Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written and published two novels. “Prophets of the Otherworld” was my first, and “Massacre at Sundown” was my second. Both are the opening acts in projected trilogies.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Massacre at Sundown” was the name of my last book. I was looking for a title with a “western” feel, but I also wanted it to convey the horror elements that ran throughout the story. Massacre at Sundown sort of came to me while I was writing the first few pages.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not exactly unusual. I like listening to music while I write. I put on my headphones, crank up some heavy metal, and I go to work.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Bernard Cornwell is my favorite living author. I just get lost in his books. There are definitely influences from Cornwell’s work in my books even though I write in completely different genres. Clive Barker is also a big influence. He is so imaginative and dark. There are many other authors I love. Frank Herbert, Stephen King, Mary Shelley, J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, Alan Moore, Oscar Wilde, Poe, Lovecraft. They have all influenced me in a way. Some more than others, as I think you can see in my work, but there are little pieces of each of them somewhere in the pages.
What are you working on now?
I am working on finishing a Christmas themed horror novel called “Grim Tidings.” The rough draft has been done for some time, and I am doing a rewrite. I hope to have it done and released by this coming Christmas. I am also outlining the second part of the “Massacre at Sundown Trilogy.”
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Facebook ads more than anything right now, but I am looking for new ways to reach more people.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it, and don’t let sales figures change you. If you don’t sell well, keep writing. If you sell well enough, keep writing. This should be done for the love of storytelling above all else.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s actually something I read in the preface to “Heretics of Dune” by Frank Herbert. “If someone enters a bookstore and sets down hard earned energy (money) for your book, you owe that person some entertainment and as much more as you can give.”
When I work, I try not to worry about how well it might sell, because it would drive me crazy. Instead, I try to make it as best as I can. That all comes back to the reader. It’s something authors owe their readers, I think. If you pick up my horror/western book, I want you to be entertained.
What are you reading now?
I am reading the new Angus Donald novel, “Blood’s Game.”
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am attending New York Book Con in June. I am also preparing to convert “Massacre at Sundown” into an audio book. Of course, I also have my Christmas horror novel to finish, and I am trying to find time to do a new edition of my first novel, “Prophets of the Otherworld.”
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?
1. Dune Messiah
2. Pillars of the Earth
3. The Holy Bible
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray
Author Websites and Profiles
Matthew David Evans Website
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