Author Bio:
Matthew Black originally trained as an engineer and then spent years travelling all over the world hopelessly trying to install electronic systems and fix them. Eventually he settled down to a proper job in an office and learnt how to use a computer. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in humanities from Westminster University and is also a graduate in computing.
Matthew’s first novel ‘Riga 123’ was never published and when his computer’s hard drive suddenly decided to pack up the file was lost forever. His second novel ‘Clothing Optional’ (about the owners of a struggling hotel who make their swimming pool available to naturists)was published in early 2013. Although it wasn’t aimed specifically at naturists/nudists it gained some exposure within the naturist community, particularly in the UK and USA.
Matthew’s third book ‘Over Exposed’ (police hunting a random flasher suspect the members of a naturist club of involvement and hopelessly try to track down the culprit) was originally published under a different title but was withdrawn as it had distinctly undesirable connotations in some countries. Such are the joys of globalisation.
Matthew’s latest novel ‘Nine Years Naked’ was released in June 2014 and within a few days had reached #5 in adult humor on Amazon Australia.
He is married and lives in rural East Anglia, north-east of London.
What inspires you to write?
Relaxation. I get a few ideas into my head and start to work them around into a story. Then I put hem down on paper – usually on a notepad – and by the time I’ve got half a notepad full the story’s pretty much complete. I do find it relaxing and most importantly enjoyable. It’s really satisfying to get to the end of a novel of say, 65,000 words and realise I’ve created something unique!
Tell us about your writing process.
Outliner or seat of the pants writer? Both actually! My first published novel ‘Clothing Optional’ was a seat of the pants job, and I write it as I went along with just the basis idea of what the story was about. The second ‘Over Exposed’ was thoroughly planned almost line by line, while the most recent ‘Nine Years Naked’ was also planned from start to finish.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Do I talk or listen to my characters? Yes, all the time. How else am I going to know what they’re going to say or come up with? I take one side of the conversation, then I see what the others have to say, then it gets written down…
What advice would you give other writers?
Do it for the pleasure. There are over 1,7000,000 e-books on Amazon.com so if you consistently make it into the top 250,000 you should consider yourself a success!
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first book – a thriller titled Riga 123 – was never published (and then my computer died). I touted it around a load of publishers who didn’t want to know probably because I was unheard of. I’d been out to the former Soviet bloc and felt I could create a decent novel out of my experiences there but it didn’t happen. Self publishing gives you complete control, but you need to know what you are doing – who your audience is going to be, etc. You could write a brilliant book but if nobody’s interested it’ll end up like Riga 123.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
It’s exciting, but it’s a brave new word and there’s a lot of competition.
What genres do you write?
Adult Humor
What formats are your books in?
eBook
Website(s)
Link To Matthew Black Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/matthew.black.733450
