Listen In: A Conversation with Matt Dinniman: An Exclusive Interview

by Matt Dinniman, The Audible Editors

The Dungeon Crawler Carl series has exploded in popularity and become a LitRPG sensation since the release of the first installment in 2021. After the release of book 7, This Inevitable Ruin, author Matt Dinniman looks back at the progression of his career with Audible Editor Sam. He reveals how he writes for audio first, takes a lot of joy in sourcing loot-box contents and character names from his fans, and how the whole series was inspired by a little cat named Princess Donut.

Audible Audio

Published September 25, 2025

About the author

Matt Dinniman is the best-selling writer and artist from Gig Harbor, Washington. He is the published author of dozens of short stories and a gaggle of books. In addition, his art publications—from greeting cards to stationery kits to calendars—can be found in boutique and stationery shops around the world. Also, he strongly feels like a pretentious twat when he writes about himself in third person.

Reviews

[Jazmine the illustrator · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very inspirational for people interested in writing for the genre. I think my biggest takeaway is when he mentioned having to write for audio and filling the actors in on the story ahead of time so they can better portray the character they are playing. He takes he's writing very serious and his passion for games is a bit refreshing for some reason.

[Lena Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting hearing him talk about book 7 that had just dropped when they did it. It was so fun knowing that his fans have voted on loot boxes in the books .