New interview with author Matt Ferraz

I’m happy to welcome Matt Ferraz back to Reviews and Interviews. Today we’re talking about his thriller, Killing Dr. Watson.

He was here last June and we chatted about his mystery, The Convenient Cadaver.

Bio:

Author of all trades, Matt Ferraz has written thrillers, sci-fi, cozy mysteries and a lot of witty e-mails that sadly can't be published. With a degree in journalism and a masters in biography, Matt has works published in English, Italian and Portuguese, and loves trying out new genres.

Matt, welcome back to Reviews and Interviews. Please tell us about your release.

Killing Dr. Watson was my first book to be released by a traditional publishing house. It follows the story of Jerry Bellamy, a new adult with no achievements or prospects, whose only life goal is to watch the reruns of his favorite Sherlock Holmes TV series, The Baker Street Sleuth. Strange events bring together Jerry and Sir Bartholomew Neville, the actor who played Holmes in the Show, and they have to investigate a series of murders involving the cast of The Baker Street Sleuth. Jerry also gets involved with Lucy, the daughter of one of the victims, who believes there’s more to the case than it meets the eye.

What inspired you to write this book?

I was conducting a research about the TV series Elementary for my Journalism graduation, and came in contact with the universe of Sherlock Holmes TV series. I wrote my main character, Jerry, as be someone who believes he knows everything there is to know about Holmes by watching TV, without ever reading one of the original books. Jerry also thinks he can be a real-life detective, even though he knows almost nothing about how the real world works.

What’s the next writing project?

My next project is a romance about the true story of a silent film star who had a tragic death. It was originally going to be a straight-out biography, but I decided to turn it into a semi-fictionalized account.

What is your biggest challenge when writing this book?

I wrote and published Killing Dr. Watson before ever setting a foot in London. I got to know the city afterwards, and was pleased with the portrayal I gave of it. Writing about a place you don’t know is hard, especially when it’s going to be read by people who’ve been or even live there.

If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?

When it’s something that doesn’t impact the overall plot, I prefer to leave the research for after I finish the first draft. For example, in Killing Dr. Watson, there was a moment when Jerry jumps from a cab in the middle of the traffic. I had to change that when I found out that London cabs have a lock to prevent that kind of thing from happening. It was a small thing, so it was easy to change.

What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.

For some reason I enjoy writing in my kitchen. Sounds weird, I know, but there’s something about kitchens that bring the creativity out in me. Go figure!

What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?

There’s nothing like a good Agatha Christie novel. I’m also a big fan of Stephen King, he has taught me so much about the art of writing. But I’m also trying new authors. It’s an adventure to read the work of someone you’ve never heard before.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?

Killing Dr. Watson was released by an amazing company called MX Publishing. They only deal with Sherlock Holmes-related material, and it’s an honor to be featured amongst their authors. My book is also available in audio, with narration by Andy Barker.

Thank you for coming back to Reviews and Interviews!