Release Blitz, Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway:
A Death in Bloomsbury by David C Dawson
The Simon Sampson Mysteries, Book 1
Everyone has secrets… but some are fatal.
1932, London. Late one December night Simon Sampson stumbles across the body of a woman in an alleyway. Her death is linked to a plot by right-wing extremists to assassinate the King on Christmas Day. Simon resolves to do his patriotic duty and unmask the traitors.
But Simon Sampson lives a double life. Not only is he a highly respected BBC radio announcer, but he’s also a man who loves men, and as such must live a secret life. His investigation risks revealing his other life and with that imprisonment under Britain’s draconian homophobic laws of the time. He faces a stark choice: his loyalty to the King or his freedom.
This is the first in a new series from award-winning author David C. Dawson. A richly atmospheric novel set in the shadowy world of 1930s London, where secrets are commonplace, and no one is quite who they seem.
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1) Three fun facts about my writing history
In my debut novel, The Necessary Deaths, one of the characters was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). Just after my publisher locked down the edit, the UK voted for Brexit! A quick rewrite was essential.
I started writing fiction when I came out. It was one of my therapies. The other was singing in the London Gay Men’s Chorus. Happily I’m still doing both!
I think the speech I wrote about how I came out to my son has had more impact than anything else I’ve written. I made the speech at three performances of the London Gay Men’s Chorus, to an audience of a 1,000 each time. People came up and hugged me afterwards, thanking me for what I’d said.
2) My writing style in three words
Concise, Candid, Observed
3) Three of my literary influences
M C Beaton
Paul Burston
Jonathan Harvey
4) My three favourite books
A Prayer for Owen Meanie by John Irving
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
Shameless by Paul Burston
5) My three essential writing tools?
Laptop computer
Coffee
A cat called Fidget
6) My three favourite places to write? (If you only write in one place, perhaps share some dream writing spots)
Overlooking the harbour in Sitges, Spain.
In my garden office with Fidget the cat on my knee
Anywhere with my partner Luke
7) Three items on my writing wish list
A musical – I’m actively working on this
Second World War gay romance – I was working on this until A Death in Bloomsbury took over my brain
Modern children’s fairy tales – the dream
8) My top three tips for aspiring writers?
Write every day, even if it’s just a stream of consciousness.
Give yourself creative treats – theatre, a gallery – whatever you enjoy
Use public transport and listen to people talking. You won’t believe what you hear!
9) Three of my writing plans for the year ahead.
I’m writing the second in the Simon Sampson Mysteries series
I’m trying to write a musical, and it’s really hard!
In the background I’m working on a Second World War romance between a USAF pilot and an RAF pilot.
10) My latest release
A Death in Bloomsbury is my first historical novel set in 1932 in London. I wrote it because I was fascinated with the awful lives of secrecy gay men in Britain had to live when homosexuality was a crime. Sadly this is still the case for millions of gay men around the world who live in countries with oppressive anti-gay regimes.
Simon Sampson is a newsreader for the then relatively new BBC radio service. Late one winter night he discovers the body of a woman in a fog-filled alleyway. His investigations into her death lead him to a conspiracy to kill King George the Fifth. Simon has a companion called Bill who’s actually a woman and along the way he falls in love with a footman from Buckingham Palace.
It’s a story of forbidden love and is set against real events of 1932. That year was the first Royal Christmas broadcast by the king and it features in the book. It was also the decade in which Noël Coward achieved enormous success on both sides of the Atlantic and he features heavily in the story.
London, December 1932
The body was buried under a pile of rubbish in the unlit alleyway. Simon would have failed to see it, if it were not for the cat.
That December evening London was shrouded in a thick yellow smog from power stations and the smoke of thousands of coal fires. It was impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction. Simon was late as he hurried down the lower end of Oxford Street. When he came upon the alleyway, he hesitated for only a moment before choosing to take the shortcut.
He had discovered the route during the summer when he had begun working at the BBC’s new wireless studios in Portland Place. It cut several minutes from his semi-regular sojourn to the Fitzroy Tavern on Charlotte Street. On summer evenings it had been a pleasant stroll through the back streets, away from the noise and smell of traffic, and crowds on the main thoroughfare.
But now, in mid-December, the alleyway was dark and forbidding, a much less inviting place to be. The fog deadened the sound of London’s traffic to a low rumble, and the visibility was even worse than in Oxford Street. Simon trod carefully and extended his gloved hands in front of him. It was harder than walking in the dark, because the acrid taste of the fog got into his nose and mouth, and made him cough loudly.
Up ahead he heard muffled voices followed by a thud. The noise was indistinct but threatening. He stopped, and considered turning to go back to Oxford Street. If there was villainy ahead, he wanted no part of it.
Pull yourself together man, he thought. This is Bloomsbury, not Whitechapel.
He resumed his slow trudge along the alleyway, his eyes fixed on the comforting glow of a distant street lamp. Once more he extended his arms to forewarn him of any obstacle ahead.
It was after no more than a few dozen yards that the cat startled him. It emerged from a gap in the wall to his left and hissed. Simon recoiled, his foot slipped on the uneven cobblestones, and he fell backwards onto the ground.
Which was when he saw the hand.
It was a woman’s hand. The long fingers caked in dirt, the red polished nails were chipped. The arm and the rest of the body to which it was attached were covered by several grubby hessian sacks. Simon scrambled to his feet. He brushed down his mohair coat, and leaned against the wall to catch his breath.
From this viewpoint, the protruding hand was not visible beneath the pile of sacks. But Simon knew it was there. He could recall the scratches on the fingers, the cracks in the nail polish. He took a deep breath to prepare himself for what he might find, and crouched down to inspect it more closely. As he did so he gathered the hem of his coat to avoid it coming into contact with the muddy cobblestones. He reached out to the nearest of the sacks and lifted the fabric, taking care to avoid touching whatever might lie beneath.
The hand was indeed attached to an arm. There was a delicate gold bracelet around the wrist, just below the cuff of a fur-trimmed coat. Simon grew bolder and gave the sack a firm flick to remove it.
To celebrate the release of A Death in Bloomsbury, David is giving away One of 3 backlisted ebooks from his catelogue!
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!
About David:
David C. Dawson is an award-winning author, journalist and documentary maker. He writes British gay-themed thrillers featuring gay men in love.
His debut novel The Necessary Deaths, won an FAPA award in the best suspense/thriller category. It’s the first in the Delingpole Mysteries series. The latest: The Foreign Affair, was published last year.
David’s also written two gay romances: For the Love of Luke and Heroes in Love.
He lives near Oxford, with his boyfriend and two cats. In his spare time, he tours Europe and sings with the London Gay Men’s Chorus.
Connect with David:
Website. https://www.davidcdawson.co.uk
Amazon author page. https://geni.us/DCDawsonAmazonAuthor
Facebook personal: https://www.facebook.com/david.c.dawson.5
Facebook books page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/davidcdawsonAUTHOR/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7244384.David_C_Dawson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidcdawsonwriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/david_c_dawson
