top of page
Search

Interview With Author M.A Batten

Writer's picture: Hayley WalshHayley Walsh

Today, I am thrilled to be bringing you a wonderful interview with fellow Australian author M.A. Batten. After a successful career in advertising, the author returned to his life long dream of telling stories. Let's find out more.


Tell me about yourself


I’m an author of fantasy, sci-fi and dark fiction. After a 25-year career in advertising, in which I won over 150 awards internationally, I was reborn as an author and screenwriter. Since then, I’ve won four First Places at NYC Midnight, Best Screenplay at Open Screenplay, Finalist at Page International Awards, Semi-Finalist at FICIE in Spain, Quarter-Finalist at Unique Voices International, a slew of Official Selections, and am the only writer in the world to have two Shortlists simultaneously for the Hammond House International Literary Prize and published in the anthology Fate.

 

What books did you enjoy as a child?


A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain gave me the reading bug as a young teen. My love for fantasy was cemented in the backseat of the car on a family road trip across Australia with The Hobbit. As an adult, I discovered Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and never looked back. I now own a first edition hardcover of every instalment, some autographed.

 

You worked in advertising for many years. Have you always been a creative soul?


As a little kid, I was always drawing and making things. I won my first art competition at 11 with a photorealistic illustration of a parrot. My schoolfriends and I had grand plans to make a movie but didn’t have any equipment. I wanted to be an architect (like George Costanza). I had a job painting murals on the walls of rich people’s houses. Despite stumbling into a career in advertising (which was very creative in the beginning until the industry sucked the life out of everyone), I kept pursuing creative outlets and won awards as a photographer, designer, and filmmaker. So, yes.

 

Do you remember the moment you decided to return to telling stories.


I had started a ‘next great novel’ every seven years since the age of 13. Most of them made it to around chapter 7 before I’d lose interest or get distracted as a teenager who enjoyed blowing things up (seriously). Fast forward 35 years to Covid. Without a job and confined to our house, I finally dusted off the last unfinished manuscript and when I re-read my own work, I knew I had something worth pursuing. DARK: And the Boy in the Hole was born.

 

What do you love about writing fantasy, sci -fi and dark fiction.


The limitless possibilities of the imagination, and exploring psyche and emotion in unobvious ways. You could write a story about a teen dying from cancer, or that teen could be enduring some devastating elven curse – the emotional journey is the same, but the context draws the reader out of their everyday.

 

Tell me about your latest release and what inspired it.


At the heart of DARK: And the Boy in the Hole is a child with no name, held captive in a hole for his entire living memory, who is released into a world at war. The idea was inspired by series like the Potterverse, but not as you think. I wanted to give readers a darker story. Take the innocent child concept right to the edge of human brutality, but not cross the line so readers of all ages can relate and enjoy.

 

Which one of your characters can you most relate to and why?


The boy with no name. When he escapes into the world, he must find his place between the alternate sides, never quite fitting into one or the other. This is a parallel to my own life as a ND person, with one manifestation being ‘estrangement’. Never feeling like I belong anywhere.

 

Are you working on anything at the moment?


The sequel DARK: And the Girl with the Knives. I’m still hoping to release in April.

 

How does the process of writing a fiction book differ from writing a screenplay. How do you approach it?


There are solid parallels: narrative arc, inciting moment, drama, false hope, trials, climax, resolution. I even write my books in acts, but 5 instead of 3. While novels explore the mental journeys of the characters, word by word, screenplays need to be visual and spoken. They require a shorthand in the storytelling, without sacrificing the story. However, I write my novels as though they are screenplays. Every scene is written to visually play out in the reader’s head. They read like a movie. My readers describe it as more immersive, more exciting and faster-paced.

 

What’s the best piece of writing advice you have ever been given.


You need to start in order to finish.


Thank you to Matt for sharing his inspiring journey with us, If you would like to check out his work, click on the link below.




 

  After winning over 150 creative awards during a hugely successful 25-year career ins childhood dream of telling stories

11 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


Post: Blog2_Post

©2019 by Hayley Walsh. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page