Books by Matthew

[Matthew]

For Midshipman Colyer of the corvette HMS Daedalus, life is a constant struggle: savage pirates in the South China Sea, an erratic Captain, and a First Lieutenant guarding a personal secret. But the voyage of the Daedalus takes a stranger turn when the ship encounters a giant sea-serpent in the South Atlantic, and is plunged into a headlong pursuit of the creature in the name of science, personal glory, and the promise of fortune. But as the quest leads further into the cold wastes of the Southern Ocean, becoming ever more dangerous, Colyer begins to wonder just who is hunting whom? The sea-serpent's purpose could turn out to be more sinister than anyone on board the Daedalus imagined.

This is on sale in all the usual places, publisher Fireship Press -
here on Amazon, for example
I also have a story in this collection:



There's an excerpt on my blog airandseastories.com

[J.A.]

Glad that you've got your own thread, Matt :) I can highly recommend both the book and the short story. Website is pretty good too ;)

[Matthew]

Thanks J! I just need to get cracking on that sequel now.

[J.A.]

You had better not be toying with me on that one... ;)

[Matthew]

It'll be a while, but it just won't let me go. I should never have written that vignette for Shell! I have two unfinished historical novels to finish, but at this rate the Daedalus sequel might beat them to the punch.

[J.A.]

That's fine with me - speaking as a selfish reader who is after her fix! I think my dad might be in the queue behind me now though! He really enjoyed the first one.

[Matthew]

Good to know people are reading and enjoying it. I may send you snippets as it progresses if I may

[J.A.]

EEEeee! *jumps up and down, waving elbows and fists in excitement* Definitely put me down as a beta reader for that one!

[Shell]

You absolutely should have written that vignette for me. Your problem is that you did not write more. Gimme gimme gimme.

[Matthew]

I'm actually giving serious thought to putting Violence of the Sun to one side and trying to write the Daedalus sequel quickly, with CampNano as a kickstart...

[Shell]

Yes. Good choice. I second that choice. Do that. That is the thing to do.

[J.A.]

I am firsting that choice (sorry Shell, have leap-frogged over you). Not that I don't want to read violence of the sun but I want to read D and the D book 2 first.

Actually quite excited now :)

[Shell]

No leap-frogging! Bad Jules.

[J.A.]

Sometimes I just can't help myself * hangs head and tries to look pathetic*

[Matthew]

I'm pleased to announce that Daedalus and the Deep will soon be on sale at HMS Trincomalee, (see Facebook page here), the real life sister ship of the vessel in the book, and which is preserved at Hartlepool in the UK. For our transatlantic colleagues, think USS Constitution but about 2/3 the size!

[J.A.]

That's great, Matt :) almost wish I didn't already have a copy of it now...

I'd love to go and see the ship sometime but it's a bit far at present.

[Matthew]

Same here. Unicorn is further. I'll have to keep working on that tall ship book tour. Let me see... Victory, Warrior, Gannet, Cutty Sark, Great Britain... Er, looks like there's nothing north of London until you get to Glasgow!

[Shell]

You can stop off in S Yorkshire for a break and a cake and a cup of tea on the way. My assassin dog says she will let you in and let you leave, in one piece, which is good of her and a great honour.

[J.A.]

Can I come too? I could carry your portfolio or be an emanuensis? And nag you about book 2 ;)

[Shell]

Tall-ship party!

I will take photos. I can steal my husbands camera. I will also pretend to be able to sketch the ships. They will turn out looking like stick-ships.

[Matthew]

That's the first offer to be my amanuensis I've ever had, I must have made it! Ditto stick-ship sketch artist. This fame business could go to my head. I presume one of you will walk behind me muttering 'remember thou art mortal, and need to finish book 2, who do you think you are, George RR Martin?'

There must be a tall ship party. Soon. Could we move the get-together to Portsmouth, Greenwich, Bristol, Liverpool, Dundee, Glasgow...

[Shell]

We'll just do a meet up at each. Over time.

Does the person who mutter dire reminders of mortality have to wear a hooded cloak? Because, if so, baggsy me.

[Matthew]

I think that would be fitting

[J.A.]

I agree. Shell would do well in a hooded cloak.

[Shell]

Yay! New look for the summer, then.

I will need a cloak in deep red with silver thread, embroidered in the shape of the dragon. The European kind, of course.

[J.A.]

I really hope that's not a costume hint...

[Shell]

;)

You have a few weeks until the Festival of Writing.

[Matthew]

Is a wyvern OK or does it have to have four legs?

[J.A.]

My embroidery is just not that good. I haven't picked up an embroidery hoop in 15 years... :/

[Shell]

It needs to be four legs. I am a fan of the six-limbed dragon.

And J.A., fifteen years? Shame on you. What if we are thrown back in time and need to blend in? One of us has to be able to embroider.

[J.A.]

And what will you be doing while I pick up such ladylike pursuits? 'Cos if you get a sword and I don't we're going to have a problem.

[Shell]

Um...I...will...play piano. Piano scales. Well, C major. (And we will both have swords but hide them until they are needed.)

[J.A.]

So we're not going to get sent too far back then? I won't need to ask for heirs or swans in my flawless Anglo-Saxon? ;)

[Shell]

I like how those are the two options which spring readily to mind. If we go that far back, I will have no black tea, no collies and no potatoes, so your bigger issue will be calming me down.