This month: Your Questions Answered!

I got confused by the 'Authors Note' in Transformations of Pain, where you said that it was actually the first book--what was Black Womb, then? Was it a prologue, or was Transformations of Pain like a retcon?

In the author's note for Transformations in Pain I referred to it as the first book in the Black Womb series mainly because the first book was at first intended to stand on its own, whereas the second was written with a series in mind. I realize now how confusing the statement was and will try to avoid such mishaps when speaking in the future. :)

Matthew,
I read your book over the holidays. I'm impressed! Personally I would classify it more SciFi than horror. While reading it there were a few phrases that I thought were particulary good (although I can't remember exactly which ones they were now.)
Thinking back to when the IV bag was changed, I'm trying to remember the purpose of that. Was it to heal the guy quickly so that he could be off'd at the party? (Maybe it was explained but I didn't catch it.) Also had me thinking at the beginning when you outlined the dates of the pregnancy. The way I read it it sounded like the gestation period had been accelerated which I thought was part of the story. Having finished it, I'm now wondering if it was supposed to be (or if you were just messing with my mind!!?) It stated "January 28th the subject is 21 days pregnant...March 1st early labour...appears healthy...March 7th runs away with the baby". With out an accelerated gestation, I'm thinking she could have tucked the baby inside her navel to keep her warm. Assuming that it was accelerated, why didn't the acceleration continue in the later years? (Like all great writers, leave them guessing for more...)

Nicely done! Good continued luck...

PS I had to laugh the other day. While having luch I noticed an Alexader Keiths neon sign that was partialy blocked by something hanging in front of it. All you could read was "xander Keiths"...

Glad you were impressed with Black Womb. I've personally always had a hard time categorizing it as sci-fi, horror or anything for that matter... I just wrote what came into my head, not any specific genre. A friend in the industry chose horror and I agree with that assesment (at least partially), so I went with it.
Both the IV bag and the pregnancy are very much there as a part of the Black Womb mythos. Things like that will be picked up in later novels. Sad as it is, there's only so much you can do with 200 pages. I tried hard not to make those dangling plots too distracting, as I did want people to feel it was a "complete" book. Some people notice, some don't... either way is a success in my book!

That bit with the sign is hilarious.

Hey Matthew;
Just finished reading Black Womb and Transformations in Pain. I was totally blown away. I love how Xander's character develops, especially in Transformations in Pain. Super realistic way to convey his inner conflicts.

Thanks for the kind words. My goal with the sequels is to continue to have all the characters develop and evolve in a realistic and natural way. Wheather or not I succeed remains to be seen, though I'm glad my efforts so far are appreciated :).

Hullo Matt,
I just finished reading Black Womb and Transformations in Pain. You
asked me when I bought them at Sci-Fi on the Rock to be honest when I bought them so here I am giving my honest opnion.
I want to start of by saying I really really did like them, and I don't mean that in any dolled up or exagerated sense. I found, in terms of the plot, that they read much like a comic book, kinda like a darker (and better) version of Venom. It had the benefits of a twisted and flashy comic super hero plot but without the drawbacks that most comic books carry (like the inability to decently portray said plot). I found also that even though you kept having to describe certain people, things or events over and over again, such as blood or rape in TiP, you managed to do so in a way that kept in fresh and kept my attention to the description.
In fact I only really had one problem. In Black Womb a lot of characters
seemed to be highly stereotrypical and two dimensional. The big exception
was Xander of course, but characters like Mike & Cathy (inseperable
highschool couple) and Sara (unobtainable love interest/best friend) seemed
cut straight out of cheesy horror movies. I was pleased to find though in
TiP many of the characters fleshed out a bit, particularly Mike
and Cathy.
I can't wait for Smoke and Mirrors. I finished both books in four days and
now I'm left wanting more. When Smoke and Mirrors gets released you should
make sure to let me know, especially if theres actually a launch event. I'm
going to be sure to point a few friends in the direction of your books for
sure.
Hope my critique helps.

I'm very glad you liked both books. I almost appreciate it when people give a well-rounded critique of the book like you did... it at least lets me know they're being honest in what they're saying.
It's interesting that you should compare it to comics. I loved comics as a kid and noticed the same things you did about their lack of ability to portray their plot and other such problems. I think on some level that's why I started writing it... if for no other reason then that make something in the same vein as comics that I could enjoy now. Although Venom was never a thought in the planning of Black Womb, I can definitely see where you get that and you aren't the first person to think so. The true inspiration for his "look" was actually the alien from the first X-Files movie... I think this is the first time I've ever actualy admitted that. :)
As for character development in the first book (with regard to secondary characters), I say the same as I did above: you can only do so much with 200 pages. It pains me that I didn't do these characters justice in the page count provided, but that is the benefit of a series: I can just keep expanding on my little universe.
No definite release date for Smoke and Mirrors yet, though it is written. Sadly, editing takes time. I was hoping to have it out by August but may now have to wait until October, kind of a one-year anniversary for Black Womb. We'll see.

Hey Matthew
Just wanted to write and tell you I LOVED black womb!!! The transistion at the end of the book was amazing!! As much as I tried to guess the killer, I couldn't. So yeah, it was great!! I cant wait for the next book to come out!!!

Glad you enjoyed Black Womb. The sequel, Transformations in Pain, is actually out now. In my shameless plug of the article, I'll let you know that you can buy it here, at engenbooks.com.

So, I just finished reading your book...haven't had much time, but when I started, I just couldn't put it down because you had me hooked within the first few pages (which is hard to do for me!).
Just wondering if you want some constructive criticism, things that will help you in order to be taken more seriously as an author... just some major grammatical errors that were actually really distracting/annoying to me and might make it hard to sell your books nationwide. I'm not sure if it's the editor or the person who types it before it goes to the printer, but someone should definitely have caught these things...
Don't want to come across all negative because I really enjoy your writing style, and I was really hooked by the characters, story-line, etc... just wanted to bring it to your attention!
Please don't get offended, and feel free to tell me to shut-up if you don't want to hear it, ok?

No offense taken at all. :). The first book was plagued by bad deadlines and an unrefined editing process. It caused a lot of headaches, but thankfully a second printing fixed all that. There are still a few copies of that old first-edition circulating, and I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for it. Hope it wasn't too bad.
However, these things are fixed now and both the second edition and Transformations in Pain came out great. Glad that it didn't take too much away from the story and characters for you!

Hey Matt--
I just re-read the two Black Womb books and I was wondering: are there any plans to turn it into a movie or anything yet? I read it and kinda dreamt it in a movie form (or maybe a TV series on Space) and was wondering if you'd considered it at all.

Considered it? Yes. Every minute of every day, yes. Will it happen any time soon... probably not. That said, this is the internet. If anyone out there wants to make a short film or anything (flash movie, live action... all good), email me a pitch. Chances are I'll be very cool with it, especially if it gets the word out on the book to more places!

Hi Matt,
I'm writing you because I thought there would be stuff on here about Black Womb and there is... Hurray. I am addicted/obsessed with Black Womb and Transformations in Pain--they are definetly my favorite books ever. I can't wait for the third book.
Its so hard to believe that like some average kid from Newfoundland would become such an amazing author... I am so proud of you. I just thought I would drop by and let you know how much I love your books.
P.S- Your drawings on here are terrific also by the way.

I will never stop blushing after this. Don't even know what to say.
Thank you.

Hey man!
I just got from Halifax today, and while I was there, I read the two books that I bought at Sci-Fi on the Rock. I have to say, they are amazing-- the first book was so powerful that I actually hated it --but coming from me, that's a good thing. It means I really got into it BIG time.

You really develop the story really well, kind of drawing the reader (or at least, me) out of actually reading the book, and into seeing what's going on as if it's a movie, or if you're there. I hope you'll consider turning it into either a set of movies or a TV series (mini series, maybe?) If so, let me know--I'm trying my hand at script and screenplay writing.

As I said, the book, the writing and especially the story is absolutely fantastic. I can't wait for the next ones!

Another satisfied customer! Seriously though, thanks for the kind words. I'm very glad you *hated* the first book. :). The next book will be called Smoke and Mirrors. The status of the forth largely depends on reaction to that one... but if and when it comes out, the title will be "Roulette".

Hey,
I just finished your books, read them pretty much this weekend which is good for me because I'm a slow reader! I must say that I really like them! Once I started reading I couldn't put them down.. in fact the first book scared me so much I couldn't sleep after [the first character] got killed.... but then I just wanted to figure out who the killer was!
The second one was scarey too but in a different way! I can't believe these kids are 15, they seem older!
Thanks for writting.. I enjoyed them a lot and I'm going to recommend them to everyone I know!

Very glad you liked the books. The second one is definitely scary in a different way than the first. I was anxious to prove that this was not a "slasher" series and that it would, at points, delve into all types of horror and even genres outside horror and sci-fi.
The characters do seem older than 15 in the second book, but I tend to blame that on the events of the first book.

Well, that's it for this go-around. Stay tuned to engenbooks.com or email you questions to matthewledrew@engenbooks.com and I'm sure there'll be another day like this soon! Never look back!