Author Interview with Matthew Head
I’m happy to host an interview with author Matthew Head today. Matthew is the author of supernatural horror short story collection “Prequels”.
1) When did you know you wanted to become an author?
I was always told I was good at creative writing when I was at school but I think when you’re a teenager you sort of rebel against what you’re good at (or at least I did anyway!) It wasn’t until I was at university that I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life and I realised that writing did interest me. I flirted with it for a few years whilst also trying out other things but nothing else stuck as well as the writing did. I think at the end of the day you know in your gut if something is right for you and writing is definitely right for me.
2) What inspired you to write “Prequels”?
I wanted to give people a tasting session for “The Chronicles of Darkness” as a whole series. There are five books to come in that series and I wanted people to be able to see the sort of stories they could expect. Stories that are dramatic and scary, full of supernatural excitement – but also ones that (hopefully) pack a fair emotional punch too.
I also loved the idea of creating extra content that fans of the main books could come back to later if they’re looking for more to read. I want “The Chronicles of Darkness” to be an immersive reading experience that you can really get stuck in to.
3) What is the most challenging part about writing?
For me it’s overcoming my self-doubt. That sounds awfully self-pitying I know, but it’s the truth. If I let my brain get carried away I can spend a good long while just worrying that what I’m doing is an enormous pile of rubbish. I’m sure every writer is the same. I just have to remind myself that it isn’t an enormous pile of rubbish, to have faith in my own abilities and to just keep going.
4) What part about writing do you enjoy the most?
I love the initial brainstorming part where you’re throwing ideas around in your head for a story. Then you hit on a great concept and you just allow it to run in your head, you think up killer lines of dialogue and great dramatic moments and it all just suddenly flows. It’s an immense feeling. It’s like if you imagine your brain is a bottle of wine with a tough cork in the top. You spend a little effort getting the cork out but once it pops the wine just flows and flows. It’s most satisfying.
5) What are your writing goals for 2013?
This year is probably the biggest year for me so far in my writing career. I’m launching my first full novel “The Chronicles of Darkness: The Box of Infernos” in July and then in October/November I want to launch the second book “The Chronicles of Darkness: The Unknown Portal”. I know that’s quite close together but both books have been largely completed for years now and I feel like I just need to get them out there so I can move on to the third, fourth and fifth books. I also want to write a few short novellas this year, mostly separate from “The Chronicles of Darkness” series – just to give any fans of mine as much material as possible to enjoy!
6) What is your editing process like?
In a word: lengthy.
After I finish writing a book I spend a good long time just chewing it over, thinking about what it might be missing. Then I re-read it, out loud as I find you catch more mistakes that way. Then my wonderful friend and literary advisor Steph reads it and advises me on the narrative – what’s it missing. Every note I’ve had from her so far has been gold, absolute gold. Then I re-read it again. Then my brilliantly talented partner who happens to have copyeditor as one of his many skills goes over it and polishes the grammar, spelling and punctuation. Then I re-read it again. Seriously, there’s a lot of re-reading going on. Eventually a nice, finished copy is thrashed out and it’s all worth it!
7) Are you working on something right now? If so, can you tell us more about it?
Well right now I’m writing a novella called “The Man of Eternal Tears.” It’s just a small project whilst I’m launching book one of “The Chronicles of Darkness” and editing book two of the same. I can’t say much about the plot (and neither would I want to ruin it for you!) of “The Man of Eternal Tears” but it’s a very interesting story to write that, in a way, spans 1000 years of English history. It’s an idea I’ve had floating in my mind for a couple of years now, so I’m loving being able to actually get it down on paper now.
Good luck writing “The Man of Eternal Tears”. I love the title, sounds intriguing.
About Prequels
Title: Prequels (The Chronicles of Darkness)
Author: Matthew Head
Genre: Supernatural, Horror
Prepare for a supernatural smorgasbord of literature! This trilogy of spooky short stories will thrill you, chill you and break your heart – sometimes all at once! More than that though, they serve as a tantalising prequel series to the epic “The Chronicles of Darkness” series of novels which launches this July!
The Darkness at Down Street: When Isaac gets on the London underground he’s expecting to go from A to B like everybody else. But when the train stops he starts to wonder if something strange might be going on. Surely not, surely it’s all fine. But then the voice begins. Turn out the lights!
The Destiny of Melissa Smith: Everybody hopes they’ll have a great life, and Melissa Smith appears to have and amazing one. Then she visits a village fete. Then she meets an impossible man, a mysterious boy and an unimaginable monster. Then the true meaning of greatness is put to the test.
Beauty and the Beast: Have you ever peered into a dark forest from the safety of a car or a coach and wondered if there might be something nasty in the trees watching you? The coach from London to Monks-Lantern has taken a very unfortunate detour, leaving the passengers at the mercy of the terrifying monster in the woods. There’s screaming, running – and at the end of it all there’s a realisation: Monsters come in all different shapes and sizes.
Purchase: US: Amazon US UK: Amazon UK
Author Bio
My name is Matthew Head and I’m a writer from Surrey. Well, I say from Surrey – I was born in Kent, moved to London for a bit and then moved out to Surrey to live with my partner Andrew. I was born in the eighties, raised in the nineties and then I was inspired in the noughties during my time at university where I studied Theology.
Theology is quite possibly the most fascinating subject in the world. Sounds boring I know, sounds like church and everyone knows that church is boring. But it’s not like that at all. It’s packed full of myths and monsters, gods and goddesses – mad, bad, sad ones alive in stories which rival many blockbuster movies in terms of how epic they are. It doesn’t matter whether it’s all real or not – it’s the story that counts. Stories are beautiful because absolutely anything is possible within them. That’s why I love writing because I love the idea of contributing to that and creating stories. Stories that will make you cry, make you laugh, make you scared. Because I think there is some magic in writing – that simple words have the power to make us feel and react so strongly to them.
When I’m not writing or doing my day job then I really enjoy going out and exploring new places. I love going somewhere I’ve never been before, especially if there’s some history linked to the place. Old places are the best – the older the better. You just get this sense that so much has happened there, so many different people have come and gone and yet the place remains.
A few more random facts about me – my favourite pet is the humble goldfish, my favourite dinner is macaroni cheese, I love banana flavoured things but I strongly dislike bananas and the only real phobia I have is a phobia of frogs. Yeuch.