Interview With Matthew Munson
Today I am once again opening my doors and hosting another guest author. My guest this week is the incredibly talented Matthew Munson.
Matthew's debut novel Fall From Grace – a contemporary Fantasy Novel – is currently being prepared for release through Inspired Quill
When and why did you begin writing?
I've grown up around books and writing; my father was a journalist for nearly 50 years before he retired and both my parents love reading, so I was always surrounded by books and hacks!
As soon as I went to school, I found a love of English class – and loved creative writing lessons! They inspired me to try to write things myself, so all through my teens, I was writing short stories, none of which I did anything with sadly.
Did you know straight away that it was what you wanted to do?
Not at all; in fact, it didn't even occur to me to take it seriously for a long time. I spent a long time wanting to be a journalist, but knew what a stressful business it could often be, so eventually decided against that. In the meantime, I've been a library assistant, buyer, temp, administrator, police caseworker and a public servant.
For a long time, I just thought that being a writer was something that "other people did"; I never imagined that I would have the confidence or talent to give it a go myself.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first "adult" book was Treachery & Lies, an MI5 thriller that's never been published, but I was about 24 years old and just moved into my first home. I'd wanted a new hobby, something to do in the evenings after I finished work – and Spooks was on BBC1 at the time, so there was definitely a link there!
Do you have a specific approach to your writing? (plotting, scheduled writing times etc)
No! I sometimes wish I did, but I just fall into a natural rhythm. I prefer work in the evenings – I'm a night owl, you see, so my brain doesn't function properly much before 10 o'clock in the morning.
When I get an idea for a story, I'll start fleshing out a few characters and write a chapter or two, just to see how they evolve, and then the story flows from there.
How did you come up with the title?
"Fall From Grace" was incredibly easy! My book is about angels and humans struggling with their places in the cosmos, and one of the most famous stories about angels is about their fall from grace.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
To be open-minded about all things. Joseph is the character I most identify with in my book, and I think his own atheism and reactions to the situations he finds himself in are so close to mine if I were in a similar situation.
If you had to choose, which writer(s) or what book(s) has inspired you the most?
I'm so glad you're giving me the option for more than one! Terry Pratchett, Joe Abercrombie, Neil Gaiman and China Mieville – phenomenal writers, all four of them, and all write in a genre I worship! What book are you reading now?
I've just finished my last "new" fiction book, so have got a non-fiction book on the go right now; I like to read a mix of fiction and non-fiction. I'm currently reading The Political Animal; An Anatomy, by Jeremy Paxman.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Yes, most definitely. R.B. Wood, from Boston, is having his first book published on Halloween 2011 and I was fortunate enough to be a beta reader for it; I loved it, by the way, but still intend to buy my copy as soon as it's out on Amazon!
What are your current projects?
I'm working on a sequel to Fall From Grace – I'm about 30,000 words in on that one. I also blog regularly (http://vikingbay.blogspot.com/) about Deaf awareness and issues about dyspraxia, autism and aspergers' syndrome – as well as anything else that takes my fancy!
I write a monthly column for the Hearing Times newspaper and have just finished a book review for The Horror Zine.
I have a two-year old son who has just been diagnosed (preliminarily) as having Autism, so I will certainly be following your blog, and applaud you for bringing these subjects to our attention.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No. I think any author worth his or her salt needs to know when to say; "Enough." I'm incredibly proud of Fall From Grace, and more so know that it was a collaborative effort – my friends Michelle and Kirk taught me about hypnosis, Sara-Jayne (Inspired Quill's publisher-in-chief) gave me a lot of feedback and my editor, Peter Stewart, was awesome. Peter deserves special mention because of his major edit on my book helped it move up a level, and I feel it's a better book because of our collaboration.
That said, any mistakes are mine, and mine alone!
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing?
Being able to let go. Like I said in my previous answer, it's learning when to stop; I could probably be doing a few more tweaks on it now if I particularly wanted to, but would it make the book better? No, I don't think it would – different, yes, but better? That's what I always keep in my mind.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
If I had to choose one, and one alone, I would have to say Terry Pratchett. I've been a huge fan of his for such a long time; the first book I ever discovered was "Guards Guards", and I've followed him ever since. I love his incisive humour and wit as well as his ability to write deeply philosophical chapters right next to a line which will make you laugh out loud.
I couldn't agree with you more Matthew, Terry is a magician when it comes to weaving a tale. I have not read many of his books, but do remember a Camel that worked everything out using Pythagoras Theorem.
It is a terrible shame that is so ill, and I wish him and his family all of the best. As a writer and a man there is only one thing that terrifies me in life and that is to Alzheimer's.
Who designed the covers?
A very talented woman called Fiona Campbell, part of the Inspired Quill team, and a colleague of hers called Andrea Taylor. Fiona and I have had some really good discussions about the cover, in conjunction with Sara-Jayne (Inspired Quill's boss) and I am incredibly excited about the artwork that's been designed!
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I think I've learnt from everything I've written; how to make every word count and, in Fall From Grace especially, how moving away from traditional chapter headings can sometimes work really well. I also learnt a bit about hypnosis!
Do you have any advice for other writers?
If you have the passion for writing, then follow it; don't let anyone convince you it's not worthwhile.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
The fact that I have readers is incredibly excited in itself! Thank you for buying my book; if you liked it, I hope you buy the sequel in the future – and make sure you tell EVERYONE about it. If you didn't like it, can you be bribed at all?
Matthew, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. Best of luck with the release of Fall From Grace, I cannot wait to get a hold of it.
Fall From Grace is scheduled for release this month, and is already available on pre-order at both Amazon.com and Play.com so feel free to reserve your copy today.
You can get in touch with Matthew via both Twitter and Facebook, or via his blog and don't forget to check back tomorrow (Tuesday) and Thursday for a guest post written by Matthew and sneak peek at Fall From Grace.
