Continued:
A Famous Interviewer sits down with Matt Tracy to discuss his books.

FI: Then after that, you wrote The Meaning of Life Coffee Shop?
MT: Yes. I enjoyed the process of writing Happy Here and Now so much that I wanted to write more. I decided to try my hand at a self-help book thinly disguised as a story. It gave me a chance to find out if I could write dialogue and plot while still staying in the genre I was used to. I think it came out well.

FI: It’s a story about a young guy who’s not sure where to go next in his life. He stumbles on a unique coffee shop in an alley and has interesting discussions with the people he meets there.
MT: And meets the girl.

FI: I wanted to know more about their relationship.
MT: I know. Their relationship is just beginning. As it is, the book is short and sweet, and leaves you wanting more. After writing a full-length novel, I’ve toyed with the idea of going back and expanding the plot to make it longer, but I decided against it. When I re-read it a month ago, I still liked it.

It works almost because it’s so short. Although it’s the second of my books, it sometimes functions as a gateway to Happy Here and Now. People who couldn’t see themselves finishing a whole self-help book can breeze through The Meaning of Life Coffee Shop without much trouble, and when they wonder what else they can read, Happy Here and Now is there in front of them.

Next Post: Matt's new book Darker Than the Sky.