Books by Matt Wingett

111 illustrations - 50 in colour - 3 maps Available post-free in the UK from the publisher's website, www.lifeisamazing.co.uk.Join local writer Matt Wingett and see Portsmouth through the eyes of writers such as Charles Dickens, Beatrix Potter, P G Wodehouse, H G Wells, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Olivia Manning and even Mahatma Gandhi.From the heights of Portsdown Hill to the crowded streets of Portsea, from the chaos that was Old Portsmouth to the beaches of Southsea and even the skies above, discover just what writers famous and obscure wrote about the town. On the way, you will meet carousing sailors, enterprising bumboat women, obsessive fortune-tellers, fallen women, moral and immoral landladies, treacherous pilots, disapproving generals and many more characters both fictional and historical in this personal and slightly eccentric tour.In this book you will discover -- Which Portsmouth woman wrote America's first ever bestseller- Why St Jago the monkey became famous at The Common Hard- What H G Wells hated about Portsmouth- Where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first set foot in Southsea- What Lawrence of Arabia was doing in Southsea- Where midshipman Peter Simple was sent for his cocked hatCrammed with 111 illustrations, many in colour. Each location is illustrated with a picture taken from the author's personal collection, and he shares stories, facts, quasi-facts and complete fictions in an exploration of the literary heritage of the town.For anyone interested in Portsmouth, great writing and history, this is the perfect read.

Available post-free in the UK from the publisher's website, www.lifeisamazing.co.uk.A woman on the run arrives in a British seaside town, a refugee from a horrifying past. Trapped by a freak blizzard, she finds unexpected kindness from the locals - except for one man who seems hellbent on possessing or destroying her. Unable to leave the icebound city, she is drawn into the lives of its people, whose stories force her to face her own cruel past.What is she running from? What dark secret does she carry with her? - And how can she escape it if she won't acknowledge it exists?The Snow Witch is a tale of loss, love, murder, obsession and witchcraft, rich in magical scenes that delight, horrify and intrigue. 'A haunted and haunting book, infused with humanity at its rawest.' - Andy Paciorek, Folk Horror Revival'...weaves folklore and magic in such a natural way, as to make you believe and want magic like this in your everyday life...' - Grainne Rhuad, Subversify.com'Beautifully realised... Wingett places descriptions on the page as an artist adds images to canvas' - Mark Norman. Author and creator of The Folklore Podcast'...loads to love here: the music, the magic, the archetypes, the seriousness of intent... exquisite in philosophy, pitch and pace.' - Dr Alison Habens, Author, Lifestory

Available post-free in the UK from the publisher's website, www.lifeisamazing.co.uk.A woman on the run arrives in a British seaside town, a refugee from a horrifying past. Trapped by a freak blizzard, she finds unexpected kindness from the locals - but not from all of them - one man seems hellbent on either possessing or destroying her.Unable to leave the icebound city, she is drawn into the lives of its people, who become friends and whose stories force her to face her own cruel past. What is she running from so desperately, what dark secret does she carry with her - and how can she escape from it if she will not acknowledge it exists?The Snow Witch is a tale of loss, love, witchcraft, murder and obsession, rich in magical scenes that will delight, horrify and intrigue.

Available post-free in the UK from the publisher's website, www.lifeisamazing.co.uk."Why did the man who created Sherlock Holmes believe in ghosts?"From early in his medical career, Arthur Conan Doyle was fascinated by the paranormal. As a young doctor in Southsea, he investigated séances, telepathy and hypnosis and in 1887, the year of his first Sherlock Holmes novel, he became convinced of spirit communication.Even as Holmes's fame grew, Conan Doyle investigated poltergeists, automatic writing and spirit photography. Then, in 1916, as the Great War's death toll mounted, he announced to an astonished his belief in Spiritualism, all the while, continuing to produce stories starring his ultra-rational consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes.In Conan Doyle and the Mysterious World of Light: Trace Conan Doyle's thinking as he grapples with paranormal phenomena and reaches the extraordinary conclusion that they are real. Read his own account of speaking with his dead son, Kingsley, and making physical contact with his manifested spirit. Discover why Conan Doyle was accused of "necromancy" by Press and Church. Find out how H G Wells, George Bernard Shaw and others were drawn into the debate. Follow Conan Doyle's journey to becoming an international missionary and leader of a world movement.The first in a three-part series tracing his belief in Spiritualism, Conan Doyle and the Mysterious World of Light is a detailed, entertaining true history. Includes newspaper reports, biographies of key figures, glossary, index, bibliography - and every article and letter he wrote for the Spiritualist magazine Light between 1887 and 1920, many of which have never been published in book form.