Mathew West – Author Q&A

Mathew West

Mathew West

Mathew West’s debut novel The House of Footsteps is a gothic mystery-thriller set in the 1920s in a foreboding house on the English-Scottish border, and was released in February 2022 by Harper North. Mathew lives in Edinburgh where he spends most of his time writing, listening to music, watching bad horror films and walking around graveyards.

Mathew can be contacted at:
Twitter: @mathewoneT

Tell me what inspired you to write your (debut) novel?

I’d been reading a lot of classic, gothic-tinged novels like Jane Eyre and Rebecca, and honestly I just thought that it seemed like it would be fun to try to write something in a similar style. I liked the idea of combining all of that brooding, simmering melodrama with more modern reference points, like my love of horror movies. I was a bit obsessed Kate Bush and David Lynch at the time and I think that they seeped in as influences, too. I’d been trying to write for almost a year or so at that point, but nothing was really coming together until I started what would become The House of Footsteps.

How hard was it to get your first (debut) book published?

I think I’ve been very lucky, considering I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I still don’t! I sent my original draft to a bunch of agents and received some positive feedback although no interest. I actually rewrote my first three chapters at that point, to polish them up a bit and make them more impactful. It sounds daft, but it hadn’t really occurred to me how critical those first 15000 words are in getting readers hooked. After that I was lucky enough to find an agent who was passionate about the novel right away, and from there it’s felt like a relatively smooth (but long!) process.

How long did it take to write?

It took just over a year between me starting, and having a finished draft which I was happy to send out to agents.

Do you have a writing playlist? If so do you want to share it?

I tend to find music too distracting when I write. I prefer the quiet – just the sound of the world around me. Wind and rain against the window is perfect!

Music really inspires me, though. If I’m struggling to feel motivated to write then a brisk walk with Kate Bush or Tom Waits in my headphones never fails to put me into the right frame of mind.

What kind of reactions have you had to your book?

“Unsettling”, “creepy”, “brooding”, “mysterious”… All the things I had been aiming for, but you don’t really know if it’s worked until you hear it from real, impartial readers! I think that there’s some romance and even some humour in there too, though, and I hope that comes across for people.

What’s the favourite reaction you’ve had to your book?

My sister-in-law told me that she’d had a nightmare after reading a draft of my second book before bed. That really pleased me.

The House of Footsteps

The House of Footsteps

What can you tell us about your next book?

It’s with my editor now so I’d better not say too much! It’s unconnected to The House of Footsteps, but it’s in a similar vein and if you like one then I’m sure you’ll enjoy the other. It has a slightly more exotic setting, both geographically and historically. The story goes in some directions that managed to really take me by surprise while I was writing it… And I’d better leave it at that!

Do you take notice of online reviews?

I try not to. That way madness lies. It’s difficult to avoid seeing star ratings from time to time, but I’m fairly certain that if I ever looked at a review directly then I’d explode into a shower of dust, like a vampire in sunlight.

Would you ever consider writing outside your current genre?

Definitely. I suppose that what I’m writing now falls broadly into the horror genre, because that’s what I get a kick out of. But I never set out to be a ‘horror author’, and I’d love to give something different a try.

What is your biggest motivator?

A desperate need to feel relevant.

How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?

None, which is probably for the best! I love the cover of The House of Footsteps, though. It’s like the artist had crawled into my head and somehow drawn the cover I’d been imagining all along, without knowing it myself.

Were you a big reader as a child?

I wouldn’t say “big”, but as long as I can remember I’ve always had a book on the go. I’ve never been a particularly fast or voracious reader, but I can’t stand having nothing on hand to dip into.

Do you have a favourite bookshop? If so, which?

Living in Edinburgh I’m spoiled for choice! Blackwell’s is nearest to me, so that’s where I make most of my purchases. Toppings is lovely, as is The Edinburgh Bookshop out in Morningside. They’re all so friendly, even when I’m bothering them to sign copies of my book.

How many books are in your own physical TBR pile?

Only six and a half, which isn’t too bad. The half is The Mirror And The Light by Hilary Mantel, which I may or may not get around to finishing one of these days…

What is your current or latest read?

I’m currently reading The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore, which is wonderful. The history feels authentic, without getting in the way of the plot or characters.

and finally, what inspired you to write the genre you do?

I love scary things, even though I’m a bit of a coward and quite squeamish! I think I’m fascinated by the mechanics of what makes something scary – so often it’s the things which are only glimpsed or hinted at which are most frightening of all. And you have to feel invested in the characters and the mystery, otherwise the scares don’t really work. I love it when I’m writing and something unexpected pops onto the page that makes my own skin crawl. That’s when I know I’m onto something good.


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The Paper Bag Princess

Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko. annick press. (32p) ISBN: 9781773210292
The Paper Bag Princess

The Paper Bag Princess

Another book that I’ve had sitting on the shelves for what feels like forever, I can’t really remember why I got it but I’m pretty sure it was at the recommendation of someone as a ‘book you need to read’.

Of course they were right, short and sharp, this book had me laughing a lot, especially the end (no spoilers) where I barked out loud. Takes a dragon and princess story and turns it on its head.

The story of Princes Elizabeth as she tracks down Prince Ronald who has been abducted by the fierce, fire-breathing dragon.

With many obstacles to overcome and dressed only in a paper bag, Elizabeth shows a great deal of cunning and intelligence.

The ending was totally unexpected but excellent.

A brilliant read, supported with hilarious illustrations.


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Snapshots of the Apocalypse

Katy Wimhurst. Fly on the Wall Press. (102p) ISBN: 9781913211677
Snapshots of the Apocalypse

Snapshots of the Apocalypse

I’ve had this on my wish list since the start of the year as it sounded intriguing.

Finally got around to it and it was worth the wait, a small collection of short stories all with a post-apocalyptic theme to them.

Unusually, for me, they were all good with no filler stories to pad the collection out.

Starting with a story about a dystopian future where the rain was described as different prime ministers ‘Johnson – deceptively lightweight but soaked you through and through.’ and ending with a story about Nowhere, a place that pulls you in an sucks all the life out of you and really doesn’t want to let you go.

Each story tells of a different possible facet of life changed in unknown ways in the future, but all speak to your heart of what’s happening today, now, in all our lives.

This is especially true of ‘Knitting to Oblivion’, where pieces of the world are disappearing, nothing is stable, all is subject to change and we end up looking into a void, a void which could possibly be better than where we are now.

I really enjoyed this collection and throughly recommend it to those who like speculative fiction that makes you think.


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The Bewitching of Aveline Jones

Phil Hicks, Keith Robinson. Usborne Publishing, (256p) ISBN: 9781474972154
The Bewitching of Aveline Jones

The Bewitching of Aveline Jones

I absolutely loved The Haunting of Aveline Jones and had to get this as soon as I’d finished that, and I had read this pretty much straight away, and then forgot to write my review…

The hardship was that I had to suffer reading it once more to remind me of what went on, oh the hardship.

In this adventure Aveline is thrilled find herself in a cottage that’s right beside a stone circle, absolutely right up her street. As Aveline explores she meets another young girl who she starts to see more and more of, but who feels strange but so familiar as well.

But nothing is at it seems.

Harold, Mr Lieberman, and Aunt Lilian join them in their holiday cottage, and with Harold’s help and the books he brought from the bookshop they start to unravel the mystery, though this isn’t without its trials and tribulations.

Will they get to the truth in time? I had a great time finding out!

Quirky vicars, strange bottles, standing stones, and secrets from the past entwine in another wonderful story from Phil Hickes beautifully illustrated once more by Keith Robinson.


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Lulu Allison – Author Q&A

Lulu Allison

Lulu Allison

Lulu Allison has been a visual artist for most of her life. She attended Central St Martin’s School of Art then spent a number of years travelling and living abroad. Amongst the bar-tending and cleaning jobs, highlights of these years include: in New Zealand, playing drums for King Loser and bass for Dimmer. In Germany, making spectacle hinges in a small factory. In Amsterdam painting a landmark mural on a four storey squat and nearly designing the new Smurfs. In Fiji and California, teaching scuba diving.

After a decade of wandering, she returned to the UK, where she had two children and focused on art. She completed a fine art MA and exhibited her lens-based work and site-specific installations in group and solo shows.

In 2013 what began as an art project took her into writing and she unexpectedly discovered what she should have been doing all along. Her first novel, Twice the Speed of Dark was published in November 2017 by Unbound. Her second novel, Salt Lick, was published on September 16th 2021 and had been long-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022.

Lulu can be contacted at:
Website: https://luluallison.net/
Twitter: @LuluAllison77
Instagram: @luluallison77

Twice the Speed of Dark

Twice the Speed of Dark

Tell me what inspired you to write your (debut) novel?

In a roundabout way it was the Boston marathon bombing, specifically the different way the media treated the victims of that horrible event, compared to those killed in daily bomb and drone strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan, where victims were at best a tally. I wanted to explore how we might think about the deaths of strangers. But at the time, I wasn’t a writer. I started a blog that took the skimpy little news items, about 7, or 3, or 5 unnamed people dying in a roadside or cafe or school bus bombing and I wrote little portraits for each of them, a few sentences to try and make them, even if invented, real enough to grieve. I started it as an art project but to my surprise I was so taken with the actual writing, it became a novel called Twice the Speed of Dark.

Do you have a writing playlist? If so do you want to share it?

Salt Lick was in part inspired by a song by The Handsome Family, Peace in the Valley Once Again. It is a song I find comforting and beautiful – we will probably fuck it up in the end, and nature doesn’t care.

I have a playlist for my current WIP, Beast, not to write to but to remind me what to do – https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5LnQ8UT9Ij0CmRZtKkYXZC?si=ccf0c4f6846b48f2

How many publishers turned you down?

Agents and publishers, loads

What kind of reactions have you had to your book?

Astounding reaction to Salt Lick – the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist has blown my mind.

Salt Lick

Salt Lick

What’s the favourite reaction you’ve had to your book?

People on Goodreads moaning about talking cows…
Or, my sister saying it was one of the best books she has ever read.

What can you tell us about your next book?

It is a take on Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus. I became interested in the idea that perhaps the deal maker, reaching out into the cosmos for something, was seeking the hand of the divine rather than a deal with the devil. It lead me to thinking about the types of desire we have and what we will do to fulfil them, which clearly is inherent to the Faust myth, but I wanted to stretch it out a bit. There is so much in the myth and in Mann’s novel that I wanted to ravel and unravel.

Do you take notice of online reviews?

I may notice them but am busy teaching myself not to necessarily take notice of them.

What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?

I am still an artist and maker, my practice these days is predominantly teaching.

Which author(s) inspire you?

Milton, Shakespeare, Nick Tosches, Lucy Ellman, Barry Lopez, Rebecca Solnit, Jean Genet, Thomas Mann, Marie NDiaye. I’m not much of a completist and tend to go mad for individual books in a fairly scatter-gun approach, but these guys really know what they are doing.

Which genres do you read yourself?

Mostly literary fiction and classics

What is your biggest motivator?

Wanting to think about things followed by enthusiasm for banging on about what I ended up thinking

What will always distract you?

I will need several pages for this one

How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?

I designed most of the cover for Salt Lick and did the illustration but I knew it would be a hard sell. Being an artist or ‘visual person’ isn’t the same as being knowledgeable or good at book jackets. I prefaced the conversation by saying ‘Look, I know your hearts probably sinks when an author says this, but…’ and luckily Unbound were very accommodating and the art department made some great adjustments. I’m so pleased with how it looks

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes

What were your favourite childhood books?

King Arthur legends, books like The Dark is Rising when the world is subject to ancient and mysterious magic.

What is your current or latest read?

I’ve been reading other Women’s Prize long listed books. I really loved Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejide. And I’m also reading The Cheffe by Marie NDaiye, whose writing I love

Any books that you’re looking forward to in the next 12 months?

My Galley Beggar Press subscription always delivers wonderful books

and finally, what inspired you to write the genre you do?

I guess what I love to read fed into the way I wanted to write. When making visual art, it seems necessary to retain in the work what I can only think of describing as a kind of space, if not literally a gap. Maybe a better description is something like the possibility of ambiguity. In a way it is a gift to the viewer, not to overwhelm with your own ideas, but to give enough room for them to make their mind up about what they are seeing. Otherwise you are just illustrating your ideas. It can be a small space, a flicker somewhere; the work doesn’t need to be completely open or unintelligible. But it allows just a little room for the viewer to breath, to make their own experience. I like books that have the same quality.


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Shoo!

Susie Bower, Francesca Gambatesa. Pushkin Press. (32p) ISBN: 9781782693154
Shoo!

Shoo!

Just received Shoo! this morning from Pushkin Press, I had asked for a copy to review as I loved the cover art and the idea of a grumpy person being surrounded by animals they didn’t want there.

The cover for some reason gave me very Enda Mode vibes and I think that’s what made it visually catching for me.

The story is about a person who really doesn’t like animals, doesn’t like disruption, doesn’t like MESS who gets overrun by the animals from the new zoo that moves in next door…

A lovely simple rhyming scheme keeps us moving through the story at a good pace, and I’m looking forward to using it as a story time book at the shop, doing all the noises and tone changes that it implies, there is a nice little bit of toilet humour for kids of all ages to enjoy.

It reminds me a bit of the Oi! rhyming scheme and a bit of Alone! but is a beautiful story in its own right, showing we can all change and that change isn’t bad.


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