I've pulled together 40ish questions - some bookish, some silly - and have asked authors to limit themselves to answering only 10 of them. That way, it keeps the interviews fresh and connectable for all of us!
Today we are joined by Matthew Roy Davey. Matthew’s short stories have won The Observer short story competition, and the Dark Tales short story competition, as well as being short and long listed in numerous competitions. He was also nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His work has been translated into Mandarin and Slovenian and been included in various anthologies. Carol Anne Duffy wrote, in The Sunday Telegraph, that Davey’s short story Waving at Trains was “bleakly poised and moving” and that it “perfectly captures the cadences of youth”. Davey has also written two Young Adult novels which are available on Amazon. He lives in Bristol, UK, and has no hobbies.
Why do you write?
I write because it amuses me to do so. I’m not a tortured artiste! If you’re not enjoying your own writing, I don’t know how you can expect anyone else to read it. Having said that, there are times when I find it a dreary and laborious process, but those often turn out to be the best bits in a longer work, so what do I know? I do know that if I’m creating, whether that be writing, painting, drawing, photography or woodwork, I feel a lot better.
What made you start writing?
At school my favourite activity was when the teacher told us to write a story. I loved the power and freedom of being able to bring something out of nothing. But it was also the praise I got from people who read it. Children can usually tell when enthusiasm is feigned. As an adult I would like to not care what people think of my efforts, and I try to be indifferent, but it matters enormously.
Would you and your main character(s) get along?
The ones who are thinly disguised versions of me, definitely not. Most of my characters are pretty flawed individuals, as we all are, and there are some I might be able to tolerate for a short while. I’m not much of a people person. I have six friends. Quite a few of the characters in ‘Shhh!’ are killers, psychopaths and ne’er-do-wells, so I’m sure we’d have a swell time together.
If you could cast your characters in a movie, which actors would play them and why?
I’d want to squeeze in Jennifer Jason Lee, Tim Roth, Julia Garner, Clarke Peters, Vincent Cassell, Daniel Day Lewis, Forest Whitaker, Carey Mulligan, Tilda Swinton, Michaela Cole, Emma Stone, Willem Defoe, Amanda Siegfried, and Christian Bale. That’s a reasonable request, right? The non-British actors would have to be able to do a convincing British accent, as most of my stories take place on the island.
What are some of your favorite books and/or authors?
Jerome K Jerome, Samuel Beckett, Flannery O’Connor, Robert Harris, J G Farrell, Toni Morrison, Flann O’Brien, Macdonald Harris, Bill Naughton, Malcolm Lowry.
What genres won’t you read?
I don’t like fantasy. It’s hard enough believing in reality without bringing in things that have not, will not and could not exist. For me it’s as boring as hearing about other people’s dreams (unless I’m in them). Having said that, I love allegorical tales like The Life of Pi, Charlie Kauffman’s films, and so on. Even the original Star Wars films are alright at a pinch.
You have to choose an animal or cartoon character that best represents you. Which is it and why?
Any animal that hibernates.
Are you a toilet paper over or under kind of person?
Over. It’s the only way. This is a deal breaker in a relationship. I have written about this in poetic form and in my latest novel. It is of crucial importance.
If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?
It depends on the method of execution. If it was the electric chair, I would have uncooked popcorn so that I could entertain the witnesses.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve given/received as a gift?
I received an electronic vagina from a so-called friend. It was not well-received. You can read more about it in my story ‘Electric Lady Love’ which appears in ‘Shhh!’.
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Welcome to the flash fiction library where the shelves
are groaning with bitesize fiction.
Libraries are quiet places, ordered places, places of
intellect, culture and civilisation. But hiding inside are words that can
explode like bombs, words to anger and appal, to titillate and tease, words to
amuse and entertain. Which will you choose to read first?
Matthew Roy Davey offers us a wealth of bijou tales in
his perfectly formed Shhh!
The collection is a disparate one, organised by theme and
subject, much like a library. Rather than read from start to finish, you ‘take
out’ a story depending on your mood.
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