Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, you can call me Martin Matthews. I’m an expat from England living in the United States. I’ve traveled a lot, but currently I live in Illinois. I’ve written a lot of books, but only two have been published thus far! I novelized the video game Max Payne (which is available for free) and currently have just published my first Young Adult novel with Black Rose Writing.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Graveyard Girl and the Boneyard Boy
It was inspired by the idea of a what it would be like to live with a condition that kept you isolated from people — either due to their ignorance and bias, or because of self-imposed isolation. Drake Stevenson (the Boneyard Boy), my protagonist, has a form of albinism. He’s a video game geek and comic book nerd. His family have moved to one of the oldest and largest graveyards in the state to take over operation there. But instead of becoming even more isolated, Drake meets an usual girl — Scarlet (the Graveyard Girl). But there’s something strange about this new girl. For one, she only shows up in the graveyard at night. And two, she’s asking Drake to help find her killer…
The book explores and challenges our own perceptions of self identity, coming-of age, and love, while being a fun teen mystery with a few twists and turns that keep you guessing to the end.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Quite a few — however, I’m not sure if they are unusual or just unique to me. I always write while listening to ambient music — usually SomaFM, so a big shout out to those guys. I have been listening to that digital station now while writing for over a decade. I love atmospheric music while I write.
I also have gotten into the habit of dictating scenes and planning my writing using my recorder app on my phone during long drives. At first it was awkward, but now I love it. I’ve had some of my best ‘Aha!’ moments while doing that. It’s essentially brainstorming with yourself.
I also occasionally smoke a pipe while writing. Not the best thing health-wise, but that, coupled with a hot cup of tea really gets me in the zone. I have a great collection of pipes I like to use.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Contemporary writers that have influenced me include Orson Scott Card, Frank Herbert, and Dean Koontz, among others. I share a strong kindred mission with Dean Koontz because I feel he has become one of the best voices in contemporary American fiction for the promotion of objective morality in his books while maintaining a sense of deep mystery about the world, the universe, and the people in it.
I enjoy the writing of G.K. Chesterton. His novels, although written over a hundred years ago, are so zany and comic that they could have been writing today. He had such a wonderful way of turning the every day on its head, of challenging the reader to look at the mundane and view it with a new sense of wonder. It’s that sense of child-like wonder for creation that draws me to Koontz and Chesterton.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on another young adult novel. This one is more sci-fi than urban fantasy, and is set in the near future when quantum computing and augmented reality have allowed us to live almost entirely in a digital universe. It follows sixteen-year-old Christopher ‘Moria’ Unus on his quest to defeat an evil entity called ‘The Nightmare Machine’ that threatens the Cyberverse, and save his friend Sarah who is being held captive by it. A lot of video game references, 80s and 90s nostalgia culture, and cyberpunk elements. I’m having a blast writing it, and I think people are going to love it.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve found social media in general has worked well. It takes time, and you have to build momentum. It’s very much a snowball effect. Also, it’s very important to have your own website! You need an online presence. I resisted it for some time, but it’s really one of the best ways to launch your book while having a landing pad for interested fans in the future. Get a website!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never stop learning. The best advice I can give is to read a lot and write a lot. Read up on history, especially. Every story ever told can be found there! Then write your stories. Write well. Revise. Submit your stories to publishers and indie book sellers. Skip the agents – haha!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can have everything you want in life, if you’ll just help others get what they want. – Zig Zigler.
What are you reading now?
Current reading through the Dune series. I love Herbert’s mixture of Sci-Fi and High Fantasy crossed with philosophy and Greek theater. Marvelous!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Concentrating on building my platform, gaining fans of my writing, and really pushing the uniqueness of my books. People who enjoy my books like the mix of traditional elements juxtaposed with fantasy and science fiction. I’m hoping to build on that and gain some hardcore fans. I’m also wanting to help promote others! My website, MartinMatthewsWrites.com is a great place to get interviewed and submit your own short stories for publication. Come check it out!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
If it came to that, I’d actually cheat and bring a whole library of books. There’s one book out there (it’s a best seller) that contains a library of 66 books. Can you guess what it is? I’d take that.
Author Websites and Profiles
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