How a Real-Life Jewel Heist Inspired My Debut Thriller

📖 From Spark to Story: Looking Back at My First Blog Post

In 1907, the Irish Crown Jewels vanished from Dublin Castle — never to be seen again. Over a century later, that unsolved crime became the spark that set me on the path to writing my debut thriller, An Irish Mystery.

Back when I first shared this post in April 2025, my manuscript was still with the editors. I was nervous, excited, and wondering if this story would ever make it into readers’ hands. Now, 5 months later, the book is out in the world — and I wanted to revisit that very first blog post and share how it all began.

📝 The Original Post (March 2025)

I'm Daniel, writing under the name D.C. Salmon, and I'm bursting with excitement to share a glimpse into my debut novel, An Irish Mystery. This story isn't just a book for me; it's a passion project inspired by one of history's most intriguing thefts: the disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels from Dublin Castle in 1907.

Imagine the scene: the jewels vanish, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. Now, over a century later, Cedric Newman and his team find themselves plunged into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. They race to uncover the truth behind the stolen jewels, navigating a web of deception and intrigue, all while staying one step ahead of powerful enemies.

The manuscript is currently with my editors, undergoing the crucial stages of proofreading and polishing. It’s a nerve-wracking but exciting time! Seeing the story come to life in its final form is truly remarkable.

I'm planning to share more about the research process in future posts, from my inspiration to the historical details that shaped the story.

🔄 What’s Changed Since Then?

​A lot!

​📖 An Irish Mystery is now published and in readers’ hands, and the Newman Adventure Series is growing. I’ve had messages from people who loved Cedric and Hans, and I’ve already started work on Book 3 and a prequel novella.

​The Big Milestones:

• ​The New Look is Here: The exploration of updating the cover is complete! An Irish Mystery now has a stunning new cover that finally captures the true adventure thriller feel of the story and sets the tone for the rest of the series.
• ​Going Wide: The book is now available on a wide variety of platforms, including Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble (Nook), and through library systems.
• ​Book 2 Update: The next novel is officially titled An American Treasure. The manuscript is nearly complete, and an exclusive excerpt (prologue and first 10 chapters) is now available to all our newsletter subscribers! However, due to the cost of the new cover for Book 1, the launch of the sequel will be postponed until the New Year.
• ​Community Engagement: I've started a new local promotion initiative and will be delivering signed paperbacks to the Book and Pudding Club in Peterborough, setting up a Q&A session for the New Year!

​One of the most rewarding parts of writing this story was weaving fact and fiction — digging into real conspiracies and building a fast-paced thriller around them. Since that first post, I’ve also moved my blog from Blogger to my new website, Swimming Upstream, where you can find all my latest updates.

​👉 If you haven’t yet joined the hunt, you can grab your copy of the newly covered An Irish Mystery here: An Irish Mystery