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Matt at a rare moment of rest.
M. L. "Matt" Buchman started his first novel while deep in the Australian Outback—as part of his bicycle trip around the world. Solo. That novel launched a career.
The characters who show up for his stories refuse to behave: Emily Beale, the pilot who broke the gender barrier flying secret military helicopters; Miranda Chase, the autistic air-crash investigator who sees what others cannot, yet gets blindsided by human subtext. His characters insist on taking the lead, before the adventure. He's chased them ever since — across 80+ novels and 200 short stories of: thrillers with heart, romance with spine, and deadpan humorous fantasy. The trait they all share? They explore the limits of the possible while championing the human spirit.
Publishers Weekly calls him essential reading for “Tom Clancy fans open to a strong female lead.” Booklist named his romances Top 10 of the Year three times. NPR and Barnes & Noble put him on their annual best lists. RT Book Reviews called him flat out "one of our favorite authors." A USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestseller, one reader perhaps described him best as: "Nora Roberts and Robert Ludlum’s book baby."
Before writing became his full-time life over a decade ago, Matt earned a geophysics degree, spent thirty years as a crisis project manager, designed and built houses, and piloted and jumped out of planes. He can solo-sail a 50-foot ketch and recently crewed on a tall ship to Antarctica. Lately, he's taken up wildlife photography, which mostly involves standing very still and hoping something spectacular shows up. He also quilts — its own kind of precision work, and arguably less dangerous than the rest.
He and his wife live on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Amusing Trivia
- Can single-hand a fifty-foot sailboat.
- Sailed as crew to Antarctica on a fifty-meter tall ship.
- His full name, Matthew Lieber Buchman, translates as Matthew Beloved Book Man, no wonder he's a writer.
- Almost born in a taxi during one of the worst snowstorms in Pennsylvania's history.
- Lived his "Wonder Bread Years" (yes, he's dating himself) in a town of 1,200 people and 10,000 head of dairy cattle.
- Went to college in Maine where they really do say, "Ya cain't get the-ah from he-ah."
- Was a live-theater electrician and soundman for several years.
- Can sing an opera aria (no, really!, though he's a bit out of practice now).
- Has proved he's incompetent on a wide variety of musical instruments including: piano, drums, guitar, banjo, flute, fiddle, concertina, harmonica, and didgeridoo.
- Taekwondo Black Belt.
- That Vulcan hand sign thing? Easy-peasy courtesy of a really dull AP chemistry class. Doing it with his toes? Not so much.
- He also quilts.

From his Round-the-World Bicycle Trip
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At northernmost tip of Japan (in 33 degree driving rain) |
In Indonesia teaching a village elder to play an Australian didgeridoo |
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Roughing it in France (yes, there is a baguette sticking up out of his rear pannier) |
To learn more: CLICK HERE! |
The Why of My Writing:
Championing the Human Spirit
- 1975 - a dear friend beat this phrase into my head: "Treat others the way I wanted to be treated."
- Earth Day, 1986 - a new employee put up a large "Think Globally. Act Locally." poster above her desk in my clear line of sight. And I started thinking about how I could do that.
- 1986-2012 - During my corporate years, I strove to create office and manufacturing systems that made people's work lives easier and more pleasurable. Automating the grunt work out of their lives became my "Act Locally."
- 1993-the future - My writing is my "Think Globally." In each story, I try to find that essential core of hope and ability and passion, and exemplify that. I hope that these stories inspire you to find your own "Act Locally", and to discover new ways to Champion the Human Spirit. That is why I write.
- To semi-quote Zaphod Beeblebrox: "Don't be amazing. Be amazingly amazing!"
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