Author Visit – Broadway Academy

At 3.30 on Tuesday morning my alarm rang out. After considering turning it off and burying my head in my pillow, I dragged myself out of bed, washed and dressed, and proceeded to carry eight enormous boxes of books from our first floor flat to the boot of my car outside. By 4.30 I was on the road, coffee in hand, facing three hours…

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by Matt Wainwright

Expectation vs Reality

I was recently invited to write a short article for the book blogging website, ‘Mr. Ripley’s Enchanted Books’, about my experiences debuting in a global pandemic. It’s been a long and very interesting year, and it was nice to have a chance to reflect on the process. Here’s the first couple of paragraphs. You can link to the rest of the article below. Every…

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by Matt Wainwright

Listen to the first two chapters

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Getting back into drafting the next book! I've found my writing process is very stop-start - I tend to re-write the first third four or five times until I'm satisfied that I know where the story is going, and I can have huge gaps between drafts while my brain works out what to do next. There's a lot to be said for sitting and doing nothing as an author (and it's probably true for any creative profession). Your brain can get seized up if you try to force it to work, and it likes to relax now and again. A lot of the work of plotting is done unconsciously, on the fringes of thought. Hence I get most of my best ideas while I'm driving, or walking, or doing the washing up! It doesn't hurt to have inspiring surroundings, either, and Eltham Palace is one of the best places I know for sitting and tapping away. It helps that it was the place where Henry VIII grew up, so nice ties to my current Tudor setting! Lovely day at Dover Castle Lovely afternoon at Dyffryn Gardens in Wales 😁 "The black night sky above him was slowly turning to muddy blue-grey as a new day dawned. A sea of rooftops spread out all around him, rising and falling, the scattered chimney-pots like bobbing buoys; already thin streams of grey smoke had begun to rise skywards from them, as the morning fires were lit in kitchens and bedrooms across the city. His eyes followed the crowded mass of buildings down towards the river, where the great dome of St. Paul’s cathedral rose serenely over the sleeping metropolis, and for a few seconds he felt oddly at peace." King Henry's Mound in Richmond Park, southwest London. Said to be the place where Henry VIII stood and watched a firework go up to mark the death of Anne Boleyn, leaving him free to marry Jane Seymour. NEW BLOG POST! Last Tuesday I was invited to Broadway Academy in Birmingham to give two assemblies and three reading workshops. You can find my write-up of the day on my website (link in bio). Had a fantastic day at Broadway Academy in Birmingham. 2 assemblies, 3 workshops with years 7-9. Thanks to all the staff and students who took part (especially the year 9s who were very patient with me!!). Thanks to Mr Skelton for reading the book and inviting me. Completely worth the 4.30am start and the sore throat from so much chatting and performances as 'Gerard' the chimney sweep. Well done to the Chimney Champions who managed to fit through the Chimney Sweep Assessment Device. And a huge thank you to students who came up to see me at the end. I hope you enjoy your summer reading! And I hope to see you again in September 😁 Round 2! Getting into my stride now hopefully 😂 Getting ready to sign 600 copies of 'Out of the Smoke' for a school visit next week (this is the first batch 🤣). I'll be talking about the book and why I wrote it, and leading study groups and workshops to promote reading and writing.

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