Life is better with a tease

Here is my interview with Matt Converse, author of 'Behind the Velvet Curtain'. I hope you all enjoy. The purchase link is at the end. Thanks for reading.

1: Have you won any awards/achievements in the writing world?

My book cover, if it hangs on in the voting for the next two weeks, is the voted-up #1 book cover of the year at Rate Book Cover. But I think my biggest achievement is getting that first yes from my publisher, Comet Press, Sex Files division.

2: When did you first consider yourself a writer? Is there an appropriate level of seniority that one has to reach before one can be considered a writer?

No, I think if you write, you are a writer. I started to think of myself as a writer before I was published. But I never called myself a writer until about two years ago.

3: What or whom inspired you to start writing?

My Mom, in a roundabout way. She first got me into watching scary movies on Friday nights, and that lead to love of writing horror. I'm a horror writer who fell into gay erotica because of the subject matter of my novella.

(My mom inspired me to read and write. Growing up, I had no idea that she had written book, but when I was 18, I discovered that she had a full-length novel. She wrote it on and off for 10 years.

I also gained her love for reading. She is always escaping to a fictional world when she checks out a stack of books from the library.
-S.H.H.)

4: What is your biggest goal in life aside from your writing career?

To be a good friend, treat people right, and just be a good person.

5: Do you have a specific writing style? What author would you say are you most relatable to?

I've always been a fan of Stephen King but I think my style is my own. I'm not a fan of flowery language or a writer who tries to impress you with their vocabulary.

6: How did you come up with the titles for your books?

I came up with ‘Behind the Velvet Curtain’ because I thought it suited my story of revealing the real life of a stripper, not the façade you see up on stage. What is a stripper really like?

7: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to focus on?

I simply want to entertain. I don't want to make my book into something it isn't. I suppose one message might be don't paint people with a broad brush because of their profession, race, religion or sexual orientation.

8: How much of the book is realistic/false?

I was a stripper myself and most of it is based on real life. This is a much truer look at the life of a stripper than something like Magic Mike. I did have a creeper in my audience who was a regular, and some of what he did in the book is true. However, he didn't take it to the level that the creeper in the book did. The strangest true part is that the stripper becomes a writer and is published by a publisher in New York, which is exactly what ends up happening to me.

9. What is your favorite movie and why?

Psycho. I adore Hitchcock, he is my idol. In fact, the full length novel I just finished is a modern day nod to Psycho. I love that he got the scare wasn't in the kill, but in the anticipation of it. I love the psychological study of Norman Bates and his mother in the movie.

10: Is there a character that you would potentially write a novella about or want to include more in the main story?

Some said they would have liked to know more about the creeper in my novella. Although it's not the same character, the reader will get plenty of that in my next novel, it is all about the mind of a killer and what makes them tick.

11: What books have most influenced your life? Did you make any life changes because of it?

I think just reading Stephen King books and seeing his success has inspired me to become a writer.

12: What book are you reading now or was the last that you've read?

OK, here's where I am a very odd writer. I've never liked to read. In school, I hated it. I'd much rather write and create. And since I've started writing so much, I read even less. I know that's not what a writer is supposed to say, but it's the truth. The last book I read was Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand; I'm a fan of horse racing.

13: Are there any new/archaic authors that have grasped your interest? Why?

Stephen King is the only writer I've read more than one book by; I love horror.

14: What are your current projects?

I just finished my horror novel, ‘I'm the Last Face You'll Ever See’, and am currently putting the finishing touches on an erotic gay horror short story, ‘Leather Head’, I'll be submitting to Comet Press for an anthology.

15: Who is your role model in the writing world?

Pretty obvious by now, Stephen King.

16: Who would you say backs you up the most besides your family?

My friends. They have been so supportive helping me promote my book and just believing in me.

17: Do you see writing as a career if not then what is your main focus in the working world?

Writing will be my career for the rest of my life, I love it.

18: If you had to rewrite any of your books, would you? Why, or why not?

I would already rewrite my novella. Expand it a bit and correct some of the technical mistakes, that is definitely something I've learned from this.

19: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? Interest in reading?

In the third grade I wrote a story about a kid who kept dreaming about walking to a graveyard late at night, at the end he sees the tombstone that has his name on it. A bit dark for an 8-year-old. My teacher accused me of copying it from a movie or TV, which I took as quite the compliment. As for reading, even though I never liked it that much, when I do, I love it. I've enjoyed every book I've ever read.

20: Can you share a little of your current work or a work will that be launching soon?

It is currently with my publisher and I am anxiously waiting to hear back on that, so it's under wraps for now. But it is horror, set in San Francisco again, with several gay or bi characters, even though this isn't a gay horror novel. It simply reflects the diversity of our city.

21: If there is, then what do you find most challenging when you put pen to paper? What is the easiest part when you write? What was your favorite scene that you've ever written?

The most challenging is just starting. If I get "stuck" and can't write, I usually tell myself to just pull up the story anyway. I always end up writing then. Once I start, it's easy. My favorite scene I can't give away, but it is the first murder in the upcoming horror novel. How the body is discovered I've never seen in any horror novel or movie. In my current novella, the final scene was very fun to write.

22: What superhero is your favorite and why? What super power would you add?

Spider Man. If you've seen my pic, there's no need to wonder why. I might add being able to turn invisible, I think it's the voyeur in me!

(Spider-Man is my favorite as well!
-S.H.H.)

23: Who is your favorite author and what is the reasoning for enjoying their books? How would you describe their writing style?

Stephen King because I love being scared, and I like his straight forward style of writing.

24: What age group do you mostly write to? What age group has mainly responded in the most positive way to your work?

I think young adult and up is appropriate for what I write. What has surprised me the most is not age group, but the gender. When I published a gay erotic novella, I thought my audience would be gay men, but it is probably 80-90% women.

25. Have you been on book tours and if so, what was your experience? Conventions? Workshops?

No I haven't been on any book tours, maybe for my next one.

26. Who designed the covers? Which is your favorite?

I only have one, and it was designed my INKUBUS, who does the cover art at Comet Press. But what appears was my idea. By the way, there are two versions of the cover. Amazon banned the original cover even though with the shading it shows less butt cheek than most women in thongs that are allowed. That's why the Amazon cover has thin black underwear on, they refused to sell it otherwise.

27: Do you have any specific advice that you want to get across to your readers that want to pursue a life of writing?

Butt in chair. And remember, success doesn't bring happiness, happiness brings success. Do what you love.

(I'm going to be honest, this made me giggle a little bit. I couldn’t have found more true words. Thank you.

-S.H.H.)

28. Do you remember the first book you read or caught your attention the most?

Carrie, Stephen King.

29: What book, to your knowledge, made you laugh/cry the most?

I actually can't remember the name of it, it was about a woman who had this son with disabilities and in the end you find out the son does not exist.

(This actually sounds like a good, psychlogicak book. I’ll have to look it up.
-S.H.H.)

30.Name one author that you wish you could co-author with? Why?

Honestly, I have no interest in that. Maybe that will change in time, we'll see.

31: What genre do you want to write that you haven't written yet?

I might write a book about horse racing at some point.

32: Other than writing do you have any hobbies?

I love tennis, horse racing, bridge, music (in particular, Lady Gaga) and of course...men! Ha.

33: Do you have a go to comfort food?

Pizza!

(We have the same comfort food! I absolutely love pizza, even though I’m not supposed to eat it.
-S.H.H.)

34: If you could live in a fictional (book or movie) world, what would it be?
What character would you be most like?

That's so easy, Norman Bates in Psycho. Not that I actually want to kill people, I mean it's fiction after all! So I guess I would play be his mother as well!

35.Do you still read a book regardless if a review has given away an important piece of the book? Do you still read a book regardless of the positive/negative reviews? Do you ever give away spoilers to others when you read.

I would go more by reviews of people I know that read the book, and I would never give away spoilers!

Pages: 65
Release Date: March 2, 2015
Price: 3.99$

Purchase link:

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Velvet-Curtain-Matt-Converse-ebook/dp/B00TBPESD0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451365071&sr=8-1&keywords=matt+converse