Happy Christmas!

Hello! I am making this my last blog of the year so that I can take a whole two weeks off. Obviously, I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who reads these pages, and my printed or otherwise pages, and to everyone who connects via my FB page. Mostly, here’s a big thank you to everyone who leaves positive reviews and who shares my links and titles. Thanks to you, I’ve had the best year ever, and I am very happy about that.

Now, let’s start the random photos of the year…

Things I’ve done this year, 01: had some new banners made.

I just went to my shelves and checked what I’d published this year. Turns out, it’s been a five-book year; Follow the Van, Where There’s a Will, A Case of Make Believe, Grave Developments, and Bobby – a Life Worth Living. Mind you, I’d been working on Bobby off and on for about twenty years, so… Still, that brings the total of titles up to 45, though I don’t write because I want to reach a magic number of books or anything.

Last winter. View from home.

I was just wondering what I could mention as other things I’ve done this year… If we can count New Year’s Eve last year (because it went on into the first day of this year), then 2024, for me, brought: Watching the Greek National opera perform Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’ (in Greek), a few days in Athens, missing the Nutcracker because of being ill, spending time with my godson building model cars and things from kits, hanging out a lot with visitors, a couple of trips to Rhodes for bits and pieces, mainly for health checkups because it’s so easy and cheap to see a specialist you may as well, having my mum and nephew come to visit for two weeks, our niece for a few days, doing some walking but not enough, trying to sort out my RSI, a lot of resting away from typing (boo), and not very much else of note, really. As you’ll see, this last post of 2024 carries several photos taken throughout the year, mostly of scenery when I have been out and about on the island.

Havings said that, this was in Rhodes last March.

What about next year? Plans?

The husband getting his arty shots in the Old Town of Rhodes.

Well, assuming all remains as well as it can be in the world, our plan is to stay where we are, only moving house if/when this one gets sold. We currently have no plans to go anywhere next year, and I intend to write at least three more books. Hopefully more, but it will depend on the shoulder, back, neck, elbow, and arm situation and how many hours I can do at the computer without again becoming a cripple. So, I’ll keep on writing. On which note, I have just had an idea for the next book, so I want to go and write that down before I forget it. I’ll leave you with more photos, and wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year, and, once again, thank you for reading!

And now, a load more photos taken through 2024…

We repainted the courtyard.
Another day over in Rhodes.
Neil had bad vertigo in March, so we went to an ENT specialist, where he had a full examination which I watched from the Doc’s office.
Found this in my folder and thought of Sir Easterby Cresswell.
Boys’ nights with the godsons, always hilarious.
Walking…
One of the near-finished model kits (Harry’s work).
The courtyard in summer.
If you’ve ever wondered what my characters mean when talking aboujt making a few bob, or half a crown…
Early morning walks.
Traffic jams.
Explored the wilder parts of the island with H.
Some more new banners.
Tourist watching.
Family walks.
Some homework for you.
Getting ready for Christmas.

See you next year!

Grave Developments as Promised

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

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.

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 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

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:

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.

‘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


Grave Developments

After what seems like months, Grave Development will be off to the proofreader this weekend. I have a little tidying up to do here and there, but yesterday, I started really thinking about the blurb, which is a sign I am nearly at the end of this particular path.

If you signed up for the newsletter, you would have received a link to the cover. I sent this out on Monday and will reveal the cover to everyone else on Saturday, here and on my Facebook page.

Also in the newsletter was news of this month’s promos. These are where you can find new authors and titles in my chosen genres, and all you need to do is click and take a look. Doesn’t cost a thing to browse. Many of the titles are on offer, or reduced in price, or simply craving a little attention.

Here’s one to highlight this month, Kindle Unlimited Mystery Novels. If you’ve already signed up for KU, you can add any of these to your reading list. If you’re not in KU, you can buy them for as little as $2.99.

While you’re doing that, I will set about fixing a couple of minor things in Grave Developments, have another bash at finalising the blurb, and check through my author’s notes. This time, they include a couple of personal anecdotes which concern a couple of the places mentioned in the story.

Don’t forget to be here on Saturday for the cover reveal.

Update on Progress

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:

Doesn’t give very much away, I know!

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

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:

Work in Progress: Grave Developments.

‘Grave Developments’ is the title of the next book in the Delamere Files series. The ‘file’ in this case (or, in other words, the case in this case), revolves around the finding of a body with no face. This is discovered in a shallow grave, and the person who finds it, wants the Delamere boys to investigate ahead of reporting the thing to the police. Why? Therein lies the tale.

The first draft is now at the 86,000-word mark, and I have broken off around the time of the crisis to work on the ensuing climax and finale, and then, I will go back and finish sticking the two sections together. I’m doing this because I can’t be sure how long the climax will take to play out until I’ve written it, and the body of the book before it feels like it is done. Jack can go no further in his investigation, so something needs to happen to trigger the ending, but I have so many options, I need to see what works before I decide which one is best.

The life of an author, eh?

The latest addition to the research file. A snap of the cover of The People weekly newspaper from 1893, ‘A Newspaper for all Classes.’

Talking of which, my life just got a little quieter for a while, as Neil has just this minute left to go to Scotland to see the children and grandchildren, leaving me home alone for 12 days before meeting him for a three-day break in Rhodes on his way back. So, I have 12 days to finish Grave Developments, commission a drawing and cover, and then have the book proofed and typeset before publication. That, I aim to do before Christmas, so stay tuned, and keep reading.

On the subject of which, this set of non-fictional books might be of interest, might inspire you, or might offer you something alternative while you wait. Have a click, have a browse, and I’ll be back on Saturday, hopefully, with more news of the Clearwater world.

https://books.bookfunnel.com/Novlitsales/wfsmqhv1dp

Sketches by Dazz

I was just browsing through a file I found under ‘Clearwater’ and which is titled ‘sketches.’ I hadn’t realised that over the past few years, I have commissioned 22 sketches of characters and items associated with the Clearwater, Larkspur and Delamere series (not including two maps). I was wondering who to have sketched for the inside of the next book, ‘Grave Developments.’

It strikes me that although I have a drawing of James Wright, it’s slightly different to the others because it’s an ‘action’ drawing.

James Wright

Maybe I should find that face again and have my artist do me a standard, ‘Dalston Blaze’ portrait as I’ve done with the others. Here’s one of my favourites:

Mrs Norwood

Dazz, as my artist is known has also drawn a couple of story-related items which aren’t characters. My favourite of these is this one:

The mysterious Larkspur standing stones.

These played a large part in the second Larkspur book, ‘Keepers of the Past,’ as you might remember.  

Now working on the Delamere Files, we have had images of Jack and Will Merrit, Larkin Chase and Ned Maddiver. I have to say, Jack’s drawing makes him look a bit rough, but then, when the series starts, he is working 18 to 20 hours a day driving his cab, looking after his ‘special’ brother and trying to pay off debts and avoid eviction, so there’s no wonder. Maybe, I should ask Dazz to draw him as he is by book six?

Or maybe we’ll have a sketch of James…?

Tell you what, with a growing cast of Delamere characters, let me know who you’d like to see a sketch of. We’ve not yet seen Max Pascoe, Benjamin Baxter, Simeon or Ronny Felman, or Mrs Sparks. Send me an email soon because with draft one approaching the 80,000-word mark, I will soon be commissioning a new drawing from Dazz, who – should you need an artist – you can find on Fiverr as DazzlingDezigns.


Meanwhile, today’s promo link takes you to some spooky, mysterious, action-thriller adventure set in all times and places. Have a click and enjoy the browsing.

Grave Developments

The work in progress is progressing, albeit in fits and starts. Usually, I have a decent run at a first draft and start at the beginning and plough through in about six weeks. This time, the draft seems to have taken forever, and I am still only 75% of the way through. There are a few reasons for this, but mainly, it has been to do with my ‘tennis elbow’ (repetitive strain injury) which has meant I have had to spend less time writing. However, the story is coming together, and I am about to enter the ‘build to the crisis and climax’ stage of proceedings ahead of the ‘smoking gun’ moment and then, the denouement.

The neat thing about this story, though, is even I still don’t know the who or why of the matter. Well, I kind of do, but things have been changing as I’ve gone along, and that’s mainly thanks to Jack Merrit going off on his own and doing his own thing. I know what’s to happen next, though. Jack and his assistant are about to interview the son of a woman who recently died. Then, Jack needs to call on Larkin Chase to translate a document for him, and that document is going to be somewhat erotic, so much so that Jack, who has been getting more and more horny these past few chapters, will give in to his lust and… A happy ending for both. It’s been a while since we’ve had any decent nookie in one of my stories, but it’s not always appropriate to put it in, as it were, and there’s no point bunging in sex for the sake of it. Anyway… What’s this?

It’s part of an 1846 tithe map of part of Stoke Newington where the story is set. Image from the Hackney History Archive Collection

The title has finally come to me as ‘Grave Developments’, and I should soon be thinking about a cover and a blurb. I will keep you informed.

Meanwhile, if you are looking for something to read, then I can suggest a quick browse of the books here:

Click the banner.

These are all LGBT etc., romances. There are a few Christmas romances in there (eek! Maybe too soon?), an animal-rescue-centred one, and a couple with classic ‘topless hunks’ on the covers. Definitely something to keep you occupied while you wait for Grave Developments to develop.