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Matt Goldman is the author of The Murder Show, which is available now.
New York Times bestselling author Matt Goldman is a playwright and Emmy Award-winning television writer for Seinfeld, Ellen, and other shows. Goldman has been nominated for the Shamus and Nero Awards and was a Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List selection. He lives in Minnesota with his wife, pets, and whichever children happen to be around.
Matt uses his personal expertise from the writers’ rooms of shows like Seinfeld and Ellen to inform The Murder Show, in which the main character works as a show-runner on a TV crime drama, desperate to find a good pitch for his next season. So when Ethan returns home to Minnesota looking for inspiration, the timing couldn’t be better to reconnect with his former classmate-turned-cop, Ro, who has uncovered new information about the hit and run that killed their mutual friend the summer after high school. It doesn’t take for the duo long to realize they’ve dug up more than they bargained for, and their lives may be the price to pay.
Let’s get to know Matt as he talks favorite novels, why writing is the right fit for him, what drew him to fiction and more!
What are some of your favorite novels?
Crime and Punishment, 100 Years of Solitude, A Secret History, James, Little Drummer Girl, Case Histories, Slaughterhouse Five, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, The Dutch House
When did you know you wanted to become a writer?
I wanted to become a writer when I was a kid but didn’t understand how that might happen. No one told me I couldn’t be a writer, but no one told me I could. Or should. I had no role models in the arts. But I definitely knew by my junior year of college. I credit my high school English teachers as the inspiration.
After writing for television, which drew you to writing fiction?
Television is a collaborative medium. A lot of good comes from that, but my personality does better working alone. And books have always been my favorite medium. I’d always wanted to write books. I only wish I’d made the move earlier.
Can you talk about the inspiration behind The Murder Show? What can readers expect from the novel?
The inspiration for The Murder Show comes from my TV writing days. Things move much more quickly in TV, and there are many more steps to getting an idea approved. I used the sick feeling I used to get: I have to come up with something they’ll buy—and combined it with the more universal experience of reconnecting with old friends. And how making your way in the world does and doesn’t change the dynamics you experienced in high school. Readers can expect a pair of protagonists investigating the death of an old friend. A mystery with a lot of twists and turns and escalation. The more they learn, the more dangerous their investigation becomes.
Without giving away spoilers, can you share your favorite part or chapter to write?
My favorite part was writing the relationship between the two protagonists, Ethan and Ro (Rosalie). Romance almost happened for them in high school. They haven’t seen each other in over 20 years. Can it happen for them as adults as they investigate a cold case together?
What are you currently reading and what’s on your TBR (to be read) list?
I just finished James and loved it. Now I’m rereading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for comparison.
