Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Matthews.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is Thomas K Matthews, and this is who, what, when, and why I am. From the day I could talk I was telling stories. Not just little kid babbles, but my stories were detailed and dramatic. Tales of time and place and monsters and heroes – even if I was the only one who could understand me. Besides being a storyteller, I am also an artist. Though I can paint, my favorite creations are writhing demons, crazy characters, and monsters. All my mother could do was shake her head and try and understand me.
Jump ahead and my journey took me into classrooms where instructors could only shrug and shake their heads at the odd and ultra-creative “things” that were birthed by my mind. No matter the topic, I would spin the direction to work the twisted and exciting processes, much to the chagrin of those around me.
After school, I was a creator of creatures that became brands and imprints. My specific style of imaginative ‘things and beings’ caught the attention of the imprinted sportswear industry. I became the “go-to” artist for brand lines, avant-garde companies, and the beginnings of the craft beer revolution. In that period, I designed the faces of over 60 micro-breweries and custom-imprinted clothing lines.
My biggest claim to fame was designing the gargoyle brands for the Stone Brewing Company. Yes, those beasts came from my head. From there my storytelling mind screamed for me to put my nightmares on paper. Since then, I have completed and published eighteen novels. From horror to thriller, then from adventure to historical fiction, I dove into the make-believe world of writing.
With my supportive wife by my side, Stacy and I have been on a 40-year adventure of creative endeavors. Mine through art and writing, she through her amazing talent as an architectural designer and custom home builder. (She writes, too.) Our son works in the film industry and is an amazing craftsman in celluloid and leather.
So, as you can see, creativity runs in Matthews’ blood, and we all agree that our professions picked us, not the other way around. With two new novels in the works and a screenplay co-written between my wife and me – we are on new adventures to invent and display the collective life that has brought us to the point in our lives where we are the masters of our own world… even if is only in our minds.
Oh, and my keyboard.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been easy. Creativity is a fickle world and what was “cool” yesterday is forgotten tomorrow. But we evolve. To shift and twist to remain current takes flexibility and tenacity. But Stacy and I are fighters, flexible and tenacious. In both our industries, to be ridged means obscurity in the long run.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We at Andalusia Art & Entertainment offer Graphic Design, Illustration, Written word, Architectural design, and contracting… as well as classes in writing, creativity, and custom interiors. We participate in conventions, publishing weekends and offer to coach authors and artists.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
When I was 12 years old, Ray Bradbury was traveling on a book promotion tour. By twelve years old I had read everything he had written. When I heard he was coming to our city, and speaking and signing at our small-town high school gym, I gathered up and story I was working on and rode my bike to the event. There he was, my idol and inspiration. After his presentation, he invited the crowd to bring books to be signed. As one may imagine, the human tide thronged. There I stood with my three pages in my hand. When I approached, his assistant asked if I wanted Ray to sign something. “No, ” I said. “I was hoping he would look at my writing.” He agreed. He read through two of the three pages, stood, and put his arm around my shoulder. “this is Tom,” he said to the crowd, “And he is a writer.” I never stopped writing from that day forward. So, yeah, that is my best childhood memory.
Pricing:
- 14.99 paperback
- 2.99 e-book
- 50.00 per hour coaching
- 500.00 speaking event
- 1000.00 weekend event
Contact Info:
- Website: andalusiaent.com
- Instagram: wordfreaktom
- Facebook: Thomas K. Matthews
- Linkedin: Thomas K. Matthews
