Can you share a little about your recent book –
My most recent published novel is called The Pan: Experiencing Neverland. It is a teenage action adventure novel based on the Peter Pan story. Unlike most fantasy based Peter Pan stories, this one is dark and humanistic, dipped in realism and based on true historical locations, facts, and characters.
Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?
Writing has always been an escape for me. I write to escape reality, explore new worlds, or revisit history. But I also write to encourage people. I want people to be inspired by my stories. Sometimes I teach a lesson or focus on a truth (usually historical). Sometimes I encourage people in their walk with God.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing before I could write. It was just something I always did—tell stories. At the age of three, I would dictate stories to my older sister and she would write them down for me in little booklets. Writing was a way I coped with the oddities of middle and high school life.
How long does it take you to write a book?
I don’t have a lot of free time, so it usually takes about two years. I usually work on several projects at a time. I’m too ADD to focus on just one. I switch up my time from novels to screenplays.
What’s your writing work schedule like?
I’m not a traditional writer. I work on film sets about 12 to 14 hours a day or more—so I make notes on my phone throughout the day. I’ll write during lunch. If I get off work in time, I’ll write after work at a coffee shop for an hour or two a night. If I had to pay writer’s rent, I would owe Starbucks thousands of dollars, I’m sure, as most of my writing is done on the road, visiting all the Starbucks in the southeast. When I’m not on a film, my creative juices start flowing around ten at night and I will write until sun up.
Do you have an interesting writing quirk? If so, what is it?
It’s hard for me to write at home. I mostly write at coffee shops where I’m more inspired. I also wear headphones as I’m easily distracted. I usually listen to music that would be a good theme for my story. Right now I’m finishing a World War 2 novel and created a playlist on Youtube of classical songs that I wrote into the book. I’m also writing a screenplay on the life of Louie Armstrong, so naturally, I created a playlist of his songs, and how they will appear in the story. But even if I’m not listening to music, I cannot write unless I have earbuds blocking my ears, and a coffee at my side.
What has been your greatest joy(s) in your writing career?
It is always cool to see your name in print. I think perhaps the greatest thing is to receive letters from people who tell me how my story inspired them to be a better person or drew them closer to God. I wrote a Christmas novel called Saint Nicholas, the Christmas Story. It is historical fiction based on the true Santa Claus. It’s about giving and loving others. It’s about self-sacrifice. It’s about helping the poor and less fortunate. I received a number of letters telling me how the story inspired people to be more involved with giving and helping the poor. I’m also a songwriter. I wrote a song about being in the dumps of life and how a touch from God can change all that. I received a letter one night from a woman named Mary who planned to kill herself. She told me God directed her to my song on internet radio at 3 am right before she was going to pull the trigger. Mary said she could relate to the song and it literally saved her life. Instead of pulling the trigger, she cried out to God for help. That’s probably my greatest writer moment ever…to save a life.
[bctt tweet=”That’s probably my greatest writer moment ever…to save a life.- Matthew Eldridge” username=””]
What has been your darkest moment(s)?
When I was writing my recent World War 2 project (still in the works), I had to do a lot of research about the Holocaust. I saw pictures and videos of the most inhumane tortures and killings. The research put me in such a dark, depressive place. These people were flesh and blood with a soul just like you and me. Their lives were stripped from them in the most unimaginable ways. There were many nights after writing and researching I would break down and just sob and sob and sob, asking God how he could allow it to happen. There were times when I felt suicidal after months of looking at pictures and reading torture stories. I would call my prayer warrior friends and beg them to pray for me. It’s my most powerful novel to date, but I don’t think I could write something so heavy again. I often live inside of my stories. I’m very sensitive and feel as if I’m the actual characters I write about at the moment. Even my two editing friends couldn’t handle reading through it—they said it was too painful, although it is an uplifting story.
Which of your books is your favorite?
Of my novels, probably the special edition of The Pan: Experiencing Neverland. It’s not your typical Peter Pan story. It’s more of a mysterious, dark, action adventure with a lot of historical truth. There’s very little fantasy in it. And a lot of it was psychological healing for me to write, based on my own problems from my childhood. I also love the fact that the proceeds from this novel goes to help fund missions to impoverished Native American reservations.
Who is your favorite author to read?
Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti used to be my favorite authors. Dekker writes darker material than he used to, and Peretti is pretty much retired. As of now, I don’t have a current favorite. Both were influential in my early years of writing.
What advice can you give aspiring writers that you wished you had gotten, or that you wished you would have listened too?
[bctt tweet=”If you write to fit a particular genre of what’s popular, or what people want, or just to sell books, or even to be famous, it’s not going to be authentic” username=””]
Write what you are passionate about. Write what you know. Write what you love. If you write to fit a particular genre of what’s popular, or what people want, or just to sell books, or even to be famous, it’s not going to be authentic. You won’t enjoy it. You’ll be wasting your time. But if you write what you are passionate about, you’ll enjoy every moment of it. My last two screenplays and latest novel revolve around musicians. I’m passionate about music and play eight or nine instruments myself. It excites me to write about what I love and know—especially when it involves social injustice or poverty, mixed with history. I’m passionate about helping the poor and orphans, so I combine all these in my stories.
How many times in your career have you experienced rejection? How did they shape you?
My first novel was rejected 25 times before I gave up. I decided to learn about self-publishing and it was wonderful for my first experience. Over 11,000 copies have been downloaded and it was awesome to see my book sit at number one on Amazon during the Christmas season in its category. The next two novels I didn’t even try for an agent, and started my own publishing co. However, I am seeking an agent for my newest novel and screenplay. I’m inspired by stories of authors who received 60 or more rejection letters but never gave up—then sold millions.
Do you have a favorite character or scene in one of your books?
I seem to either fall in love with or hate most of my characters. I believe all my lead characters have strong personalities people seem to love or hate. Of course I love Peter Pan in The Pan: Experiencing Neverland. I also love Saint Nicholas in Saint Nicholas, the Christmas Story. I love the character, Josh, a prodigy child violinist in my upcoming WW2 novel. I can’t tell you my favorite scene from The Pan, because it would give too much away, wouldn’t it? ;0)
Where do you get your ideas?
This is the funny thing—I have no clue. Something strikes me and I’ll get goose bumps and know I’m supposed to make a novel of it. Like I said, I prefer historical fiction, so it is often something in history that intrigues me. The strangest one was how I got the idea for Whiter Than Snow, my young adult, very true historical fiction version of the Snow White story. I’ve never been a fan of the Disney Snow White version, and it was the one princess story I never really read to my daughters. But one night I had a dream that Snow White was a real person and that the story was based on truth—that I needed to write the truth about her life. I woke up the next morning and furiously researched her life, devouring every little bit of history I could find on her. I was utterly shocked to find out the stories were all based on truth—about a beautiful young woman named Margarete Von Waldeck who was in love with Prince Philip II of Spain, and he was in love with her. However, there was a problem; for political reasons, Prince Philip was engaged to Queen Mary, or Bloody Mary, who martyred hundreds upon hundreds of protestant Christians. Not only is this a love story, but it’s a story about saving the lives of others through self sacrifice.
What are common mistakes you see aspiring writer’s make?
I used to teach high school Scriptwriting and Language Arts, and I’ve met a lot of indie writers. One common mistake I see is poor editing. They’ll have a great story with tons of mistakes that get in the way. Or they’ll have a good story that could be great. The problem I believe is that they get anxious after their first draft and want to publish it right away. Instead, my suggestion would be to sit on it for a few months after you wrote it—take a break and then go back and edit it. Your mind will be fresh and you’ll come up with new ideas. Also, have a fresh pair of eyes on it. Let your writer friends read it and give you advice or edits. Editing is more than just fixing punctuation or spelling.
Where/How do you recommend writers try to break into the market?
I started writing for newspapers and magazines. I have also done CD reviews, band interviews, etc. However, that was fifteen years ago. I honestly would say start by writing something incredible. Pour your soul into it. If it’s good, people will recommend it to their friends. We live in the digital age where word of mouth of a great book works wonders for indie writers.
Matthew Eldridge’s debut novel, Saint Nicholas, the Christmas Story, made it to the #1 Best Seller for religious fiction ebooks on Amazon. Penned the next Christmas Classic, this novel will be one that will be remembered for a lifetime. Matthew’s second novel, Whiter Than Snow, spent five days at #1 Best Seller for Fairy Tales fiction e-books, and his latest novel, The Pan: Experiencing Neverland, climbed to number one in action and adventures for teens upon release.
Matthew writes a variety of styles including young adult fiction, historical fiction with a modern flair, teen fiction, and screen plays.
Matthew’s newest novel, The Pan: Experiencing Neverland, is a teenage action adventure adaptation of the Peter Pan and Wendy story. Profits from the 2nd version of The Pan go to missions for impoverished Native American communities.
Outside of writing, Matthew is a professional musician, singer, composer, and songwriter. He also works in the film industry as an actor, musician, double, and stand-in for famous actors such as Adam Sandler, Jason Bateman, Jon Hamm, Jake Johnson, Ed Helms, Theo James, Sam Claflin, Ethan Hawke, Carey Elwes, Adam Goldberg, Tim Guinee, Will Forte, Billy Burke and others.
