About the Author

Matthew J. Stott is a lifelong reader and writer who has honed his craft for the last decade. He holds his BA in Communication Arts and has published with the University of West Florida (his alma mater) and Oxford University Press. Matthew strives to pen fiction that ignites imaginations and sparks a sense of humor.

An avid fan of all things fantasy, from Harry Potter to Game of Thrones, he strives to imbue his stories with magic, bringing thrilling new worlds to life filled with authentic, relatable characters (at least that's the goal).

A U.S. Air Force veteran, he resides in the Northeast where he enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, Stefanie, their adorable twins, and their sweet pug, Lily.

Since around the 4th Grade, Matthew fell in love with the art of writing — essays, short stories, poems, it didn't matter! He gravitated toward finding bigger and better vocabulary words to incorporate into his writing ("plethora" was a favorite), so much so that he caught the attention of his teachers and classmates. He was determined, one day, to be a published author.

Fast forward to 2015, he decided to finally work on his very first fantasy novel in between college classes. It was much harder than he anticipated, and he didn't complete a final draft until 2020 when this little virus shut everything down and he had the free time to focus and finish writing.

After two years of editing and querying his first novel, "The Portal to Aardon," he signed with a publisher! But that relationship didn't last long, and he found himself parting ways and starting his own publishing imprint, Pug & Dagger Press, in 2024 to self-publish his books instead. Feel free to join him on this exciting journey!