Book: Beasts Of The Night
Q1. Hello sir, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
Sure thing. My name is Matejs Kalns, born and raised in Toronto, Canada. I grew up in the Latvian community here and spoke Latvian from a very early age, brought up in what was initially a community of refugees that settled here after the Second World War. I’ve always written short stories since I was a child, but never really considered writing something longer. It always seemed a very daunting task until it just sort of, happened! I spent most of my twenties studying and then working abroad—mostly education and human rights, which provided a lot of inspiration for this novel.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Beasts Of The Night’?
I have always loved writing so I didn’t find it particularly challenging, it was very much a labour of love. I was very familiar with the subject matter given my academic and professional background. As I said, I love to write and tell stories so that part was lots of fun—plotting out all the peaks and valleys, how the characters would react, etc. The biggest challenge was the editing process. It can be difficult to step back from your work and view it with a critical eye. Although I think I’m certainly my own fiercest critic, reading and rereading something you’ve written and then editing a hundred thousand words can be daunting at times.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
I read almost exclusively historical fiction as I studied history in school, and my family background is very much intertwined with the European history of the 20th century. Philip Kerr is who got me into reading this genre years ago with his noir series starring Bernie Gunther, a sort of German anti-hero detective from Berlin. Alan Furst has had a huge influence on me as well, I think I relate very much to his writing style. Not only do I appreciate his talent but I think I’m drawn to him because the stories are written in a similar way that I like to tell my tales, although that’s where any comparisons should end. I couldn’t insult the man like that!
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
I don’t have many favourite spots to visit in Canada—despite being raised here I’m a fairly avid traveler. Grandma’s kitchen table, if anything. But I would say the old town of Riga, Latvia has always held a special place in my heart. There are a couple of cafés in Bangkok that are also personal favourites, a city I actually detested the first time I traveled there, but have grown to love. Amman, Jordan is probably my favourite Middle Eastern city, and just about any brasserie in Paris will do me just fine.
Q5. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?
I usually have the entire plot in my head before I even think about writing something. It has to pass a series of tests I suppose, I need to believe it’s going to be stimulating enough for the reader. Then I plot it out—the chapters, the twists and turns, what happens to who, and when—and only if I’m satisfied with the outline do I start to write the book. A lot of research goes into the work beforehand, but during the process as well. There’s no end to my pulling books from the shelves or googling articles to make sure what I’m writing is accurate.
Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Beasts Of The Night’?
It took me a few years but I certainly didn’t work on it the entire time. I had the initial idea several years ago while working in Egypt, however I didn’t start writing straight away. There was also a lengthy period of time where I was distracted with a new job and probably didn’t write at all for about a year. It’s difficult to say with Beasts, but now that I’m writing more consistently, I’ll have a better idea for the next one.
Q7. On what platforms can readers find ‘Beasts Of The Night’ to buy?
My publisher, FriesenPress and I are aiming for a release in early December, 2020. The book will be available in paperback, hardcover and e-formats through the FriesenPress bookstore (https://books.friesenpress.com/store) and on Amazon (www.amazon.com)
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Beasts Of The Night’?
I worked with a graphic designer regarding the cover which was a really fun experience. I wanted the cover to accurately reflect the feel of the book, which I think it does. It’s very minimalist, and has a gritty, faded sort of mood to it, which is keeping with the themes of mystery, uncertainty, a certain amount of desperation. I especially like the vague silhouette of Mei who is central to the story, and consequently the cover.
I had a couple of different working titles but settled on Beasts of the Night because I thought it captured the essence of what the story is about, at least the battle that is being fought in regards to Mei’s disappearance. I won’t give it away to readers, but there’s a poignant moment of reflection which I think really captures the essence of society’s struggle against these human rights abuses.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
I won’t write a book if I don’t think it will hold my attention, and consequently, the reader’s attention. The story has to have enough twists and turns and there needs to be enough emotional investment in the characters to keep people interested. The writing never gets ‘stale’ in any sense for me. I find that even though I have an outline for the story, no matter how detailed, there’s always little ideas that fall from the sky and I end up going off on interesting tangents which end up adding a lot to the background, the pacing, etc. This is probably my favourite part of the writing process—no matter how specific and detailed my outline might be, ideas just simply materialize from somewhere and I get to run with them for a while, taking me in a new direction.
Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
Well I can’t give anything away, but I will say that the reader will meet a whole cast of unusual characters throughout the book. I think the blurb and also some of the reviews paint a good overall picture of the story, however there’s still many twists and turns that readers will have to discover for themselves. That’s the best part of the adventure.
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Beasts Of The Night
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