10 Questions with Patrick Freivald
1. How many more novels do you plan on writing in the Matt Rowley series, and where do you see the series going?
There will be five. The first two were published through JournalStone, and the last three will be through Cohesion Press, a specialty press from Australia that specializes in military science fiction and kick-ass action.
I know exactly where it’s going, as I’ve plotted the whole thing out, but I have no intention of releasing spoilers here!
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
Jonathan Maberry. He’s prolific, he’s one of the nicest and most supportive people you’ll ever meet, everyone I know speaks well of him, he’s humble even when he’s opinionated, his books are fun, and he’s incredibly savvy on the business side of writing.
3. What was it like being nominated for a Bram Stoker award for best novel, and had you won, what would you have done to celebrate?
It’s pretty neat, though not as big a deal as many might think. I once gave a keynote speech at an awards banquet, and the topic I chose was, “Why Awards Don’t Matter.” I mean, the Bram Stoker Awards® are a great celebration of the genre, but beyond that they’re basically a pat on the back.
Had I won, I likely would have celebrated much the same as I did having lost (three times now!)—by carousing with friends at the after-party.
4. Who is your favorite writer?
I don’t have one. My tastes range from highbrow to lowbrow, with a heavy emphasis on speculative fiction, but might include anyone from Dave Barry to Cormac McCarthy to Dan Abnett to N.K. Jemisin. I tend to read books once and then give them away.
5. How did you first get into beekeeping?
My mechanic was selling honey out of the front of his shop. I asked him about it, and he volunteered to show me the works. He did, and I bought four hives. The rest is history—delicious, delicious history!
6. What current writing projects are you working on?
I have a horror novel about a man being sexually stalked by a demon (or maybe he’s just schizophrenic) out to agents now, am finishing final edits on the first in a mid-grade supernatural series about a boy who is one of the very few who isn’t good at magic, and am writing the next Matt Rowley book.
7. Have your students ever read your fiction, and if so what has been their reaction?
Many have, and reactions range from laughter to anger to horror to bemused puzzlement, just as I would hope! Some of the parental reactions are pretty hilarious, especially with respect to the more violent or graphic things I write.
8. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
I like it all.
9. You’re not afraid of expressing your political views on social media. Do you ever feel that may turn off potential readers?
I hold back quite a bit, actually, and there are certain topics I won’t go anywhere near on a forum so conducive to random strangers butting in. (And no, I’m not about to tell you what they are.)
I’m from a family that enjoys talking about those taboo subjects—politics, religion, philosophy—and when I’m on Facebook I’m not trying to be some other person that people might like, I’m just being me. If people like me, awesome. If they don’t, that’s okay; with 7.2 billion other people (give or take) out there, there’s plenty of like and dislike to go around. With friends all over the political spectrum on almost every issue, I’m just not worried about whatever few people who might tweak out at something I say online.
As a pro-gay, pro-gun, pro-legalization, pro-life, anti-death-penalty, anti-corporate-cronyist who sees the strong common ground between the Occupy and Tea Party movements but subscribes to neither, who favors limited government but is the chair of his public union’s Grievance Committee, I figure that there’s something there to piss off just about anyone inclined to get pissed off at such things. If that means they’re not going to buy my books, well, okay. I have limited patience for people who think we must all agree in order to get along or think that views we find disagreeable should be silenced, and if I’m particularly outspoken about anything it would be that the perpetually offended need to get over themselves.
10. If a Hollywood producer was making a movie based on your Matt Rowley series and you could choose an actor to play your lead character, who would you choose?
I think Chris Evans would make a great Matt Rowley, a much darker everyman-turned-superhuman than his portrayal of Captain America. For Sakura Isuji, Doona Bae would be absolutely perfect—I’d happily change Sakura’s name and nationality to get an actress of such incredible talent to play her!
There will be five. The first two were published through JournalStone, and the last three will be through Cohesion Press, a specialty press from Australia that specializes in military science fiction and kick-ass action.
I know exactly where it’s going, as I’ve plotted the whole thing out, but I have no intention of releasing spoilers here!
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
Jonathan Maberry. He’s prolific, he’s one of the nicest and most supportive people you’ll ever meet, everyone I know speaks well of him, he’s humble even when he’s opinionated, his books are fun, and he’s incredibly savvy on the business side of writing.
3. What was it like being nominated for a Bram Stoker award for best novel, and had you won, what would you have done to celebrate?
It’s pretty neat, though not as big a deal as many might think. I once gave a keynote speech at an awards banquet, and the topic I chose was, “Why Awards Don’t Matter.” I mean, the Bram Stoker Awards® are a great celebration of the genre, but beyond that they’re basically a pat on the back.
Had I won, I likely would have celebrated much the same as I did having lost (three times now!)—by carousing with friends at the after-party.
4. Who is your favorite writer?
I don’t have one. My tastes range from highbrow to lowbrow, with a heavy emphasis on speculative fiction, but might include anyone from Dave Barry to Cormac McCarthy to Dan Abnett to N.K. Jemisin. I tend to read books once and then give them away.
5. How did you first get into beekeeping?
My mechanic was selling honey out of the front of his shop. I asked him about it, and he volunteered to show me the works. He did, and I bought four hives. The rest is history—delicious, delicious history!
6. What current writing projects are you working on?
I have a horror novel about a man being sexually stalked by a demon (or maybe he’s just schizophrenic) out to agents now, am finishing final edits on the first in a mid-grade supernatural series about a boy who is one of the very few who isn’t good at magic, and am writing the next Matt Rowley book.
7. Have your students ever read your fiction, and if so what has been their reaction?
Many have, and reactions range from laughter to anger to horror to bemused puzzlement, just as I would hope! Some of the parental reactions are pretty hilarious, especially with respect to the more violent or graphic things I write.
8. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
I like it all.
9. You’re not afraid of expressing your political views on social media. Do you ever feel that may turn off potential readers?
I hold back quite a bit, actually, and there are certain topics I won’t go anywhere near on a forum so conducive to random strangers butting in. (And no, I’m not about to tell you what they are.)
I’m from a family that enjoys talking about those taboo subjects—politics, religion, philosophy—and when I’m on Facebook I’m not trying to be some other person that people might like, I’m just being me. If people like me, awesome. If they don’t, that’s okay; with 7.2 billion other people (give or take) out there, there’s plenty of like and dislike to go around. With friends all over the political spectrum on almost every issue, I’m just not worried about whatever few people who might tweak out at something I say online.
As a pro-gay, pro-gun, pro-legalization, pro-life, anti-death-penalty, anti-corporate-cronyist who sees the strong common ground between the Occupy and Tea Party movements but subscribes to neither, who favors limited government but is the chair of his public union’s Grievance Committee, I figure that there’s something there to piss off just about anyone inclined to get pissed off at such things. If that means they’re not going to buy my books, well, okay. I have limited patience for people who think we must all agree in order to get along or think that views we find disagreeable should be silenced, and if I’m particularly outspoken about anything it would be that the perpetually offended need to get over themselves.
10. If a Hollywood producer was making a movie based on your Matt Rowley series and you could choose an actor to play your lead character, who would you choose?
I think Chris Evans would make a great Matt Rowley, a much darker everyman-turned-superhuman than his portrayal of Captain America. For Sakura Isuji, Doona Bae would be absolutely perfect—I’d happily change Sakura’s name and nationality to get an actress of such incredible talent to play her!
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