Matt Johnson's Writing Toolkit

WRITING TOOLKIT gives you an idea of an author's writing process through the tools they use. The tools can be anything (real or virtual) that they think is essential for their writing - serious, fun or even a fetish (that they're willing to own up to)! 

I am delighted to welcome 

MATT JOHNSON

AUTHOR OF END GAME

TO SHARE HIS WRITING TOOLKIT

FOR HIS BLOG TOUR

End Game was published in e-book in February 2018 and is being published in paperback on 31 March 2018 by Orenda Books. 

Peace and quiet

Peace and quiet for fairly obvious reasons. I find it very hard to focus on writing unless I’m on my own with just the computer and my view through the window of my office – the Brecon Beacons. I write in my office with a view over the mountains. As I write the fields are green, the sky blue and the peaks are dusted with snow. I can think or worse places to be.
I listen to classical music sometimes, and I’ve found a website that plays backing sounds – rain, the sound of waves, wind, thunder and others. Having that in the background can be quite helpful when I’m busy with my imaginary friends. 

Google

Where would we be without this facility to answer all manner of questions? From the correct spelling of a word through to the technical specifications of anything you may care to mention – it will provide the answer.

My computer

Old but reliable! I’m a three or four-finger typist, slow but fairly accurate. My handwriting is so poor that I struggle to read it myself so I always write creatively using MS Word. 

My professional network
Most of whom are old friends. They help jog my memory, provide answers to questions and contribute ideas. I’d be lost without them

Tea

I don’t imagine there are many former soldiers and policemen who can function without a regular brew. I think it’s a habit we get into during our service that is hard to break. 

Walking

Walking with the dogs is a time when I relax and when ideas come to me. If I’m struggling with a section of the book or need to make a decision I find that a walk in the mountains or through the local fields usually produces a solution. If not, I walk again!

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, MATT!

About Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson served as a soldier and Metropolitan Police officer for 25 years. Blown off his feet at the London Baltic Exchange bombing in 1993, and one of the first police officers on the scene of the 1982 Regent’s Park bombing, Matt was also at the Libyan People’s Bureau shooting in 1984 where he escorted his mortally wounded friend and colleague, Yvonne Fletcher, to hospital. Hidden wounds took their toll. In 1999, Matt was discharged from the police with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While undergoing treatment, he was encouraged by his counsellor to write about his career and his experience of murders, shootings and terrorism. One evening, Matt sat at his computer and started to weave these notes into a work of fiction that he described as having a tremendously cathartic effect on his own condition. His bestselling thriller, Wicked Game, which was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Dagger, was the result. Deadly Game and now End Game, the final book in the Robert Finlay series, once again draws on Matt’s experiences and drips with the same raw authenticity of its predecessor.

Find Matt Johnson on his website, on his Facebook page and on Twitter - @Matt_Johnson_UK

About End Game

Published by Orenda Books (31 March 2018)

Publisher's description

Robert Finlay seems to have finally left his SAS past behind him and is settled into his new career as a detective. But when the girlfriend of his former SAS colleague and close friend Kevin Jones is murdered, it's clear that Finlay's troubles are far from over. Jones is arrested for the killing, but soon escapes from jail, and Finlay is held responsible for the breakout. Suspended from duty and sure he's being framed too, our hero teams up with MI5 agent Toni Fellowes to find out who's behind the conspiracy. Their quest soon reveals a plot that goes to the very heart of the UK's security services. End Game, the final part in the critically acclaimed Robert Finlay trilogy, sees our hero in an intricately plotted and terrifyingly fast-paced race to uncover the truth and escape those who'd sooner have him dead than be exposed. 

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