We’ve been promised a heatwave here in Yorkshire, but it doesn’t appear to have arrived yet. Hard to believe the sun is going to shine at all, in fact. My garden is dripping wet, and the sky is a leaden grey. It’s a dismal day to welcome guests, but I’ve made Matthew Peters some hot buttered crumpets and a pot of tea, and that’s cheering us both up quite a lot!
Thanks for coming all the way to a rainy Yorkshire, Matt!
Where do you live, Matthew? I live in North Carolina.
I’d love to visit some day. I’ve heard how beautiful the beaches are, and the coastline.
Where is your favourite place in the world? My favourite place is Disney World. It’s impossible to be unhappy there. You are essentially closed off from the rest of the world whenever you visit. Walt designed it that way. Thank you, Uncle Walt!
I’ll second that! I’ve only been to Disneyland Paris, but it was magical. You can’t fail to be happy :)
Being a writer is a great job. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? By far the worst job I ever had was working third shift at an educational testing corporation where my job was to supervise the scanning of nationally administered tests. I always shudder when I think of those days.
Everything about that sounds awful. I sympathise.
What book do you wish you’d written? I wish I had written Lie Down in Darkness by William Styron. It was his first book, and, in my opinion, his best. How he wrote like that at such a young age is absolutely incredible to me.
I haven’t read any William Styron, but I will now.
What’s your favourite song? This is such a hard question. I love music, especially classical music. I listen to it all day as I read and write. While I have several favourite pieces my absolute favourite has to be Alessandro Striggio’s Mass in 40 Parts. It was recently discovered. The version conducted by Robert Hollingworth is my favourite. The music is like the laughter of angels.
I listened to some on Youtube and it was beautiful. Thanks for the recommendation. You might have heard of Allegri’s Miserere, too, which is equally magical. You can listen here.
If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you say to them? I would love to meet Jesus. I would ask if he were resurrected; the viability of Christianity rests on the answer to that question.
What’s your happiest childhood memory? Digging for bottles near a creek behind an old rented house we lived in when I was nine.
What a lovely image that conjures up
If you had to marry a fictional character, from film, television, or books, who would it be? Any fictional character played by Scarlett Johansson.
:)
What’s the most important lesson life has taught you? That you have to look out for yourself, and that if you don’t care about yourself, no one else will.
And finally, please tell us about your latest book, where we can find it, and where we can find your blog/website
My latest book from MuseItUp Publishing is called The Brothers’ Keepers. Here is the back cover:
Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, and Jesus’ purported spouse, Mary Magdalene. But what about Jesus’ siblings? What role did they play in early Christianity?
Contemporary Jesuit and renowned religious historian Nicholas Branson is about to find out…and the answer will shake the foundations of the Judeo-Christian world.
It all starts with the murder of a United States Senator in a confessional, and the discovery of a strange religious document among his possessions. At the urging of his FBI friend, Branson joins the investigation. His effort to uncover the truth behind the murder draws him into the search for an eight-hundred-year-old treasure and into a web of ecclesiastical and political intrigue.
Accompanied by a beautiful, sharp-tongued research librarian, Jessica Jones, Branson follows a trail of clues, from the peaks of the awe inspiring French Pyrenees to the caves of war-torn Afghanistan. Along the way, shadowy powerful forces trail the pair, determined to keep safe a secret buried for centuries.
The Brothers’ Keepers will be released October 1, but is available for pre-order now. My website, www.matthewpetersbooks.com has the details, and here is a direct link to the purchasing options: http://www.matthewpetersbooks.com/the-brothers-keepers/.
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Thanks very much for coming all this way, Matt. It’s been a pleasure to meet you. Your novel sounds like a gripping read, and I love the sound of the heroine! Best wishes and congratulations on release.
If you have any questions for Matt, or any comments at all, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you!
Helena Fairfax 
Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Helena. It is, indeed, a pleasure. I really enjoyed answering your superb questions.
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It was a real pleasure to meet you, Matt. Thanks so much for being such a gracious guest
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Great interview, Helena and Matt. OMG, Matt. I love Disney World! I have been there and to Disneyland many times. I had no idea.
I’m looking forward to reading The Brothers’ Keepers. Great excerpt! Best wishes on your writing career.
Susan
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It’s my dream to go to Disney World in the States, Susan. Thanks very much for your great comment!
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Thanks so much, Susan. To me Disney World is the happiest place on earth :-)
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Thanks for this wonderful interview, Matt and Helena. Matt, your book sounds great! As a Dan Brown fan, I’m really intrigued. And I just got back from my…hmmm…let’s see…I think 15th trip to Disney World, so I know just what you mean!
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I’d so love to go to Disney World, Heather. Disneyland Paris is magnifique! Hope you and family had a fabulous time. Thanks for your comment!
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Yay! More Disney fans :-) I hope you enjoy the book, Heather.
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Great interview! Matt, your book sounds awesome!
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Thanks so much, Penny. Have a great day.
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Thanks for coming by, Penny!
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Another Heather that enjoys Disney. Been to Florida several times and to California once. Scarlett Johansson, hmmm. ‘They are now filming ‘The Brothers’ Keeper’ staring Scarlett Johansson. The author, Matthew Peters has been on the set every day, smiling.’ Keep your fingers crossed, Matt.
A fan of classical as well! Instrumental jazz is also good for reading and writing.
I’m intrigued and looking forward to reading your book as well.
The count down is on.
H Greenis – The Natasha Saga
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I like the way you think, Heather :-) I agree, instrumental jazz is also good for reading and writing. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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I love that image, Heather! Thanks for a great comment, and for dropping in!
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Nice interview, Matt & Helena. Am I the only person who hasn’t been to Disney World? I have made it to King’s Island in Cincinnati which was a nice amusement park.
Best of luck with your book, Matthew. Looking forward to your presentation in WVU next Sunday.
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Thank you, Leona. I feel a MuseItUp road trip coming on :-) How great would that be for a bunch of us to meet up at Disney World? Thank you for setting up the talk at WVU.
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Matt, that’s a fabulous idea to meet up in Disney World! I’d absolutely love to. I hope you can make it there one day, Leona. Thanks very much for dropping in!
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Loved the interview. The book sounds wonderful, Matthew. So much so, I pre-ordered it!
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Thanks so much, Bev. I hope you enjoy it :-)
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Thanks for your comment, Bev. Matt’s book does sound great!
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Hi Matt and Helena, Great interview. Looks like a book I will want to read, and some music I am definitely going to have to listen to.
Re Jesus, I had assumed that Helena’s hypothetical meant that you would meet up with the person during their lifetime (in other words, time travel). If that were true, you may not get an answer to your question. But maybe the hypothetical needs clarification. :-)
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Thank you for stopping by, Ken. Let me know how you enjoy the music.
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That’s a good point, Ken. I had meant time travel. But Matt could travel to the days between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and maybe get his answer then :) Thanks for your interesting comment!
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It’s all in the timing. Assuming Dante is correct, that would be a tough place to hold an interview.
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Great interview! Yes I’m a Disney World groupie too. Dating myself, but our first visit was the Christmas they opened in Florida. I was so excited to see the place and you can hear me screaming “Hi Mickey” in a high pitched voice on the video we took of the parade. Well I was only 22 or so. We’ve been there many times since. It is indeed a magical place. Your book sounds delicious. Best wishes on your new release!
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Thanks, J.Q. I sense a theme here. Lots of Disney lovers in the house :-) I think the next time we’ll be there is in October of 2015, and we’d love to meet up with anyone who might be able to go.
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How amazing to be there shortly after it opened, JQ. What great memories! I wish I could be there next year, Matt :( Look forward to hearing all about it!
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Hi Matt and Helena, great interview! My family has had some great times in DisneyWorld too. The book sounds really interesting and is now on my ‘To Buy’ list. Good luck with it, Matt.
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Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, Dawn. I hope you enjoy the book.
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Hi Dawn, thanks so much for calling in. There are a lot of us Disney fans! :) Matt’s book sounds a really interesting read. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
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Thank you so much for having me, Helena, and thanks to all those who took the time to stop by and comment. It has been a pleasure.
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It’s been a lovely afternoon, Matt. Thanks for coming!
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I loved the interview, Matt and Helena! I love the way it starts out – Matt that you met her! Awesome! I also have to join in on the Disney conversation as well! LOL! I went the first time this summer. Amazing! We visited Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios. Those will always be special memories! :) Have a great day! Sheri
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Sounds like you had a brilliant time in Disney World, Sheri! And I so agree that the memories are special. Thanks for coming by, and for your lovely comment!
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Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, Sheri. I guess Disney World is pretty popular among writers, huh? I guess maybe because we’re all kids at heart. I know I am.
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DisneyWorld seems to be a recurring theme in my life at the mo. I’ve blogged about it this morning and of course, mentioned you, Helena and Matthew!
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Thanks, Dawn!
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