1. What is your name and where do you call home?
My name is Matthew Turner and I'm a writer from
Yorkshire, England
2. What is the name of your most recent book and if you
had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
Beyond Parallel, and it's set in the same mould as
Sliding doors; a parallel tale where one focuses on Bella & Clark as a
couple, and the other as though they never meet.
3. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of
a series?
It isn't part of a series, no, but I already have my next
book planned. I'm going to take a few weeks off and then get stuck straight
into it. I hope to release it in the early part of 2014. I must say, I'm rather
excited about starting a new project. Beyond Parallel has
been an amazing journey, but I'm eager to start a fresh.
4. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how
long have you been writing?
I've always loved creating stories, but it was a bad
breakup in 2006 that pushed me into creating Beyond Parallel. It was
during this time that I realised writing NEEDED to be part of my life. I
couldn't imagine not writing now. It isn't always the easiest job in the world,
but it's so rewarding.
5. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the
cover of your book?
I designed it myself, but not after receiving some
amazing feedback from several people. I had a few ideas, but it wasn't until I
spoke to readers and fellow writers that I was able to create the final cover.
I'm not sure if it's worthy of a pro-designer, but I'm happy with the final
outcome.
6. How did you come up with the title for your book?
As it's told from two timelines, I wanted to have
Parallel in the name (or something similar to this). I settled on Beyond
Parallelbecause I felt it was fairly catchy and memorable, but also touched
upon the story as a whole. The question of what if shines
through, and I hope the title makes you wonder about what the grander picture
might be.
I suppose, in a nutshell, that's the reason for the name.
7. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts
on book trailers?
In general I hate Book Trailers. I find they try and
mimic movies, which in general doesn't work. They usually end up looking rather
cheesy, losing the plot, and coming across distant and cold.
I wanted to approach my videos differently and have them
involve me more. I wanted to connect with the reader with the story, and I felt
getting to know me would do this better than a standard trailer.
Therefore I've utilized readings, short videos, and a few
other things to get Beyond Parallel on the screen. I'm a huge
fan of videos, so I love to make them, but I didn't want to create just another
trailer. I'm not sure if I've managed to achieve what I wanted to, but I'm
happy with the one-on-one feel that all the videos have. This was my biggest
aim.
8. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or
audiobooks?
I prefer non-fiction books to be in Ebook format, that
way I always have them on me. I do enjoy reading fiction in paperback, though,
although I don't mind the occasional Ebook, too.
As for audiobooks, I'm afraid I don't have the attention
span for them :)
9. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
Yes, I'm a self-published writer and absolutely loving
the process. A lot of hard work, but very rewarding.
10. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever put you
off of reading it?
Absolutely! You can always tell when a cover is rushed
and not thoroughly thought through. I know we shouldn't, but I do tend to judge
a book by its cover.
11. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what
format?
I've been reading quite a lot of coming-of-age type
stories recently. Books like Catcher Of The Rye, On The Road, The Virgin
Suicides, etc. Part of this was to try and help me finalize Beyond
Parallel, but part was due to the fact that I love these kind of books.
As for the format, I've been reading a lot of paperback
recently. I had a rather unhealthy splurge at a bookstore a few weeks ago :)
12. If you could invite any four celebrities (alive or
dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?
Hmm, what a good question. I think it would have to be:
- Keira Knightley (my ultimate crush)
- Scott Fitzgerald (an amazing writer who I could talk to for hours)
- Morgan Freeman (I imagine he has some stellar stories to share)
- Bob Dylan (simply put, he's a legend!)
- Keira Knightley (my ultimate crush)
- Scott Fitzgerald (an amazing writer who I could talk to for hours)
- Morgan Freeman (I imagine he has some stellar stories to share)
- Bob Dylan (simply put, he's a legend!)
13. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s
the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
My advice is to read a lot and write whenever you can. I
know it's cliche, but it's true. I don't care how well educated you are, it
takes a lot of practice to even come close to perfecting this craft. I for one
am nowhere near perfection (not even in the same stadium yet).
I think this was the best advice I got, and it wasn't
from any one person in particular, rather the writing world in general. Like I
say, it's cliche but oh so true. Read every day and embrace every genre you
can. Challenge yourself and push on further and further. It's amazing what it
does to your writing.
14. Where can your readers follow you?
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/matthewturner.writer
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6477140.Matthew_Turner
Twitter: https://twitter.com/turndog_million
Thankyou do much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!
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