We recently connected with Matthew Reed and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I’ve spent all of the best years of my life as a U.S. Marine, a U.S. Army Intelligence NCO and as a Contractor for the U.S. Intelligence Community. I’ve Deployed in Uniform to both Iraq and Afghanistan and have also worked as a Military Intelligence Contractor Analyst in both Afghanistan and the Balkans Region of Europe.

As a Writer, I seek to write mostly Fictional Books that gel together all of my experieces in both the Military and the U.S. Intelligence Community in such a way as to both entertain my readers and teach them as much as possible about how certain “things” that go on behind-the-scenes, really work.

I seek to do this in a way that does not compromise any secrets. My books have unique plot lines and are, for the most part, “hybrid” fiction in that that they blend together the Techno-Thriller, Military Sci-Fi and Fantasy/Horror Genres.

Additionally, I seek to go on certain Podcasts run by Veterans and First Responders so that I can offer additional insight regarding how our Foreign Policy and War efforts got so screwed up while contrasting the sucessful Military Histories of the Greeks and Roman Empire with our constant failures.

I do this in order to provoke people in the Veteran and Military Communities who are in our National Security Establishment to actually study the History of the Romans, the Greeks and the British so they can see what we got wrong and how we can fix our issues at the Strategic and Operational Levels.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I first got into the Military Career path on October 14, 2003 when I stood on the infamous yellow footprints at the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot. After being Honorably Discharged in 2007, I switched Services and joined the U.S. Army where I went on to become an Interrogator and a Military Intelligence NCO, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan. From 2012 through 2022, I worked as an Intelligence Contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense, with roughly six years in the Balkans Region of Europe.

In between my Service in the Marine Corps and the Army, I worked as a Doorman at a Topless Strip Club in the Westheimer District of Houston.

I write unique, entertaining books that I put together by drawing on my years of experience working overseas in both the Military and Intelligence Communities.

My Books have unique plot lines.

For example, my first Novel, “In The Death of Night 2.0” is about a Retired CIA Paramilitary Officer running a Private Security Firm in Houston, Texas, who manipulates and leverages a Russian Mafia Syndicate into assassinating a large number of terrorists. This is similar to what the U.S. actually did in World War II when we used La Cosa Nostra to kill off German and Italian “Espionage Cells.” It’s a unique plot.

It’s not the typical, over-done “young, sexy, CIA Super-Agent does insane stuff and stops a Conspiracy and saves the world,” trope.
The CIA Case Officer is an old, grizzled, brave but terribly flawed, Vietnam Vet who uses people we normally think of as “bad guys” to eradicate a worse group of violent killers.
My Tradecraft and Action sequences are designed to be as realistic as possible and include accurate depictions of more lethal Russian-made Infantry weapons–like Fuel Air Explosive Warheads–that are both fascinating and deadly as the night is dark, but are not well-known to most people outside my line of work.

I wrote a unique, Military Sci-Fi-Novel called “The Timekillers.” It takes place in the aftermath of a future War with China that leads to horrifying carnage in the U.S. and Asia. After the War, a joint U.S-Japanese-Canadian and Australian Counter-Intelligence investigation reveals that the people responsible for the War’s deadly aftermath, are four people: two Chinese Operatives and two American turncoats. They find that the only time they were all together, was in Houston, Texas in 1990. Enter the Time Travel portion of The Timekillers.

Inside Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, a group of Soldiers and Scientists have figured out how to go back in time. They begin sending Soldiers and Intelligence Operatives–all of whom are Gen-Xers–back in time to stop the War’s aftermath by assassinating the two Spies and the two American traitors.

When these Veterans go back in time, we get to see the music, fashion and culture of the late 80s/early90s through the eyes of these Gen-Xer Intelligence Operators. If you like Stranger Things, you will LOVE The Timekillers. It’s also action-packed with plenty of intense scenes of Erotica.
So, like everything else I write, it gels different Genres together in a way that creates a unique experience for a reader who’s into Thrillers, Sci-Fi, Erotica, etc.

The same is true for my Novella: Westheimers Children: The Scorching Hunger. The Scorching Hunger centers around a battle-hardened, Grizzled, Iraq/Afghanistan War Veteran named Dave Roper who falls in love with an eccentric Call-Girl named Nadia Alvarenga. Of course, Nadia Alvarenga is far more than she seems and she will change Dave Roper in a scary and profound way. It is a blend of Action, Erotica and Horror/Fantasy.

I believe readers are finally looking for something new and unique from what’s typically pumped out by many of the larger Publishing Houses and this is what I’m trying to make for them.

What I think really sets me apart from other Authors is my ability to mix these different Genres together in an entertaining cauldron that can be presented realistically through the eyes of Soldiers, Marines, Mercenaries and Intelligence specialists.
Anyone who reads my Books will notice this.
As for how I came to be a writer, well, I started toying with writing as far back as 1999 and I finally got serious about it near the end of my four years in the Marine Corps. I had to put it off for a long time while I served in the Army and spent so many years contributing to the Defense of the Nation.
Finally, a little over a year ago, I was able to get published through Amazon’s incredible Kindle Direct Publishing Program.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

Yes. Besides trying to motivate our future leaders to study Military History, I want to write some incredible, unique books that, when taken together, create a multi-layered Tapestry of different lives that reflects the life and War experiences of Gen-Xers like myself who grew up in the unique time of the 80 and 90s and had to “cut our teeth” in the so-called War on Terror before continuing our work in the Intelligence Community and the Defense Industry.

If you watch my interviews on the Cleared Hot Podcast and The Distinguished Savage Podcasts, you can get a good dose of this.

I went into a lot more detail on Roman Military History on The Distinguished Savage Podcast and any listener who hears it, will learn enough to figure out how much we can learn from studying the Romans.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

So, as a little known Author, I took a risk trying to Advertise and Market my Books on certain News Aggregation websites. The Firm I worked with was very professional and did a spectacular job designing Ads for my books.

Unfortunately, I spent thousands of dollars and hardly sold any copies.

However, after some Podcast appearances, I sold quite a few Books.

Thanks to the generosity of both Mr. Andy Stumpf and Mr. Walt Settlemyre in hosting me on their Podcasts, I’m finally on the right path in being able to tell people about my books.

The key lesson for new Writers is this: Go with Podcasts that get you directly in front of your Target Audience. That’s the fastest, most efficient way to market your work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Reed/e/B08YXVV13R/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hybridnovelist
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzMRy6UPhpU

Image Credits
My Book Cover Images were designed by an outstanding Cover Designer named Matthew Morse, who can be reached at heymatthew.com.