Q&A with Matt Goldman

 

 

 

Matt Goldman is the author of the new novel The Murder Show. His other books include Still Waters. Also a playwright and television writer, he lives in Minnesota. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Murder Show, and how did you create your character Ethan?

 

A: I was inspired by a couple of things. One is the idea of looking back on our high school years as adults. The memories you take with you form a point of view, a truth about those years. I wanted to play with that area, especially because our memories rarely represent the reality.

 

I also wanted to capture the angst I felt when I wrote television. Seemed I was either working crazy long hours or frantically looking for my next job. There was little happy medium. So Ethan’s desperation to come up with his next season for The Murder Show feels very real to me.

 

Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing the book, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I did not know how the story would end. And I did make changes along the way, but not big ones. I usually figure out how it will end after I’m about a third to halfway through the book. Whenever that happens, I do have to go back and make a few adjustments.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Ethan and Ro?

 

A: Ethan and Ro were close in high school. Their chance at romance was thwarted a couple of times. But it’s in play as adults. So there’s an undercurrent of possibility throughout the book.

 

But one thing they didn’t have in high school was careers. Now they do. They also have grown-up wants and needs. So their motivations are not always clear to one another. Nor do they always line up.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the novel?

 

A: I hope they take the characters with them. I hope they live on in their minds for a while. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am currently working on my second book for Minotaur that will be published in the spring of 2027.  

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: My first four novels feature a private detective named Nils Shapiro. Fans of Nils are always asking when he’ll return. Nils is in a few chapters of The Murder Show. That storyline sets up his return. He’ll be back in his own story this December in a book called Dark Humor.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb