Meet Matthew Hubbard

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matthew Hubbard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
We’re here. These two words are a reminder that we—anyone who has ever felt different, abnormal, ostracized—exist. When I began work on my debut novel The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge (publishing April 30, 2024 from Delacorte Press / Penguin Random House), those two words were my driving force as anti-LGBTQ+ policies targeted teens. I was angry. Ready to fight back. I worked through these emotions by writing from the perspective of a seventeen-year-old in small-town Alabama who does just that. Now, this anger has strengthened into resilience and refusal to let anyone keep us from realizing we deserve to be here too. I wanted to show readers they deserve to fight back and don’t have to accept a fate forced upon them. Writing for hope in addition to writing for change is crucial, especially when readers are coming of age during turbulent times when they aren’t sure where they fit in. Given the political climate, it’s more important than ever to effect change and highlight activism. To show readers much like my younger self that they belong here.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
​Matthew Hubbard writes the kind of stories he wished he’d had as a teen in rural Alabama. He grew up on a mountaintop farm and knows more than he is willing to admit about small towns. He studied English, marketing, and psychology in college and has spent a majority of his life speaking up to make a difference. When he isn’t writing, Matthew can be found on a hike in search of breathtaking views, reading as many books as he can get his hands on, and cheering for his favorite hockey team. He lives in Chattanooga with his husband, their dogs, Layla and Phillip, and Jay Gatsby the cat. The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge is his first novel.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Writing can be a daunting task, how one takes words to string together to make sentences and new worlds. The three top qualities and skills that were most impactful on my journey were perseverance, always seeking to better my craft, and resilience. Perseverance and resilience go hand in hand — always persevering at your goal despite how hard it can be and being resilient when bad news tries to impede the journey to reaching your dreams. As for seeking to better your craft, that ties into the advice I have for anyone early in their journey: never stop reading to improve your outlook on life. This is the best advice I’ve ever received. It has kept me looking to see what other authors are doing, how they’re doing it, the trends in the publishing world. and how you can gain fresh perspective.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I was 22 years old. It was 2009. My friends and I were in a Barnes & Noble. A book in the Young Adult section caught my eye.

The cover of The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd was innocuous—a teen boy in bright plaid shirt lying in vibrant green grass—but there was something about it that made me walk over to the shelf. Maybe it was the slight tilt of the boy’s chin, or maybe the delicate way he held a hand against his chest. Either way, I grabbed the book and read the jacket. It promised a tale of dreamy-eyed misfits, boyfriends, coming out…. With sweaty palms, I immediately put it back on the shelf and walked away as though a giant arrow flashed above my head. While my friends were busy, I snuck back to the YA section and rushed to buy it. Later when I returned home, I began reading behind a locked door.

It was the moment I saw myself for the first time.

All those blurred memories began to make sense as I discovered myself on the pages. So at 22 years old, I came of age while reading a Young Adult novel. I felt seen, and my life didn’t feel like a burden. It was both life-changing and lifesaving. It’s a driving force to where I am today, writing YA books for queer teens to see themselves as I did.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
headshot – Mandy Rhoden Photography book cover – designed by Casey Moses, art by Jess Vosseteig

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Building Blocks of Success: Confidence & Self Esteem

BoldJourney is all about helping our audience and community level up by learning from the

Champion Mindset: Building Confidence & Self-Esteem

Every day, our team is focused on how to help our audience and community reach

Boosting Productivity Through Self-Care

When you have a never-ending to-do list it can feel irresponsible to engage in self-care,