SPFBO Interview: Matthew Sylvester
Back with a new interview with Matthew Sylvester! Been a busy week for me with a return to some freelance work and editing, so back to the Scar work den I go! *vanishes with a wisp of black edgelord cloak*.
STARTING OFF WITH A BANG
Introduce yourself! An easy question to start off with. Who are you, what do you write?
Matthew Sylvester. Currently writing GameLit/LitRPG, alternate history, military sci-fi and urban fantasy.
SPFBO DISCUSSION
Is this your first time in SPFBO?
Yes, I never had a book which fit into the categories, and then I missed a couple whilst I faffed around with my entry, Hell Hound.
What book did you enter into this year’s event?
Hell Hound, an urban fantasy, and the first in the trilogy.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
Definitely, both of them in fact. Jane and Dawn came out so well, and I really love how their friendship isn’t affected by Jane’s unrequited love for Dawn. They take a lot of beatings, but still get up and keep going.
What was the inspiration for the story? What are your future project(s)?
I used to take my daughters to a lot of dance classes in a nearby town, and would just sit in the car or the Wetherspoons (I know, but safest pub with cheapest coffee in that town), and write.
I’ve read urban fantasy for years, so I thought I’d write a short story. And gradually that short story turned into a full-blown novel with Jane getting her own Instagram, twitter and Facebook accounts so that when I was out and about, I could keep building her world into ours. Or our world into hers.
Book two – Be-were – is roughly 60% there and takes on a darker theme, and book three will follow that arc.
What are the key themes and/or messages in the book?
Key theme for me is the friendship of the two characters. Dawn accepts Jane is in love with her, and Jane accepts that Dawn will never love her in that way, but it doesn’t affect their friendship or loyalty to each other.
Never giving up is also key. I put my characters through a lot, and force them to keep going. I don’t like overpowered characters, so I think it’s important to show them as normal people (as normal as you can get in an urban fantasy), desperately trying to do their job.
What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?
Getting it edited and publishing. I procrastinated for a year. I’m not sure why. I think I was worried that I was a) writing about characters with Sikh (Jane) and black (Dawn) heritage, Jane was also a lesbian, and I didn’t want to come across as trying to appropriate those for my own gain.
What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel?
Most definitely! This was always planned as a trilogy, with the option for more depending on how well it was received. I’m utterly terrible at the sales bit of self-publishing, so poor sales won’t reflect whether or not I write them, it’s just a matter of not diving into another shiny project.
These are going to be increasingly difficult for Jane and Dawn, but I can’t say much more without spoiling the arc. However, there will be more werewolves, a werebear, love interests, and Team Seelie will also make its debut.
MORE RAMBLES ABOUT WRITING
What is your favorite book you’ve written?
That’s hard! It’s like having to choose which is my favourite child. I suppose it depends on the day. Sometimes it’s the book I’m currently writing (I’m writing a trilogy for Mountaindale Press), but I do still have a great fondness for Blaise Maximillian and the Bitter Defeat series I’m writing.
Who are your favorite authors?
Philip Reeve, Ursula Le Guin, R A Salvatore, Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman, Robin Hobb, Ben Aaronovitch, Mike Cole, Jim Butcher, Dan Abnett, Jonathan Green, Joe Abercombie, Jon Evans, Stewart Hotston, the list goes on!
What makes a good villain?
Believability. You have to dislike them as well. If you’re sympathetic to them or their cause, they’re really just anti-heroes.
Do you have any writing blogs you recommend?
No. But the20booksto50k group is amazing.
Do you have any writer friends you’d like to give a shoutout to?
Stewart Hotston, Dawn Chapman, Dakota Krout, Andries Louws, and again the list could go on.
Did you learn anything from writing your latest book? If so, what was it?
That you can think you’re done, but then once your editor and publisher get their hands on it, book one becomes book one and two with a ton of extra writing.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? A gardener or an architect?
Plotter. Well, I write a chapter plan, and then find that ‘they go hunting vampires and have a fight’ becomes three chapters. So I have plan, but unrealistic expectations as to what actually makes a chapter.
If you had to give up both snacks and drinks during writing sessions, or music, which would you find more difficult to say goodbye to?
Neither. I can write with both or not. Sometimes I write with films on in the background as well. But I write in sprints, so a session for me is only 15-30 minutes and then I have a nice break 
