Book: Of Courage And Sacrifice: Bot Trilogy Book One
Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
My name is Matt Hartle. I’m a creative director and partner with a visual effects company, Baked Studios, based out of LA and NY. My family and I live in Northern Montana. Long ago, my wife and I lived in LA, but after we got our careers going, we wanted to get back to where we grew up! Previous to working in visual effects, I was in theatrical advertising for about twenty years, working as a creative director/ designer and 3d director. I’ve worked with many of the big studios and on lots of exciting projects, including several Harry Potter Films, Star Wars, The Force Awakens, a few of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and many others. ‘Of Courage And Sacrifice: Bot Trilogy Book One’ is my first novel. Previous to this, I have written several screenplays and directed a number of shorts, including my latest, ‘Agent,’ which has won many awards on the festival circuit!
When I’m not writing or working, my family and I enjoy biking, skiing, swimming–anything to be outside! I also enjoy woodworking, painting, and racking up meters on our rower!
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Of Courage And Sacrifice: Bot Trilogy Book One’ book?
The biggest challenge by far was that this was my first novel. Writing this many pages is a huge obstacle when you haven’t done it before. It takes a lot of discipline and focus, but as I found those, it has become one of the most enjoyable things I do. Every part of the process has been a significant learning experience. I went to school for figure painting and illustration, not English composition and creative writing, so it’s been lots of research, reading, and just putting in the time to learn! I’ve taken a self-publishing route, at least for this book, and handled all aspects except editing. For that, I found a fantastic, highly experienced editor to help me get the manuscript over the finish line. Otherwise, figuring out how to format, layout, and design the cover–it’s all been a considerable learning experience!
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
I love to read–there are so many! Michael Crichton is probably the most significant influence/ the person I look up to as an author. His constant focus on finding new, creative storylines is inspiring. Also, his books, in many cases, were directly translated to film properties. I don’t know that I want that for everything I write, but as a visual person first, I tend to have a strong visual sense of everything I am writing, so the connection is always there!
One of my favorite books is ‘Silence Of The Lambs’ by Thomas Harris–not necessarily for the content but the execution. In my opinion, in this novel, more than any of his others, he is a master storyteller, not focusing on the plot but on allowing the story to grow and blossom, filling your imagination as you meet the characters and fall deeper and deeper into the world he creates.
Another book I love is The Secret History by Donna Tartt, for many of the same reasons. How she renders her characters and explores their emotions and the world they occupy is masterfully done. I feel this book is as much about the air in the room as it is about the characters themselves if that makes sense.
The last two books I’ll mention are A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and Lord Of The Flies by William Golding. Each of the books has such a sense of place; whether it’s Dickens describing the foggy, soot-filled streets 1800’s London or Golding discussing the oppressive heat of the jungle and the restorative pool of fresh water the children bath in, its as though you can feel and touch their worlds. Also, the economy of their words and the structure of their prose always draw me in!
Each of the books I mentioned is a yearly read for me!
Q4. What’s your favorite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
Probably the place I enjoy the most is where we live in Montana. My wife and I were very fortunate to be able to return to our childhood town after we established our careers. We have lived in big cities and although we always enjoy a visit, city life never really suited us. We prefer the open space and rugged beauty Montana provides and the many opportunities to get outside to enjoy the majestic scenery here. We feel very blessed to be able to raise our children in a place like this, but we also want them to get out into the world and find their own way!
Q5. Is there lots to do before you drive in and start writing a book?
I supposed it really depends on your approach. Because I wrote screenplays before attempting a novel, I started by creating an outline. I was struggling with this step–I had a high-level view of where the story was headed but felt stumped on details. So, I decided to dive in and see how it went. Since doing that, I have realized this is my best approach. So much of the book was never planned or outlined before I wrote it. Being available to the creative process and allowing the characters and situations to grow and live in my imagination unlocked a new world of creativity. It can be a little scary when you feel like you may have written yourself into a corner, but as I finish my second novel, I am slowly learning to trust the process and believe the story will find its way! Regarding research, I do an amount beforehand, depending on the topic, and continue as I write. Frequently, I’ll have ideas and will take a beat to make sure the research/ logic makes sense and supports the story.
Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Of Courage And Sacrifice: Bot Trilogy Book One’ book?
The entire process, from my first Scrivener file to when I published the book on Amazon, was about three years! I didn’t realize until answering this question that it had taken that long. As I’ve said, it’s quite a process, and while working on this first book, I was still finding the discipline and the recipe of time management that would give me the space to write. With the book I’m writing now, by the time I’m done with the first draft, it will have been about 13-14 months, so it’s getting faster! Because this is not my full-time job, the time I have each day is about an hour in the morning, often early–between 5-6am or 6-7am. My dream is to make writing my primary focus; then, I should really be able to crank out the books!
Q7. On what all platforms readers can find ‘Of Courage And Sacrifice: Bot Trilogy Book One” book to buy?
This book is available on Amazon for Kindle and is part of the Kindle Plus program. It is also available on Amazon in soft cover and hard cover! Additionally, I wrote a series of short stories set in the Bot Trilogy universe, developing back-stories and exploring more of the world. The book is called ‘Bot Trilogy: Anthology’ and is available in the same formats as ‘Of Courage and Sacrifice’, but also on Audible! I recorded/ produced the audio for this book myself.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Of Courage And Sacrifice: Bot Trilogy Book One’?
The title, Of Courage And Sacrifice, came about after several others were tried and abandoned. Despite the science fiction/ fantasy setting, the story deals with some fairly sobering realities–survival, sacrifice, and loyalty. Each of the characters faces significant challenges they must overcome–sometimes that means putting others first, other times it means sacrificing principles. I wanted a title that communicated the story’s gravity while contrasting with the fantasy of the cover.
As for designing the cover, I had an idea of the visuals I was interested in–something to do with a robot, a city in ruins, and a captured moment in time. My background is in creative directing and 3d animations, so I knew I would utilize those toolsets to realize the artwork.
I began with thumb-nail sketches to explore composition and how various elements might stack up. Next, I worked on the typography, searching for a font I felt embodied the high-tech world but also communicated the humanity of the struggles the characters face.
Then I began developing the cover in 3d. My software of choice for this is Maya. I built out the city, designing the lighting and textures to evoke an apocalyptic vibe. As for the robot, this was something I had previously developed while making a trailer for the book. If anyone is interested, the trailer is available on my website and on Amazon on my author’s page. I placed the robot into the scene and designed the pose to be menacing and provocative, as if challenging the viewer to a fight!
http://www.matthartle.com/writingauthor#/bot-trilogy/ https://www.amazon.com/Matt-Hartle/e/B09KQXVSJN
Once the 3d work is done, images and passes are rendered and composited in Nuke. Compositing is really where I build the image. I look at 3d as asset generation and compositing as image making.
From there, everything goes into photoshop to be formatted and polished for publishing. Something else I did for the book was to create a “living cover.” I built an animated version of the cover with a camera move, moving smoke, light, and whatever I could to bring life. This has been a tremendous asset on social media and reaching out to my readers!
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
I focus on writing what interests me and keep myself open to inspiration. Also, I always remind myself that this is writing; I can do anything! My background in filmmaking has me always considering the logistical underpinnings of a concept or idea, but when writing, there is literally no limit to what I can create. I focus on making everything believable and germane to the story’s world–from there, everything is on limits! Whenever I present a new concept or situation, I ask myself if this has been pushed as far as it can be, have I found the best solution to a given challenge? Finally, I’m always on alert for cliches and retreading previously traveled material.
Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
Hmm– maybe something not many people know is that I grew up during the 80s–a lot of the technology and settings in the story were drawn directly from my own personal experiences: modems, BBSs, underground tunnels! There were elements of these things in my childhood! Also, the whole opening scene of the characters camping up in the mountains was something my brother and I did!
Book Is Available On Amazon
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