Following on from One Day by David Nicholls two weeks ago and Silver Bay by JoJo Moyes, this week we gave away free copies of Matt Hilton’s excellent novel Dead Men’s Dust as part of Books In Public.
If you’ve read the book we’d love to know what you think (in the comments below or on Twitter using the hashtag #booksinpublic).
We also managed to grab a few minutes with Matt to give him a good grilling about Do It In Public…
If you were going on a long journey on a bus or train and could pick anyone you want to be your conductor, who would you pick?
The comedian Lee Evans. If the journey grew too tiresome, he could keep me entertained with some slapstick comedy routines.
What’s your must have book for a long journey?
Discounting one of my own, which I sneakily lay face up on table as a publicity tool, I would have to have a thrilling read. Maybe the latest from John Connolly or Dean Koontz.
Are buses and trains good places to pick up ideas for your books?
Yes, buses and trains are melting pots for all manner of people and races and can conjure many an idea while ‘people watching’.
If you had to set one of your books on a bus or train, what would it be about?
I’d probably set one on a train; it would have to be a long distance journey, man/woman in peril type thriller, perhaps set in the not too distant past when you could still clamber about on the roof of carriages without the wind force snatching you away within seconds. If it was on a bus, the main character would likely be a drifter in peril from some danger or other.
Have you ever seen anyone reading one of your books on a bus or train and how did it make you feel?
I haven’t had the pleasure yet, but am looking forward to the day that I do. Maybe with Global Cool’s incentive this will happen sooner rather than later. I guess I’ll feel elated and not a little frightened when it happens.
If you had to strike up a conversation on a bus or train with someone reading one of your books, what would your opening line be?
“I’ve heard they’re good books. What do you think?” It would then depend on their answer as to if I’d introduce myself or not.
Global Cool is encouraging people to go to festivals this year on public transport… what piece of advice would you give them to make the journey more fun?
Take a good book with them and they’ll enjoy it even more.
Tell us your views on Dead Men’s Dust by Matt Hilton below…
I read Dead Men’s Dust and thoroughly enjoyed it, enough that I read the later ones. It was good to come across an English bloke kicking ass in the US and keeping the English humour whilst at it. I think the most engaging part was that the violence and action scenes were never far-fetched, the believability added an extra level of menace and realism.
Look forward to more!