Matt Galanos is not your typical fantasy fiction writer – he is a family man with grown up kids, works as an accountant by day and is an avid reader and writer and self-published author by night.

His first published novel, Dane Thorburn and the Brindabeare Knights was a great success, and he has since gone on to write the sequel Dane Thorburn and the City of Lost Souls. In fact, Galanos has a number of further adventures about his fictional hero Dane Thorburn ready to translate into books.

Galanos’ books are full of fast-paced action and captivating adventures that are ideally suited for 10 to 15 year olds, but have also found themselves a huge following among adults both in Australia and across the world.

Just released and already gathering huge sales, Dane Thorburn and the City of Lost Souls continues to follow the story of the young and brave royal knight Dane Thorburn and his desperate quest to find Princess Vanessa before she is lost forever.

Before Dane can do anything to help, he finds himself on trial, accused of aiding Vanessa’s kidnapping. Can Dane prove his innocence and join the search before it’s too late? These trials and tribulations await in Galanos’s latest book.

“I am incredibly proud to be writing books that people love,” Galanos said.

“I think with COVID impacting so much of the world, we all need something to take us away from the stress and anxiety and books tend to do this so well.

“I’ve always had a keen interest in fantasy fiction and when I was away in Perth on a business trip several years ago, I decided to put pen to paper and haven’t looked back.”

Dane Thorburn has become an overnight sensation, with readers loving his easy to read style and thrilling adventures.

Galanos acknowledges that his main character, Dane Thorburn, has been created to be a protagonist rather than a reluctant hero or some long distant relative of an ancient king, unlike the protagonists of many other novels.

He is essentially a good, decent and brave person who wants to do the right thing – but finds himself intertwined in challenging and sometimes difficult situations and this is what sets Galanos’ novels apart from the rest.

One of the questions Galanos is asked most frequently, is - aren’t accountants supposed to be boring? How on earth do you come up with amazing ideas while working with numbers all day?

“My answer to this question is simple, while a lot of people think accounting is boring, it actually involves a great deal of creative and lateral thinking. Working out how to solve complex financial situations requires fresh perspectives and different angles which I am very good at, so fantasy fiction writing comes naturally to me.”

Galanos believes one of the biggest challenges facing writers is how to find time to write while also holding down a full-time job and other responsibilities.

“It’s a valid issue and like a lot of people, I have a full-time job, as well as family and other commitments; and writing a book is a long and arduous process that requires large chunks of time. The answer is – if it means enough to you, then you will find the time,” Galanos explains.

“I, like many others had to change holiday plans during this COVID-19 time and used that time to focus on writing. So, it shows there is an opportunity in any situation - you just have to look out for it.

“A book doesn’t write itself, and unlike other hobbies and past-times, writing is an independent process – they’re your ideas, it’s your story, and the only one who can finish it is you. If you are passionate and determined enough to achieve the goal of writing a novel, then you must be willing to put the time and effort in.

“This doesn’t mean sacrificing work, family and other important commitments to focus on writing; I did all those things and still made time to write. The secret is to cut back on TV-time and other non-essential things we find ourselves caught up in and use this time to write.

“For me, setting aside a few nights a week to be able to write is important. I set myself a goal for what I want to achieve in that particular session and then I don’t stop until I have achieved that goal. Some pieces come together quickly; others take a bit longer but the secret is to have a set routine.

“Writing a book can be hard, lonely work and there are times when you ask yourself whether it’s worth it. But when you succeed, when you have the hard copy of the book in your hand, and when you hear readers say how much they enjoyed the book, then all the hard work to get there seems like nothing at all, and you feel on top of the world. You must persevere!”

Galanos is currently working on other hair-raising plots for the other novels in his series of seven and hopes to continue to shock and inspire his readers. “I would encourage anyone who has a dream to give it a go,” he added.

www.mattgalanos.com