An Interview With Author Matt Simons

 

About The Book: Drafted into a world war that no country can win, young Jason is forced to witness the worst of humanity as everyone around him dies before he is thrown back in time by an explosion that kills him. Seemingly trapped in childhood with memories of a hopeless future haunting him, can Jason find a way to stop the war and save millions of lives if no one believes him? For more info, please see: - https://nightstandmatt.com/books/

1. What inspired you to write this book? I first came up with the idea when I was a kid of traveling back to your younger self. I had kind of worked on it over the years until in 2020 when I was sitting in a class I did not want to be in listening to a teacher that did not care after working a full day of cleaning pools. I decided it was time to start dedicating real time to writing.  

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for? It’s about lost youth and how we are expected to throw our lives away for a conflict we had no part in starting. Then if you do make it home how little you will belong. I think I wrote it as a warning. I did write it before Russia invaded Ukraine.

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? I hope readers see the warnings but maybe it’s too late now. So, I hope it provides a bit of an intense escape from our work filled lives.  

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The original title was going to be Life and Time but the plot changed a lot. The original starting point was when the main character travels through time. However, that changed when I realized how much story there was before that point. As for the cover. That is one of the most important moments in the story and when the reader reaches that point I want them to have an emotional connection with that picture. That’s how I want all my covers to be.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? Start typing, fingers to keys. Also be able to take criticism. That can build a better story.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?   I see a lot of boring covers. Bland pictures of cities or unremarkable art that has no real connection to the story. As for publishing I have no idea but the publishers seem to not like me very much. But who do they like? 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? Yes, I have lived an interesting life full of difficult jobs, weird people and heartbreak.   

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?I write at the seed of my pants. I have a plot and a general ending but most of the time I’m just letting the characters guide me. I don’t know who I’m similar to, to be honest.  

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? Covid kept me locked inside while typing but aside from juggling a full-time job cleaning pools and going back to school. but what I had to really overcome was Fear. I was afraid of being judged for putting so much of myself into this book but all the best art is a piece of the author.  

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? I already predicted World War 3 in the first book and I just finished book 3 in this series. Don’t you want to know what the future holds? 

About The Author: Matt Simons is a bard from the Arizona wastes telling stories and singing songs. A jack of all trades as he has worked almost every job there is because real musicians have day jobs. He now tells the story of the End of Earth and the struggle of the individual caught in the middle of it all. Please check out: https://nightstandmatt.com/

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.