Behind the debut with M.A. Batten

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Behind the debut with M.A. Batten

May 08, 2025

Transcript

> Find out more about the Behind The Debut podcast here.

Welcome back to Behind The Debut, a podcast to shine a light on first-time authors and their journey to publication.

In this episode, I’m delighted to welcome M.A. Batten - a neurodiverse screenwriter and award-winning author of fantasy, scifi and dark fiction including his debut: Dark and the boy in the hole.

In our conversation, you’ll hear:

Why M.A. Batten’s 25 year background in advertising left him wanted to tell stories that didn’t involve brands trying to sell products, which in turn led to his debut novel
The different approaches he takes for short stories vs novels and the process he uses to plan out longer works to makes sure he never suffers from writers block
The biggest challenges he faces when writing including how being neurodiverse, having a family and losing his job has impacted his work
How Batten goes back to rewrite scenes to extract the most drama from them, particularly scenes that contain a reveal, adding subtle breadcrumbs that leave readers gasping with realisation
The 15 year journey to his debut novel and the major realisation he had when coming back to writing it during lockdown
How a beta reader very close to him helped him to shape the story - plus a great tip for engaging your own reader’s brain when you’re reviewing your manuscripts
How despite his advertising background he hates marketing but how he applies his extensive knowledge to create an organic marketing plan that works for his books (plus a really important tip about paid-for advertising that no indie author should miss!)
The tools and resources M.A. Batten can’t do without including his sticky-note five act plan and the deep research he does into the cultural and historical background of creatures and artifacts that appear in his stories
The exciting news about his sequel novel Dark and the girl with the knives which is out soon!

Links Mentioned On The Show

Buy Dark and the boy in the hole and Bestiarum Noctis

Find all of M.A. Batten’s books on Amazon

HOW TO LISTEN:

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More about ‘Dark and the boy in the hole’

Having been imprisoned in a deep stone pit by the tyrannical King Baltus for as long as he can remember, the Boy With No Name is unexpectedly set free by the last living minotaur, the albino Grim. Together, they escape into Myrr Wood to join the few remaining monsters of the Old World – a ragtag bunch of goblins, trolls, bendith, harpies, a wendigo, and the only lykkan left in the realm – all hunted by humanity to the brink of extinction.

When the Nightlings discover the boy can mimic anything he sees, including their own fantastic abilities, they are ready to follow him in an uprising against the world's greatest monster: mankind.

However, there is a traitor among the Nightlings, traps have been set, and the King has a deadly new weapon that could wipe out the creatures of the night once and for all. War is coming. But first the boy must decide if he is human, or monster.