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Something Must be Done and Crazy Medicine

Matt Carrell

Matt Carrell - Author
Matt Carrell

Matt Carrell

 

01  Name:    Matt Carrell     Blog or Website: http://www.mattcarrellbooks.com

02  Country: UK and France

03  Do you prefer to read a genre, which?:

I shy away from anything that has the word vampire, zombie or dragon in the description, which takes out about half of the new releases on Amazon. Apart from that I’ll take a look at most things. I love reading about Asia and am drawn to anything which is a good story and gives me the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of a foreign land.

04  Do you write in the same genre, if not, which?:

Both my books are set in Asia, as is my latest project, and I hope that readers come away with a better understanding of the culture of my characters.  .

05  Have you always written and what got you started professionally?

I started writing for my own amusement about three years ago and was encouraged by the feedback received from friends. After many years working in Asia, I had a number of ideas for stories which I thought were entertaining, amusing, absorbing and sometimes a little scary.  I ran them past a publisher who was very familiar with the Far East and we started working on Thai Lottery in the middle of last year.

06  How many books have you published?:

Thai Kiss is a novel, Thai Lottery is a series of short stories and Something Must Be Done is a short story set in a US High School and Hull in England.

07  Which one would you like to tell us about?:

Thai Kiss is my favourite to date. It was my second project and I felt that I’d learned a lot from writing Thai Lottery.

08  About my book:

Here’s brief description that will give you a flavor:

Paul Murphy desperately wants to be a big shot but the pursuit of fortune often comes with a heavy price. For Paul, it was the life of his best friend and partner, Tommy, apparently murdered for encroaching on a local drug gang’s turf. Paul, a lowly hospital porter, fearful that he’ll be next, flees to Thailand to lay low while reconnecting with Tommy’s supplier in Pattaya. He meets the enchanting Yim and, veering from his intended plan, starts to rebuild his life running a chain of bars. Sonthi, a local heavy, offers protection for a price and the corrupt Mongkut ensures that the police will always turn a blind eye. So many want a share of Paul’s success, but when greed prevails and they get tired of sharing, it’s Paul’s liberty and life itself that are on the line.

09  [simpleazon-image align=”none” asin=”B00D11AU8W” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Sw1tjSVtL._SL160_.jpg” width=”113″]   [simpleazon-image align=”none” asin=”B00ACZS1GS” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jc035OQfL._SL160_.jpg” width=”113″]   [simpleazon-image align=”none” asin=”B00D0UNCHA” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41mcz6%2B5QxL._SL160_.jpg” width=”113″]

10  What would you like your next book to be on?:

I’m working on a book called Vortex right now. Once again it’s based in Asia. I spent nearly twenty-five years working in the investment industry and the book is about greed, corruption and the moral vacuum that exists when powerful people lose the plot. Any suggestion that I am basing the story on my own career will of course be vigorously denied.

11  If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why?:

I’ve been incredibly lucky in my work and have travelled all over the world. There are a few places I would like to visit but if I could go anywhere, my real fantasy is to be able to travel in time. Backwards would be great to see whether things I’ve read have any basis in fact. Better would be to go forward and see if we really do make as much of a mess of the world as we currently seem destined to do.

12  Is there anything you can share about yourself or your work that not many people know?:

My first two books use the Thai sex industry as a backdrop and many of my friends and old colleagues have been a little surprised by what you might describe as a detailed knowledge of how that works. I’m often asked how my wife feels about this, indeed whether she even knows that I write such books. Now seems like a good time to give her the credit she deserves, she is actually my chief researcher. Late last year, I was reading some very boring documents in London when she phoned from Thailand. I asked her where she was. “Playing pool and watching football in a beer bar in Hua Hin,” she replied.

13  What is your favourite foreign food?:

Thai by a long way. My favourite thing is to eat with locals, ask them to order and then just try whatever lands on my plate.

14  Are you, or have you ever been, a terrorist?:

I applied a few years ago but failed the medical. The disappointment was one of the reasons I turned my hand to writing.

15  Have you ever called your partner by a name in your books and what was the reaction?:

My wife has been involved in all three published works. To put her in one of my books would be an insane risk on my part. I’m not that brave.

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