The Bridge and the Dolmen

I pondered that question readers and interviewers love to hurl at authors earlier this month. You know the one I mean, don't you?

Where does your inspiration come from?

I long found it so hard to answer, and since it seems to be the bait favoured by scammers nowadays, I've become wary of it. It is, however, an interesting question, and one I think all writers, musicians, and artists of any ilk ought to reflect upon. This morning, I decided to start my day off from the day job as a heritage tour guide (guide-conférencier) by visiting a couple of the numerous remarkable sites in my neck of the woods here in the Brière, southern Brittany. In other words, the tour guide gave himself a guided tour. After all, why not?

The first site was one I already knew, and which I drive past regularly on my way to the quaint village of Kerhinet, but today was the first time in years I actually stopped to pay it the homage it deserves. The Kerbourg Dolmen is one of the best-preserved examples of Neolithic architecture in the Brière Regional Natural Park. This impressive corridor dolmen, or passage grave, is capped by four large "table stones" (which is the literal translation of the Breton word taol-vaen, which gives us dolmen, the word we typically use to refer to the structure as a whole) and is almost eight metres long. William Collings Lukis, an English archaeologist, conducted a dig here in 1879 and two polished stone axes discovered are displayed at the British Museum. There are in fact two dolmens at Kerbourg, but the second one remains collapsed. Legend has it a fifty-metre underground passage used by korrigans (the pixies or brownies of Breton folklore) connects the two dolmens. I found no trace of it...

The influence the folklore, landscape, and heritage of Brittany has on my fiction can't be overstated, and the inspiration (or awen, as I prefer to call it) with which this ancient land feeds my imagination is nowhere more apparent than in Dead on the Dolmen, my mystery novel featuring Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable. 

I followed up my pilgrimage to Kerbourg with a visit to an ancient bridge I had been meaning to cross ever since hearing about its existence several years ago. The Gras Bridge, which is technically a ford, dates from the 1st century and was restored in 2014. It is a stone walkway for most of its length and spans the river Mès in the middle. Along the banks of the Mès reeds sway in the wind, and it is this plant that is used to thatch the roofs of the traditional cottages (including mine) here in the Brière.

I'm sure you can appreciate that I no longer have any doubts about how to answer The Question. Awen is all around me, in the stones, the soil, the wind, the water, the reeds, and the trees, and it has been there all along.

Dead on the Dolmen Paperback

The game's afoot, mystery hounds!

Dead on the Dolmen is now available to order in print, with the Kindle version going live on the 30th, and the pre-order deal still on.

To celebrate the publication of the first Oscar Tremont mystery, I visited a dolmen, of course, and took a few photos. This impressive neolithic remnant is the Dolmen de La Roche aux Loups, which is in a field in Bergon, Brittany.

These neolithic structures are scattered all over Brittany, and beyond, and we believe they were burial sites. We don't have a lot of information because they're prehistoric, so there are no written records, but they're an iconic part of the landscape. In Dead on the Dolmen, you'll learn all about dolmens, about Breton mythology, and you will uncover the Ankou, the Breton Grim Reaper. 

You can order your copy HERE.

Dead on the Dolmen - A Mysterious Landscape

The setting for Dead on the Dolmen, the first Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable novel, is based on a real part of Brittany. Here's a guided tour of the track between the villages of Greno and Kergaillot on a cold winter's morning with yours truly.

Dead on the Dolmen Kindle Pre-Order Deal

The Kindle pre-order deal for DEAD ON THE DOLMEN is now open. Just $1.99 instead of $3.99, automatically delivered to your device on the 30th of January.

In this, the first novel-length mystery featuring Oscar Tremont, you'll pit your wits against a masked killer tormenting a village on the Guérande Peninsula in Brittany. There will be moments, however, when you, just like several of the inhabitants, will start to believe that it really is the Ankou (the Grim Reaper of Breton lore) come to claim souls. Can you crack the case before our intrepid investigator of the strange and inexplicable reveals all?

PLACE YOUR KINDLE PRE-ORDER TODAY

Cover Reveal: Dead on the Dolmen

Time for a mysterious cover reveal! Here it is, the cover designed by yours truly for the very first novel featuring Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable.

DEAD ON THE DOLMEN will have you wondering whether the Ankou really is riding forth across the land of magic and mystery that is Brittany, or is it an elaborate and macabre joke to get the village of Greno in the mood for Halloween? Once Oscar Tremont is called onto the scene, it soon becomes clear to him that neither explanation is plausible. Why is someone dressing up as the Reaper himself and terrorising David Trevelyan, the reclusive author of Breton folklore and cultural history? Can you discover the identity of the Ankou before the investigator of the strange and inexplicable reveals it?

DEAD ON THE DOLMEN will be published on the 30th of January, 2026, but there will be plenty more sneak peeks and spine-chilling glimpses before then.  

 

The First Oscar Tremont Novel

It has been a long time coming, I know, and it isn't here yet, but I can finally announce that the first novel featuring Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable, will be released on my 45th birthday; the 30th of January, 2026. I'd like to thank you so much for your patience, but also for asking repeatedly when this book would be ready, because that eagerness has kept me chipping away at it.

Writing a mystery novel takes time, especially when it's a fair-play mystery, or whodunit, because it's not enough for the plot to be intriguing, the atmosphere evocative, and the characters engaging. Every detail connected to the puzzle needs to be spot on. The means and motive need to be solid but subtle. The foreshadowing has to be done just right in order to ensure that kick-yourself moment for the reader who doesn't work out who the culprit is before the hero reveals all. The clues and red herrings have to be planted carefully so the reader is kept on his toes chapter after chapter, and twist after turn.

I've finally put the last piece of the puzzle into place, and the result is a chilling murder mystery unlike any you've ever dared read before. Your wits will be put to the test against the Reaper himself!

DEAD ON THE DOLMEN will have you wondering whether the Ankou really is riding forth across the land of magic and mystery that is Brittany. Of course, once Oscar Tremont cracks the case, reason will reign once more...but in the meantime, your imagination will be free to roam, and the reaping will go on unhindered!

Keep an eye on this blog over the coming months for more news, including the cover reveal.

 

Oscar Tremont's Pocket Watch

They say not to judge a book by its cover but I need you to do just that. If you liked the cover of my book, Oscar Tremont: Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable (Oscar Tremont - Short Mysteries Book 1), please vote for it for the Cover of the Month contest on AllAuthor.com!

I’m getting closer to clinch the "Cover of the Month" contest on AllAuthor! Please take a short moment to vote for my book cover here:

 

Click to Vote!

 

Point of View

One of those topics that keeps cropping up whenever writers discuss the nuts and bolts of their craft is point of view. You, as a reader, may have a preference between first-person narrative and third-person omniscient or limited. Well, do you?

Before I start writing a story, I ask myself a number of questions and ultimately try to make a decision based on what I think will give the reader the best experience. For instance, I started writing my short mysteries involving Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable, in first person (there's a free example here) but soon changed to third, and it was a difficult decision. First-person narrative generally works well for the traditional detective short story. Look at Sherlock Holmes with Watson giving us an up-close-and-personal view of Holmes. When the POV is the protagonist's, it's even more powerful for demonstrating thought processes and internal battles that will hold the reader's attention. I ended up opting for third-person limited, however, because I wanted to jump between POVs in different scenes, and that obviously wouldn't work with a first-person narrative. The ability to show the reader in direct but shadowy glimpses what is going on behind the protagonist's was too tempting to resist.

The choice is ultimately based on the story and the author's priority for the reader, the personal depth the first-person narrative gives or the flexibility third gives. My post-apocalyptic work-in-progress is told in the first person in order to really draw the reader into the protagonist's personal experience and to force the reader to navigate a ruined landscape with unknown dangers, to wear the protagonists' tattered boots. It's an important decision to make...and a much easier one to make before you start a story. For a short story, it may not be the end of the world, but no one wants to go back and change the POV after writing a full draft of a novel! 

Do you have a preference? What are some of your favourite stories and which point of view did the author use? Let me know in the comments below.

Introducing Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable

Join Oscar Tremont on his first four cases as he tackles mysteries too strange for the police and assures his clients that a rational explanation lies behind what at first appears to be impossible. You will find clues, question suspects, don disguises, break into abandoned houses, solve codes and puzzles, and if you really have your wits about you, crack the case before our hero.

Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable consists of two novellas and two short stories that display the keen intellect of a private investigator who is bound to make a name for himself in the mystery genre.

◆ The Hunt for the Stayne Fortune

◆ The Ghosts of Walhalla

◆ The Witch at the Window

◆ The Secret of the Severed Hand

These four mysteries will challenge and surprise even the most experienced armchair detectives.

Order the print book today or pre-order the ebook for just 99c before it increases to $2.99 USD RRP on the 25th of February. Please also note that the ebook will be available with Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Q91YZZQ/

Amazon.com.au: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B09Q91YZZQ/

Amazon.co.uk:https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09Q91YZZQ/

A Tale of Two Novels

I've been busy working on two very different novels recently... 

POST-APOCALYPTIC

I've completed the first draft of my post-apocalyptic novel and am about to get started on the second. It clocks in at around 99,000 words, easily making it the longest story I've written to date. It's much too early to share all the details, but it's a tale of suffering, love, survival, and resistance set in the not-too-distant future. The narrative is told as a first-person account (an action-packed memoir, if you like) in which our protagonist, an underclass pyromaniac, flees the city after setting fire to the wrong car. It's a rollicking adventure with pauses in the action to let you catch your breath and ask yourself some big questions.

MYSTERY 

I've also started the first Oscar Tremont novel. The mystery takes place in Brittany and is designed to introduce the reader (because not everyone will have read the short stories) to my intrepid private investigator. Just like the short stories, this tale will focus on the puzzle, the characters, and the remarkable Breton setting; the cosy / traditional mystery fan's cup of tea. Would you like a glimpse at the setting? Here you go! 

 

The Problem at Rose Grove

Where's Holmes???

I've joined Specul8 Publishing for their second volume of absent Holmes tales, and I've put a spin on it, which will come as no surprise to my loyal readers. I've often wondered what would happen if my very own investigator, Oscar Tremont, had the opportunity to pit wits against the most famous consulting detective of all time, but in "The Problem at Rose Grove", he's faced with an even greater challenge...saving Holmes, so to speak! Curiosity piqued? The game's afoot! Grab your copy from Specul8. 

 

About the anthology:

In 1887, Arthur Conan Doyle first published A Study in Scarlet in the 27th issue of Beeton’s Christmas Annual, a popular London magazine which had entertained 19th century readers for well over two decades. Yet this particular issue would introduce the world to something entirely new, a literary icon who would move on to become the greatest fictional character in modern history. Holmes certainly casts a great shadow, and what would we ever do without him? That is precisely the question this collection dares to ask. We have challenged nine exciting Australian authors to take up the daunting task of writing a Sherlock story, where the great man himself is conspicuously absent. The resulting work has been utterly fascinating, and we have found that even in his absence Sherlock Holmes is still a force to be reckoned with. As the man himself would often say, “The game is afoot!”

 

Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable

After years of training, honing his skills in the art of detection, Oscar Tremont is set to make his inaugural appearance. Are you ready? "The Hunt for the Stayne Fortune" finds our hero cracking codes, donning disguises, and saving the day. This novella is for fans of old-fashioned mystery with Victorian charm and spirit in a contemporary setting.

Let's whet your appetite with a few facts about Oscar Tremont! 

Favourite beverage: Whisky, preferably Lagavulin

Bad habit: Breaking and entering

Good habit: Following his conscience (even if that means breaking and entering)

Distinguishing features: His musketeer moustache
Achilles' heel: Now, that would be telling! 

Join the virtual launch and preorder your Kindle copy today!

https://www.facebook.com/events/781603692024019/

Preorder "The Hunt for the Stayne Fortune"