The Book with no Title (as yet)

Posted on 15/01/2025 by Jack Marsh

As usual, I am still unsure about the title of the next Delamere story which is now up to 27,000 words – so just over a quarter of the way through, if it is to be a standard length. The characters are all in place, and the mystery has been set, though it is soon to lead to another, and then another until someone realises what’s going on and that someone may well be me.

I have been looking through old newspapers trying to discover if there were still any paddle steamers working on the Thames in 1893, but I haven’t had any luck so far. (Anyone? Any idea?) I discovered there were still paddle steamers for sale, but I think these were probably for scrap or refurbishing. I’ve not delved into this in much detail as yet, but here’s a piece I pulled from a London newspaper of March 1893:

The things aren’t integral to the story, but I wanted to use one for… some reason, so I went off on the distraction tour and spent a happy hour reading all kinds of advertisements and snippets. Also, in the process of writing a character’s backstory the other day, I mentioned the dance card, and went off to see if I could find an image of one to share.

Here’s a potted history of the dance card from the Newberry Library:

Popularized in Vienna in the nineteenth century, dance cards continued to be used throughout the early twentieth century. Names could be filled in just after a dance to keep as a memento, or early in the evening to ensure one had a partner planned for each dance, thus eliminating the risk of being labelled a wallflower.

Which of the characters used a dance card, you may wonder, and you will, one day, find out. I have a piece of work to do for someone else today, and then, I shall be continuing with chapter 10. Meanwhile, if you are looking for some new romance reads to start the year, I have several promos to share with you. Let’s start with this one, LGBTQIA+ Romance = the January Bookfair. Simply click the banner to check out over 45 MM romance titles.

Welcome to 2025

Posted on 08/01/2025 by Jack Marsh

Hello everyone. I hope you had a pleasant New Year and, like me, you’re looking forward to a year full of writing, reading, and losing oneself in fictional adventures.

My year has started well. I am working on the next Delamere mystery (book seven, as yet untitled), and for those who have asked to know more about Benny Baxter, you’ll be pleased to hear he features in this next story. He may even end up being the hero… We shall see. Here’s the drawing Dalston Blaze did of Baxter back in 1893.

The year also started well because of an email I received. It’s from a friend who has a friend I vaguely knew years ago, and that friend has read all the Clearwater books, and is two books into the Larkspur series, and, apparently, I am now his favourite author. What this friend has also done is spread the word around his older, wealthier mates, who are now also enjoying the series. The email goes on to say:

All his friends who have read the books agree that they ought to be picked up as a TV series and would love that to happen. I told him that you were already in the early stages of issuing the audio books and he thinks various others of his friends would welcome that.

Well, slow down a moment… The audiobook version of Deviant Desire is still in discussion because I am unable to release such a thing through Amazon as I would like, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen there. As for a TV series… I did have an approach from Bad Hat Harry Productions, but that may have been either fishing or phishing, as I’ve not heard anything more. There was another company interested in me giving them the rights to make a screenplay, but when I said, ‘Giving?’ and told them to name a figure, they slunk away. However, if any of my readers do know someone in TV or film, a production company or an artist with clout, and wants to recommend the books… Feel free! That’s how it works. I could spend months putting together a ‘bible’ for the world, characters, stories and so on, and then not be able to hawk a proposal around because I don’t live in London or LA, so I have to rely on chance or word of mouth, or email – which is where you might come in. You know, if you’re bored one day, send an email off to Netflix of someone…

Anyway, I can’t sit around here dreaming, I have a book to write, and I am going to get on with that right now, and will be back on Saturday with another update from the world of Jackson Marsh. Until then, here is an inspirational view to start the year.

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.

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

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:

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

Posted on 04/12/2024 by Jack Marsh

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.

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:

Work in Progress: Grave Developments.

Posted on 13/11/2024 by Jack Marsh

‘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

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.

New Book Out, New One Started

Posted on 14/09/2024 by Jack Marsh

Hello, and welcome to a catch-up blog post. First today’s news…

A Case of Make Believe is back from the layout guys. I have been through it, and it looks great. Apart from the fantastic cover, there is an image of the new character which I’ve had drawn, and the only thing missing is the title of the next book in the series. That will be added when I have thought of it.

If all goes as it usually does, the book will be ready today or tomorrow, and I will post the link when I have it.

As soon as it’s ready, you will be able to find this dark and mysterious novel on the Delamere Files series page here.

Book Six in the series

This one has got off to a mysterious start and even I don’t know where it is leading. It will have something to do with photography, though. Already, we have an opening that is slightly farcical but makes sense, and it’s one of those stories that starts a little way in and then goes back to the beginning. So, after chapter one, I currently have ‘X days earlier’ and the story starts from there with Jack at his desk, rather bored with doing the CID’s cold cases, and hoping for something more exciting to come along.

It does, and it does so in the shape of a Congregationalist minister who has found a body in Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington.

Yes, I know you’d expect to find a body in a cemetery, but not one in a shallow grave, and not one who died ten years earlier and yet looks like it died only a day ago. So, we’ve started off with a right old mystery which, by chapter four, thickens when the detectives (all four) visit the scene to find the body has deteriorated since that morning…

Don’t worry, I will find a way out of this. It will involve some kind of chemical reaction, like a photograph, and I think Doc Markland will have to be brought in.

Meanwhile, Jack has a new team of horses called Moonlight and Silver, though he still has Shadow, of course, and Mrs Norwood next door has her own stable hand and groom again.

Romance Promos

You might like to take a look at the titles in these two romance promos, if you haven’t already. There may be some new authors and titles for you to read there.

Nearly There

Posted on 11/09/2024 by Jack Marsh

Once again, I find myself typing ‘Nearly There’ as a title, because ‘A Case of Make Believe’ is nearly ready to be released. It’s currently with the guys at Other Worlds Ink who do the layout for me, and I hope to have it back for checking in a couple of days. Meanwhile, I’ve started the next one, and have drafted the first chapter and a half. As per usual, I have an idea for a scene and have started with that with no idea where I am going or how this one will end. Sometimes I know the whole story, other times, I know how it will end. In this case, I know it will have something to do with early photography and murder, but apart from that…

Here’s the current opening line:

Of all the things Will Merrit imagined he would do as an investigator, locking himself in a pitch-black bathroom with two other men was not one of them.

If you were wondering about the opening of ‘A Case of Maker Believe’, then here’s the opening line of that one (which follows the date, January 5th, 1893)

She stood beneath the stage petting a rat and wallowing in the gasps and groans from the audience above, while through the dust-shedding boards came the sound of her lover’s footsteps as the story neared its climax.

And, to tease you further, the final line of the story:

The box of gifts still to be distributed, he watched, smiling, and could think of nowhere else he would rather be than home.

So, all I need to do now on the Delamere Files Book Six is to find a story and write it into 100,000 words. Meanwhile, as soon as book five is published, you will be able to find it here:

Jackson Marsh Author

MM Romance and Mystery

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