New book of Portsmouth 'Weird Tales' includes ghostly team-up between John Westwood and a famous spirit

Weird Tales From The Island City is a collection of strange and unusual stories – mixing comedy, drama and fantasy with the bizarre.

Author Matt Wingett says celebrating Portsmouth in story has become a mission for him.

“For the last 15 years or so, I’ve been promoting Portsmouth’s literary connections, showing how my home town is a city of the imagination,” he said. “Many of my other books have focused on its rich literary heritage. With writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, HG Wells, Rudyard Kipling, Neil Gaiman and Charles Dickens associated with the city, Weird Tales From The Island City is part of my own small contribution to its literary life.”

The book is also designed to help get the city reading.

“Portsmouth has a low level of literacy, so I do whatever I can to encourage reading,” he added. “People love stories about their home town, so I hope this collection will encourage people to think about Portsmouth in new ways and explore the city’s potential as a place for creativity.”

John Westwood of the Petersfield Bookshop says of the short story The Mystery of the Moustachioed Man, featuring him teaming up with a famous spirit to solve a crime: “It’s very funny. I’m all in favour of what Matt’s doing, celebrating Pompey in this way. He often gives talks for us at the shop, and it’s always a good night out!”

At this time of year as the winter nights draw in, ghost stories are firm favourites, and so spirits and strange creatures also feature elsewhere in the book.

Weird Tales From The Island City includes longer works – Turn the Tides Gently sees a man who sees a mermaid on Southsea Beach, while the longest story, The Song of Miss Tolstoy, features an undiscovered world beneath Portsmouth’s streets.

Matt would love the public’s help through the online crowdfunding site to get the first books printed. “I’ve set the Kickstarter goal quite low at £500. This will cover the costs of the first print run, and there are all sorts of special things you can add, such as a Subscriber Edition that will ensure your name goes in the book!”

The book tips a nod to some of Portsmouth’s great writers, including Sherlock Holmes and his creator Arthur Conan Doyle, Neil Gaiman’s fantasy and echoes of some of HG Wells’ themes.

Matt’s previous fiction projects include his work in the anthology Portsmouth Fairy Tales for Grown-Ups, while his novel The Snow Witch was the focus for a three-week festival and art exhibition in Cascades shopping centre in 2019. He also published Dark City, horror stories set in Portsmouth.

To support the Kickstarter and get your copy of the book, go to kickstarter.com/projects/lifeisamazing/weird-tales-from-the-island-city.

Weird Tales From The Island City will cost £10 in paperback and £20 in hardback and will be available from booksellers and online in late November.