UNDISCOVERED VOICES INTERVIEWS Matthew Olson Roy

In this week's Undiscovered Voices writer interview, we're delighted to introduce Matthew Olson Roy.

Tell us what you write.

I mainly write middle grade fiction, although I have also written young adult and literary fiction as well.

Why did you enter Undiscovered Voices?

Other SCBWI members encouraged me to apply, and when I learned more about the competition, it sounded like an amazing opportunity. Undiscovered Voices allowed me to kickstart the query process and get the attention of agents right away.

Tell us about the book you submitted.

I submitted my middle grade comedy, The Spy Who Grounded Me, about eleven-year-old Ian Barker who believes that his crime-writing father is a spy in real life. To prove it, he recruits friends and gets in trouble to force his dad to expose his secret spy skills. When Ian learns that a mole at school is feeding his dad intel, he invites his dad to an all school assembly to blow the case wide open, if he doesn’t blow his dad’s cover first!

How did you feel about winning Undiscovered Voices?

I couldn’t believe it. There really is no limit to the number of times you can reread an e-mail. It was quite the confidence-boost to know that people in the publishing industry found something worthwhile in my writing.

In what ways was the feedback from Undiscovered Voices useful?

I received early feedback from local SCBWI members, participated in a conference call with the UV applicants to help our submissions stand out, and attended a day-long training session about agents and publishing. Finally, most agents who expressed interest offered feedback, even those who declined, all of which has helped me improve the manuscript.

Have you had any success with your book as a result of Undiscovered Voices?

While I haven’t signed with an agent yet, I have had quite a bit of agent interest. Now I am at the rewrite and resubmit stage with a few agents who really enjoyed the concept but wanted to see a few ideas flushed out more thoroughly in the story. Their feedback has been invaluable.

Tell us about about yourself

I am a writer of middle-grade fiction, living in Luxembourg with my husband and our two children. I will complete an MSt in Creative Writing from the University of Oxford in September this year.

Web: www.matthewolsonroy.com Twitter: @matthewolsonroy Facebook: /matthewolsonroy

You can download the Undiscovered Voices 2018 anthology here to read an extract from Matthew's book.

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Undiscovered Voices is an anthology published every other year by the British SCBWI and aims to help fresh, new voices in children’s literature – both writers and illustrators – find agents, publishers and ultimately readers. Undiscovered Voices has launched the careers of writers and illustrators, who have gone on to publish more than 200 books. These authors have been nominated for and won an amazing array of literary prizes: including the Carnegie Medal, Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, Branford Boase Award, Blue Peter Award, the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, and nearly 30 regional awards. Visit www.undiscoveredvoices.com for all the details and news when submissions will open for the next anthology.