Category Archives: Hard Change

Change the ending – call for submissions 31st July The idea Change the ending is a collaborative creative writing project that will produce a collection of flash fiction stories about the future of local government, written by people who care … Continue reading →

Quick blog post from me, prompted by a piece from the wonderful Sarah Dale (@creatingfocus) – on the difficult subject of doubt. Below is a flash fiction story that I wrote during a bout of the wobbles whilst editing my … Continue reading →

“South Riding” – a great novel about life and local government In celebration of World Book day I’d like to convince you to pick up a novel about local government. I realise it’s a tough ask. If you work in … Continue reading →

On the 22nd December 2012 I received the proof copy of my thriller novel Hard Change and it’s safe to say things haven’t been the same since. Not having been through the process of writing and publishing a book before, … Continue reading →

I was delighted to be asked to take part in The Guardian Expert Panel discussion on the nightmare scenario of Detroit – bankrupt, services collapsing, no viable economy and crime levels like a dystopian horror novel. The question was whether … Continue reading →

Like many writers I love the writing bit and sometimes find doing my own marketing and promotion a distraction from my new novel. But what I’ve found on my not very glamorous but successful mini-book tour, is that there are … Continue reading →

Me at the CIPFA conference

Murder at the town hall: retelling the story of local government as a thriller An ex-council director turned thriller writer explains how to turn around gloomy and cynical narratives about local government Dawn Reeves Guardian Professional, Thursday 4 July 2013 … Continue reading →

How do you feel about reading a dark tail of your own world? Is the grim reality too much? The not very gory but hyper real details of what can happen in your own office; organisation or neighbourhood can be … Continue reading →

I’ve had great feedback about Hard Change from people working in the public sector – particularly local government. It was part of my motivation, to prove it’s possible to write a hopeful, thought provoking and nuanced story about good people … Continue reading →