Welcome to my website and blog. I'm a psychological suspense author published by Darkstroke Books. My novel Girl Out of Sight is a dark and gritty suspense thriller with a theme of human trafficking and is a second edition of prize-winning After Leaving the Village. The Girl in the Van explores, amongst other themes, the hideous crime known as 'county lines' where young people are exploited by drug gangs. It won the suspense and thriller genre prize in the 2022 Pageturner Book Award. This chilling page-turner was described by a reader as: "an intriguing premise with complex characters, moves at a good pace throughout, and touches on serious and complex themes including individual grief and vulnerability, as well as societal responsibilities towards the disadvantaged and dispossessed. It manages to be both thought-provoking and thrilling. No mean feat!"
For regular updates and giveaways, why not sign up to my mailing list?Details on the Contact page.
You can order my books from the shop on this website and from Amazon.
Did you know I'm an ambassador for Unseen, an inspirational charity working towards a world without slavery? To raise awareness of their work, I've written about it on my blog and I give talks to groups about modern slavery. I also donate a percentage of profits from my books to Unseen so when you buy my novels you are helping to support their work and raise awareness.
Helen Matthews writes page-turning psychological suspense and is fascinated by the darker side of human nature and how a life can change in an instant. Her latest novels, both published in 2022, are Girl Out of Sight and The Girl in the Van, (shortlisted in the Pageturner Book Award) published by Darkstroke Books. Earlier novels include 'After Leaving the Village' which won first prize in the opening pages category at Winchester Writers' Festival; 'Lies Behind the Ruin' - contemporary suspense and domestic noir, set in France has recently been republished and 'Facade' published by Darkstroke Books. A fifth book is in progress. Her short stories have been shortlisted by Flash 500, 1000K Story and published in Artificium; in the Reflex Press anthology 'The Real Jazz Baby'; in EllipsisZine and in Love Sunday magazine. She has published an eBook collection of stories and travel writing 'Brief Encounters' and this is available on Amazon. Helen regularly gives talks and appears at events and literary festivals. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes University.
I carry a notebook with me everywhere to scribble down ideas. When the weather's fine I love to work outside. Here are some of the inspirational places where I've set up my laptop.
Although I now blog about books and writing, my original blog showcased my travel writing and you can read some examples on this website. This quote from Lisa St. Aubin de Teran has always inspired me and could apply to writing standalone novels, too :
"Travelling is like flirting with life. It's like saying, I would stay and love you but I have to go; this is my station."