Author Interview
How have your personal experiences influenced this story?Oh, man. In a number of ways! I’ll touch on some of this in more detail below, but out of all my books,
Gone Dark is the most personal for me. Not only does it continue to explore themes that I’m intimately familiar with—such as adoption, addiction, evolving relationships, and growing families—but it also features a new character named Jack, and I’m really excited for readers to meet him. While I love big, action-packed adventures, this book has more raw emotion than anything I’ve written before, and most of them come from my real-life experiences
You have described Matthew Redd as being “with” you for a long time. How has he changed from his original incarnation until now? Well, in a sense, Redd has always been Redd. I’ve always heard his voice, and I usually tell people that in any given situation I might find myself, I know
exactly how I should handle things . . . and I also know exactly how Matty Redd would handle things. His way is usually more action-packed than mine! But one thing that has certainly changed over the years is that Redd is now a family man. He’s no longer the lone wolf operator readers first met in
Fields of Fire. He has a wife and kids, and their family is still growing. He has his war dog, Rubble the Rottweiler. He has his best friends, his biological father, and—in this book, without giving anything away—his inner circle widens a bit. So that’s all pretty new, and while I like seeing the side of Redd that cares for others and has even learned to trust them, his opening himself up like that is a bit of a double-edged sword because now he has more to lose when bad guys come knocking.
Which of the supporting characters has changed the most over the series? Why did you want them to grow in that way?I think if I had to pick just one character to highlight here, I’d have to go with Emily Redd, Matty’s wife. Certainly, in this book, you see just how devoted she is to her husband, and I really love their relationship. In many ways, albeit with far fewer gunfights and bad guys, their relationship and what they deal with mirrors that of my own marriage with my wife. We, too, have a big family, so I’m familiar with those dynamics, but my wife has always had my back and supported me, just as Em does Redd. And in turn, I’ve always been there for her through anything she may face, including some really tough medical issues over the past few years. So, I do draw influence from my wife when writing Emily, certainly. I’d also say that Mikey, Redd’s faithful best friend, has really come a long way, too, and more than ever, you see him step up when Matty needs him in
Gone Dark.
What was the most exciting part of writing this story? The entire story concept for this book came from my wanting to pair Redd with Jack, a little boy who is on his own and on the run, in need of someone to protect him. I’ve actually never been more excited for my readers to meet a character than I am for them to get to know Jack, who, in a lot of ways, reminds Redd of himself when he was a kid. So, anytime Redd and Jack share the page together, those are some of my favorite moments in the book. There’s another scene that involves a train that, without spoiling it, was also a lot of fun for me to write. I think my readers will know why when they see it.
Why did you choose to include real-world issues such as drug addiction and forest fires in this novel? After writing
Out For Blood, which had a lot of action and was a pretty big book, I knew I couldn’t necessarily top that story in terms of gunfights and explosions. So, I wanted to write something with a tad more heart and suspense, but I also wanted to explore themes that are important to me. I’m a recovering alcoholic and have now been sober for going on fifteen years. I’ve also struggled with accidental opioid addiction, meaning that I was prescribed pain pills following surgeries in my past, only to end up really addicted to them and had to get help. These are tough issues that I am intimately familiar with and now felt like the right time for me to finally address some of this stuff in my writing.
Beyond addiction, you see Redd grow into his faith a bit more with this book, and that was really important to me as well. I cling to my faith every single day, knowing it is only by the grace of Jesus Christ that I can get through the day sometimes (2 Corinthians 12:9 is my life verse). I’ve been blessed with each new book to hear from readers, many of whom email me, and the one constant theme I see from them is that . . . everyone is dealing with something. So, yeah, I wanted to finally hit on some issues that are near and dear to me because I think and hope they will resonate with readers while also simultaneously entertaining them and offering a fun escape from whatever they might be dealing with in that moment.
Gone Dark is a perfect book for new readers to join after the completion of the arc in the first three Matthew Redd books. What changes should we expect as the series moves forward? When you dream about being an author, you never really stop to think that once you’re several books into a series, you’ll have to juggle the fact that not everyone who picks up your new book has read your previous books. There’s no question that my first three books—while they have their own beginnings, middles, and endings—all deal with the Twelve, a powerful cabal behind several government conspiracies that Redd inadvertently found himself in the middle of. So,
Gone Dark marks the first book set after the Twelve trilogy within the overall series. And to be honest, I was excited to put that arc behind me so that I could move on to new threats and issues for Redd to battle.
The balancing act that you have to navigate as a writer when penning a series is how much backstory and recapping from previous books you need to include in each new book. With
Gone Dark, it was almost like starting with a clean slate. I definitely packed some Easter eggs in there for my longtime readers, but really, I think newcomers can pick up
Gone Dark and dive right on in, even if you never read my first three books. To that end, over the next couple of books, you’ll see Redd go through some career and life changes as he settles into a role that’s more sustainable long-term for the series as a whole. I’m excited about where things are headed, and I think my readers will be as well.
Many authors leave their couples in an almost perpetual will-they-won’tthey loop. But you have Matthew marry his high school sweetheart, and they are about to have another kid. What are the advantages and challenges of having a strong married couple in a novel?I touched on the parallels between my marriage and Redd’s above, but this is a great question. I’ve covered thrillers for over a decade on The Real Book Spy, and I’ve worked as an editor for a long time as well. And I can’t tell you how many characters have had their wives or significant others killed at some point. In fact, many of them have lost several loved ones in a similar fashion, usually when the bad guys come looking for the hero and can’t get to them, so they kill the wife or girlfriend to hurt the hero and draw them out. I get it, and I appreciate those stories, but that’s not what I wanted for my series.
Now, I’m not saying that
nothing will ever happen to Redd or Emily. I can’t make that promise, but I don’t ever want to leave readers hanging between books, and I sure don’t want my readers to always worry that their favorite character might be killed off. I’ll never say never, but I think Redd and Emily drive this series together, so it’s more about
how will they get out of this? As opposed to
will they get out of this?All of that said, it absolutely can be a challenge to manage so many characters and relationships. I know other authors, friends of mine, who have killed off their hero’s love interest simply because they couldn’t find a role for them in future stories. And I get that, believe me, now more than ever. I’m currently writing the fifth Matthew Redd book, and trust me, It’s a challenge to account for everyone and all of Redd’s loved ones and family members sometimes, but I also think it makes for a richer reading experience.
This is the fourth book in an action-packed series. How do you ensure the excitement remains vibrant throughout the series? Great question! I think I’ve touched on this a few times above, but my goal was to reset the series just a little bit with
Gone Dark, introducing new threats and challenges for Redd that he’s not faced in the first three books. And to me, that’s the key—find new types of bad guys and circumstances, and don’t be afraid to go in a slightly new direction sometimes. But also, as I touched on earlier, with Redd’s inner circle expanding, there’s more at stake for him . . . and he has more to lose. He also has more to fight for, and he goes to battle for someone in this book.
How can aspiring authors make their characters come alive? I would say try not to copy anyone else, but rather, create a character that is unique, who can stand out a bit. The genre is oversaturated with ex-Navy SEALs and Delta Force operators. That’s why I made Redd a Marine Raider. A lot of characters live in or around Washington, D.C., which is why I wanted to put Redd in Montana. So, create something and someone different, and then stay true to them once you start fleshing them out on the page.
Matthew has grown in his faith over the last four books. What do you hope readers can learn from his faith journey over the series?Indeed, Redd is on a spiritual journey, and slowly but surely, he’s becoming the man he believes he’s supposed to be. Because I write for both a secular audience and a Christian audience, I try very hard to be mindful of injecting too many of my own beliefs. My goal is always to put enough truth in there that people who wouldn’t normally be exposed to God’s Word might pick up on things, but never—and I really work hard at this—in a way that’s too heavyhanded or feels like they’re being beaten over the head with a Bible.
I’m a big believer that no two peoples’ journeys with Christ are the same, and with Redd, I’ve always tried to portray what I believe maturing in faith might look like for someone like Matty. Redd isn’t perfect. Then again, if any of us were, we wouldn’t need a Savior. So give Redd some time. He’s coming along slowly but surely.
How has your faith been impacted by your writing journey?Since becoming an author, I’ve been really blessed to live out my dream and tell stories for a living, but that doesn’t mean things are always smooth sailing. We kept it pretty private, but my wife has faced a number of challenging health issues over the last three years. As a believer, I’ve always clung to my faith, but certainly, it’s harder to keep your eyes on the Lord when you’re in the middle of a storm. I mentioned 2 Corinthians 12:9 above, and in that verse the apostle Paul writes that God told him, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (NLT). I love that verse because though many of us act tough or act like everything is okay, deep down we’re really struggling. I’ve been there. But in those moments when we are weak, God’s power works best, and that promise has been a great comfort to me.
More than anything, hearing from readers has emboldened me to speak about my faith more in an effort to share that message with those who maybe don’t know of that promise Paul wrote about. I’ve gotten emails from so many people who’ve reached out to share the personal struggles they’ve faced while reading my books, thanking me for providing an entertaining distraction from whatever they’re going through. Those letters and messages are very humbling, but they’re also a reminder that everyone has
something going on in their life, and I’ve tried to remember that when interacting with others.
How has your work on The Real Book Spy impacted the Matthew Redd series? I’d be lying if I said being The Real Book Spy hasn’t had a profound impact on my own writing in a number of ways. Because I’ve read so many books, I had a good feel for what I liked and didn’t like. I also know what topics have been covered at length, so I try to avoid some of those. But more than anything, because I’m a big fan of thrillers, I always write with my readers in mind, and I work really hard to deliver adventures that I think they’ll enjoy.
