Starting Again

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This week’s Work In Progress blog update.

Bobby, a Life Worth Living, is doing well, and I have had some great feedback already. It’s wonderful to hear that his story resonates with so many people, and they have volunteered their own snippets of older relations’ stories. I am waiting for some leads so I can try and copy some of our interviews onto the PC and from there, to this website, so readers can hear Bobby talking about his past. That’s a project for the future, and I’ll let you know if I am successful.

Where There’s a Will is doing brilliantly in the charts, and has already gained some four- and five-star ratings. Good old Will!

A Case of Make Believe

Well now, this is the working title of Delamere book five, and Make Believe is written that way for a reason. The idea is to have someone be made to believe something and it’s all to do with magic acts and the Victorian passion for macabre shows, the famous decapitation tricks of the Egyptian Hall, and the weird and wonderful of Maskelyne and Cooke’s entertainments.

But not everything is going to plan, so the title may change, although the subject of this mystery won’t. I have already changed the first 14,000 words. Let me explain…

I began on the story, setting it in January 1893. On James Wright’s 30th birthday, actually, January 10th. By then, Delamere House has a housekeeper and a new detective. I started the story from Will’s point of view, and immediately had Jack and Jimmy setting off for Paris to solve an urgent case at the Paris Opera House.

This was to set things up for book six, which may well have something to do with a phantom at the Opera House (left), and thus, become the inspiration for the novel by Gaston Leroux, which he will publish in serial form, starting in 1909… but that’s another story.

Back at Delamere, we were introduced to the new housekeeper, and the new detective, and then a new case arrived at the end of chapter one, and in chapters two and three, Will said goodbye to Jack, and was left in charge of the agency and… It didn’t work. As soon as Jack and Will were separated, the thing fell flat. Add to that, too many new faces and too much domestic detail, and I knew I was off to a false start. So, I have set those first 14,000 words aside. (There’s a good idea in there for a short story, and I might well do another ‘1892’ for Christmas, maybe ‘1891’, I’ll see.)

Now, I have started again with the same villain in mind, and the same background, but I’m coming at it from a different angle. The story now opens with a piece by Larkin Chase, and he’s describing a theatrical event that, later in 1897, would become Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol, specialising in naturalistic horror shows. My version, in 1893, is a forerunner, if you like, and it’s a bit of make-believe itself because I am sure the mystery shows of the time didn’t go as far as Grand Guignol, but like the Phantom of the Opera, the Delamere case might well be the inspiration for creatives of the future.

So, that’s where we are.

This week’s promo to click on and check out for more reading, is all about MM Romance novels. This is running all month, the books are all available through Amazon, and there are plenty of your favourite niches and tropes included. Have a click and enjoy your reading!

Bobby, A Life Worth Living

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This is a change for me. It’s a biography of my godfather who lived an extraordinary life. If you are interested in the gay history of Britain, or simply history, then this true account, as told by him and edited by me, will fascinate you.

Born in Tooting, South London in 1919, Bobby left home at 14 to cross the Thames and make a life for himself. On more or less his first day, he found that a 14-year-old boy could make money from men in the bushes in Hyde Park. A few years as an independent rent boy followed, a time during which he met many well-known people (some of whom are mentioned). After that, he enlisted in the Royal Navy, became a gunner, and saw active service in the Med and Pacific while making sure his fellow crewmen never went without sex. After the war, he finally settled into a post at the Hyde Park Hotel where he became head housekeeper and met even more well-known people.

Winston Churchill, Shirley Bassey, the Dalai Lama, the Duke of Edinburgh, Quentin Crisp, Angus McBean, David Bowie, Frank Vosper… The list of names whose path Bobby crossed or walked along is seemingly endless, so much so, that I was unable to include all of his stories, and there were some names he refused to put in print. He was also involved in the Wolfenden Report (that eventually led to the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK), he reminisces about Lady Malcom’s Drag Balls at the Albert Hall and other drag and theatre events and people.

Click the cover pic for the Kindle and KU versions and the full cover image for the print version.

Robert Charles Thompson was many things in his life. Among them, he was a teenage sex worker, a gunner in the Royal Navy, and head housekeeper at a prestigious London hotel. He was also gay, and his story gives us a fresh insight into a well-trodden path of British social history.

Available from Amazon US UK DE FR CA AU and all around the world.

Don’t forget there are still four great promos running, and here’s the 19th-century historical fiction one. Scroll down to last week’s post to see them all.

https://books.bookfunnel.com/19thcenturypromo/8ug3l2bqle

A Second Book in a Month

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Following hot on the heels of ‘Where There’s a Will’, I have another book almost ready to release, and that will be the second within four weeks (assuming it doesn’t get held up like last time).

However, I have been working on this one off and on for 20 years. It’s only been in the last couple of months, since losing two paid jobs and finding myself with loads of time but no money, that I’ve finally finished the editing and fact checking.

Here’s the blurb and front cover.

“Variety is the spice of life, they say, but to me, variety was the life of my vice.”

Robert Charles Thompson was many things in his life. Among them he was a teenage sex worker, a gunner in the Royal Navy, and head housekeeper at a prestigious London hotel. He was also gay, and his story gives us a fresh insight into a well-trodden path of British social history.

This is the biography of one gay man, born in 1919 in Tooting, South London. There are, no doubt, many others, but maybe not many led such a diverse life. Bob’s path crossed with those of Hollywood actors, prime ministers, and royalty, but he came from the underclass of the homeless, drag queens, and illegal lovers.

Caught up in pivotal moments of the gay 20th century, this previously unknown gay man’s richly fascinating career has previously slipped under the radar but is now getting the limelight it deserves.

The files are with the guys who do the layout, and as soon as they are back and checked, I’ll send them up to be published, and then, I’ll tell you more about the story behind the book and what’s in it.

Meanwhile…

As you may have seen from the monthly newsletter, I have four promos running this month. Here, again, are the details. Click the links to see loads of new titles and authors with most books being in KU and some being on audio.

Happy reading!

Searching for your next MM romance? There are 49 titles to check out at this BookFunnel promo.

All the MM Feels

49 titles. Running all month. Includes The Mentor of Barrenmoor Ridge

All Crime Past, Present and Future

KU and Audio. 44 books. All month. Includes Deviant Desire – Guardians of the Poor – Finding a Way

Riveting Reads PROMO

Horror, Mystery & Suspense / Crime, and Mystery & Suspense / Thriller

All on Kindle Unlimited and/or $0.99. 68 books including box sets. Promo running all month. Includes Deviant Desire – Guardians of the Poor – Finding a way

Journey Through the Past: 19th Century Historical Fiction PROMO!

Historical Fiction, General Fiction / Historical Fiction, and Mystery & Suspense / Historical Mystery

18 books. Running July 1st to 20th. Includes Deviant Desire – Finding a Way

What’s Going On?

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Today’s blog post is a general chat about what’s going on, what’s coming up, and what’s new. I have had family staying for the last couple of weeks, so I’ve not been able to get much done, but I have been working in the background and now I have two projects on the go. Here are a few notes.

Where There’s a Will (The Delamere Files book four)

After being held up in a most unusual queue at Amazon for six days, Will has launched himself into the world. This is the first book where Will Merrit is the central character, rather than his older and more cumbersome brother, Jack. Both brothers are called to an isolated castle to attend the reading of a will, and the reason why becomes clear only when the will is read.

Although it has only been on sale for a couple of days, Where There’s a Will has already overtaken Deviant Desire and Finding a Way for the number of sales this month. Interestingly, it has sold more paperbacks than Kindle versions, which is nice to see because it means the book will be on display on several bookshelves around the world.

What’s the Next Delamere File?

I have been searching for the next title and story, and I now have some possibles. I am thinking of setting the next one in the world of magic, magicians, Mr Maskelyne and Cooke’s entertainment at the Egyptian Rooms, or something similar. I have a draft title, ‘A Case of Make Believe’ but that’s tentative. I do, though, have a challenge set by a friend who said he would buy five copies if I included a character by a certain name – and that’s something I intend to do, no matter what the story ends up being. ‘Cutthroat Fanny’, or ‘Fanny Razor’, is the madam at a Clerkenwell molly house (boy brothel), and she’s an arch criminal, of course. She may well be the sister of Violet Flay from the earlier books.

I am about to start on this story, but first…

Bobby – A Life Worth Living

I have been working on this for several years off and on – mainly off, actually, for one reason or another. Now, though, I am at the stage where Andjela is thinking up a cover, and I am on my final proofing before sending the text off to the boys to be formatted. Expect yet another Jackson Marsh in a few weeks’ time.

This though, is not a novel, but the true story of my godfather.

Born in Gambole Road, Tooting in 1919, Uncle Bob was my godfather. Lovely, dear, but why write his biography? Mainly, because many years ago, he asked me to. He had a story he wanted the world to hear. Here’s the opening:

Robert Charles Thompson was many things in his life, among them he was a son, a schoolboy, a teenage sex worker, a gunner in the Royal Navy, a mushroom farmer, a landlord, and head housekeeper at a prestigious London hotel. He was also my godfather and very, very gay.

Uncle Bob’s story begins in Tooting, London, in 1919 and ends in Peacehaven, East Sussex, in 2007. He wanted the book to be called, ‘Bobby, a Life Worth Living,’ because he always said that was what he had had. It might easily have been called ‘The gay story of 20th century Britain’, as you will see.

The hotel in question is the Hyde Park Hotel, London, where he met many famous people including David Bowie, Winston Churchill and the Dali Lama.

I’m hoping Bobby will be out before the end of the month.

Promotions

As you may know, I have been involved a few promotions this year, and they are proving very useful for gathering new readers. Also, I hope, they have been useful to other authors too, because where I publicise my books as being in them, so everyone else involved does the same, and we do a joint group promo to help each other out. You can find out more about these via my newsletter (there will be one early next week), here, and on my Facebook page and private group. Coming up in July, we have a promo with lots of historical fiction, two others that revolve around crime stories past and present, and one that’s all about pure MM romance (The Mentor of Barrenmoor Ridge will be in that one.)

Watch these spaces for more details.

And Finally

This weekend will be taken up by finishing ‘Bobby’ and plotting ‘A Case of Make Believe’ or whatever it will be called. On Monday, work will begin on the next Delamere, and I have an idea that we may see a couple of Larkspur Academy men make guest appearances…

Hundreds of New Titles

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‘Where There’s a Will’ is still in the publishing queue at Amazon. This is unusual, but it does happen, and we must be patient. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of other titles and new authors for you to explore at the following promo page links. If you want to know more about these promos (which don’t cost you anything to view but which offer great opportunities for new works at low prices), sign up for my newsletter for updates.

The following expire on Sunday, so click now before it’s too late.

Kindle Unlimited Historical Fiction
All books here are on Kindle Unlimited.

Find Your Next LGBTQIA+ Read
This is a Pride Month promotion with a massive variety of genres, niches, tropes and authors.

Mayhem & Motives
Mystery, thriller and suspense reads.

Academy Series Starters
Mysteries, fantasy, lots of unreal stuff and then, ‘Guardians of the Poor’ — historical, academy setting series starter which rather stands out from the other covers (and has attracted a new readership thanks to this promo).

I have two more to tell you about next week. The above end at the end of this month, though the books will still be available of course, just not the easy-reference promo page. Next month I am in two promos (so far), and there will be a newsletter about this, plus blog posts. Meanwhile, my guests leave on Friday, so on Saturday, I shall be returning to ‘Bobby’ which I hope to have published during July – as long as the queue has died down and ‘Where There’s a Will’ has been released. That book is available in paperback, but not yet on Kindle. Click for more info:

Where There’s a Wait

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Today, I was hoping to tell you that ‘Where There’s a Will’ was available on Kindle, but for some reason, it’s taking a long time to show up. Its official status is ‘Publishing’, which means it’s passed all the stages and is simply waiting to go live. This usually happens within three hours, but so far, it’s taken two days. They say in the small print that it can take up to ten days, which seems incredibly slow for a computerised, automated process.

Meanwhile, the print version is available for those who, like me, prefer to buy paperbacks, and here’s the link:

Where there’s a Will

Will and Jack Merrit are set a simple task: Journey to an island in the Bristol Channel to attend the reading of a will. Why? No-one knows.

Charles Marisco can guess what’s in his father’s will. Everything will go to his twin brother, Simon, because he was born first. However, Charles has other things on his mind, namely, his best friend, Barrett Newton, a man he would like to know more intimately.

A storm-lashed castle, a remote island, and a cast of eccentric characters set the stage for Will and Jack Merrit’s most baffling case yet—one that grows deadlier as the body count rises.

This is the fourth book in the Delamere Files series.

The books should be read in order.

I have family visiting right now, so I shan’t be starting on the next story until next weekend, when I will get straight back to it. I have several ideas, some situations I’d like to explore, some historical occasions from 1893 I’d like to look at further, and I have several ideas. So, I need to decide which one I am going to run with and focus on that. While I’m doing that, I will also be finishing ‘Bobby – a Life Worth Living’, the story of my late godfather which is also a kind of walk through 20th century gay Britain, or one gay man’s life from 1919 to 2007, and I can tell you it is a remarkable true story. I did most of the work on this book several years ago and then I set it aside as I wasn’t happy with my style. Now, after I’ve matured a little as a writer, I am able to do the story justice. I’ve added some deeper research I was unable to do 20 years ago, and have knocked the MS into a reasonable shape. As soon as I can afford it, I will commission Andjela to do me a cover, get the OWI guys to do the layout, and it’ll be ready to go. Or will be ready to sit in the Amazon ‘publishing’ queue for a few days…

For now, though, it’s back to my enforced holiday; a trip out for lunch, my piano student this afternoon, and a friend’s terrace for the evening. It’s 36° outside most of the time, so we’re going slowly and drinking loads of water. Here are some views to see you through the weekend.

A Simple Update

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Hello! Today’s work-in-progress update will be a simple one. ‘Where There’s a Will’ should be ready for you in a few days. As I write this (yesterday) the guys have it and are doing the internal layout. That usually takes me a day or two to check and approve, and I hope to have it back this week. Andjela is working on the full cover, but I can release the Kindle as soon as I approve the internals. So, watch this space for this:

Click the cover, and you will find the existing Delamere Files series page.

As for the other work in progress, ‘Bobby’, I am about to start on the proofs of that and the final checking process. I’m not able to release this one until July due to funds, but I’ll commission a cover in the next two or three weeks, and keep you informed about progress. It’s not a novel, it’s a true account of my gay godfather’s life as told by him and edited by me, spanning the years 1919 to 2007, and it makes for incredible reading.

More about that soon. Meanwhile, it’s back to editing for me and, I hope, back to reading for you.

Historical Fiction in Kindle Unlimited

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Historical Fiction in Kindle Unlimited

I know I have been telling a lot about promos recently, but that’s because I am doing my bit to promote others’ work while promoting my own, because we indie authors need to support each other. So, today is only a brief mention of a new promo that’s all about historical fiction. Here’s the link and the banner:

Good to see they used ‘Finding a Way’ in the banner. I have my three series starts in there, and it’d be great if you could share this link around, and click on it yourself and give me some kudos points. All the books are in KU, so if you are enrolled, they’ll cost you nothing extra to browse or read. There are a lot of what look like late Regency or early Victorian dukes and their mistresses on the covers, some WWII stories, some American, some that look to be 1930s, and at least one that’s much older in setting and looks a little Viking. So, there is plenty to explore among the 70 titles on offer.

‘The Wharf Rat Guild’ set in 1662 (the time of Charles II) looks interesting, ‘Grace in the Wings’ looks right up my street as it has a theatrical setting, and ‘Trading Thomas’ is now on my TBR list because it is based on true events, we’re told. So, here is the link again.

Where There’s a Will

If you want to see the cover of the next Delamere Files, due out next week, then you will have to a) join my private Facebook group Jackson’s Deviant Desires where I am showing the cover today, or b) wait a little longer and I’ll put it up here next week. The book is all but finished and ready to go – I am just waiting for the full cover and the layout which I will commission over the weekend. So, not long now and you can read more about the annoyingly humorous and odd Will Merrit as he leads his first case.

In the Meantime…

In the meantime, I have visitors here for two weeks, and they arrive in a few hours, so I have much to do in preparation. I’ll continue to post here and at my Symi island blog over at Symi Dream (which I update five days per week), and I’ll let you know there or here if I hear anything more about interviews, promotions and any other news concerning my work.

Pride Month

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Hello, everyone! It’s Pride Month around the world, and there’s much to celebrate.

Find your next LGBTQ + read is a promotion showcasing over 100 books from a wide range of authors, and I’m in it with Deviant Desire, Finding a Way and Guardians of the Poor. You can find the full list of books by clicking this banner image:

Guardians of the Poor

I mention this book in particular because it’s one about which I shall be writing a little more later today. I have an interview to undertake and have been asked about this title in particular, my research methods, and other things, and I’m looking forward to starting on that as soon as I’ve had this cup of tea.

Guardians is the first of the Larkspur Academy series, and if you’re into Academic romance, there’s another promo showcasing the first books in academia-themed series – mixed genre – and you can find that by clicking here.

Once I have done some work on the interview, I shall be returning to Templar Isle and ‘Where There’s a Will.’ It’s back from proofing, so I am giving it my final eye, and the cover is 80% completed. I need to finalise the blurb so we can make up the back cover, and then I can show you what we have. You can see that Andjela has again used the Clearwater font, and the background is going to be in keeping with the others; dark, mysterious, stormy… More cover in future WIP updates.

Once the interview is written and Where There’s a Will is released, I can return to ‘Bobby’, the life story of my godfather which I am also working on. Yesterday, I dug out the original interviews which I recorded on Minidisk years ago. I have the machine I can replay them on, but I want to work out how to get them from the disks to the PC. The idea is to upload some voice clips here, somehow, so when the book is released, interested parties can listen to him talking as well as read the book. Luckily, there are two people living near me who may have the suitable equipment and expertise, so I shall ask if I can hire them when I am ready to proceed.

For now, it’s onwards to the interview and I’ll tell you more about it if they accept it for publication. Watch this space, as they say, and meanwhile, watch the promos because there is some great reading to be had there.

Back on Saturday – see you then.

Books, Promos & Mysteries

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It’s time for a roundup of what’s going on in my Jackson Marsh world right now, and life’s a varied bag of pick-n-mix, to say the least. Here’s the roundup.

Where There’s a Will

The draft is with the proofreader, and Andjela and I are working on the cover. The first thing to get right is the face of Will Merrit, and here’s one of the mock-ups she’s managed to produce from the original photo.

There are things to tweak on that draft version, but we’ll get there.

Delamere Files Book Five

I have started researching the history and details of the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, and in particular, the world of Maskelyne and Cooke’s mysterious entertainments. The magic shows as we might call them these days. I did some work in this area when I wrote ‘Seeing through Shadows’ in the Larkspur Series, because it’s where Chester Cadman met the man who duped him, and ‘Shadows’ is about Chester cracking the case of the Larkspur Ghost. I am currently thinking about writing an investigation that takes place in the world of onstage magicians.

The first thing I need is a title because I want to add that to the end of book four.

Bobby

This is my late godfather’s life story, which is a lot about growing up and being gay during the 20th century. I am now working on the section which is my reminiscences of the man, while the rest of the text is being read and checked by Neil and others. I will have to ask Andjela to do me another cover, and the layout may have to wait until July when I will next be able to afford to pay for the work, but the book should come along in the next couple of months. Meanwhile, here’s a photo of me and Bobby, taken, I reckon in 1971 when my parents had not long bought the house behind us.

Here’s a strange numbers thing. I have a godson who is currently 16 while I am 61, and pointed out to him today that the phenomenon of our ages being reversible will not happen again. He was born when I was 44. My godfather was also 44 when I was born, so when I was 16 he was 61, and that phenomenon never happened again.

Promotions

There are several excellent promotions running at the moment, and I am in them. They are a mix of Academy Series Starters (all genres but in an academic setting), Mayhem and Motives, a collection of great titles in the mystery, action & adventure field, and Pride Month, which is all to do with general LGBT fiction including Sci-fi and Fantasy, and in my case, historical mystery.

All of these promos cost you nothing to view and there are loads of new titles and authors for you to check out, so plenty of ideas for summer reading. Many of the books, or all of them in some promo cases, are available on KU, so if you’re signed up for that, you now have a new and exciting library of gay lit to see you through.

The Strange Case of the Missing Man

We are living through a local mystery right now here on Symi, because a TV presenter and journalist has mysteriously vanished. Last Wednesday, Michael Mosley set off to walk back from a beach via a well-used and open route and hasn’t been since. We’ve been doing what we can to help, and that’s mainly been deflecting journalists and pointing them towards the authorities, and guiding some of the family around the village to show them the lie of the land as the search continues.

And Onwards

So, for me, it’s now back to the typo-writer, and onto the final chapter of Bobby, while thinking up a title for book five, doing a jigsaw to free up my mind, trying to stay cool (nearly 40 degrees again yesterday), drinking lots of water (at least five litres yesterday), and looking forward to a family visit that starts next weekend. As usual, it’s all go.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who’s been clicking on the promos and getting me a good referral reputation, and to everyone who is currently reading and buying the books. It generates a small income, but as it’s the only one I have, it’s very well received!

Find all Jackson Marsh titles here: