Please give a warm welcome to author Matthew J. Stott

Tell us a bit about yourself…

My name is Matthew and I’m an author residing in Illinois with my wife, two children, and pug. I’m a huge geek when it comes to all things fantasy and sci-fi and belong to a number of fandoms like Marvel, Star Wars, and Harry Potter, which are all huge inspirations for my stories.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

Since about the 4th grade in elementary school, when I was first taught about creative writing, I’ve gravitated toward storytelling. This turned into a passion in my later youth to become an author one day. I wrote short stories for fun over the years until I felt ready to pursue my first novel. So yes, for as long as I can remember.

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

Like I mentioned before, my favorite movies and shows are a big inspiration for my writing. Specifically for my current book/series, I fell in love with a video game franchise called Kingdom Hearts where a kid and his friends leave their simple island life and travel to all these amazing worlds. I was always fascinated with the idea of portals and different realms and knew I wanted to craft a story around that concept, hence how “The Portal to Aardon” was born.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m gearing up for the release of my debut novel, which is very exciting, but at the same time I’m working on the sequel as this series is set currently to be three books. This second book is going to take all the magic, action, and emotion of the first book and amp it up fifty notches.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I’m not sure if you’d call it a quirk, but I like to listen to various scores while I write. That is, instrumental music without lyrics, which I feel strikes the perfect balance of stimulating the brain without being too distracting. I also find motivation for my writing in commissioning artwork of my characters so I can see them come to life, as well as creating “mood boards” which are basically pictures/artwork that showcase the aesthetics and themes of your story.

What are your hopes for the future?

My hopes for the future are to 1) have my debut novel sell well, so that my sequel books will have the audience they deserve and 2) complete my series in a satisfying manner while continuing to grow my author presence across social media so that I can eventually afford to quit my day job and write stories for a living.

Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?

My main advice would be to start networking and building a social media presence as soon as they can. The publishing industry can be a frustrating and overwhelming place, and having writer friends and people there to support you who understand what you’re going through is crucial to your success as an author.

Do you have anything to say to your followers?

I hope you’ll check out my YA fantasy novel, “The Portal to Aardon,” when it releases on Sept 13 and leave an honest review. I’ve worked so hard on this story and feel it will resonate strongly with readers. I’m absolutely grateful for all the friends, family, and fellow readers/writers who have supported me in any way along my journey. Thank you!