Episode 21- Bonus Interview Episode with Matt Witten

Welcome to Episode 21- Bonus Episode Interview with Matt Witten. 

Welcome MBP (Murder, Blood and Psychopath) family, I had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Witten who is a TV writer and novelist who has written for House, Pretty Little Liars, Law & Order, CSI: Miami, and several other shows. His six novels include The Necklace, which came out from Oceanview Publishing last year and has been optioned for film by Leonardo DiCaprio. Matt has won the Malice Domestic Award and been nominated for two Edgars and an Emmy. His latest novel is Killer Story, which is set in the world of true-crime podcasting. He is currently writing a pilot for NBC. I was geeking out because I am such a pretty liar fan. I was so excited to interview one of the writers of the show. If you told me 5 years ago, I would be geeking out with someone who not only has written but used his life story as a narrative on the show. That is amazing. Matt came on the show to promote his book: Killer Story. I ordered my copy. Get your copy. Matt, thank you for being such an amazing guest and promoting your book which comes out January 17th, 2023. The link is below. I was geeking out guys lol sorry. Take a listen. I apologize because my phone was ringing. It was a parent. Matt Witten gives advice who want to go on to write novels. ENJOY THE SHOW. 

Here is a synopsis of Killer Story:

How far will she go to catch the killer – and make her podcast a hit? Idealistic journalist Petra Kovach launches a true-crime podcast to investigate the murder of an alt-right YouTuber she loved like a little sister, despite their political differences. Petra’s passionate quest for justice rockets her to the top of the podcasting charts, but her just-barely-legal tactics backfire and she loses everything: her job, her love, and her reputation. Now she must fight to get her life back – and catch the killer.

The novel has gotten blurbs from the hosts of several true-crime podcasts, including True Crime Garage and The Murder Sheet, and bestselling authors including Lee Goldberg and Hank Phillippi Ryan. You can read the blurbs on my website, mattwittenwriter.com.

I began writing Killer Story because I’m a huge fan of crime podcasts like Serial and Accused and crime documentaries like Making a Murderer and Jinx. At the same time, I’m a skeptic of these shows. I’m intrigued by how reporters sometimes omit key details or distort the truth in order to tell a better story. In this ultra-competitive era, getting clicks and followers can be more important than getting the truth.

Another inspiration for Killer Story is all the men and women I know in their twenties who are fiercely dedicated to going into journalism despite the huge obstacles they face. Journalism is such a rapidly changing field, with newspapers dying, internet news sites unable to find workable economic models, and decent paying jobs increasingly hard to get. These aspiring young journalists have a sense of mission that I admire. Their passion refuses to be denied.

I also found inspiration in my own life. All TV writers get fired at least once in their careers, or to use the industry parlance, they “don’t get their contracts renewed”; and that has happened to me as well. There are many reasons TV writers don’t get renewed – often it’s as simple as, there’s a new head writer who wants to hire people they’ve worked with before. But whatever the reason, losing your job is painful.

And it happens all the time in the newspaper industry. Will Doolittle, a reporter for the Glens Falls Post-Star, told me that when he started out twenty years ago, they had fifty reporters; now they’re down to eight. All over the country, newspapers are laying people off or going under.

So I created a main character in Killer Story, Petra Kovach, who is about to get laid off from yet another journalism job. She obsesses about all the things that just about everyone I know who’s ever lost their job, including myself, stresses about: Did I choose the right path in life? Is what happened somehow my fault? Will I ever get a job in the industry again?
But Petra gets back up off the mat and keeps on fighting.

As I’ve indicated, Petra is based partly on me; I identify with her feelings and forgive all her flaws. She’s a young woman who’s trying to make it in a very difficult business. Petra is also inspired by a brilliant young woman I know who, like Petra, is a first-generation immigrant with big dreams from an economically disadvantaged family. She’s working her way through law school now.

Olivia, the murder victim in Killer Story, is inspired by the alt-right media figure Tomi Lahren. While I’m not a fan of Olivia’s politics, I found it intriguing to speculate about all the pressures that might have transformed this sweet, caring young girl into somebody who is, on the surface at least, a pretty unlikeable person.

Writing Killer Story gave me a renewed, healthy skepticism of the news media, along with a new appreciation for journalists like Petra who overcome all kinds of obstacles to bring us the truth about the world. I hope to share my renewed admiration and skepticism for journalists in your podcast.

Matt Witten – Novels, blog musings, and more! (mattwittenwriter.com)

Check out this episode!