My blogs

  • 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 Self-Care Haven by Shahida Arabi In popular culture, the term “narcissistic” is thrown about quite loosely, usually referring to vanity and self-absorption. This reduces narcissism to a Read more

  • 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 Read more

  • 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 Read more

  • Matt Johnson Book review – Shell shock; The Diary of Tommy Atkins

    Shell Shock by Neil Blower 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 Read more

  • Reviewers to the Slaughter

    Following my recent blog on how books are appearing in best-seller listings following the purchase and mutual exchange of good reviews, this article by Mercia McMahon is another example of how people are even forming review groups to promote each others work. Such reviews con the genuine reader and, long-term the writer/author is only fooling Read more

  • PTSD – how writing worked for me by Matt Johnson

    It has quite surprised me how many people are now trying out writing as a contributory means to help treat PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. Questions levelled at me, as to how writing helped me, have prompted me to repeat this post, which I originally published last year. PTSD – the chemistry In examining PTSD, one Read more