EXCITING AUTHOR NEWS - I'm thrilled to announce that I've signed a contract with publisher DP Books and my new domestic suspense thriller If I Were You will be published on 5th February 2026. I've also signed a French and German translation deal and this novel will be available to speakers of those languages later in 2026 The ebook is on preorder at the special price of 99p/99c for a short time. If you're a Kindle reader, why not grab it now at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G64HJ23M.
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Welcome to my website and blog. I'm a psychological suspense author with DP Books and Bloodhound Books. Coming soon - a twisty suspense thriller about two sisters 'If I were You' - is available to preorder now. It was highly commended in this year's I am in Print competition. My prize-winning novel 'Girl Out of Sight', a dark and gritty suspense thriller with a theme of human trafficking was originally published under the title 'After Leaving the Village' and has been popular with book clubs.
My novel 'The Sisters' (sisters are a common theme in my books!) was originally Facade' and is family noir.
'The Girl in the Van' also won a prestigious prize and came first in the suspense and thriller category in the 2022 Pageturner Book Award. It 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!"
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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 is the author of five published suspense novels and is fascinated by the darker side of human nature and how a life can change in an instant. Her new suspense thriller If I Were You will be published by DP Books in 2026. Previous novels have won prizes including the opening pages of a novel award at Winchester Writers' Festival and the suspense and thriller genre prize in the 2022 Pageturner Book Award.Born in Cardiff, Helen read English at the University of Liverpool and worked in international development, consultancy and human resources. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes University.Some of Helen’s novels cover themes of human trafficking and she has been appointed an Ambassador for the charity, Unseen UK, which works towards a world without slavery. She donates her author talk fees, and a percentage of royalties, to the charity.
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. If you are in the south of England and would like her to talk to your group (or by Zoom if you are outside easy travelling distance), please get in touch via the contact page.
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."