Guy Week Part 1: Interview with Matt Dunn and book giveaway

**Giveaway is now closed**

We thought it would be fun to shake things up in April with "Guy Week." We've invited two male authors to hang out with us at CLC. The first is Matt Dunn, author of "The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook" and a few other romantic comedy novels. In the past, he worked as a professional lifeguard, fitness-equipment salesman, and lastly an I.T. headhunter. His success in re-writing other peoples' CVs (résumés) led him to think he had a talent for fiction. Matt lives in London but spends a lot of time in Spain, where he is working on his seventh novel and playing tennis.

With the help of Beth Pehlke from Sourcebooks, Matt has four copies of "The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook" to give away to some lucky readers in the US and Canada.

If you like what you've seen here, follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

MP: What is your usual writing routine?
MD: I get up in the morning, look at my mortgage statement, panic and start typing... No, seriously, I treat it as a nine-to-five job. If you're delivering a book a year, you have to be pretty focused, and I know that if I keep to a standard working day I'll meet my deadlines. I also write about lots of stuff for magazines like Cosmopolitan, and several national newspapers in the UK, so I'm kept pretty busy. In terms of the book, having a word target helps, and I'll usually try for a thousand a day, though if it's going well, I'll aim for two thousand.

MP:. What was your biggest challenge while writing "The Accidental Proposal"?
MD: It's the sequel to two previous books, so even though I knew the set-up and the history of the characters, I had to make sure that anyone picking one of my books up for the first time would be clued-in as to who everyone was and how/why they related to each other as they did, and trying to do that without boring people who have read the previous books can be tough. Oh, and as ever, trying to make it funny.

MP: How did you celebrate when your first book was published?
MD: I was in a bit of a daze, to be honest, because I'd dreamed about it for so long, but after a lovely lunch with my publisher I think I spent the rest of the day wandering around various bookshops in London trying to spot it on the shelves, turning it cover-out when I did, and hoping I'd see someone buy a copy. Though no-one did while I was watching, sadly!

MA: How did you decide to write chick lit?
MD: To be honest, I didn't. I just wanted to write the kind of thing I wanted to read, and having read (and loved) Nick Hornby's 'High Fidelity', I tried to write something like that, which examined honestly (but in a humorous way) the male view of life, love, and relationships. Six books later, I'm still trying!

MA: Who are your favorite authors?
MD: Good question. I tend to go for books rather than authors: David Mitchell - his Cloud Atlas is possibly my favourite book ever, and David Nicholls' One Day is just about faultless. I also love Nick Hornby, Haruki Murakami, Jay McInerney, Martin Amis, Jonathan Tropper... I could go on.

MP: You reported in your website recently that there was interest in possibly making "From Here to Paternity" into a movie. What's the current status and if it were made into a movie, would it be released in the U.S.?
MD: I think it's still 'in development', i.e. nothing much has happened yet, but I'd love to see it get made, and then hopefully see it on worldwide release!

MA: What is the most memorable date you have ever been on?
MD: The first date with my wife. I was a head-hunter, and I interviewed her for a job. It was a warm September evening, so we decided to talk outside at a bar rather than sit in a stuffy office, and ended up talking about everything apart from the job until the bar closed. Neither of us realised it was a date until afterwards. Mind you, on our first proper date (after I'd plucked up the courage to ask her out) the first thing she said to me when I picked her up from her house was 'my toilet's sprung a leak' - she'd just had a new bathroom fitted - so my evening started off with me on my hands and knees doing a bit of emergency plumbing. Memorable too, I suppose, but for different reasons.

MA: What is the most romantic thing you have ever done for a woman?
MD: I'm as romantic as the next man, which I'm afraid probably means 'not very', and if you knew how long I've been sitting here trying (and failing) to think of something you'd probably agree with me.

MP: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
MD: Nepal or Tibet. I love mountains, and would love to see Mount Everest, so have started planning a hiking trip to base camp, probably for next year.

MA: Where do you like living more: London or Spain?
MD: They're both fun. Spain has the weather, I suppose. But I love cities in general - New York is one of my favourites, as is San Francisco, so I'd like to spend some time living in both of those in the future. One of the joys of my job is that I can work pretty much anywhere in the world, and I plan to exploit that fully.

Special thanks to Matt for chatting with us today and to Beth Pehlke from Sourcebooks for providing the books for the giveaway.


How to win "The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook":
Please comment below with your e-mail address.
(Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page or blog if you can receive messages there.)

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: What is the most romantic thing someone has done for you (or vice versa)?
2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
4. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)

US/Canada only. Giveaway ends April 23rd at midnight EST

More by Matt Dunn: