About Matthew Davenport:
Matthew Davenport hails from Des Moines, Iowa where he lives with his wife, Ren, and daughter, Willow. When his scattered author brain isn't earning weird looks from the ladies of his life, he enjoys reading sci-fi and horror, tinkering with electronics, and doing escape rooms.
Matt is the author of the Andrew Doran series, the Broken Nights series (along with his brother, Michael), The Trials of Obed Marsh, and Satan's Salesman among other titles.
He's also a self-styled student of the Cthulhu Mythos and exercises that influence in his stories and as an editor at the blog Shoggoth.net
What inspires you to write?
Writing has always been the best way for me to get my thoughts out as coherently as I intend them. It allows my words to be understood to a depth that I am incapable of properly vocalizing. In that way, my writing has always been driven by my need to be understood.
That’s a powerful and true statement, but it’s also pretty lame sounding. Especially when compared to the other half of the reason I write: Theater of the Mind.
I call it the “other half” of the reason, instead of “another” reason because it is still part of that need to be understood. That pure method of telepathy comes in handy when the urge hits me to create. The Theater opens and I find myself either continuing a story that I just watched or read, or inventing something that I wanted to enjoy but couldn’t find elsewhere. A lot of my Brain Movies come from wanting something that doesn’t exist, so that I am compelled to make it myself.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Neil Gaiman, Catherine Webb, Douglas Adams, Brian Lumley, Jonathan Wood, Jim Butcher. Honestly, this list could go on forever. I enjoy reading a lot. Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere allowed me to understand how serious abstract stories can be and Catherine Webb (under the name Kate Griffin) showed me how to look at common fantasy elements in entirely new ways. These new views, or even becoming aware of these new views, are very mind-opening and allow you to try new and fun things in your own writing.
Tell us about your writing process.
Although I have tried to evolve my process or improve upon it in some way, it has remained the same since I was a kid. I hand write my notes first. It’s very basic, explaining what I want to happen in that chapter, what dialogue needs to be said, and generally what needs to happen by the end of the chapter. The writing here isn’t pretty with the idea of getting the thoughts down and I can pretty it up in the second step. My second step is taking those notes and typing them up. That’s when I make the basic thoughts into full paragraphs. Something like “They sit in a plain coffee shop (ie:that one you were at last week)” turns into a full paragraph of description.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I don't listen to them, although they tend to drive my scenes on their own. It's easy for my characters and how they'll act as I flesh out my notes to shift into something that more fits them in that scenario. I will also say out loud a lot of their dialogue to make sure it sounds realistic.
What advice would you give other writers?
Do you. Don't write anything that you don't enjoy. If you don't enjoy it then there is absolutely no point in it. Have fun and keep having fun, and maybe someday you'll be famous. If not, then at least you had fun.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Originally, I self-published, and I have always been proud of that fact. The work and effort you have to go through teaches you so much about the process and gives you a stronger sense of accomplishment when you know you had to do it all yourself. That being said, it was great when my publisher found me. I had been doing all that self-work for years, I knew the ropes and had been teaching Iowa authors how to produce, market, and sell their own books and then this publisher came along and offered to help me carry the weight. It was great. I am still an independent author with some of my books through the publisher. As far as advice, I still encourage the self-pub route, as that will show publishers that you know what it takes to get things done and you're willing to work. They like that and it will help you locate your own.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Everything is turning more digital, but people still like physical copies. I think we've hit a wall until a new technology can come out. Then we'll be beaming books into our brains or something.
What genres do you write?: Horror, Adventure, Sci-fi, Fantasy
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Matthew Davenport Home Page Link
Link To Matthew Davenport Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
