Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Baltimore, then lived in Cincinnati, western Massachusetts, Boston, New York City, and now Saratoga Springs. My wife Nancy Seid and I have lived in Saratoga for nine years, and we have two sons, ages eight and six. It's a wonderful place to live.

For those of you who have already read BREAKFAST AT MADELINE'S, my first novel, I'm pretty similar to Jacob Burns, the protagonist of the book, except that he's richer, funnier, and better looking.

I went to Amherst College, where I majored in American Studies and wrote a play for my thesis. After college I wrote a number of plays that were produced off-Broadway and around the world. Then I got into movie writing and TV writing. I've written episodes of HOMICIDE and LAW & ORDER, and I just got hired to be a staff writer for LAW & ORDER, starting next month (June 1999). So the family and I will be moving out to L.A. It should be an exciting adventure!

I love writing mystery novels, and I'll continue to write them while I'm in L.A.

Are you coming to mystery writing from another job?

I came to mystery writing from playwriting and TV writing. I also write for such magazines as PARENTS, FAMILY LIFE, and SESAME STREET PARENTS, and I've done some teaching here and there. My favorite teaching gig was at Hudson Correctional Facility, where I taught Playwriting.

Aside from the occasional teaching stint, I write full time.

What led you to write mysteries?

I read all the Sherlock Holmes stories when I was in fourth grade, and I've been hooked on mysteries ever since. They're my favorite form of entertainment. Writing these mysteries has been a blast--the most fun I've ever had as a writer.

Tell us about your road to publication.

I gave my first draft of BREAKFAST AT MADELINE'S to my wife and three friends to critique. The second draft I sent to the Malice Domestic Grant Contest. The book won the grant, which helped me get an agent. I chose my agent based on the other clients he represents (including Don Winslow, Bill Crider, and Bill Fitzhugh), who write books that I like a lot and that are also in the same basic genre as my own books--humorous amateur sleuth mysteries. My agent submitted BREAKFAST AT MADELINE'S to fourteen publishers at once, and within three days we had three offers.

What kind of research was involved for your first book?

I didn't have to do a lot of research for my first book. I've lived it!

Who are your influences as a writer?

I think Dr. Seuss has had a tremendous influence on all of us late-nineteenth-century American writers--his sense of fun and whimsy, the way he just goes all out and has a great time with his writing, the way he goes hog wild and releases fantasies.

For me, Elmore Leonard is another influence--his wonderfully crisp, crackling dialogue, the poetry of it. The sharpness, not a wasted word. And his wicked, funny spin on the world.

Another great stylist that I reread a lot is P.G. Wodehouse. I admire his craft, the way every single sentence serves a purpose.

Among the new mystery writers I admire are Laura Lippman, Sujata Massey, and Joanne Dobson.

What does your family think of having a mystery author in their midst?

My family gets a kick out of having a mystery writer in their midst. My sons think their Daddy is famous. And for those of you who have read BREAKFAST AT MADELINE'S, the part in the book where the younger son is convinced that hockey players don't make peepee... My younger son used to be convinced of the same thing. So my family enjoys that.

Tell us about plans for future books.

I'm writing the sixth episode of the upcoming LAW & ORDER season. It's tentatively entitled "Marathon." The second Jacob Burns mystery, GRAND DELUSION, will come out in January 2000, and the third one, tentatively titled THE ONLY GOOD POLITICIAN, is scheduled to come out in January 2001.

How can readers get in touch with you?

For now, readers can reach me at MWitten@aol.com. I'm not sure, but I believe that when I move out to Los Angeles I'll keep the same e-mail address, so that address should be good for the foreseeable future. You can also contact me through my publisher, Dutton Signet.

Thanks, Matt, and good luck on the West Coast! Readers, you can find our review of BREAKFAST AT MADELINE'S here at TMR.

May 6, 1999