Ask the Author: Matthew Dunn
Answered Questions (11)
Matthew Dunn
There are so many real mysteries that I've experienced and in some cases (circumstances etc changed) I weave some of them into my books. On a personal level, I sometimes wonder how different my life would have been if post-university I'd pursued the opportunity to have a career in academia rather than entering MI6 and the secret world.
Matthew Dunn
No I didn't and hopefully it's been removed from my author profile (I requested as such when i was mistakenly attributed to me).
Matthew Dunn
I can, but I'm an author who pays for the roof over his head with the hard-earned money he earns from writing. So, I'll save the two sentences for when my roof needs a financial outlay for a repair.
Matthew Dunn
THE SPY THIEF was a six-month project, but the content derives from a lifetime of manifold experiences that would take too long to explain here. In essence, I am a scholar of the human condition. I like to analyse that condition; and I like to shake it up. Those dynamics are reflected in the telling of the book's story. I wanted to tell a story that hadn't been told before.
Matthew Dunn
I draw from the rich tapestry of my life - not just the "guns and glory" obvious stuff from my past; but more importantly from a plethora of sights, sounds, experiences, locations, events, and even the tiniest glimpses of something or other. Plus, I was a voracious reader in my youth. I love the written word. But, ultimately one of my biggest inspirations is my distaste of mundanity. I like wonder and awe.
Matthew Dunn
My fourteenth novel THE SPY THIEF has just been published. I'm currently involved in associated activities, including spreading the word about its publication, but very quickly I will be turning my attention to my next novel. I don't like to be away from writing for too long!
Matthew Dunn
For those who can write, the magnificent art is a force majeure. Never underestimate the power you have at your fingertips, and the responsibility that power carries. I've heard that on average it takes 16 hours to read a novel. That's a chunk of time, and the novel may live with the reader for considerably longer, maybe even a lifetime. To write is to provide a magnificent service. It's a talent to be cherished.
Learn from mistakes along the way and don't beat yourself up when mistakes are made. Talent doesn't mean we don't have moments when we miss a note, get a brushstroke wrong, fluff a line, put the chisel in the wrong place, or wish we'd constructed a sentence differently. Storytelling is key. That can't be learnt. But the tactics of delivery can be improved over time and with experience.
Learn from mistakes along the way and don't beat yourself up when mistakes are made. Talent doesn't mean we don't have moments when we miss a note, get a brushstroke wrong, fluff a line, put the chisel in the wrong place, or wish we'd constructed a sentence differently. Storytelling is key. That can't be learnt. But the tactics of delivery can be improved over time and with experience.
Matthew Dunn
The freedom to create a significant series of moments in the fictional lives of several characters.
Matthew Dunn
Stubbornness, imagination, wonder, self-belief, work-ethic, tunnel-vision, coffee, and an acceptance that there will be good days and bad days. The end result is what counts, not the ups and downs process.
Matthew Dunn
The handwritten original diary of a Royal Navy officer's adventures, written on board his globetrotting ship in 1789. The diary is one of my prized possessions and I need to wear forensic gloves when I turn the delicate pages.
Matthew Dunn
I'd sit in an armchair in 221b Baker Street. And I'd watch and listen.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more