A psychologist grapples with his own sanity as murder evidence mounts against him.
Matthew Farrell returns with I Know Everything after the release of his debut and best-selling novel, What Have You Done, last year. His new novel promises plenty of twists and turns and it will constantly have you guessing!
We had the pleasure of chatting to Matthew about I Know Everything and its inspiration, along with why he writes thrillers, advice for aspiring authors, and book recommendations! You can find Matthew on Twitter and Facebook, and also at his website.
Hi Matthew! Tell us a little about yourself!
Hello, and thank you for having me at The Nerd Daily. Okay, a little about myself. I’m a thriller novelist with a niche in police procedurals mixed with a psychological thriller element. Typically one POV is my detective trying to solve the case with the other POV being a person the reader tries to figure out whether they should be rooting for or not. I like to play in the gray areas between black and white. When I’m not writing, I’m a husband and father of two incredibly awesome daughters.
Your latest novel, I Know Everything, publishes on August 6th. If you could only use five words to describe it, what would they be?
Keep guessing, but you’re wrong.
Let’s hear a little more! What can readers expect?
I’ve had a lot of feedback from seasoned thriller readers who got knocked sideways with my twists. Hearing that was the ultimate compliment. I put a lot of work and thought into pacing the reveals and twists to really give the reader a fun ride. If early feedback lines up with the general reading public, I’d say readers can expect a fast-paced story with twists and turns they won’t see coming. At the end of the day, I just want the reader to have fun and be entertained.
Did anything inspire you to write I Know Everything?
I love stories where something seemingly mundane happens, but that event ends up triggering life-changing moments, both good and bad. If I only took a left turn instead of a right. If I only arrived at work 10 minutes earlier. That kind of thing. So I took what the investigator in my story thinks is a basic, albeit tragic, car accident and created an entire series of events that lead to dark secrets, dreadful pasts, and cold-blooded murder.
Were there any challenges you faced while writing this new novel?
The immediate success of WHAT HAVE YOU DONE really messed with my mind while I was writing I KNOW EVERYTHING. I was selling thousands of copies a day, was on two separate best sellers lists, and the feedback from the readers was overwhelmingly positive. My biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be able to deliver on the second book. After many talks with my wonderful editor and my incredible agent, they calmed me down enough to get past the fear and write the book I knew I could write. Much to my surprise, early fans are liking I KNOW EVERYTHING more than WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, so that was a huge relief to say the least.
What made you want to write thrillers?
I grew up on them. Horror and thrillers, passed down from my mother at a very early age. I equate a good thriller with fun, and I love entertaining readers who feel the same way I do. I also love the dark reality of it. I’m writing about things that could conceptually happen, and I think that adds another level of fear and fun.
Are there any authors you look up to?
Since arriving on the scene, the entire (and I do mean entire) thriller community has been more gracious and accepting than I could’ve possibly imagined. I look up to them all, and can’t name individuals because to do so would not justify the love I have for EVERYONE in our writing community. I can tell you early on in my writing journey that Stephen King taught me about characterization, Harlan Coben taught me about pace, and Thomas Harris taught me about writing kick-ass suspense with a police element. But today, I draw inspiration from all of the writers out there. I never stop learning about the craft.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Every aspiring writer hears this, and a lot of them roll there eyes after they hear it for the 100th time, but it’s the truth: DON’T GIVE UP. Writing is hard. And it’s an uphill battle every step of the way, but if you keep at it, learn from each draft or manuscript, and keep working, you’ll get there. It took me 20 years until I finally saw my book in the hands of the reading public and in those 20 years I thought about quitting, but didn’t. Don’t give up. If it’s really you, your heart won’t let you anyway.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently editing my third thriller DON’T EVER FORGET, which is due out in August 2020, and outlining my 4th. I’m working harder than I ever have before, and that’s the beauty of this. It took me 20 years get finally get invited into the party. There’s no way I’m leaving anytime soon.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
Yes!! If you haven’t read the following authors, do yourself a favour and give them a try: Jennifer Hillier, Mark Edwards, Blake Crouch, Randall Silvis, Robert Dugoni, JD Barker, Eric Rickstad, Teresa Driscoll, Caroline Mitchell…man, I could keep going for a while. There are so many brilliant authors out there, and the writing today is as good as it’s ever been. Just grab a book and read it. It’s the best escape there is.
