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I’m not exactly sure when I decided to become a novelist, but I have always loved fiction. While my tastes are pretty eclectic, I am definitely drawn to books that push the limits of reality. My favorite authors include Haruki Murakami, Stephen King, and Michael Gruber.
Before focusing on writing fiction, I worked as an I/O psychologist, co-founded a company in 1993 and sold it in 2018. Over that time period I wrote a lot white papers, journal articles, book chapters and even a book. But writing technical papers is far removed from writing fiction. There are more constraints -- the need to back up your text with results or references, and the format is usually clearly outlined, and frankly, somewhat rigid. Fiction, though, is truly a blank page, which is both liberating and terrifying.
A little over 10 years ago I got the idea for The Painter of Time, my debut novel. Then, of course, it was just a concept that needed to be fleshed out. It required a lot of research on art history and art restoration, neither of which I had any formal training or experience. But I love doing research and learning new things, so it was a natural fit. What I didn’t realize was how hard it is to actually write a good novel. There’s much more involved in the actual craft of writing that I ever expected.
I published my second novel, Spirit of the Fox, which takes place in Japan, in 2018. My most recent novel, The House on Tyner, was published in 2023. My goal has always been to write an intelligent novel that makes the reader think, and consider things from different perspectives. That’s what I look for in a great novel, and that’s what I’m trying to create. All of my books are available on Amazon, on Kindle Unlimited, and in audiobook formats. Lately, I’ve been writing some short stories as well as some haiku. My short stories are available for free from my website: www.matthewoconnellauthor.com.
Having lived for slightly over 20 years in San Diego, and 5 years in Lake Tahoe, my wife Mari and I moved to Japan in 2020. We love living here and share our lives with our pets. I hope you enjoy my work. Please reach out and let me know.
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