Wayne Dobson Author

🖤 NEW WRITING UPDATE 🖤

I’ve just finished one of the darkest, most emotionally raw chapters I’ve ever written.

The final act of It Was Me doesn’t end with a neat bow. It unravels. It bleeds. It asks the question:

What if the monster wasn’t someone else…

but the part of you that knew how to survive?

This book has taken me deep into the mind of Michael — a man who believes his twin is the killer.

Only there is no twin.

Just a buried trauma with a name: Thomas.

I thought I’d reached the end.

But the story had one more thing to whisper…

🩸 A chilling echo.

🚪 A door opens.

🪞 And someone new lets “Michael” in.

I’ve written many things.

But this one…

This one knows you’re reading it.

Thanks for staying with me on this journey.

Let’s see where the shadows take us.

While working on my new website, I found something I’d tucked away — a newsletter and feedback from my first proper author reading in 2015. It was at The Space, where I was invited to share my book Saint or Sinner.

I remember being nervous. I’d written the book to tell my truth, but standing in front of a room of people reading passages about trauma, addiction, crime, and recovery felt exposing. What happened instead was powerful. People listened, then they opened up. They shared their own struggles and spoke about how the story reassured them that they weren’t alone.

The Space captured the night in their newsletter, calling it “an amazing success,” and members’ words have stayed with me:

“Wayne showed great courage in sharing his life experience with us… a truly amazing and touching story.” – Anita Carter

“His reading was very powerful and moving… a worthwhile event for many people.” – Leanne Winfield

“Thought provoking, emotive and informative.” – Graham Hale

Reading this back nearly ten years later reminded me of two things. First, that writing is about more than books — it’s about connection. And second, that I’ve been on this path much longer than I realised. The seeds of my author journey were planted back then, even if it’s only now I’m beginning to see them grow.

I’ve been telling stories for years, but until recently they mostly stayed in notebooks or drafts on a screen. Publishing my work has been a leap, putting my words out into the world, where they can be read, judged, or ignored. It’s terrifying and exciting in equal measure.

This blog will be where I share bits of the writing journey. Sometimes that might mean behind-the-scenes notes about a book. Sometimes it’ll be reflections on life in the North East, or how community work and storytelling cross over. And sometimes it’ll just be me, thinking out loud.

If you’ve found your way here, thank you. You’re part of this journey now.