Matt Dunn

Matt Dunn is the author of five successful romantic comedy novels. His second novel The Ex-Boyfriend’s Handbook was shortlisted for ‘Romantic Novel of the Year’ Award as well as the ‘Melissa Nathan’ Award for Comedy Romance. His sixth novel, out this month “The Accidental Proposal” continues on with the wonderfully entertaining story of Ed and Sam.

1. To those who aren’t familiar with you Matt, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you found the writing path?
   I’m the author of six romantic comedy novels, published by Simon & Schuster in the UK. I’ve also written about life, love, and relationships for the likes of Cosmopolitan, Company, Glamour, Elle, The Sun, Daily Express, Guardian, Times, and the Mail on Sunday. In terms of how I started, I always knew I wanted to write – well, from the age of fourteen, when I wrote a piece to be read out at school assembly which got a few laughs. And while that may have been because my flies were undone, it was then I knew I wanted to be a comedy writer. Unfortunately, it took me another twenty years to sit down and start writing my first novel – Best Man – partly because work/life got in the way, but mainly because it wasn’t until I read Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity that I realised there might be a market for the kind of thing I wanted to write about. Let’s face it – for us men, the pursuit of you women is the thing that dominates most of our lives and the strange thing is that very few of us are any good at it. As my love life progressed – or didn’t – and I saw the trials and tribulations I and my friends were going through, I’d often sit down with them over a beer to discuss what was going on, and the conclusion we’d reach was ‘you couldn’t make it up’. So fortunately, I didn’t have to – once I started writing, I realised I had a wealth of material, then I just wrote how/what came naturally. I then took the usual submission to agents/rejections route – I think I had 31, but a few were kind enough to give me some feedback, which I tried to incorporate in my next rewrite. Eventually, I got an agent, and from there, a book deal with S&S.
2. Your latest book “The Accidental Proposal” tells the story of happy couple Ed and Sam who have just gotten engaged. Ed is delighted about it, even though it wasn’t him that did the proposing, it was actually Sam. But as the time of the wedding draws nearer and Sam begins to disappear and meet strange men in bars and Ed’s ex girlfriend reappears, Ed he begins to wonder, was she just asking the question hypothetically as insecurities and jealous notions on both sides begin to rise threatening to ruin the big day. What inspired you to write this type of story?
   Because proposing is such a big deal to us men, so having it done to you is a bit, well, weird. I wanted to explore how it might feel to have the tables turned, and then to investigate all the insecurities and issues that might go with that. The book’s also about infidelity too – I try to make all my books ‘about’ something, and that was interesting to write about. And lastly, because I wanted to give Ed, Sam, and Dan a fitting send-off before leaving them to get on with their lives.
3. What was the first book you ever read?
   I think it was probably ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ by Maurice Sendak. Though when I say ‘read’, it may have been read to me.
4. Out of the many books that you have read over the years, which one would you have liked to have said ‘I wrote that’?
   Tricky one to answer. In my genre, High Fidelity is just about perfect, and One Day by David Nicholls is a work of genius. I’d pay to read David Mitchell’s shopping list he’s such a good writer, and his Cloud Atlas is possible the best book I’ve ever read. But I suppose I’d have liked to have written the Da Vinci Code, purely for the royalties.
5. How do you feel about book to screen adaptations?
   I like them. In fact, I’d like them. Seriously, if it’s done well, then I’m all in favour. Though I understand that a book and a screenplay are very different forms, so there’s always going to be a difference.
6. If you were ever stranded on a desert island, which book would you bring with you to make the stay more pleasurable?
   Sorry to bang on about it, but probably High Fidelity. I’ve read it so many times, and each time I marvel at how good/funny it is. Failing that, possibly a book about boat building. Or ‘Cooking With Coconuts’.
   
7. What was the first story you ever wrote and what was it about?
   About ten years ago, when I was thinking about giving ‘it’ all up to have a go at writing, I heard that the Daily Telegraph was running a competition to write a ‘mini-saga’, i.e. a story in fifty words. I entered, and to my surprise, my story was ‘highly commended’, which meant I’d come in the top twenty-five from about ten thousand entries, and got published in their book of the top however many. It was about a con-man. And strangely enough, those fifty words gave me the confidence to have a go at a 90,000-word novel.
8. Did you read any writers guidebooks during your career? Are there any that you would recommend?
   No. I just read a lot, particularly in my genre. Then, when I was going through the submission process, ‘From Pitch To Publication’ by Carole Blake was an invaluable guide to the industry. If you write what I write, there’s a good book (though it’s more about writing screenplays) called ‘Writing The Romantic Comedy’ by Billy Mernit, which has some good guidelines/tips/
9. On the blog, I would like to give other wannabe writers like myself some advice. What area do you suggest a budding author should concentrate on to further their abilities?
   The best piece of advice I was ever given (by an agent who rejected me) was to read the best-sellers in my genre and see how they achieve their page-turning quality. My own personal tip would just be to sit down and write, every day if you can. Set yourself a word target (mine’s 1000 words a day, but it’s my full-time job, so less is fine) and stick to it, and eventually, you’ll have written a novel. Even though some days you won’t like what you’ve written, just keep going. It’s only once you’ve completed your first draft and read it all the way through that you’ll be able to tell if it’s any good. And then, editing it will be so much easier.
10. When sitting down to write, what is the one item you need beside you at all times?
    Nothing. I prefer to have a clear desk/stare at a blank wall. Anything (the internet, twitter, Bubble Breaker on my phone) is a distraction.
11. I’m always reading and I’m always on the look out for book recommendations from reliable sources. What are you reading at the moment and would you recommend it?
    I have a variety of things on the go. At the moment, I’m reading the collected Peep Show scripts, Alex’s Adventures In Numberland (which is about maths), and Diary Of A Nobody (which was a free download on my Kindle). If you haven’t read One Day yet (and I think most people have!) then I’d recommend that. And I’ve got ‘Room’ on my TBR pile, which people seem to love.
12. And finally Matt, do you have any upcoming projects or releases on the horizon which you would like to share with the readers of the blog?
    I’m pretty sure I know what my next book’s going to be about, though I can’t say because I haven’t finalised it with my publisher yet. But I’m pretty excited about it…

Read more about Matt Dunn online or follow him on Twitter @mattdunnwrites