work one of these into the next Delamare. I often wonder what Jack, Will and the rest do of an evening. I know they play billiards, read, and go to the theatre or pub, but what about background music? There is no music in the house because no-one plays an instrument, and the gramophone was only a few years old. The first ‘records’ didn’t come out until 1892, and the first seven-inch record in 1895. I can imagine Jimmy having a phonograph if he needed to, and they now have three telegraph machines at the house. When telephones become more accessible, they will no doubt have at least one of them.

The first telephone came about in 1667 when Robert Hooke created an ‘acoustic line telephone’ like we did with tin cans when we were children. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that things really started to pick up (the phone), and not until the early 20th century that the call to invest more in home phones was answered. Great technology which, in the UK today, allows you to listen to Vivaldi for two hours while trying to reach a doctor.

You see how it goes? I started off talking about the Illustrated Police News and ended up talking about telephones via the organette. Now, I’m going to delve into chapter eight of the next book, where, I believe, someone has just experienced the first pangs of falling in love, while examining where a woman died in a bath. The mind of an author, eh? Have a good weekend!

Grave Developments as Promised

Posted on 18/12/2024 by Jack Marsh

I don’t yet have the link, but if you keep an eye on the Delamere Files series page, you should see it come up within the next couple of days – all being well.

I have the final proofs back from the layout guys and have sent back a few tweaks, mainly of my own making—like calling it book five when it’s book six, that kind of thing. Hopefully, they will be able to fix those things and let me have it back today, so I can send it straight up to Amazon, and it can go live on Thursday, maybe. It can take a couple of days but usually only a couple of hours.

Graverobbing, a faceless corpse, a woman dead from shock, and a woodland cemetery where men indulge their forbidden desires. What ties these to the pastor of the Stoke Newington Congregationalist Chapel, a Greek immigrant, and an affluent family? Everything is connected, but the puzzle is complex, and it’s up to Jack Merrit to solve the macabre mystery.

While Will and Ned delve into the science behind the crime, Jack’s enquiries take him deep into the dark corners of Abney Park Cemetery where men lurk in the shadows, driven there by lust and the need for secrecy. With his loyal partner, Ben Baxter, by his side, Jack walks among temptation. The dangerous thrill of anonymous sex is a powerful lure, but if he is to remain true to his lover, solve the case, and save an innocent man’s life, he must resist the beckoning darkness.

After that, I shall be taking a break over the Christmas period, mainly to rest my arm, but also to do some publicity and research. So, if you don’t hear much from me here, don’t worry. I shall keep up to date on my Facebook page.

I’m still thinking of a title for the next book, though I have a working outline, and I know its subject matter – so it’s going to have something to do with saints and feast days, martyrdom and murder…

Don’t forget I have some promos still running this month. There will be a newsletter and a new list of promos to explore in January. For now, though, click on any of these three below to find some interesting new reads. Thanks for your click on the last one – I reached a score of 76 clicks, which, I think, isn’t bad at all! The more the merrier for all indie authors involved in these promos.

Non-Fiction Literary Sales

Mayhem & Motives

Kindle Unlimited Mysteries

Something to do with Saints

Posted on 11/12/2024 by Jack Marsh

While I await the return of the Grave Developments manuscript ahead of publication (before Christmas, all being well), I have set my mind to Delamere seven which, at the moment, has something to do with saints. I ran the idea past Neil and Jenine the other evening and they both thought it was a good one. A bit ‘Dan Brown’ meets Dickens, but I can live with that comparison. All I have to do now is research the subject, or the parts of it I need, and think of what’s going to be happening in the ‘real world’ around the mystery. I don’t want to introduce any new characters apart from those associated with the case, but I need some kind of emotional throughline for my hero. Thinking cap on…

Grave Developments

In the meantime, Grave Developments should be with you very soon. Here’s the cover and the blurb.

While Will and Ned delve into the science behind the crime, Jack’s enquiries take him deep into the dark corners of Abney Park Cemetery where men lurk in the shadows, driven there by lust and the need for secrecy. With his loyal partner, Ben Baxter, by his side, Jack walks among temptations. The dangerous thrill of anonymous sex is a powerful lure, but if he is to remain true to his lover, solve the case, and save an innocent man’s life, he must resist the beckoning darkness.

Deviant Desire

In other news, I am currently corresponding with a very talented audiobook narrator, and we are discussing turning Deviant Desire into an audiobook. If we do, and if it works, then we may well go on to record the others. I’ll let you know more about that if and when there are developments (hopefully, not of the grave kind).

Promo Support

If you want to support fellow indie authors, and me, take a look at this month’s ‘Mayhem & Motives’ list of top authors and titles available on a variety of platforms.

Cover Reveal: Grave Developments

Posted on 07/12/2024 by Jack Marsh

Today, for those who are not signed up for the newsletter and didn’t see the cover in the last dispatch, I have the cover of the next book to show you. I also have the blurb, which I will be adding to the book’s Amazon pages this morning. That’s another step in the right direction for the last publication of 2024. That will make five books this year, four from the Delamere series, and Bobby, a Life Worth Living, the biography of my gay godfather (1919 to 2007). I shall start writing again in the New Year, if not before.

Below, I have put the blurb for ‘Grave Developments’ and the link to the full cover. Beneath that is a link to this week’s special promotion, and it’s for books that are all thrillers, mysteries and such and which are all available now on Kindle Unlimited. You’ll find plenty of new reading there while you wait another, say, two weeks, to see what all these things in the blub have in common and what they all lead to. Here it is…

Grave Developments:

‘Grave Developments’ is the sixth book in the Delamere Mysteries series. The series starts with ‘Finding a Way’ and is best read in order.

Grave Developments Cover

(Click the title to see the full cover.)

December on Kindle Unlimited. Mystery, Thriller and Suspense Reads

Update on Progress

Posted on 23/11/2024 by Jack Marsh

I have just received the first draft cover for Grave Developments, plus, the character sketch came in as well. I will save that, and the full cover, for later, but for now, here is the title of Delamere Six:

By my reckoning, I have two more chapters to finish, and the story should be complete. My aim is to complete this draft by Monday morning at the latest. This is because, on Monday afternoon, I am going to Rhodes and won’t be back until Friday evening. Neil gets back from Scotland on Tuesday, into Rhodes, and I have some appointments, plus, I need to do some shopping. Here, on Symi, we have a few shops, but nothing like H&M or Zara.

The timeline I’ve set for publishing for Grave Developments means we are probably looking at the week before Christmas as the publication week. I don’t know if that’s a good time to publish a new book or not, but when it’s number six in a series, I don’t suppose it matters. It’s not as if anyone will leap into an ongoing series at that point. I know with many detective novels the order you read them in isn’t vital. For example, you could pick up a Miss Marple novel (Agatha Christie) and not need to know what’s happened in her past, but my series work differently.

Are there character developments in this book? Yes. If we think that when the series starts, Jack Merrit is coming to terms with being gay, and that path to self-understanding continues in books two, and starts to settle in book three. By book four, he’s secure and by book five, he and Larkin are ticking along like a married but not living together couple. In book six, he comes across that well-known issue of temptation, and we see how he deals with that. Meanwhile, we’ve also got Baxter. He started out as the hired stable hand and is now fast becoming a detective in his own right. He’s turned his back on his slutty past (or has he?), is now 20, still madly in lust with Jack, the ‘Boss,’ and still as chirpy as ever, but now, he has more to do. So, Bax is developing, Will is settling down and is more able to control his anxiety and OCD. The occupants of Delamere House have also changed slightly, as Dalston and Joe have left and Nes, Sparks, Simeon and Ronny have joined, and, in book six, even the horses are different (Shadow is still with us).

As well as all that going on in the background, we have the mystery to solve, and I should have it wrapped up by Monday, ready for a beta read, and, in the first week of December, do the final drafting.

So, that is where I am, here is a view of where I am and how the weather is.

Yesterday afternoon while on a walk (wearing shorts and a t-shirt).

I will be away for a week or so, but will be on Facebook, and will be back here in due course. There will be a December newsletter soon too, with links to more promos for new titles and authors, and I’ll leave you with this one, in case you haven’t already explored it.

Developing Grave Developments

Posted on 20/11/2024 by Jack Marsh

This week’s work-in-progress news is that I have almost finished the first draft of ‘Grave Developments’, the next Delamere Files mystery. This one has taken a long time to put down, mainly because of a physical hurdle, the dodgy arm thing. However, on days when I have not been able to type for long, I have read back and made alterations, edits, and improvements to existing chapters. This isn’t my usual way of working, but it actually works really well. I’ve now almost completed the second or even third draft for about 80% of the book, and with only another 10% to write and 10% to improve, it’s almost there. So, later this week, I will start on the cover and the illustration, the blurb and everything else, ahead of releasing the book in, let’s say, mid-December.

Talking of the illustration, I asked on my Facebook page who readers would like to see an illustration of, and through FB and emails, the winner was Benjamin Baxter. I am now on the lookout for an image of a 19/20-year-old man with blond hair and a ponytail, wearing a late 19th-century groom’s uniform. A bit specific, so I’m actually looking for a photo of a bloke from then (or now) whose face seems right to me, and then I’ll ask Daz to put him in the right garb. I found this chap, who may be a TV star (I don’t recognise him), but he’s slightly too old – he looks more like 25 + to me, but I may be wrong.

I bet you’re going to say, that’s (insert name of famous actor), have you been living under a rock?

(I just noticed the watermark. it’s an AI image generator. I went to it and tried asking for a ’19 year old blond man’ and it told me off for trying to generate an NSFW image! The hunt continues elsewhere. Anyway, that’s where we are with the next Delamere. Not too long to go now, I hope. In the meantime, your support is always greatly appreciated, with buying and reading the books, leaving reviews, mentioning the books on social media and following the promos. I have to say, most of my income these days comes via the readership of the ‘Mayhem & Motives’ promos arranged by BookMojo, so this week, it’s their turn to have some Jackson publicity. I have earmarked a couple from this month’s list, and I’ll get to them after I have finished my current read, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, by Dickens. Take a look, and see what you fancy:

Back to Work

Posted on 23/10/2024 by Jack Marsh

I haven’t posted here for ten days! That’s because I had to take a week off due to an arm injury. Well, RSI caused by too much typing, so this will be brief so I can save my typing time for writing the next book – which still doesn’t have a title! Very unlike me, as the titles usually come during the writing of the first half of a new MS. I still only have ‘Snapshot’ as my working title, but I am now thinking about something to do with a play on the word grave. Why? That will become clear when you read the story.

While I am working on it (50,000 words so far, so halfway through), I am pleased to say that ‘A Case of Make Believe’ is doing well, as is the whole series. So is the Clearwater series, and Larkspur is coming in close behind in terms of page reads and books ordered.

I wasn’t lazy while I was sofa-bound. I read two books about Jack the Ripper, and a couple of short stories by Thomas Hardy I’d not read before.

The JtR books were interesting. One was a collection of all theories and the various ‘solutions’, which, of course, are not solutions, because there never can be a solution, and that’s why the mystery endures. The other was a book written by ex-policemen, and this one doesn’t say ‘This is the solution’ but gives the facts as they were known to the police at the time, and that’s it. We then make up our own minds. The Thomas Hardy shorts were completely different though if you like colloquial language and West Country legends, try, ‘The Withered Arm.’

I thought that title was appropriate considering I was off work with just such a thing.

And today’s highlighted promo is this one (below). Click the banner to find a selection of women’s lit, mystery, time travel and bio books to keep you busy reading.

Jackson Marsh Author

MM Romance and Mystery

Category Archives: The Delamere Files