EXCITING AUTHOR NEWS - The Girl in the Van is being republished on 30th January by the fabulous Bloodhound Books. This book won the suspense and thriller category in the Pageturner Book Award (2022) and I'm excited for new readers to discover it. An audiobook is in production and I can't wait to hear the narrator bringing the characters to life. Bloodhound has also recently published The Sisters - and it's out now in ebook, paperback and audiobook. You'll also find Girl Out of Sight on Amazon with a stunning new cover.
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Welcome to my website and blog. I'm a psychological suspense author with Bloodhound Books. My prize-winning novel 'Girl Out of Sight', a dark and gritty suspense thriller with a theme of human trafficking has recently been rereleased. It was originally published under the title 'After Leaving the Village' and has been popular with book clubs.
The next novel to be republished (in December) will also have a new title 'The Sisters'. It was previously published by Darkstroke Books with the title 'Facade' and is family noir.
'The Girl in the Van' is currently unavailable but will be rereleased in January 2025. Winner of the suspense and thriller genre prize 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 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 are 'Girl Out of Sight' and 'The Girl in the Van', winner of the suspense and crime genre category in the Pageturner Book Award 2022 and will soon be republished by Bloodhound Books. Other novels include 'Lies Behind the Ruin' - contemporary suspense and domestic noir, set in France and 'The Sisters' (domestic noir) rereleasing soon. 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."