Debut Author Mike Matzdorff Asks: What if THE UNIVERSE ran out of an office in Queens?

Indie Author Insights Featured Author Series

Debut author, Mike Matzdorff lives in California — and sometimes his home state of Wisconsin. He is a father of two and has a love-hate relationship with his two (Covid) cats. Mike likes a good mystery, historical stuff, and bad jokes! He plays the guitar and would like to walk across a continent sometime.

Mike’s first novel, The Universe, debuts June 10, 2025. Tony “Monk” Shalhoub narrated the audiobook. While this is Mike’s first book, he is no stranger to writing, editing, or the creative arts. He is the co-creator/consulting producer of Breaking Bread and the writer/director of Feed the Fish.

Read on to get Mike’s insights as an indie author and the story behind The Universe.

How did you come up with the idea for your book?
The idea, “What if the universe was run out of an office in Queens,” popped into my head after I pitched three other things to an animation executive. The meeting was over, and I said, “Can I run another idea by you?” That sentence was followed by a suggestion to “Write that into a short story.” I did, and it became The Universe.