The last week has been a bit wild! For those just finding my Swimming Upstream blog, my name is Daniel. I write historical adventure thrillers, but by day, I work as a site manager at a school.
This past Monday (November 24th, 2025), we had a visit from two ministers. We were only told on Friday that it would be a "good thing for the school." Now, our school is generally well-kept, but we have a persistent roof leak that has been an ongoing battle. Cue the frantic, last-minute preparations!
Over the weekend, I worked to replace ceiling tiles and make everything neat and tidy. My assistant helped clean the corridors and hall floors, and fellow site team members helped paint. Early Monday morning, the reason for the chaos was revealed: our visitors were the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and the Education Secretary, Brenda Phillipson.
🎥 Behind the Scenes of a Political Visit
The day was manic. Media teams arrived as early as 6:45 AM, followed by BBC, ITV, independent news channels, and local MPs—most just standing around. It felt like something straight out of a movie: men outside with earpieces, and a convoy of black cars in the car park.
The message we received later that day summed it up: "Everyone said how amazing the school is, and the Prime Minister himself said he was very impressed with the pupils... this was the best visit they have ever done!" It’s not every day you get to experience an event like that.
🎁 Two Ways to Get An Irish Mystery For Free
Now, back to the world of adventure thrillers. I have two big opportunities for you to grab my book for free:
1. 🎟️ Free Tickets to Mystery and Adventure
Monday, I joined a promotion on BookFunnel called "Free Tickets to Mystery and Adventure." There are over 100 books in this promo, including An Irish Mystery, all free for the entire month of December!
- The Catch (The Benefit): You simply have to supply your email address and be added to the author's mailing list. You can unsubscribe anytime, but this is a massive chance to load up your e-reader with over 70 free books.
- The Ask: If you download an indie author's book and enjoy it, please leave them a review somewhere! Amazon, Goodreads, or Fable are the top choices. We need and want those reviews.
👉 Find the promo here: Free Tickets to Mystery and Adventure
📓 The Always FREE Prequel (The Reader Magnet)
I still haven't finished what I am calling my "Always FREE" book—a prequel about the seven years Hans was in prison, giving the backstory for An Irish Mystery.
What is a Reader Magnet? It's an enticing tool authors offer—a free story—to engage readers, let them sample the writing, and encourage reviews.
Why haven't I finished it? Because I think I need more readers and more books out in the series before it's worth offering. Since it's a backstory, I worry it might not be a great reader magnet if it's the first book people read. The idea is to give background to the main characters and explain why and how things ended up the way they did in the first book. I just managed to write another chapter the other day, so the progress continues!
2. 🍮 The Book Club Drop-Off
Tonight is the night! I am popping along to the Book and Pudding Club right here in Peterborough to deliver free paperback copies of An Irish Mystery to their members.
- The Delivery: The books are all signed and ready to go. I also had some new postcards and bookmarks made to hand out, hoping they will encourage members to leave a review.
- The Follow-Up: I will be going back in the new year for a full Q&A session where they can grill me about the story and the future of the series. Wish me luck!
🚀 An American Treasure Excerpt Reminder
If you want to be the first to know about things and be part of my community, join my newsletter! At the moment, you will get an exclusive excerpt of An American Treasure.
The excerpt includes the Prologue and the first 10 chapters. If you have already read Book 1, this will give you a great idea of what Book 2 is all about. It has more intrigue, more action, and an antagonist who will be a thorn in Cedric and Hans's side throughout.
🎄 December is Here (And a Fact for You)
It’s officially December, even though the radio has been playing Christmas songs for what feels like a month already!
Here's a quick fact for you: The letter 'X' in 'Xmas' isn't just a random placeholder; it comes from the Greek letter 'Chi,' which is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ (Christós). The 'mas' part comes from the Latin word for Mass. So, it’s an old way of abbreviating 'Christ's Mass.'
Positive News to Start the Month
I've had a really good start to the month! I woke up to a book sale first thing Monday morning, and I've already had three claims on the BookFunnel promo. That's all positive news, meaning my Amazon ads are working and people are showing interest in reading my book.
It’s always nerve-wracking, though, because you never know when your next bad review will arrive! But for now, I'm focusing on the wins.
📚 What Am I Reading? (A New Favorite Found)
I am thrilled to report that I finally finished Any Means Necessary by Jack Mars (the Luke Stone Thriller series), and he is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.
His style is pure adrenaline: fast-paced, high-octane, blood-and-guts thrillers that have me completely hooked. I loved this book and will definitely be reading more of his series.
What's Next? I've picked up something a little different: Stone of Fire by J.F. Penn. I've only read the prologue so far, but it's immediately interesting, and I can't wait to grab some free time to dive deeper.
Want to read my full review about Any Means Necessary or any other books I read? You can find me on Goodreads or Fable! You can see the types of books I like, so hit me up with your recommendations in the comments!
About Me:
Hello and welcome to Swmming Upstream the home of my blogs. I am D.C. Salmon and I write pulse-pounding adventure thrillers that blend real-life unsolved mysteries with modern-day action.
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