Who is this Matt Johnston fella, you ask? Well there really isn't that much to tell. The question you should be asking is how do I purchase his amazing books? (See 'My Writing' via the menu) but as you are already here.... 

 

I was born in Stamford Lincolnshire, and then moved to London like everyone else. After 15 years in London I achieved escape velocity, and now I live with my wife and two dogs (bassett hound and greyhound) in Northamptonshire. I love cycling, painting and walking, but my real passions are travelling and writing. I dream of funding the former through a professional career as the latter, and like all aspiring authors I remain hopeful of an agent and publishing deal. But time waits for no man, so I will continue to self publish my writing when I can scrape together the money for copy editing and proof reading. As such, writing as a self funding hobby is a more realistic expectation.

​

My writing combines elements of science fiction, mythology, fantasy, psychology (in which I have a degree - though I was a poor student) and psychedelia. The only rules I seek to apply to my writing is to try to avoid as many cliche as possible, and to produce something which is my own creation. 

​

My own tastes in literature are wide, but lean towards non-fiction, particularly history. However, in recognition of their influence on my writing I would like to doth a cap to Lewis Carroll, Douglas Adams, Patrick Hamilton, Philip K. Dick, William Burroughs, Carlos Castaneda, Charles Bukowski, Frank Herbert, Kurt Vonnegut, Fernc Karinthy, Mario Vargas Llosa and Joseph Conrad. 

​

My first (published) novel, Dislocate was written over the summer of 2015. It follows the trials of a deeply troubled young woman, Francis Kelly, who can manipulate time through her breathing.   

​

My second novel Beneath Liquid Skin was written through 2016. It is a reality and mind bending tale which was really fun to write (think Alice in Wonderland - but Alice is a drug addict on a stag night). My philosophy was to try and open the top of my head and see what flew out... In this respect, I think I have succeeded. 

​

My Graphic Novel - The Beard was written and drawn while living with my good friend and muse, Matthew Poole, in Brixton, and a year living in Tooting, South London (2008, I think). It was meant to only be a three page comic (a joke at Matt's expense), but concept kept growing, and is now over 70 pages long. It is nod to the Marvel/DC superheroes, though much more silly.

​

In the continual absence of an agent and publishing deal, I hope to self publish my third novel - Big Sister - in early 2019. This novel combines fantasy and mythology while set in genre of a modern western, drawing from the writings of Carlos Castaneda, and the films of Sergio Leone. It is essentially a revenge story following the murder of a young woman lured to Hollywood of false promises of stardom, but draws elements of native American folklore.

​

Eventually, I hope to publish my magnum opus - a five novel science fiction/steampunk series called Borealis - which I have been writing since 2014 (two and a half books completed). It simply too big for me to be able to finance for self publishing. As such, if all hope does fade, I will simply publish it 'warts and all' on this website. But you have to have a dream. I have many (I also want to learn how to play the banjo), and this is one of them.

​

Alongside my published novels I regularly write blogs and short stories which can be found in the blog section of this website.

​

​