Blog
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Crime Writing Course
This weekend, 14th February 2023, I will be attending the last part of a crime writing course at West Dean College near Chichester, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. The course will be led by two renowned authors, Lesley Thomson and Elly Griffiths. They are both experts in their fields and have written…
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Writing Tools
Writing Tools – Introduction When talking about writing tools, some people tell me they prefer old-fashioned paper and pen to write their novels. Paper never crashes or catches viruses that wipe your work. You can usually recover your manuscript after you’ve poured a cup of coffee over it, too. Personally, I only use paper and…
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New Detective
For the last few months, I have been developing a new detective. My earlier Angelis books have been a combination of procedural crime fiction and supernatural/fantastic fiction. I’ve come to a natural pause with those Angelis stories now. Therefore, the time to write something new has come. I have created a new detective, and the…
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Book Covers – The DI Angelis Series
I designed most of my book covers myself, with the help and feedback of my daughters. Book covers are terribly important. People definitely judge a book by its cover. If it looks awful, no one’s going to give it a second thought. One of the golden rules I was taught as an independent author was…
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My Writing Journey – So Far
I took the still from my dash camera while driving my Morris Minor. I had just narrowly avoided hitting deer that had unexpectedly run out before me. Journeys can take many unexpected twists and dramatic turns. My writing journey has had its risks, fraught with self-doubt. Am I going the right way? Am I too…
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Writing is an Addiction
I have an addiction to writing. In the back of my mind, I have to be writing if I’m to call myself a writer. It’s as simple as that. I have recently finished writing Take You Home, the third book in my Detective Inspector Angelis Trilogy. As soon as I wrote the last words to…
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Detective Inspector Angelis
Detective Inspector Angelis Crime Thriller Series by Matthew J Evans. There’s more to this world than our eyes can perceive. Available on Amazon. The character of Detective Inspector David Angelis heads a Major Crimes team in Chichester, West Sussex, based in a fictional investigations centre next to the old Custody Centre and Chichester Police Station…
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Being a Sussex Crime Writer
West Sussex author Matthew J Evans talks about writing his crime novels. I am proud to say that I’m a crime author and have published two novels in the Detective Inspector Angelis series: ‘Chasing Shadows’ and ‘Hide Her Away’. I’m thrilled that both have been well received. They fall within the genre of police procedural…
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Special Constables
I’ve had a couple of friends asking me about my role as a Special Constable, so this may be of interest. Special Constables – A Quick History The Statute of Winchester (1285) was the first known legislation that created part-time Parish Constables (Sussex term: ‘Bozzlers’) from the local community to keep the law. In 1673…
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Reviews and Self-Promotion
I appreciate the time people take to write views of my books. Reviews are very important for writers, not just for vanity, but they help others gauge if it is a book they may want to read, and they help promote the book on Amazon. Entrepreneurs Self-publishing isn’t just about writing the story. Much of…
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Police Procedure In Fiction – As Seen on TV
Suspending Disbelief Writing crime fiction is a balancing act. We have to keep the reader gripped with fast-moving, gripping action keeping within a framework of believable police procedure. A large proportion of police work is dull in real life. For instance, we rarely see on TV the hours of ‘paperwork’ that need to be done…
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Police Terms Glossary
These are a few notes explaining police terms and abbreviations found in my books, often used by police officers. ABH Actual Bodily Harm. Assault causing a physical injury. ANPR – Automatic Number Plate Recognition. Either fixed or mobile cameras that pick up and record the number plates of passing vehicles and look them up on…