MJW It’s my debut novel, The Velocity of Blood. It’s a revenge noir, set in California and deals with social media bullying, fat-shaming and a school shooting. My protagonist Jack has done nothing wrong whatsoever, but he’s victimized and bullied until he snaps.
I started writing it in 2020 and signed with darkstroke last year. Obviously the fiction has yet again been overtaken by the awful reality of mass shootings in the US, so a substantial amount of my royalties will be going to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
AW What first got you into writing and why?
MJW I’ve always loved reading stories and especially whodunnits and I loved writing thriller essays when I was a kid, heavily influenced by the likes of Alastair McLean, Jack Higgins and Wilbur Smith.
Fast forward thirty years and I discovered Cambridge University’s part-time Masters in Crime and Thriller Writing and I thought, I *have* to apply for that. So I wrote a twisty short story for my application and that changed my life!
AW You write crime and thriller fiction. Is it all imagination or do you do research?
MJW So much research. The internet makes things much easier than I imagine it used to be, and Google Earth is really helpful. I used it to walk the exact route in Dallas that Jack walks to buy his gun, and I discovered by total chance that he would pass by a 20 foot high art installation of a plastic eyeball!
Likewise, I did a lot of research into gun laws in the United States, as well as an awful lot of deep background on modern-day bullying. Absolutely heartbreaking what teenagers go through nowadays but I wanted to be accurate.
AW And what about other types of writing? Have you dabbled with other genres/short stories/poetry/scripts for stage/film/or TV?
MJW I like short stories because they’re usually twisty and that’s my thing (spoiler alert – Jack does something truly unique and unexpected in The Velocity of Blood). I also find short stories easier as you usually just need the one scene. A full-length novel is much more complicated but more rewarding I think.
I’ve never written specifically for TV, but when I write novels, I’m effectively transcribing the movie that’s playing in my head. Someone clever said radio beats television because the pictures are better and I think the same applies to books.
AW Famous authors such as Roald Dahl and Dylan Thomas had a special space for writing. Do you have a writing shed of your own?
MJW Not a shed, but I write a lot in coffee shops. In fact, the best one in London (Dose in Smithfield Market) are so good they even get thanked in my acknowledgements! The book would not have been written without their truly excellent flat whites!
AW And finally, what do you think your eight-year-old self would think and say about you and what you have achieved today?
MJW I think my eight year old self would be unsurprised that I write crime thrillers but mildly disappointed at the lack of Olympic medals for high jumping (my secret sporty pastime!). My eight year old self would also expect me to be taller!
Every. Single.
Day.
One day in
October, dehumanised, forgotten and stripped of his very identity, he breaks.
Jack wants
revenge. Carefully calculated
revenge. Justice.
Jack is
willing to do whatever it takes to get even.
He’s going to do something that’s never been done before. And when he’s done, you’ll remember his
name.
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You can get the book Here
Sounds like a great story. Thanks for sharing Matt's work.
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