Tag Archives: Grave Developments

Grave Developments as Promised

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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

Developing Grave Developments

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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.

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‘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