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Important announcement
In writing terms, probably one of the most significant I will ever make.
Those of you who have been following my twitter and facebook pages will be aware that I have been in protracted negotiations with a new London-based publisher. I’m pleased to announce that I have agreed terms with Orenda Books.
And here is the result
The Press announcement from Orenda Books
and… the new cover for Wicked Game
Press Release
9 October 2015
Orenda Books signs ex-Met Police Officer’s debut thriller
Karen Sullivan is delighted to announce the acquisition of World Rights for debut author, Matt Johnson’s Wicked Game, in a deal negotiated with James Wills of Watson, Little Ltd.
Karen says, ‘Wicked Game was written by ex-Met Police Officer Matt Johnson as therapy for the PTSD he suffered after witnessing several horrific London bombings, and being present at the murder of his colleague Yvonne Fletcher. He subsequently self-published this book, and achieved extraordinary sales and reviews. We’ve worked with Matt to rewrite and polish this thriller for the trade, and the results are staggering. Not only is this a compelling, revealing and action-packed thriller, but the authentic dialogue and the inside knowledge that Matt invests in the highly orchestrated plot and well-drawn characters are simply spine-tingling. Telling the story of an ex-SAS man whose carefully concealed past comes back to haunt him, putting his family, his colleagues and his new life in jeopardy, this is a vividly written novel that has bestseller written all over it. As Peter James says, “Matt Johnson is going to be a big name”.’
Matt says, ‘When I was introduced to Karen Sullivan from Orenda, I realised that we had found a publisher with the experience, drive and editorial vision to help me develop my embryonic writing career. Orenda Books is an exciting new publisher. I am immensely fortunate and privileged to be joining them. I look forward to enjoying a long and rewarding future together.’
James Wills says, ‘As soon as I started reading WICKED GAME I knew it was going to be special. The authenticity of Matt Johnson’s writing jumps out from every fast-turned page. Orenda is a fine home for this thrilling debut and I can’t wait for more people to be immersed in Finlay’s world.’
Wicked Game is the first in the Robert Finlay series, and will be published in ebook on 24 December and print on 15th March 16. Matt will be appearing at a number of festivals and events in 2016.
For more information, please contact Karen@orendabooks.co.uk
And before I go any further, I want to say thanks, a big thanks, to all the people who have read my work and who have been kind enough to review it and to tell me how much you have enjoyed it. And I also want to say a special thanks to Antony Loveless, who on seeing a soldier in Afghanistan reading Wicked Game on his kindle, decided to buy the book and then, when he enjoyed it, was kind enough to introduce me to his agent. It’s that kind of luck and kindness that is the fine line between success and failure.
The self-published version of ‘Wicked Game‘ has now been withdrawn from sale. The newly worked version can be pre-ordered now. From 24th December, it will be available in e-book versions in all formats. You can also pre-order the paperback which will go on sale on 15 March 2016. It is available to order now through on-line retailers such as Amazon and through all regular book shops. I’ve included links below and will update as more become available.
I will also be doing a couple of book launches (details to follow) and some author events and literary festivals. I plan to set up an ‘events’ page on this site to tell you where I will be at the bar looking for a free beer and at what times.
And now… to answer a question that many of those who have read the self-published version of the book will ask, ‘Is it worth forking out for another copy?’
My answer is that I will have to leave that to you to decide. The new version of Wicked Game has benefited from the input of a bloody good editor. It is essentially, the same story but it is now told from the perspective of just three of the main characters, the main protagonist Finlay, Commander Grahamslaw of the Anti-terrorist squad and the lead terrorist, Declan Costello. The length of the book has increased by about 10K words and now includes more background on Finlay’s time in the SAS and his role at the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980. There is also more background with regards to Grahamslaw and the challenges he faces investigating the threat to Finlay’s family and friends.
I have no doubt that the new book is an improvement on the original. I hope you do too.
These are the Amazon links to pre-order the book. As other ways of purchasing the book go live, I will post them on the blog.
Australia, Canada, India, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, Mexico
The Grey/Gray phenomenon
There won’t be many people who are unfamiliar with the incredible phenomenon that is the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ trilogy.
Fifty Shades (E.L.James) is a book that has sold by the million in both e-book and paper versions. E L James has over 818K followers on twitter. Despite the well-publicised criticism that has been levelled at both the content and the author, the books continue to sell well and have proved extremely popular.
So, why do I refer to this as a ‘Grey/Grey’ phenomenon? That is because of the success of a lesser known series of books that follow the adventures of a character called Tom Gray, an ex-soldier who is the central character in a fictional world created by author, Alan McDermott.
The first book penned by McDermott is called Gray Justice. As with Fifty Shades, this book has attracted large numbers of reviews with a very mixed reception from readers, some hating it but many, and the majority, loving it.
Critics of both series of books make similar comments. They do not like the standard of writing, they don’t like the style, they criticise the grammar and the punctuation, even if most enjoy the story.
The potential of McDermott’s writing was recognised by the Amazon publisher, Thomas and Mercer, and since then his books have sold in very large numbers, just as the Fifty Shades books do.
And yet, both series of books come in for the same kind of criticisms. The experienced readers may well ask, how can this happen? How can it be that books that do not mirror the accepted norms of writing are so popular?
I have a theory, not proven, and with little other than anecdotal evidence to support it.
My theory is this. E L James and Alan McDermott have both displayed the kind of original thinking and style that the reading public have been crying out for. In some ways, both writers have shown genius in their skill at creating work that appeals to people looking for books that are exciting, easy to read and give great value. Those readers are not interested in classical works or in writing that appeals to ‘literary experts’ or academics, what they want is entertainment.
Both E L James and Alan McDermott have identified a reader market and written to meet that market and, in many ways, they have done all authors and publishers a huge favour as they have encouraged a lot of people to read books who might otherwise have stuck to other forms of entertainment.
So, when I see a critical review appear for one of these books, I do think to myself that the reviewer is, possibly, not understanding the phenomenon that these works represent.
A new audience and a market trend for other authors to follow suit.
E L James and Alan McDermott, I salute you.
Good Grief
More from ‘Police Commander’ to make us think
Little Big Stories
Many, many thanks to ‘police commander’ for these short stories. It tells it how it is. I know, I’ve been there.
Deadly Game
Nice article here from Roddy Llewllyn, ex Human Traffiking team, Met Police
Greetings from The Slave Detective,
I recently received a request from Matt Johnson, a retired Police Officer turned author, to assist him with his latest book, Deadly Game.
I’d never served with Matt or met him but he was writing a novel with Human Trafficking as the thread to his piece.
After reading his first novel ‘Wicked Games’ I was happy to assist as he has an engaging style.
Matt retired from The Police and wrote ‘Wicked Games’ from notes made during his treatment for Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD).
I have read a draft of his latest book and offered my opinion (I’m cheap!) and Matt kindly let me read his revised edit. I have to say Matt has in my opinion, grasped the plight of the victim and the novel ( a work of fiction) has plot lines that I recognise as real life issues when I…
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Five Powerful Ways Abusive Narcissists Get Inside Your Head
Having escaped from just such a ‘relationship’, I was absolutely astounded at how accurately this article described the stages in the relationship with someone who has this personality disorder
In popular culture, the term “narcissistic” is thrown about quite loosely, usually referring to vanity and self-absorption. This reduces narcissism to a common quality that everyone possesses and downplays the symptoms demonstrated by people with the actual disorder. While narcissism does exist on a spectrum, narcissism as a full-fledged personality disorder is quite different.
People who meet the criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder or those who have traits of Antisocial Personality Disorder can operate in extremely manipulative ways within the context of intimate relationships due to their deceitfulness, lack of empathy and their tendency to be interpersonally exploitative. Although I will be focusing on narcissistic abusers in this post, due to the overlap of symptoms in these two disorders, this post can potentially apply to interactions with those who have ASPD to an extent.
It’s important in any kind of relationship that we learn to identify the red flags when interacting with people who display malignant narcissism and/or…
View original post 1,849 more words
Peter James’ ‘The Perfect Murder’
Having a break from the word processor can pay real dividends. Sometimes a trip to the theatre is called for, and sometimes I am fortunate enough to experience a real gem of a play.
The Perfect Murder is one such play.
Peter James got the idea for the novel when he popped a simple enough question to Chief Constable Martin Richards at a charity dinner. I know this as, at the end of the play, Peter and the cast were kind enough to sit with interested members of the audience to answer questions. Peter apparently asked the Chief, “Is there any such thing as the perfect murder?”
The answer became the inspiration for this excellent work.
Shaun McKenna adapted the novel for the stage, and a very good job he made of it.
The play opens with unhappy husband, Victor Smiley (played by Robert Daws) as he discusses his poor marriage with prostitute lover Kamila (Simona Armstrong). We are soon introduced to Victor’s wife, Joan (Dawn Steele) where we learn that theirs is a marriage soon to come to a grisly end.
The action is set in the present day, in a small house in Saltdean, outside Brighton, and in Kamila’s room at The Kitten Parlour, a local brothel.
The entire set is shown on stage in a very clever way so that the action never ends as scenes switch between the venues. Full credit must go to Simon Bannister and Chris Lambert for their work on the stage design.
‘Perfect Murder’ the cast
Gray O’Brien is really excellent as Joan’s lover, Don Kirk and, it was fun, as Roy Grace fans, to be introduced to a young Detective Constable Grace, ably portrayed by Thomas Howes. Thomas captured the character perfectly and reminded me of many young detectives, recently transferred from uniform duty, even down the the style of his beat-duty shoes.
I wonder how many followers of Coronation Street, who saw Gray playing Toni (the Glaswegian businessman), were convinced he was a scot. I was, but now, having listened to his entertaining and engaging ‘Don Kirk, I was left wondering if he was a cockney.
Dawn Steele has always been a favourite of mine. I loved her in ‘Wild at Heart; where she played Alice Collins. Her performance in ‘Perfect Murder’ is excellent and gave a real insight into her ability to play a wide variety of roles. ‘Joanie’ is very different from ‘Alice’.
My final, and most effusive praise must go to Robert Daws, who really makes the character of Victor Smiley his own. Victor is entertaining, amusing, threatening and believable. Robert Daws is an incredible talent. I wonder how he has found the time to also pen an excellent book, The Rock, which had been getting many excellent reviews.
Well done, Peter James. An excellent evening entertainment. I for one, plan to go and see the next one, Dead Simple, which opens in early 2015. I understand that Gray O’Brien will be playing an older Roy Grace. I cannot wait!
Mysterious surge in sales – Matt Johnson
Like many readers, I love a good mystery.
I like to enjoy the story and, at the same time, try to spot the clues, see the twists and out-think the writer. More often than not I fail.
I now have my own little mystery to solve.
Having published Wicked Game as an indie novel two years ago, I have casually monitored sales and have become accustomed to the book ticking over to the tune of about a hundred per month.
Towards the end of November 2014, UK sales started to increase dramatically, to the point where, in the first four days of December, there have been over 100 downloads from Amazon UK.
The surge isn’t the same in any other country, just the UK.
Why, I ask? I haven’t done anything particular to market the book in the last few months, indeed I have been wrapped up in getting the sequel finished.
I’ve googled the title, googled me, checked Amazon promotions and even emailed Amazon to try and find out why. All without providing an answer.
I did learn that WG is now approved reading for schools on the Orkney Islands, though. That was news and I also found a couple of blogs where WG had been given a nice review. None of these seemed to be key to producing a surge for November, though.
One clever person suggested it might be due to the release of a single in the UK called ‘Wicked Games’ but I have to ask myself, would someone searching for this single happen to stumble upon my book and then buy it? Another suggested a link to Xmas, but these are kindle downloads, not paperbacks, although the paperback version has seen a small sales increase.
So, for now, I will have to keep wondering, scratch my head and smile every time I check the kindle sales reports. Long may it last.
Matt Johnson Book review – Shell shock; The Diary of Tommy Atkins
Published by Firestep Press
£1 from each sale is donated to the UK Military PTSD charity, Combat Stress.
oh, but it’s Tommy this and Tommy that
and ‘Chuck him out, the brute.’
But it’s ‘saviour of his country’
when the guns begin to shoot.
Rudyard Kipling 1892.
‘Tommy Atkins’ is a slang expression used to describe an ordinary soldier in the British Army.
Although mostly associated with the First World War where German soldiers would call ‘Tommy’ across no man’s land to speak to the British soldiers, it is a nickname that has been in use for many centuries.
It is widely believed that the name originated in 1794 when the Duke of Wellington spoke to a mortally wounded Private Thomas Atkins who described the fierce engagement of the day as “It’s all right sir, it’s all in a days work.”
The words used by Rudyard Kipling to describe Tommy are very appropriate in that he highlights the fact that these young men are those that the nation turns to in times of conflict. They are the same young men that can be a nuisance in the pub on a Saturday night and yet, when called upon to fight for their country, are prepared to give their lives in order that their fellow citizens may enjoy freedom from tyranny.
Sometimes, as described in this book, the effect on those young men can be so devastating that it inhibits their ability to adjust to post military life.
‘Shell Shock’ is introduced by Colonel Tim Collins. OC of the Royal Irish Regiment, Tim Collins gave a speech to his soldiers before the 2003 Iraq war which is often quoted and used as an example of how to deliver an inspirational speech. This is an excerpt.
We go to Iraq to liberate not to conquer. We will not fly our flags in their country. We are entering Iraq to free a people and the only flag which will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Show respect for them.There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send. As for the others I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory.
Iraq is steeped in history. It is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham. Tread lightly there. You will see things that no man could pay to see and you will have to go a long way to find a more decent, generous and upright people than the Iraqis. You will be embarrassed by their hospitality even though they have nothing. Don’t treat them as refugees for they are in their own country. Their children will be poor, in years to come they will know that the light of liberation in their lives was brought by you.
If there are casualties of war then remember that when they woke up and got dressed in the morning they did not plan to die this day. Allow them dignity in death. Bury them properly and mark their graves.
It is my foremost intention to bring every single one of you out alive but there may be people among us who will not see the end of this campaign. We will put them in their sleeping bags and send them back. There will be no time for sorrow.
The enemy should be in no doubt that we are his nemesis and that we are bringing about his rightful destruction. There are many regional commanders who have stains on their souls and they are stoking the fires of hell for Saddam. He and his forces will be destroyed by this coalition for what they have done. As they die they will know their deeds have brought them to this place. Show them no pity.
It is a big step to take another human life. It is not to be done lightly. I know of men who have taken life needlessly in other conflicts, I can assure you they live with the Mark of Cain upon them. If someone surrenders to you then remember they have that right in international law and ensure that one day they go home to their family.
The ones who wish to fight, well, we aim to please.
If you harm the regiment or its history by over-enthusiasm in killing or in cowardice, know it is your family who will suffer. You will be shunned unless your conduct is of the highest for your deeds will follow you down through history. We will bring shame on neither our uniform or our nation.
Regarding the use by Saddam of chemical or biological weapons, it is not a question of if, it’s a question of when. We know he has already devolved the decision to lower commanders, and that means he has already taken the decision himself. If we survive the first strike ,we will survive the attack.
As for ourselves, let’s bring everyone home and leave Iraq a better place for us having been there.
As with Col Collins speech, I found ‘Shell Shock’ to be a really powerful read. It stirred up emotions, made me laugh, made me cry. I had to put it down a couple of times as I found my emotional reaction overwhelming.
It isn’t a long book, it took me two hours to read it, but it is a very powerful tale of a soldier, recently returned from a theatre of war who is struggling to adapt to the comparative routine of civilian life.
Shell Shock’ is an original idea, well written and joins my personal list of favourite books. It takes the form of a diary, written by the anonymous soldier and edited by the author. You join Tommy Atkins just as he leaves the Army. He is receiving treatment for Post Traumatic Stress and he writes of his experiences with the Health Service and his family as he struggles to cope with his worsening condition.
Tommy goes home to his bickering parents and to a girlfriend, Shell, who adores him and is glad to have him back. As previously mentioned, the novel takes the form of a diary. Tommy chronicles his every day experiences – his attempts to find employment, his working relationships, his relationship with Shell, and with his parents, the ups and downs that gradually become overwhelming.
I recommend this as a book to buy. If you have any interest at all in the military, PTSD or in the way that stress affects family life, you will enjoy it. It will also open your eyes to the problems that many of young servicemen and women will be experiencing as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Matt Johnson 