I am delighted to feature this morning in an author interview on the blog of Sam Kandej.
Sam is an Iranian author and is presently hosting a series of short talks with authors and publishers on his blog. He is involved in a number of writing initiatives, all of which are carried out with his customary enthusiasm and passion.
What had initially seemed like simple questions actually caused me to really stop and consider what it was I admire about short fiction. I found the interview to be a really valuable exercise in introspection. Examining what initially prompted me to write, what it is I enjoy about writing, and taking a moment to remember short stories from yesteryear made for an enjoyable morning for me.
Read the interview here. Image courtesy of Pixabay.
Matthew Richardson is a writer of short stories. His work has featured in Gold Dust magazine, Literally Stories, Near to the Knuckle, McStorytellers, Penny Shorts, Soft Cartel, Whatever Keeps the Lights On, and Shooter magazine. He is a PhD student at the University of Dundee, a lucky husband, and a proud father.
Not necessarily in that order.
Matthew Richardson 
Um, this is so exciting! I will be checking it out pronto. :))
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Soooo…. that was all kinds of wonderful. (I have to find it in the reader view to be able to like it though… some glitch in my browser at the front end of WP sites). But so awesome to learn more about you, and your writing and reading, and the interview itself was so lovely formatted and laid out! Wonderful read and design.
My favourite things….
1) “Q: Who is your most favourite, non-famous short story writer? Why do you like her/his works?
“A: My daughter. She has not long started school, and hers is an imagination unfettered by any concerns of what others may think of her stories. If she wants to tell you a story about fairies and unicorns, then that is what she will do. She writes for her own pleasure alone.”
That is just so wonderful. 😭👌🤗🙏✍️🌱
2) The part where you talk about social media presence and success vs just doing it:
“If you are a writer, then show us, don’t tell. Publish for free if it pleases you. Entertain. Titillate. Amuse.” Yes! Love this phrasing, too!!
3) Descriptions of your favourite fictional characters… especially this one: “Arthur in ‘The Once and Future King’ by T.H.White – unusually for a sword-and-tights epic, Arthur is not clever, strong, or handsome. He simply means well, and it is this quality which makes him such an excellent protagonist for a tragedy.”
4) Q: “Do you edit your works yourself or do you ask a friend to edit them for you? Do you have some beta readers?”
A: “I’m of the opinion that if an editor sees a piece of work too soon then it will likely wither in the light. I like to draft, polish, then sit on my work for a while before handing it over to my wife, who is my best critic. She is an unfailingly good judge, if only because I can tell when a piece is compelling because she doesn’t get up to make herself a cup of coffee when she is reading it for the first time!”
This whole interview was heartwarming and I feel so glad that Sam did this. I dream of interviewing everybody I know, but I’m afraid of not doing it right… so I tend to operate on flow.
By the way, kudos on living such an upstanding and inspiring life, it’s amazing and so hard-working; it sets a great example… and truly, it shows. 🙏🌱
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Oh I’m not sure I come anywhere near the term ‘upstanding’! Thanks for your feedback and your read as always, Nadine. I’m the same – often thought about doing a series of interviews with fellow authors and artists. Maybe something for the future…
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