The writing is on the wall. The year is 2012 and that can only mean one thing (apart from the London Olympics, the US Presidential election, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and numerous other anniversaries), namely the end of time itself.

Are you ready? Hardcore Christians and diehard survivalists are on their starting blocks, some waiting for the rapture, while others ready themselves for nuclear armageddon. But for millions of others, who don‘t believe the world will end in 2012, we are just waiting for the next fictional fix of doom and gloom.

It‘s addictive and moreish, but why do we love a good kicking? Post or "soft" apocalyptic science-fiction is big business, both in print and on the silver screen.  We’ve been invaded by aliens and smashed by meteorites, while mother-nature has also given us a fright.

For some, this fixation with mortal fiction is bolstered by events in the real world. The events on 9/11 were spellbinding.  It never stopped as real events were chased by online and on-air rumour.  It was wrong and frightful and damning, but for some it was also an amazing buzz, though not one shared by those closer to events. 9/11 was too real and the human race and its demons made it happen. Damn you Bin Laden.

The year before and protestors in the UK managed to prevent fuel tankers reaching petrol (gas) stations.  Motorists were protesting about the hike in fuel prices.  As the days passed there was the real likelihood that essential supplies would run out.  This would mean that food would also become scarce. There would be riots and the army would be brought in, but common sense prevailed.  But what a rush!  We were all taken out of our comfort zone, and for some this buzz wasn’t enough, but why?

In a word: Escapism

Some of us trudge through a mundane, nine-to-five existence. We need to escape, and being destroyed by mother-nature or invading aliens gives us that adrenalin rush and imaginary means to exit the rat race.

Thankfully for us doom addicts, Hollywood and publishers have satisfied our darker thoughts and desires. Notable films include When Worlds Collide (1951), The War of the worlds (1953) and The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961). More recent thrills have included Independence Day (1996), Deep Impact (1998), 28 Days Later (2002), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Knowing (2008) and 2012 (2009).

As for the printed word, I’d like to add my own creation, namely "The Lost Diaries of John Smith", which is available from Amazon.

Imagine the world ending as told 20 years after the event. "The Lost Diaries of John Smith" was written by Amy Cooper on an old, manual typewriter in 2035. She was born in 2010 and survived a devastating firestorm that killed countless millions in 2014. My book is her story. Her prose is first hand and accompanies the lost diaries of the man who saved her life. The Lost Diaries of John Smith is acknowledged to be the best written account of survival in a post-apocalyptic Scotland. It also highlights the secretive mining operations by both man and alien.

But who is John Smith?  He saved the life of a three-year-old girl (the aforementioned Amy Cooper).  Beyond that he’s an enigma.  I created him but have no idea who he really is.  He’s not me.  I knew that before writing my book.  That said, much of what happened or will happen to Mr Smith is shaped by my own experiences and phobias.  "The Lost Diaries of John Smith" is about running away from reality and commitment and responsibility and hard work. 

But will reality ever catch up with fiction? Will 2012 end with something terminal and more devastating than any tsunami or act of terrorism?  Such a ending has been predicted by numerous soothsayers including Nostradamus, but predictions are often reassuringly inaccurate, so don’t worry - just carry on as normal and read a good book, even if it does give you nightmares.