Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a 40-something 18 year old living in Kentucky within spitting distance of Fort Knox. I live with my wife , my two children, and our dog “Elvis”.
To date, I’ve authored three novels. The most recent, “Sway”, is a psychological horror/thriller about a man who’s battling his childhood demons through the re-emergence of a recurring nightmare from his childhood. It is violent, unsettling, and unlike anything you’ll ever read. I guarantee it. One reviewer described it as “If the People Under the Stairs and Shutter Island got together and had a love child on Elm Street, it would be this book.” I can’t disagree.
My other two books are the first two in of a trilogy, “Watchers of the Night”. The opening novel won 5th place in the annual writing contest at www.critiquemynovel.com, where it competed against close to 100 other stories. They are a story about a young man who can walk the night in his dreams who is recruited by an agency that collects information for the United Nations. The third and final book in the trilogy is due for release in the spring of 2014.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Sway” is the name of my latest book.
It is the story of man attempted to reconcile some very bad things that happened to him as a child through the re-emergence of a recurring nightmare he had when he was young.
The foundation for “Sway” comes from a recurring nightmare I had as a child. In it, I was standing in the hallway of a very old house, a haunted house. How I knew it was haunted didn’t matter–you know how it is with dreams, you just … know things in them. In this dream, I stood in a hallway where arms reached out from floor-level barred windows, trying to grasp my ankles and pull me down. I had that dream for years, and it scared the hell out of me every time.
You’ll find that scene in “Sway”.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Actually, yes.
My “paying gig” requires that I travel a lot. My most frequent drive, one that I take at least twice a month, is roughly a 7-hour drive. During that drive, you will never -ever- catch me driving without a yellow legal pad propped on the arm-rest and my knee.
Don’t worry, I don’t spend any time looking down at the page. I keep my hand poised over the page and let me mind go, dropping myself deep into whatever story I’m working on. I spend the entire 7 hours free-writing and usually by the time I get where I’m going I can barely read what I’ve written down. But… it’s my process and the way I find the time to fully delve into my story without interruption.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, boy. Really? That’s a lot like asking who your favorite band is. Can anyone ever really say one or the other? There are so many greats.
Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas showed me what character development could be while still keeping it fun. Stephen King showed me what the term ‘epic horror’ really means. Clive Barker and Brian Lumley are tied for the two guys who most inspired me to let my freak flag fly–those guys are INSANE. In a good way. Piers Anthony for making me a reader at all. As a child, I devoured his Xanth series. James Alexander Thom–holy cow! The guy writes historical fiction and I *love* it. Not historical fiction–generally I don’t like that genre at all, but his? Amazing. Who knew? Oh and John Jakes, he’s amazing too. John–you can thank James for my even giving you a shot.
I could go on and on with authors. Which have influenced me? Every single one I’ve ever read.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on Book Three of the Watchers series, the final installment of the trilogy titled “The Fall of Astralis”. It’s about half way finished and I’m confident it is absolutely the best of the series, an explosive ending to an explosive series.
For fans of the Watchers series, I can promise you will NOT be disappointed.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far my best success has come from promoting with EReaderNewsToday. I’m told the greatest success will always come from BookBub, and I tend to believe it, but I have a hard time paying such a high price for something with no guarantee. I’ve used quite a few other sites to advertise my work, but aside from ENT, my greatest success has always come from social media like Facebook and Twitter.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t expect to get rich from the first book. Don’t expect to get published with your first book. Don’t get discouraged when those things don’t happen. If you don’t find a lot of readers or if you get rejected over and over and… over, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. The market is INUNDATED with new authors and because of that fact, agents have to be very picky about who they represent because their ability to create the kind of money they used to see has been chopped off at the knees.
Write, write, and write some more. Enter contests. Submit to magazines. Get your name out there.
Most of all, write memorable stories with memorable characters.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write another book.
What are you reading now?
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.
What’s next for you as a writer?
After finishing the Watchers trilogy?
I plan to write more horror. I have a number of works already planned and outlined, and I’ve found a way to link them all to the “world” I’ve created in all my novels. Anne Rice does that with some of her books–she use an organization like the Talamasca in two very separate series. I love those kinds of nuggets in the books I read. It’s like catching up with an old friend.
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?
Ugh.
“From Sea to Shining Sea” by James Alexander Thom.
“Odd Thomas” by Dean Koontz.
“It” or “The Stand” by Stephen King.
The Bible.
Author Websites and Profiles
Matthew Keith Website
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