Author Interview: Matt Dunn

I've always read books by women because generally male authors don't tend to write the sort of books I like to read. However, that changed for me when I picked up a copy of From Here to Paternity by Matt Dunn, I loved it! I then seeked out more of his books and loved both The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook and Ex-Girlfriend's United, and Leah just read and loved his latest book The Good Bride Guide. Matt's books are funny, easy to read and very enjoyable and Leah and I would thoroughly recommend them if you haven't already stumbled across Matt's books! I was thrilled to find out Matt was willing to do an interview with us, so here it is... with a little gossip about his 6th book too and the possible return of Ed and Dan!

Q1. Tell us about your latest book.
It's called The Good Bride Guide. Ben Grant is a struggling artist - and struggling to find a woman he can settle down with. With his best friend Ashif about to enter into an arranged marriage, Ben decides to enlist the help of his parents and asks them to find a bride for him. With some interesting results.

Q2. According to your website, you've had lots of jobs before becoming an author? What made you turn your hand to writing novels?
I always knew that I wanted to write. The other jobs were just a way of gaining a bit more life experience (and money!) until I could finally concentrate on writing.

Q3. Where do you get inspiration for characters such as Will, Ed and Dan?
I'd like to say I make them up completely, but I don't think my friends would agree with me. They're generally composites of a few people I know or have met, with a little exaggeration, plus little bit of me thrown in. Although scarily, Dan is probably the closest to a real person of them all!

Q4. Ed and Dan have been in 2 of your books so far, The Ex-Boyfriends Handbook and Ex-Girlfriends United, will they be back for a third?
Oh yes - the two of them almost write themselves. But I think the third one will be their last outing, and after that I'll leave them to get on with their lives without interference from me.

Q5. How did you become a published author?
I wrote my first novel, Best Man, then went through the usual depressing cycle of rejections from agents and publishers, but for every nine 'thanks, but no thanks' replies, there was one that gave me a hint or tip about how I might improve the book. I tried to incorporate their advice, re-wrote, kept on submitting, and eventually found an agent prepared to take me on.

Q6. Are you currently writing a 6th book? Can you tell us anything about it?!
Only that it's about fidelity. And may involve Ed and Dan.

Q7. How easy is it to write a book that appeals to both male and female audiences? Where do you get your ideas for your stories?
That's a good question. I just write the kind of thing I want to read, and I'm lucky that it seems to appeal to both men and women. At the end of the day, I'm writing about relationships, and we're all interested in those, aren't we? And ideas? There's a website called ideasforbooks.com... No, seriously, I just try and find an angle or issue I'm interested in, give it a spin, and see what happens. Where life, love, and relationships are concerned, there's a lot of material, fortunately.

Q8. What's the best thing about being an author?
Probably that I get to make up stories for a living. But there are so many things - seeing your book in a bookshop, meeting readers at events/festivals, or getting emails from people who have enjoyed your work, that  I reckon it's the best job in the world. Apart from Ferrari test driver. Or Playboy photographer.

Thank so much, Matt!