Author Interview with Matthew Travagline

10/23/2020

Who are you?

You know, I can write hundreds of thousands of words telling you about characters that have spawned from my head, but ask me about the being that nurtured them until they were ready for life on the page, and I draw a blank.

My name is Matthew Travagline. I currently work in Cybersecurity, daylighting as a writer. /This is a joke that is dependent upon knowing that I work nights.

Where do you live?

In New York, but not in New York, New York.

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What’s your home life like?

Within the past year, I started DM'ing a dungeons and dragons campaign, which has been a blast. I am content with my current place. It's comfortable and there are more than a few dragons and gargoyles around --which is good, because I am a major homebody.

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What genre(s) do you like to write? To read?

Fantasy and science fiction are the foundations that I love to read and write. Off that, I'm a fan of epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery fantasy, urban fantasy, and other magical-realism fantasies. For science fiction, I enjoy post-apocalypse, dystopic, some spacey-SF.

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I'm still a relatively new writer, so I hope to eventually spread my pages across most or all of these --unless I find my niche that heartily accepts me and demands further engagement.

Why did you start writing?

I honestly don't remember. My earliest stories that I still have date back to middle school. These were the first instances of writing without a prompt or directive.

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What do you do when you’re not writing?

Reading comes first, then gaming. Well, in the hierarchy of needs, this is the order, though in practice, they often get reversed. As far as games are concerned, RPGs and strategy games are my bread and oil.

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Where do you like to go when looking for a new book to read?

The web! Whether I'm looking at algorithm selections on what I may like, or perusing my regional library system's online catalogue, most of my book recommendations and TBR lists are filled online.

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At what point do you call it quits when reading a new book?

It really depends. It's taken as long as half-way through for some books, but others I've given up if the first chapter had some glaring incompatibilities. I try not to DNF a book. I used to rarely ever DNF a book, but lately, with my time so thinly spread, I have been more generous putting a book down that was not jiving with me.

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Are you independently or traditionally published?

Independently published, with a plan to get traditionally published in the future.

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How many books/stories have you published so far?

Two novels, Gleeman's Tales and its sequel, The Harbinger of Change.
Short fiction publishing varies, but if you're asking for short fiction published in anthologies or 'the best of XYZ' then that answer is zero.

What book/story are you currently promoting or working on?

I am currently promoting Gleeman's Tales, and The Harbinger of Change. They released in June of 2020. I'm also in the process of typing up my fourth novel's second draft (I hand-write the first draft). Once that is done, I'll be re-visiting my third novel for another major round of editing. I'll be prepping book 3 (a standalone robot SF novel) for the traditional publishing route.

What’s the elevator pitch?

The apocalypse happened, but that was thousands of years ago. The world and its people have mostly recovered. Among them is Gnochi Gleeman, a bard with a working knowledge of the world before everything changed. He made an honest living telling stories of the forgotten world and had every intention to settle down and curate a library for forgotten texts when his sister and niece were kidnapped by a group that wants Gnochi to assassinate a monarch.

How long have you been working on it?

I was mulling around the Gleeman's Tales idea since 2012, but I believe I wrote the first draft in 2013.

When will it be available to buy? Where?

Gleeman's Tales and The Harbinger of Change are both available now on Amazon (eBook or paperback).

How can readers find you?

I'm on most social channels:

What inspires you to keep writing?

Can I plug my own quote? Well, it's not like I have any monetary gain from it...
[Exit, pursued by a bard]
(Yes, a play on the stage direction from The Winter's Tale)

Inspiration to keep writing?
A quote from a personalized rejection notice I got from a renowned publisher in the F/SF space.

Regarding Gleeman's Tales:
"While it aroused some interest, unfortunately, we will not be able to find a place for it in our lineup."

Also (last one, I'm sorry I purposefully broke your rule!) this quote from the Gleeman's Tales Kirkus Review:

"A dense, knotty SF tale set in an age of neo-barbarism."

dense and knotty...that's a sexy way to describe a tree that's older than the forest itself, so I will take that as a compliment considering it is describing a fantastical tale.

Anything you’d like to add?

If you do go on to read my work and want to further support, I could ask nothing more than a review on Goodreads and Amazon. As an indie author, I live and die by the mighty algorithm of life, so every review is worth its weight in printer ink.

Many thanks to Matthew Travagline for participating in My Laughably Inane Blog.

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