Patrick Matthews's Blog, page 4

6 Questions with Kim Vandenbroucke

This week, I’m talking to Kim Vandenbroucke, the award-winning designer of more games than I could easily list here. She also runs The Game Aisle, a website filled with game reviews and industry news. Kim and I met on the convention circuit (ToyFair, ChiTag, etc) many years ago.

She’s one of those people who always has a kind or supportive word. Pitching at those conventions can be as brutal as it is fun, and Kim helped me out more than once, as I was dragging myself down the aisles, trying...

6 Questions with Stacie Ramey

This week, I’m checking in with Stacie Ramey, a YA author that I met at an SCBWI conference many years ago. She’s the author of It’s My Life, The Secrets We Bury, The Homecoming, and The Sister Pact. More importantly, she’s a great person to hang out at a writing conference with. Whether you’re sitting on an author panel, hiding in the back of a lecture hall at a writing convention, or just trying to avoid being called on in a critique session, Stacie’s the person to be with.

Stacie’s websit...

6 Questions with Judith Keim

This week, I’m speaking with Judith Keim, a talented and prolific author of romantic women’s fiction. Her 19th book, Change of Heart, was recently released and is available on all sites. Audio will come by the end of the month. You can read more about Judith at www.judithkeim.com.

I got to know Judith, when we were both in an SCBWI critique group. There’s a special place in my heart for anyone who’s willing to take the time to critique my work, and Judith was very helpful to me, pointing out...

6 Questions with Linda Dunlap

For today’s 6 Questions, I’m reaching out to Linda Dunlap. Linda is a Pushcart-nominated short story writer who has been published in numerous volumes. She also has her own book of short stories, called Rail Walking and Other Stories. If you like to read, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

I met Linda when I joined a critique group she was in. She writes multi-layered southern fiction, filled with humor and surprising characters. Simply reading her writing has improved my own. Having her...

6 Questions with Caradoc Pritchard

For this week’s 6 Questions, we’re talking to Giles Pritchard. I met Giles when I was editing the Games for Educators newsletter. He’s a writer, a gamer, a teacher, and a podcaster. You can see all his work at https://caradocgames.com.

As you may be able to tell from that link, Giles is now also publishing his own RPG’s.

On to the questions!

Question 1

Like a lot of us, you play a lot of different styles of games. What is it about RPGs that draws you, that inspired you to want to create the...

6 Questions with Colleen McCarthy-Evans

For this edition of 6 Questions, I have a special treat. I first met Colleen McCarthy-Evans at Toy Fair in New York City. She’s elegant and funny, and always generous with her time. More to the point of this interview, she’s an award-winning game designer (http://www.imgamedesign.com/games.html) a published author (https://colleenmccarthyevans.com/books/) and an accomplished artist (https://colleenmccarthyevans.com/watercolors/). As if that weren’t enough, she also crochets!

In short, Colleen...

6 Questions with Catherine Bailey

This week, I’m talking with Catherine Bailey, award-winning picture book author of Lucy Loves Sherman’s Beach, Lucy Loves Sherman, Harbor Bound, Mind Your Monsters, and Hypnosis Harry. A few years back, Catherine and I swapped manuscripts to do some critiquing. She’s not just a great writer, she’s also a gracious and talented critiquer. You can see all of Catherine’s books, get free downloads, and read author tips at her web site, http://www.catherinebaileybooks.com.

On to the questions!

Que...

6 Questions With Kate Jones

For this set of 6 Questions, I reached out to Kate Jones, of Kadon Enterprises. Kate was kind of enough to do an interview back with me when I was running OrlandoGaming.org.

She creates and publishes abstract puzzles, and runs a game shop at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

On to the questions!

Question 1

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Kate! Typically, I’d start with asking about how you became a game designer, but you already answered that (at http://www.gamepuzzles....

6 Questions: an Introduction

A lot of people, myself included, love the idea of creating. Unfortunately, the leap from “I’d love to do this” to “I’m doing it” can be both frightening and impractical. I know it was for me. To be honest, it still is. Every new project feels like a leap of faith. Worse, each time I leap, it takes me a terrifyingly long time to figure out if I’m flying or falling.

The good news is that we’re not alone. Other creators are fighting the same battles we are, struggling to improve their craft, an...

Almost Ready…

After an extremely long time, I’m happy to announce that the sequel to Dragon Run is just about ready to hit the stores!

The new book is called The Boy With The Sword, and I think you’re really going to love it.

In fact, the most common response I’ve received from editors and reviewers is that it’s better than the first one.

Want to be the first to hear when it’s released? Sign up for an email!