Connecting Trains

Every story begins long before the first word is written. In The Story Behind My Stories: Connecting Trains, Helen Taylor takes readers behind the scenes of her second DI Matthew Goodwin novel to uncover the real commutes, workplaces and team dynamics that shaped this grounded British police procedural.

Before Connecting Trains became a story about building a Major Investigation Team, hidden pressures and the quiet tensions beneath everyday life, it was Helen's lived experience: years spent travelling the Surrey train lines, moving between the towns in the book and building a career across multiple IT roles that demanded focus, resilience and an understanding of how people work together.... or not.

Through personal reflections, career milestones and insights drawn from her own CV, Helen explores how each job, each team and each commute contributed to her understanding of leadership, conflict, loyalty and the subtle human behaviours that define a procedural. From early university days in Guildford to high-pressure roles in the city, she reveals how the rhythm of commuting and the reality of workplace culture became the backbone of the novel.

Part memoir, part career journey, part creative exploration, this book uncovers:

• The real train lines, stations and routes that inspired the structure of Connecting Trains

• How years of working in IT shaped Helen's understanding of team dynamics

• The roles, responsibilities and training that built her focus, discipline and perseverance

• How everyday commutes became moments of observation, reflection and story-building

• Why authentic workplace experience brings procedural fiction to life

Whether you're a fan of the DI Matthew Goodwin series, fascinated by workplace stories or curious about how real life becomes fiction, this companion book offers an honest, relatable and insightful look at the story behind the story.

Because sometimes the most compelling police procedurals begin on an ordinary train platform.