Meet The Author: L.V. Matthews
A bit about L.V. Matthews…
For over ten years L V Matthews worked both in domestic and international sales for major UK publishing houses, before leaving to pursue a career in writing.
SILENT WATERS is her newest book (July 2023)
THE TWINS (Feb 2022) is a Richard and Judy Bookclub pick.
Also available, THE PRANK.
All from Welbeck Publishing.
Q – What inspired you to become a writer?
A – I’ve always loved writing, ever since I could put a pen to paper, age 5. I found that creating stories and worlds was something so magical, so satisfying, and as I grew up, reading new voices, cemented it further – in some capacity, books were going to be my thing!
Q -Who are your biggest literary influences?
A – I remember some of the first books that blew me away and they were The Lord of the Flies, The Blind Assassin, The Deptford Trilogy. They’re each wildly different but so uniquely powerful. I loved the challenge of the subject matters – the darkness (LOTF), the intrigue (TBA), and the beauty of a well-structured sentence (TDT).
Q – How do you handle negative reviews or criticism of your work?
A – That’s a really good question. It’s hard to read negative reviews but I think you have to just remember that you can’t change someone else’s words, only your reaction to them. Also, if you are thin-skinned, just don’t even look!
Q – What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
A – Read some books about the craft of writing to give you an idea on how to structure a book. I really struggled initially to plot and adequately pace my books because although I had ideas, and well-developed characters, I didn’t understand the arc of a story properly. I recommend ‘INTO THE WOODS’ by John Yorke.
Q – What do you hope readers take away from your writing?
A – With my thrillers, I hope readers enjoy the pure escapism of the genre and the relationship dynamics between my characters as, first and foremost, I try and write rounded characters who readers will follow regardless of their questionable decisions! With the book I’m writing now (hopefully more about that to follow in the next few months), I hope that readers will be challenged to think a little more about their own morals, and about who may be right and who may be wrong.
