Matthew Peters - An Author Interview at the HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Author Matthew Peters. He is the author of the Nicholas Branson series. He was given the 5-star seal of approval by Reader's Favorites for The Brothers' Keepers.

Author: Matthew Peters

Author Genre: Classics, Contemporary, Thriller

Website: Matthew Peters
Author's Blog: Matthew Peters
Twitter: @MatthewPeters65
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Amazon Author Profile



Author Description:
Matthew Peters is a writer living in North Carolina. He is the author of CONVERSATIONS AMONG RUINS, the award-winning thriller THE BROTHERS' KEEPERS: A NICHOLAS BRANSON NOVEL--BOOK 1, and the newly released KILLING JOHN THE BAPTIST: A NICHOLAS BRANSON NOVEL--BOOK 2. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers. You can learn more about Matthew and his books by visiting his website(see contact information).


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Congratulations on your book: Killing John the Baptist. Rumor has it that you have another Nicholas Branson novel on the horizon. Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

Thank you so much for the warm welcome and for taking the time to interview me. Word travels fast through the grapevine! Yes, the third Nicholas Branson novel is in the works and should be released in the Fall of 2018 by Melange Books. Of course if I tell you too much about the next book, I’ll have to kill you ? So, let’s just say that the mysterious and ancient land of Egypt and its peoples will play a large role in the third book. And I should add that it promises to be just as controversial as the first two books in the series…and possibly even more so.

Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

I haven’t been doing too many signings recently, mostly because I’ve been heavily engaged in researching and writing the next novel, but I hope to do some more this coming year. I invite readers to subscribe to my newsletter by going to my website at www.matthewpetersbooks.com.
That’s the best way to keep abreast of all the current news. Also, I’m on Facebook quite a bit (probably more than I should be), and I enjoy connecting with people there.

Besides the International Thriller Writers and #ASMSG, what other writer support groups do you belong to? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

Currently I don’t belong to any writing support groups, though I have in the past. My girlfriend is a huge support in the writing and publishing process. She helps shape ideas and patiently reads through and edits early drafts of the novels. My publisher, Melange Books, has been a tremendous help in the publishing process.

Between your book writing, blogging, marketing, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do you sort of play it by ear?

Time management is crucial when it comes to meeting my professional obligations. I spend several months researching a novel and then several more months writing it. I write in the early mornings and research in the afternoons. When it comes to my loved ones, I try to treat writing like any other job, and not do it on weekends if I can help it, though of course there are exceptions. I want to blog more, and keep in touch with my readers through my newsletter. When it comes to marketing, I’ve really come to place heavy emphasis on promotional services such as Bookbub and others like it.

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

I have done giveaways on Goodreads, Amazon, and my Facebook page in the past. I have yet to give away copies of my novels through one of the promotional services I use, but that’s not to say I won’t in the future. The purpose is to gain new readers.

What is your primary genre? What has been your best marketing approach to this group?

My primary genre is Thriller. My best marketing approach to this group has been through Bookbub. I had a very successful campaign in October for the first book in the series, THE BROTHERS’ KEEPERS. In the near future I will be using BookSends and Book Gorilla as well.

How do you manage your plots, characters and timelines to keep your stories going? Do you use any software to keep track of your books?

I manage my plots, characters, and timelines the old fashioned way: I map out the plot on a boatload of index cards and a huge piece of butcher’s paper and/or a dry erase board. An enormous amount of research goes into each book. I read somewhere that Ken Follett reads about fifty books for research purposes before he writes a novel and that’s about what I find myself doing. Too many books these days are just slapped together. I want my readers to experience the most realistic fiction they can and that means a great deal of research. Other than Word, the only software I use is an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my characters.

Do you maintain a reader list? What are the methods you use to find your readers and create the list and the relationship? Do you use social media, forums, newsletters and/or support groups to build your list?

I have a newsletter, which will go out soon in the New Year, and I’m active on Facebook and Twitter. I love hearing from my readers, be it through book reviews or personal correspondence. I make it a point to respond to each inquiry, because I firmly believe that it’s all about the readers.

After all, it is they who are kind enough to put forth their hard earned dollars for my books. That’s a sacred trust to me, and not one I take lightly.

You have a great blog. You do a great job keeping readers informed, marketing your books and providing useful information to other writers. What is your primary goal? And where in the world do you find the time to create great novels, take care of the social media and maintain your blog?

Thank you! The primary goal of my blog is to provide readers with interesting and useful content, be they writers or not. I’m also very interested in increasing awareness of dual diagnosis—individuals who are diagnosed with a mood disorder (e.g., depression) and chemical dependency (e.g., alcohol reliance).

What is your method of getting reviews for your novels? Do you seek professional reviews, use social media or do you rely on your reading audience to supply them?

That’s a great question. You know, when I first started out, it was really hard to get anyone to read/review my books. As a writer friend of mine is fond of saying, it’s a little like trying to hand someone a snake. I think as you go along, though, you make friends who are writers and readers and you slowly grow an audience. It takes time, but anything worthwhile does. I can certainly say it’s worth it.



Author's Book List
Killing John the Baptist - A Nicholas Branson Novel
The gruesome murder of a U.S. presidential aide.

A secret so terrible it will change the world.

Can ex-Jesuit Nicholas Branson and modern-day Cathar Jessica Jones discover the awful truth in time to save a persecuted religious group from extinction? Or will they be thwarted by a megalomaniacal pope and an ultra-secretive U.S. governmental force?


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO Store


The Brothers' Keepers - A Nicholas Branson Novel
Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, and Jesus’ purported spouse, Mary Magdalene. But what about Jesus’ siblings? What role did they play in early Christianity?

Contemporary Jesuit and renowned religious historian Nicholas Branson is about to find out...and the answer will shake the foundations of the Judeo-Christian world.

It all starts with the murder of a United States Senator in a confessional, and the discovery of a strange religious document among his possessions. At the urging of his FBI friend, Branson joins the investigation. His effort to uncover the truth behind the murder draws him into the search for an eight-hundred-year-old treasure and into a web of ecclesiastical and political intrigue.

Accompanied by a beautiful, sharp-tongued research librarian, Jessica Jones, Branson follows a trail of clues, from the peaks of the awe inspiring French Pyrenees to the caves of war-torn Afghanistan. Along the way, shadowy powerful forces trail the pair, determined to keep safe a secret buried for centuries.


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
KOBO Store


Conversations Among Ruins
Conversations Among Ruins is a portrait of a descent into madness, and the potential of finding salvation there.

While in detox, Daniel Stavros, a young professor, meets and falls in love with the cryptic Mimi Dexter. But Mimi has secrets ... and, strangely, a tattoo identical to the pendant Daniel's mother gave him right before she died.

Drawn together by broken pasts, they pursue a twisted, tempestuous romance. When it ends, a deteriorating Stavros seeks refuge at a mountain cabin where a series of surreal experiences bring him face to face with something he's avoided all his life: himself.

Miles away, Mimi's actions run oddly parallel to Daniel's.

Will either be redeemed, or will both careen toward self-destruction?


Order the Book From:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Audible


Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS Author's Spotlight
eBook Author’s Corner
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Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.