Matt Campbell is an exciting new fantasy author. We get into his head, which might be scary or exciting, depending on your viewpoint, for a brief moment.
Me: What inspires you and your writing?
Matt: Stories. I love stories that wrap you up in their intricacies and don’t let you go even after they’re over. I don’t limit myself to reading. Both comic books and video games have some truly amazing stories that have stuck with me over the years. Never rule anything out.
Me: When did you first dream of being a writer?
Matt: I can’t remember how old I was (probably 8 or 9), sitting on the couch in our living room and just staring at the cover for Terry Brooks’ The Sword of Shannara. I think it’s a beautiful cover to this day, but when I was a kid, the picture enraptured me. I hadn’t even read the book! My imagination ran wild with stories of my own, and I dreamed of making something like that for myself.
Me: What prompted you to follow the dream?
Matt: My parents were always super supportive of anything creative I wanted to do. My mom in particular was a huge source of inspiration. We would talk for hours about my stories, and when I needed to bounce ideas off her, she was always there to listen. My dad was a source of inspiration as well, though I didn’t really know it at the time. He taught me to keep focused on my work and to be responsible.
Me: How did you get into writing (insert genre/s)
Matt: My mom always encouraged me to write my ideas down, but I didn’t really start figuring out “writing” until I was in the Fourth Grade. Mrs. MacDonald, my teacher, taught me about descriptive writing, and that’s when I really began figuring things out. Finally, I had means to pour my imagination out into my writing.
Me: Do you prefer silence when you write or a noise/music? If music, what did you listen to while writing (Insert title of book here)?
Matt: Silence is rare. I listen to just about anything under the sun, but what I’m writing about will definitely influence what I listen to. I’m a huge fan of Pandora radio, so I have different stations depending on my mood/focus:
Porcelain Radio when I need to concentrate
Deadmau5 Radio when I know exactly what I want to say
Nobuo Uematsu or Star Wars Radio during fun/epic scenes
For everything else, I have Black Keys, Cake, Eve 6, and occasionally, Katy Perry…yeah…Katy Perry.
Me: Plotter or pantser?
Matt: I’m largely a plotter. I keep a pretty heavy record of my world and a lot of the major milestones that will occur. However, though I often know how events will end up, the route that’s taken to get there is often left to writing and seeing how it all ends up.
Me: Now for some personal/fun questions:
Me: Milk or dark chocolate?
Matt: Dark
Me: Jaguar, Ferrari, Prius, or pick up truck?
Matt: Truck
Me: Coffee, tea, soda, water, or alcohol? (grin)
Matt: Coffee
Me: What do you do to refresh and relax?
Matt: Head into the Borderlands
Me: Tree house, regular house, or cave?
Matt: Tree house
Me: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Matt: I love doing my own artwork, but I don’t feel that I’m that good. Maybe one day I’ll share with the world.
You can find his novel Spirit Summoner at the following places:
Description:
Darr has the ability to hear the disembodied voices of the spirits. Unfortunately, the spirits have nothing useful to say. A young, inexperienced Spirit Summoner, Darr often wonders at the purpose of such a useless ability. When an unnatural fire sweeps through his village, Darr sets out on a mission of self-discovery and curiosity.
As a Spirit Summoner, Darr learns he can enter the spirit realm. There he has access to the elemental magic contained within the Sephirs, legendary artifacts that once promised balance for a world turning towards chaos. Now, the Sephirs’ powers are dwindling since their untimely disappearance, and Darr is at the center of the quest to find and recover them. Suddenly, Darr’s curiosity is a whirlpool threatening to drown him, but his compulsion to see things through locks him into a journey attracted to disaster.
For the Sephirs do more than restrain the primal forces of magic. The Devoid, an evil long caged and hungry, has begun to loosen the bars of its prison. If the Sephirs fail, the Devoid will escape and feed on the Light of the living until nothing remains.
And the Devoid knows Darr’s lack of confidence is the key needed to free itself completely.
Thanks for the interview, Marci! It was a lot of fun.
I’m glad you stopped by, Matt. I love author interviews as I always learn more. 🙂