Suspense Magazine July 2013

commitment to your book.
However, I think the journey between the beginning and ending is the hardest part to write. All writers have a duty to constantly
engage their readers. It can be a mentally and emotionally tough process. But what a brilliant job! As my children say to me, “So
Daddy, basically you wake up in the morning and then spend all day making stuff up.” In essence, they’re right.
S. MAG.: When writing a subject matter that is so close to home, do you find yourself emotionally connected to Will
Cochrane
M.D.: In all respects, Cochrane is a very hard character. I admit, he is a version of me, or at least the person I used to be. Putting
his thoughts and emotions down on paper has been a difficult thing to do. In “Slingshot,” I really believe that I’ve found my groove
to continue exploring his character in a way that doesn’t make me uncomfortable. I am emotionally connected to Will and he
takes me back to some very dark and hazardous experiences and states of mind. Though he is at times surrounded by other
people, he’s a lonely guy because he feels dislocated from the real world due to the nature of his job and his experiences.
S. MAG.: Will Cochrane is sitting in front of you—what would you like to ask him
M.D.: I wouldn’t ask him anything. Instead, I’d take him for a beer and say, “Ten years from now, you can be married, have
children, and lead a completely different life. Don’t lose sight of the possibility that can happen. When you retire from espionage,
you’ll feel even more alone than you do right now. Don’t be frightened of that. Instead, every day make the effort to take small
steps toward the normal world. But I’m not going to lie to you. The secret world may never leave your consciousness. Part of you
may always be alone.”
S. MAG.: Would readers be shocked about how much is actually real in books, even though you have to keep it fiction
M.D.: Yes, I believe so. You may on rare occasions hear about military actions conducted by special operations units, but—unless
a traitor whistle blows details—you’ll have to wait decades to be privy to information about what an MI6 or CIA field operative
has done in hostile locations overseas. I feel privileged to have worked alongside intelligence operatives who’ve conducted brilliant
and utterly daring missions behind enemy lines. I can turn my experiences, and the experiences of other operatives, into fiction
without breaching secrecy. But herein is the problem: If the public isn’t privy to the reality of contemporary espionage, how can
readers judge whether a work of fiction is realistic or otherwise History isn’t necessarily telling because a look back at the Cold
War reveals a period that was an espionage slow-burn chess game. One day, the very different world of modern spying will fully
come to light. In the interim, the nearest you can get to it is by reading authors who’ve served in that world.
S. MAG.: Do you suggest readers just finding out about you start with your first book “Spycatcher”
M.D.: All of my published books are standalone novels and I make a point of recapping so that readers don’t have to read the
books in order.
S. MAG.: What does the future hold for Matthew Dunn
M.D.: HarperCollins (U.S.) has renewed my contract and has put an advance on the table for two more Spycatcher novels. So,
the immediate future will no doubt involve lots of writing, more television and print and online interviews, and continuing to
write newspaper articles.
Other projects are looming: I’ve been approached to star in a documentary about MI6, my Hollywood film agent is in advance
talks with producers about the Spycatcher series, plus I’m fleshing out an idea for an espionage-related TV series.
But my heart is firmly in the Spycatcher series of novels, and I have so many ideas for future stories. Ideally, I’d like to take this
series as far as it can go. That could easily be fifteen or twenty Will Cochrane adventures. Maybe more.
My future is therefore my past. It will be a very interesting journey.
We’d like to thank Matthew for taking his time to give us more insight into his life. For more information—and we highly
recommend the interview section of his site—check out his website at: http://matthewdunnbooks.com. ■
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