Matt Eaton - Blank

Matt Eaton was born under a wondering star in the Year of the Fire Horse. Believers knew the birth of a fire horse baby was to be avoided at all costs for such a child was fated to lead a life of irresponsibility and rebellion, spreading bad news among all concerned.

Undeterred by the weight of such prognostication, Matt instead turned bad news into a vocation. He has been a working journalist for more than 30 years across print, broadcast and digital media.

For the past 20 years he has been a reporter, presenter and producer at ABC News. Through the 1990s he spent seven years in Sydney at Triple Jay, the ABC’s youth network. It might be the only vaguely respectable media outlet in Australia that allowed Matt to simultaneously report on pro surfing and UFOs.

Surfing might be the more respectable of the two, although perhaps only by a small margin. Matt travelled across Australia and the Pacific covering pro surfing world tour events for Triple Jay News. Such fun, such irresponsibility.

He also travelled regularly, making two acclaimed radio documentaries for Triple Jay about his journeys through the Northern Territory and the United States.

Matt began working on two feature film projects in the late 1990s with his father Barry and renowned film and TV director Michael Carson, however neither project made it to the screen. Michael was lost to cancer in 2005.

In 2006, Matt and his family moved to Queensland, where he took up work for the ABC as a news producer and newsreader.

Matt spent several years developing his debut novel, Blank , the first of a trilogy of paranormal, post-apocalyptic thrillers. An audio version of the book will be available from late 2015.

Matt still lives in Brisbane with his wife and two daughters, very close to a flood-prone pony club. He neither owns nor rides horses, but is very fond of an open fire.

Thanks to Claire for her constant indulgence of my many mental absences, and to my girls Stella and Molly for their unending positivity, encouragement and faith in their old man.

I had invaluable support and feedback through the many drafts of Blank from my good friends Adam Beswick, John Taylor and Paul Henman. Thanks to all of you for a range of helpful suggestions, proof reading and support that fed my stubborn determination to get this book in front of others.

And thanks to Stephanie Smith who, from her reading of the first draft during her days at Harper Voyager, through to her later work as my freelance editor, told me I had something worth pursuing.

Copyright © 2015 by Matt Eaton

Cover design by JT Lindroos

Ebook formatting by Jesse Gordon, adarnedgoodbook.com

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