Complete randomness from a crazy author :): Interview with Matt Schiariti

Today I would like to well Matt Schiariti to my lovely blog :)

Let's check out Matt's bio :)

Author Bio

When an ill-fated joint writing venture went horribly awry, mild mannered engineer Matt Schiariti decided to strike out on his own. The result? Selling his short story 'Hollow' to Padwolf Publishing for inclusion in the recently published anthology, 'Apocalypse 13' in late 2012. Gaining confidence from seeing his first ever published story in print, he plowed on and dove into the self-publishing pool with the dark fiction/horror short story, 'Words With Fiends'.

Matt has always been a voracious reader and reviewer of books and, after 37 years, has decided to make the transition to writer. Better late than never. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, 2 children, crazy dog, and overly personable guinea pig. He's written two novels in 2012 which he is currently editing and continues to work on short stories. Look for more from the self-proclaimed "dude who writes" in 2013.

Now it is time to get stuck into the interview :)

Interview

Hi Matt, thank you for accepting to be interviewed. As my blog says ‘ Complete randomness from a crazy author’ so expect the unexpected J

How long have you wanted to be a writer?

I’d kicked the idea around when I was a teenager but it always seemed like one of those things I’d never be able to do. It wasn’t until a friend approached me about 16 months ago to co-author a book with him that I started to seriously consider it. That went nowhere, but I was so jazzed on the idea I just started on my own.

I know exactly how you feel. I was a child myself when I first started and so many companies back then said they would not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It was all very daunting that I actually gave up for just over 2 decades.

Have you come up against any hurdles along the way?

Finding the time to write for one. I have a one month old son with a supernatural ability to divine when I’m on the computer trying to write. I’m chained to a desk Monday through Friday so I don’t have gobs of free time. But, I think my biggest hurdle is ME. I have a tendency to second guess myself a lot. Is this good? Is this not good? I’m just now learning to get out of my own way.

Congratulations on your baby. I have seen pictures and he is lovely J

What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer is?

Wow, so many answers here. I’d say being able to stick with it when the story isn’t working out the way you’d thought it would. You can do all the planning and outlining you want, but you still don’t know what’s going to happen until you start hammering out words. It’s easy to just give up when you hit a roadblock, but you can’t spin your wheels thinking it to death. Otherwise you’ll never see it through.

Good point. I tend to move onto a different chapter when I hit a block and then go back to it later.

What or who inspires you to write?

Nothing profound, really. Basically, what inspires me to write is seeing if I can actually do it. After so many years of being convinced that I couldn’t, it’s pretty cool to put something out there that someone enjoys. That and I’d like to take over the world one word at a time. But that’s in the long term of course.

Well remember me if you take over the world J

If your books are a series, how many books do you plan to have in your series?

Not sure yet. So far I have a several short stories out with more on the way. I’m currently editing my first full novel (which happens to be an Urban Fantasy set in Central New Jersey) that could be the first in a series though. If it turns out that the stink from that doesn’t reach the heavens, there may be another one down the line. I have a few ideas for the character knocking around in my dome.

Do you have any other writing projects on the go, apart from your current series?

In addition to my upcoming UF novel, there’s another novel I’d written last year that I’d like to revisit and fix up. It falls into the contemporary fiction category I think. It’s got a ‘life story’ vibe to it with just a smidge of the paranormal. You’ll be seeing some new short stories of mine coming out in a pair of anthologies due out later this year, and I’m also planning to self-publish a collection of short stories as well. A few are already in the can and I have ideas for a bunch more.

I look forward to hearing more about them.

If you could be any of your characters who would it be and why?

Things don’t usually end well for my characters so that’s a toughie. I do like the lead from my upcoming UF. He’s a bit of a screw up with abnormal problems but he’s tall and drives a Challenger. I’m short and own a Hyundai. o_O

LOL

What genre would you say your books are in?

So far my stories lean towards horror/dark fiction but I’ll be branching out into other genres based on other ideas I’ve been jotting down all this time as they make their way into my head.

Do you have any favourite authors?

Plenty. Ken Follett, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Kim Harrison, Deborah Crombie, Scott Nicholson, James Rollins, Karina Halle…I could go on, and whenever I’m asked I forget someone.

As a Brit we have one burning question going around our country…………… Do you scrunch or fold? ;) (toilet paper).

Scrunch. Here in Jersey, we call it ‘wadding’. True story

What do you like to do besides writing?

Reading and reviewing books of course! I’ve also been playing guitar for over 20 years now, so music has always been my bag. Yes, I was in a working cover band since you’re obviously dying to know. There’s also Xbox and expensive beers (which usually go hand in hand), movies, hanging out with my family and friends, etc. Nothing exciting here.

Oh cool. I am a bit of a gamer too.

What is your favourite cheese?

Gouda.

Sweet or savoury?

I’m both, actually. The key is to know which is appropriate for any given situation…wait a second. Are you hitting on me? Ok, I’ll go with savoury. Is this a test? Did I pass?

LOL no I wasn’t lol. I actually prefer sweet. I am a certified chocoholic J

Would you rather be attacked by one horse sized duck or 20 duck sized horses?

20 duck sized horses. Ducks are vicious bastards when provoked and the way I see it, you’re safe with horses as long as you don’t walk behind them. That’s key.

The ducks always remind me of a song by the Bingo Players. The song is called Rattle and the particular video has lots of ducks in it and the seek vengeance for a group of yobs killing a duckling. Kinda a weird video and makes me see ducks in a whole new light lol.

If you had one wish that I could wave a magic wand and grant you, what would it be and why?

I’d wish to have a rippling six pack of abs. Seriously though, I’d wish that my dad could have lived long enough to see me become a homeowner and start a family.

I hear ya. I wish my Granddad could see me finally publish my first novel J

Well that wraps up our interview. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions and I hope you enjoyed doing so. I look forward to hearing about future projects.