REVIEW: Matt Darst - Freaks Anon

Genre: Horror / Everything

Publisher: Grand Mal Press/Outside of a Dog Publishing

Publication Date: 29^th Feb 2016

Pages: 294

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of Freaks Anon was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, Matt Darst, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Grand Mal Press/Outside of a Dog Publishing.

Matt Darst is a name I have seen floating around the world of social media for a while now. The cover for Freaks Anon kept appearing on my news feeds. An intriguing cover, one that had me interested but I just never got around to investigating any further. Until, a mutual friend suggested I should give it a read. He very highly recommended it and suggested that because all proceeds from the book were going to charity that it deserved a bit of highlighting.

I have discovered that whenever this mutual friend suggests books to me again, I am going to drop everything and pick up whatever he suggests.

This is what I thought of Freaks Anon.

It’s been a while; it’s BOGOF day! (Buy One Get One Free for those not in the know)

REVIEW 1:

Don’t waste your time reading my drivel below. Just go buy this masterpiece and give some well needed cash to charity and feel good about yourself. Or don’t buy it and feel very, very bad about yourself!

REVIEW 2:

Centurion is on the hunt. He is trying to track down a mysterious girl that seems to be connected with the death of his young sidekick, Henry. The police seem to have no clues, but Centurion nearly has her.

Chee and her father, Marcus are continuously moving towns. Chee thinks it’s because of his job. Marcus knows different. She can never understand how a lot of her friends seem to die tragic, unexplained deaths.

Following an ancient tradition started in the 1700’s, a secret government organisation uses individuals with special powers to hunt down other people with special powers that would be commonly known as witches. Some people think that this is to rid the world of these supposed demons but others know the true purpose of the hunt.

Centurion and Chee are on a collision course. No one knows what the outcome will be. No one knows what the freaks are capable of.

Where to start with this little gem? I usually start with the characters but to be honest I could just write about them for the entire review. They were superb. Every single one of them.

Centurion is the main man. He knows something is going on. He knows that these deaths are not tragic accidents. He knows there is sorcery afoot. His real name is Larry but through circumstances, he calls himself Centurion. He doesn’t really believe he has super powers but the persona must be maintained. This man is such a gent. He has every good quality a man should have. Chee has powers that she doesn’t even know about. In many ways she is an innocent child but in others, she is a very powerful woman. Her dad Marcus is man torn between doing what is right and loving his daughter. His loyalties are a bit misguided but deep down he is a decent man.

Others that come into the story would be Chee’s friends, Astrid and Kim. These two girls have powers also. They know they have them but they don’t use them against anyone. Getting wrapped up in the world of Chee and Marcus was the last thing they had in mind but deal with what is thrown at them in a very strong and mature way. Holly is a journalist. A typically untrustworthy journalist that has had a huge effect on Centurion’s past life. She has a lot to answer for. Just when you think she is coming good, she acts like a journalist again. Nigel Crown is a rock star nearing the end of his career. Through circumstances, or drink he is approached by a wise old spirit hell bent on dragging him into the story.

On the evil side of things, you have Smith and Mansfield. Can’t give you much info on these two other than the fact that Smith also has powers. He seems good at the start but you soon learn he isn’t. Mansfield is just despicable. Not giving any more on him.

The plot? Centurion is trying to find the killers of his young sidekick, Henry. He comes up against all sorts of things in his quest. That’s it. Anything else would spoil this wondrous journey for you.

Trying to put this into a specific genre is, for me, impossible. It could be horror. It could be superhero like any Marvel comic. It could be a thriller. It could be a crime book. It could be a paranormal story. It could be a monster story. To get a little bit of insight into what it actually is then take a little bit of each of the above elements and shove them in a jar. Put the lid on it and give a good shake and then pull the lid off and empty it. What is now on the table in front of you is what this book is all about.

A perfect mixture of wonderful excitement and tension and thrills and laughs and cry’s and scares, whoo hoo’s and boos. This is one of the most wonderful rides I have had in reading a book in a long long time.

So what is the writing like? Have you not guessed? Matt Darst has written it all in this book. His characters are so unassuming and gentle but scary at the same time. They have powers and abilities that make them special and unbelievable but you can envisage everything about them being one hundred percent real. You can imagine people like this walking the streets beside you or sitting in a café opposite you and you would never know.

Free flowing. Perfectly paced from start to finish. Fast when it needs to be and slow when it has to be. Imaginative. Exhilarating. Thrilling. Fun. Scary in parts. This book really has it all.

One thing I love about books like this is the fact you get the history part of it. It starts in the 1700’s giving you an insight into the origins of the story. As it progresses, it jumps back and forwards in time explaining little details and pulling together different pieces of the story perfectly to knit them all together and give you a very satisfying overall picture of a centuries old evil and supernatural power that could very well be among us today. Who knows?

This story will make you a believer.

To summarise: no words. Just buy it.

General rating:

★★★★★ absolutely superb!

Everything else rating:

★★★★★ absolutely superb!

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy Freaks Anon or any other books from Matt. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.

Thanks.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Book Synopsis:

Collection notices. Disapproving looks. Sleeping in a van. Life’s hard for wannabe superhero. Things get harder still when Centurion’s sidekick, Henry, dies.

The police say Henry’s death was an accident. Centurion knows better. Henry’s death is part of a bigger pattern. Someone’s murdering children, kids with extraordinary psychic and physical abilities, across the South and Midwest.

He needs to find the killer fast. In Chicago, his prime suspect has already set her sights on friends Astrid and Kim. But these teens aren’t like anything he’s ever seen. They’re special. Like Henry.

Centurion will face spies, monsters, and the ultimate evil: the Chicago auto pound. If he doesn’t watch out, he might just find he’s the one in need of saving.

Freaks Anon is a paranormal superhero tale. Included with the novel is the dystopian short story Monument. All proceeds from the sale of Freaks Anon will be donated to Stand Up to Cancer.

All proceeds from the sale of this Freaks Anon will be donated to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). Private donations can be made at http://do.eifoundation.org/goto/mattdarst

Matt Darst’s childhood addiction to reading took a turn for the worst when he started writing…for fun. His experimentation with notebooks (a classic gateway) led to dabbling with typewriters. Soon he was hitting the hard stuff: word processors.

After law school, he decided to straighten out his life. He went cold turkey. He got a responsible job, a place in Chicago, and a dog. He surrounded himself with all the trappings of a normal life. Still…

Pen and pad call to Matt late at night, cooing his name, telling him to take another hit of fiction. Sometimes, when he’s weak, he heeds the siren call of the drug. He wakes from each blackout amid reams of freshly written pages, pages that have seemingly written themselves.

And for more about Matt, visit his site or find him on social media:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page

INTERVIEW: MATT DARST - PART TWO

Welcome to Part Two of Confessions of a Reviewers’ interview with Matt Darst. If you read Part One last night, you should have a pretty good idea of what Matt is about. If you haven’t, shame on you.

One thing that strikes me about this young man this week is that as well as having the talent for the writing game, he is an extremely intelligent fella with a very extensive knowledge of the book world.

In tonight’s section Matt kicks things off by talking about his latest book, Freaks Anon, then he will give you a bit more info about himself and finally takes on The Ten Confessions.

As with last nights, this one is funny whilst intelligent and informative and also very personal.

It’s only Tuesday but go grab some pizza and a beer, sit back, and mostly……enjoy!

CoaR - Moving on to Freaks Anon, where did this mash up come from?

MD - It started with a single word: “chimera,” a monster made from the fusion of a number of different animals. To me, the word phonetically sounds close to a name: Kim Era. That idea, that a name could hold double meaning and describe a set of super-abilities, inspired a superhero backstory. Then I went to work building this idea into a story, incorporating characters with a variety of physical and mental “gifts” that society views as monstrous or even demonic. Shapeshifting, witchcraft, and poltergeists all had a place in my superhero universe.

I was also inspired by “real life” superheroes, folks like Master Legend and Mr. Extreme that actually wear masks and patrol the streets despite a total lack of superpowers. There’s something very sweet, albeit delusional, about their lack of self-awareness and aimless pursuit of good deeds. The character of Centurion epitomizes this aspect of “superherodom,” and made for a great foil in the book.

CoaR - This is a question I have never asked before but how long did it take you to write this? In many ways it is so complex but in others so easy to read. It just gives the feeling that this must have taken years to write?

MD - It did, in fact. From ideation to publication, it took almost three years. Since fiction writing is more of an outlet for me than a job, I was able to take my time with Freaks. I hope that shows in the research and plotting. I also had a ton of fun writing it, so it’s possible that I drew out the process because I just didn’t want it to end.

CoaR - You have so many different genres in this story and bring them all together perfectly but which would be your favourite to write?

MD - Thank you! Honestly, I don’t think I have a favorite. I grew up on horror, like Carpenter, King, Stoker, and Straub, so those genres have a special place in my heart. Horror serves as my starting point, and from there I layer in science, history, and mystery with the aim of more fully fleshing out the universe I’m creating.

CoaR - Why go the very generous route of giving all the proceeds from this story to charity? Tell us all about the charity.

MD - Cancer is a real scourge. We’re all impacted by it at some point in our lives, in horrible ways.

My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was writing the novel. Until now, that’s not something I’ve shared outside of discussions with a few friends. Her fight continues, and this novel is a unique opportunity for me to honor her courage and grace.

The charity, Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C), seeks to accelerate innovative cancer research to get new therapies to patients quickly, and immediately save lives. By bringing together researchers and encouraging collaboration instead of competition, SU2C offers a real window of hope. 

It’s a well-respected 501(c)(3) charity and received an A- from Charity Watch in September 2015. Approximately 77% of SU2C's cash budget is spent on programs versus overhead.

I believe in transparency, so I set up a page that accepts and tracks donations:http://do.eifoundation.org/goto/mattdarst

CoaR – Please help by visiting Matt’s page and giving whatever you can. Like Matt says, we all get impacted by cancer at some stage of our lives. Let’s give a little back.

CoaR - I don’t want to give anything away about the ending but it is possible for a revisit to the world of Freaks Anon. Is this likely to happen?

MD - Yes, I have two ideas. The first is a prequel of sorts involving Charlie and his son (Astrid’s dad). It will stand alone as a novel that takes place during WWII and during the early part of the 80’s. We’ll also get a look at how Nigel’s music career started. The second is a sequel, one that starts where Freaks left off. It will offer new baddies and new challenges.

CoaR - What’s the most difficult part of writing for you?

MD - Stopping. Once I’ve got a full head of steam going, it’s very difficult for me to rein myself in. During the winter, it’s worse. My tendency to “binge write” increases as the length of the day decreases. In late December, I’ll write for stretches of eight to fourteen hours.

CoaR - What would your ultimate wish be with your writing?

MD - I just hope people find it inspirational. When someone contacts me to tell me how something I’ve written has touched them, it makes it all worth it.

CoaR - What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

MD - My list probably reads like a personal ad. “I like taking long walks, reading, listening to music and going to concerts, sketching, playing with my dog…” My God, that’s milquetoast. I need to come up with some cooler hobbies, like hunting harpies, genetic experimentation, crunk dancing, time travel, etc. I need to aspire to be Buckaroo Banzai.

CoaR - What’s coming in the future from Matt Darst?

MD - I’m working on a vampire novel called Sanguinary. I have the prequel outlined for Freaks Anon, tentatively called Adverse Possession. I’m also playing around with a couple of short stories about time travel and sentient mold. I started working on a kid’s book called Don’tabout a bug that leads a little girl on a journey through a variety of monstrous landscapes. Here are some early sketches for it.

THE TEN CONFESSIONS

1. Who would you view as your main competitor in the writing world?

I’m not sure I see it as a competitive landscape. In fact, I try to help other authors out when I can. I’ve reviewed and copyedited stories for a number of friends on social media. And since I didn’t get into writing to become famous, the success of others isn’t a factor that drives me. I like seeing them do well.

So, that said, my biggest competition will probably always be the immediate last novel I wrote. My sense is that Freaks Anon is a vastly better novel than Dead Things, and I want my next book to top Freaks. I hope with every publication I continue to improve and grow as a writer.

2. What book or author have you read that you think should never have been published?

There’s probably an audience for every book. Even if the premise of a book seems a little silly (sparkling vampires, for instance), as long as it serves as an entry point for reading, everyone is better served by having that novel around. Society needs educated readers, and if Stephanie Meyers is the gateway for that, so be it. Embarrassing young readers because of their choices won’t help move civilization forward or improve sales for other authors.

The above notwithstanding, I’m not necessarily sure that Michael Crichton’s The Lost Worldimproved the planet. I’m a Crichton fan, but it seemed to rely too heavily on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work of the same name and Crichton’s own Jurassic Park. That might be one of the rare cases when the movie betters the book.

3. Are any of the things your characters have experienced in your books been based on something that has actually happened to you? What was it?

I have never fallen down a sinkhole. I’ve never battled zombies. I’ve never fought a government agent in an alley. I’ve never thrown a Molotov cocktail. I’ve never contacted ghosts in the astral plane. I’ve never sipped from the fountain of youth. I’ve never survived in a post-apocalyptic world.

And I’ve only turned into a werewolf twice, at least that I’m aware of.

So, no.

4. Have you ever blatantly stolen an idea or scene and adapted it for one of your own books? If so, care to share?

I don’t think so, at least not consciously. I do incorporate a lot of scientific research into what I write, so a lot of information about pathology, astronomy, and biology makes it into my books. I try to twist it to suit my own purposes though.

As an aside, if you’re ever looking for a great book on parasitism by microbes and other organisms, please check out Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer. It’s an amazing resource. And if you’re looking for a book about emerging diseases, grab Laurie Garrett’s The Coming Plague.

5. Have you ever anonymously left a bad review for someone else’s book? If so, care to share?

Never. Author Joe McKinney gave me some pretty sage advice over drinks once. First, never interact with reviewers. The review space is the habitat of the reader. When an author engages with reviewers in that space, it’s like reaching your hand into a shark tank. That’s startling for readers/would-be critics. Most of the predators will dart away, but some might attack. Second, if you don’t like a book, there are better ways of spending your time than crushing it.

6. What’s the one thing you are least proud of doing in your life and why?

I think what I’m least proud of is who I was during my early college years. I wasn’t incredibly tolerant, and I allowed my views to be shaped by my past and others around me. Fortunately, a series of experiences—an internship at a foreign policy think tank in Washington, moving to Chicago on my own, putting myself through law school at night—provided opportunities for me to get out of my comfort zone. I realized that I was an incredibly narrow-minded person in my late teens/early twenties.

I’m also not proud of my first concert: Wham! In my defense, it was a date, and she and her sister screamed like it was the second coming of the Beatles while her parents waited for us in their car in the parking lot.

7. What’s the one thing you are MOST proud of doing in your life and why?

Gosh, I’m not sure. I’m just psyched when I can hit the wastebasket with a crumpled piece of paper.

There are things that I’ve done that I’m happier for doing. Like rescuing my dog, Rodrick (below right). I picked him out a month or so after my bulldog Jack (below left) had passed away. Unfortunately, Rodrick was going be euthanized due to a cleft pallet. That sounds draconian, but it’s actually merciful as dogs with a cleft can’t survive for long. They starve, choke to death, or die from infections. But I fed him with a syringe for months until he was big enough for surgery. After a couple of operations, he could finally eat on his own. Like Jack, Rodrick is pretty amazing, and I’m glad I was able to give him a new lease on life. And he’s a great writing buddy. He hardly ever criticizes my work. Hardly.

8. What’s your biggest fault?

There have been times when I have allowed fear to control my life. I don’t take many risks, and those I take are fairly calculated. I’m a creature of habit, and it’s often easier for me to forego a new experience even though I might be better for it. Change can make me anxious.

9. What is your biggest fear?

Losing people I love is probably my greatest rational fear. It’s easier to come to terms with my own mortality than losing others.

My greatest irrational fear? Clowns. I say, “clowns,” and not, “evil clowns,” because the word “evil” is really superfluous.

More irrational than that? Space clowns, of course. Wait, maybe space sharks. I don’t know. That’s probably a tie.

10. If you had to go to confession now, what would be the one thing you would need to get off your chest?

I’ve got a list:

 ✦ I don’t call my family enough. I need to do that more.

 ✦ Although I’m pretty tolerant, this election cycle is testing my limits.

 ✦ I’m a music snob. I actually debated someone the other day about whether Bare Naked Ladies is a good band. They. Are. Not.

 ✦ I still have a crush on Jennifer Beals. Shouldn’t I have been able to move past this by now?

 ✦ I have a collection of fossils, and if someone calls them, “Rocks,” they are dead to me.

 ✦ I have never seen Avatar. And I won’t.

 ✦ I have never smoked pot. And I probably won’t because I’m too old. That’s just plain sad.

 ✦ I’m a wallflower. It’s better to not dance and let people think you’re horrible than to dance and erase all doubt.

 ✦ I’d like to write a script for a James Bond movie. In mine, Bond would be in his seventies and would become the new M. He’s drawn back to work because his friend Tanner has been murdered and his government pension is horrible.

 ✦ I make too many lists.

 ✦ My lists are too long. I never know when to end them.

 ✦ I question myself. Like, should I end this list now?

 ✦ And I’m prone to internal dialog. Yes, end this list now. You’re being ridiculous.

 ✦ I’m sensitive. Don’t call me ridiculous.

 ✦ I’m repetitive. Well, this list is too long. Enough with the list.

 ✦ I pout. Fine. I didn’t have anything more to say anyway.

Well, unfortunately that’s it for the interview. I’m sure you will agree that you probably learnt a thing or two from this one. I certainly did. Least of all how to make lists!

I would like to personally thank Matt for his time and help in putting this together. This was a bit if a surprise one because there were no firm plans for an interview but once I had read Freaks Anon, I couldn’t resist.

Please remember to come back tomorrow night where I will have the Confessions review of Matt’s latest book, Freaks Anon and will include all the links you need to pick it up.

Thanks again for visiting Confessions of a Reviewer!

All proceeds from the sale of this Freaks Anon will be donated to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). Private donations can be made at http://do.eifoundation.org/goto/mattdarst

Matt Darst’s childhood addiction to reading took a turn for the worst when he started writing…for fun. His experimentation with notebooks (a classic gateway) led to dabbling with typewriters. Soon he was hitting the hard stuff: word processors.

After law school, he decided to straighten out his life. He went cold turkey. He got a responsible job, a place in Chicago, and a dog. He surrounded himself with all the trappings of a normal life. Still…

Pen and pad call to Matt late at night, cooing his name, telling him to take another hit of fiction. Sometimes, when he’s weak, he heeds the siren call of the drug. He wakes from each blackout amid reams of freshly written pages, pages that have seemingly written themselves.

And for more about Matt, visit his site or find him on social media:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page

INTERVIEW: MATT DARST - PART ONE

Welcome to Part One of Confessions of a Reviewers’ interview with a man that many of you may not have heard of before, Matt Darst. This is part of my mission to change that. You really need to get to know this man and read his books! They are absolute gems and need to be on more shelves!

If you don’t know a lot, or indeed anything, about Matt, then read on. In this interview Matt was kind enough to take the time out to give us some detailed, informative and funny answers to all the questions I threw at him.

In Part One, tonight, we find out some general information about Matt and his writing and influences. In Part Two, tomorrow night, Matt will give us some specifics on his latest book Freaks Anon, and also some more general life stuff, and of course will be taking on the mighty Ten Confessions!

On night three, as always, I will be posting my review of Freaks Anon.

Nothing left to say at this point other than go grab some nibbles and a drink and sit back, and most of all……enjoy!

CoaR - So tell everyone a bit about yourself in general? Who is Matt Darst and what is he about?

MD - A tough existential question right out the gate!

First, though, I’d like to take a moment to thank you. Thanks for reading Freaks Anon and thanks for this interview. I know there are a lot of reading choices out there, a lot of good books competing for your time. I really appreciate your interest in the book.

My base response: I’m a cog in a greater societal machine. My job is to turn and do so as long as I can. Hopefully as I go through my rotations I can help the people I come in contact with, spin too. That, I think, is the duty we all owe each other as part of a greater social compact: make life easier for people when you can, and when you can’t, make sure you don’t say or do anything to prevent others from “turning.” Like the gears in an engine, our time is finite. We are the personification of planned obsolescence. Let’s be kind to each other while we can. 

What else? I like learning. I enjoy synthesizing information and connecting seemingly unrelated ideas in creative ways. I revel in data and using it to solve problems.

When given a choice, I’d rather hang out with people that are different from me. There’s so much to learn from others. After all, who really wants to hang out with his or her clone anyway? What would you talk to yourself about? How completely and utterly boring. We should celebrate our individuality.

You’ve probably guessed that I’m kind of introverted. I occasionally need alone time to recharge my battery. I sometimes worry that this sends the wrong signals.

I’m a music fan. Right now, I’m listening to Roxy Music’s Out of the Blue. The next song that’s queued up is Nite Flights by The Walker Brothers. Favourite musicians-slash-bands include Bowie, Iggy Pop, New Order, The Smiths, Pulp, The Stranglers…honestly, there are too many to name check.

CoaR - I know that you studied law but have you put that into practice? Do you use it for a pay the bills job?

MD - I negotiated contracts and drafted ordinances in my prior job. Now, the majority of my job consists of managing a data analytics team, challenging accepted theories about transportation and delivering data-driven insights to clients. If the purpose of technology is to save time, then the purpose of transportation technologies must be to save time while travelling. This probably sounds boring, but I actually enjoy it a lot, and I could rant about mobility for hours. We don’t have hours, do we?

CoaR - Why writing? Why decide on that as a career?

MD - Well, I wouldn’t call writing a career, necessarily, although it is a huge component of what I do on a daily basis. I write a lot for work. I draft content for a number of transportation periodicals and research boards. I get to present a few times each year at conferences and to customers concerning subjects that are important to cities: sustainable transportation, mobility as a human right, managing congestion, etc.

I write fiction because it’s a compulsion, an itch that only the written word can scratch. If I go for a prolonged period without writing, I sulk. Writing is an opportunity to problem-solve. It’s a method to work out my thoughts.

When I started writing, I didn’t have illusions that I could make a career out of it. That’s really hard to do (especially when you’re not very prolific), and I have tons of respect for those who make it. From a glass-is-half-full perspective, being a part-time writer has its benefits. It frees me from all of the deadlines and expectations that full-timers face. It allows me to write what I want when I want. That’s kind of nice.

Okay, that’s mostly lip service. I’d love to write fiction for a living.

CoaR - Take us through your process for a story. How do you start it and follow it through to the final product?

MD - A lot of my stories are sparked by something I’ve read, like an article in Discover Magazine or Scientific American. Contemplating how the impossible (zombification, superheroes, ghosts, immortality, etc.) could potentially be made real through science is fun.

I outline (I’m not a “pantser,” someone who flies by the seat of his pants) and research. If I’m setting a story in the past, for instance, I’ve got to know what people ate, what the weather was like, what they wore, the politics of the period, etc. I need to ensure that my application of science is fairly sound. I’ll probably read a book or two about epigenetics, emerging diseases, Native American lore, or another relevant topic. It can be a lengthy process.

Once I’ve actually completed the novel, I run it through the critical gauntlet formed by my family and a few close friends. These are people that aren’t afraid to critique me. They don’t hold back, and that’s a blessing. Their feedback leads to changes, and my stories are always better because of it.

Some writers hate editing. Not me. It’s a chance to make a few last minute modifications that can make or break a book. It might take months to fully edit a novel, culling thousands of words and adding back thousands more, but it’s a necessary process.

CoaR - Your parents are both artists. Did this have anything to do with you expressing your own art in writing?

MD - It did. Dad is an oil painter and mom is a potter. They’ve always been supportive of my writing and of art in general. They bought me my first electric typewriter. They nurtured creative thinking and a spirit of wonder in me and my brother and sister.

My dad is pretty gracious. He lets me use his art to support my author website (MattDarst.com) and in my non-fiction writing.

As an aside, my siblings are pretty artistic too. My brother, Josh, designs offices, schools, and building space, and my sister, Hanna, makes jewellery and is a great seamstress.

CoaR - How do you keep track of your ideas? Do you carry a notebook with you everywhere or write stuff on the back of your hand?

MD - I have too many notebooks. They’re all half full of thoughts, sketches, and ideas. I think I purposely forget to bring notebooks when I travel just so I have a reason to buy more. There was a time when I kept boxes full of articles from magazines that inspired me. Now, I try to move ideas to electronic formats, like spreadsheets.

More and more, I cut and paste research into files so that I can reference articles easily. I recently started to use PowerPoint to outline, describing a separate scene on each page of the presentation. That allows me to slide scenes backward or forward to improve the flow, or delete them altogether. I also use a white board and post-its.

CoaR - I know quite a few lawyers that are writers as well. Is there something in this? Some strange kind of talent that combines the two?

MD - If you’re predisposed to writing, law school can help you to become a more persuasive and organized writer. Law helps you think critically, fuse ideas, and research. From that perspective, a legal education has been invaluable.

Or it could be that writing is just an extension of the masochism that is being a lawyer. We should take a poll.

CoaR - Can you tell us if any of the characters in your books are based on people you have come across in your life or maybe even yourself?

MD - Well, there are aspects of myself in pretty much every character in my first novel, Dead Things. Peter’s vocation, Van’s sarcasm, Ian’s taste in music and fear, Burt’s love of Star Wars, Wright’s commitment to reason and protocol, etc.

There’s much less of me instilled in the characters in Freaks Anon. For the most part, they’re fairly original renderings. With a few exceptions, I tried not to base characters on friends or family. I do, however, like to drop names of my friends in my stories when I can.

CoaR - You only have the two novels for sale. A lot of authors these days seem to have a plethora of short stories in all sorts of anthologies. Why not you? Are shorts not your thing?

MD - I respect the short story format and admire writers that have mastered it. It’s very difficult to do, to tell a story in seven and a half thousand words or less. You have to be disciplined and tell your tale succinctly with narrative clarity. The novel format gives me a lot of room to roam. Because of that freedom, it probably suits me better. Still, I’ve got a few ideas for some short stories I’d like to tackle.

CoaR - Music seems to be a big part of your life, vinyl in particular and Brit bands also by the looks of things. What’s that all about?

MD - When people ask, “What type of music do you listen to?”  I never answer, “All kinds,” or, “Everything.” I’m not that guy. I’m really particular in an annoying way.

My parents were big into music when I was young, and then suddenly they weren’t. I think their interest in new music inversely correlated with child herding. Who has time to listen to a new album when the kids are about to kill each other in the next room? So their LPs were passed to me. I spent a lot of my teens taping Rolling Stones, The Young Rascals, and Otis Redding albums. That’s probably where the love began.

One favorite, by the way, is an album that came out before I was born, WPOP’s Pop Explosion. It’s a sampler with a ton of great songs on it by The Music Machine, ? and the Mysterions, Shadows of Knight, Count Five, James Brown, etc. My dad won this album when he was in the service by calling the Wolfman Jack radio show. A cool story to match some great songs.

I lived in Kentucky for most of the 70’s and wasn’t exposed primarily to country and western music. When I moved to the suburbs of Chicago in the 80’s, I was blown away by everything I had been missing.

Independent radio and music videos provided insights into new styles and bands, and I bought in. In the 90’s, as radio stations coalesced through mergers and acquisitions and the number of formats shrunk, I turned to the import bin at Virgin records for new music. If you wanted anything other than grunge, that’s where you searched. Granted, there were great U.S. bands like the Pixies and the Replacements, but they broke up as the decade stretched on.

CoaR - Are the pictures you post of the views of the lake taken from your house? If so, can I have it? It looks like the perfect writing / reading spot?

MD - Haha. Yes, they are. And while I can’t give you title, you are more than welcome to visit! Yeah, Round Lake is a great spot, a hidden gem an hour outside of Chicago. It’s a wonderful spot to work and write. It’s where I recharge my batteries.

The lake has its ghost stories too. For instance, there’s the legend of the ghost train. The lake is fed by natural springs, and in the early 1900’s, hundreds of tons of ice were pulled from the lake daily and processed by the Armour Ice House to refrigerate train cars. Some say a train crashed through the ice during one of its runs, killing those on board. Others say that the train was left derelict on the ice when the Armour facility closed and sank as the ice melted. I say the legend will make a great premise for a story someday.

CoaR - Who would be the authors you would give the credit of being your influences and who do you just not “get”?

MD - H.G. Wells, Richard Matheson, Chuck Palahniuk, King, Carpenter, John le Carre, Crichton, Hemingway, Irvine Welsh, Joseph Conrad, Gaiman, Thomas Harris, Christopher Buckley, Frank Miller, Brett Easton Ellis…my list of influences is pretty exhaustive and jumps from genre to genre. These are masters of storytelling, sci-fi, horror, espionage, humor, graphic novels, and adventure. Once you’ve read one of their stories or watched one of their films, you’ll keep it with you forever.

As for books I don’t quite get, I can only think of one right now. I wasn’t a fan of The Ruinsby Scott Smith, and that’s weird. That novel came highly recommended by Stephen King and should have checked off all of the boxes for me. I loved Sir H. Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines and, to a lesser degree, The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, so this should have worked for me. Maybe I’m just tired of spring breakers that I lack empathy for making stupid decision after stupid decision. Maybe I got my fill of talking plants from Little Shop of Horrors. I don’t know. It’s totally conceivable that I’m wrong and should give the book a second chance. A number of professional reviewers loved it, and who am I to disagree with Mr. King?

And on that note, unfortunately that is all for Part One of the interview.

Please remember to come back tomorrow night when Matt will be kicking off by telling you all about his latest book Freaks Anon, giving you more about his writing, and of course giving up his very soul with The Ten Confessions!

Thanks again for visiting Confessions of a Reviewer!

All proceeds from the sale of this Freaks Anon will be donated to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). Private donations can be made at http://do.eifoundation.org/goto/mattdarst

Matt Darst’s childhood addiction to reading took a turn for the worst when he started writing…for fun. His experimentation with notebooks (a classic gateway) led to dabbling with typewriters. Soon he was hitting the hard stuff: word processors.

After law school, he decided to straighten out his life. He went cold turkey. He got a responsible job, a place in Chicago, and a dog. He surrounded himself with all the trappings of a normal life. Still…

Pen and pad call to Matt late at night, cooing his name, telling him to take another hit of fiction. Sometimes, when he’s weak, he heeds the siren call of the drug. He wakes from each blackout amid reams of freshly written pages, pages that have seemingly written themselves.

And for more about Matt, visit his site or find him on social media:

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