Featuring Cristina Matta & Brian Brady — RV Book Fair 2025
The RV Book Fair 2025 continues its exciting line-up with a captivating panel titled “The Craft of Investigative Writing,” featuring two dynamic authors whose work is deeply connected to real-life experience: Cristina Matta, author of the Crack the Case young adult mystery series, and Brian Brady, retired police chief and author of Hiding in Plain Sight. Their discussion offered a compelling exploration of how personal history, trauma, and professional insight can shape powerful storytelling.
Cristina Matta’s path to writing began with survival. In 2007, she lived through an 8.1-magnitude earthquake in Peru—an event she found overwhelming to retell verbally. Instead, she wrote down the experience, unknowingly taking the first step toward her writing career. That story later appeared in Never Shaken: Tales of Survival, but it also served as the foundation for her debut YA mystery, Tremor in the Hills. Blending lived experience with action, adventure, and intrigue, Cristina launched a three-part mystery series now loved by young readers. The second book, Tremor on the Pyramid, is currently in its final stages of editing.
Cristina describes herself as empathetic, fun, and accepting, and her writing reflects those qualities—filled with heart, resilience, and relatable characters. Fluent in Spanish and a frequent traveler to Peru, she brings cultural depth and authenticity to her work. Whether dancing, horseback riding, or discovering new artistic experiences, Cristina’s curiosity fuels her creativity. Writing became, for her, a form of self-healing: “self-counseling in the form of the genre I love,” she explains. Above all, she hopes her unique story reaches readers who will embrace it.
Brian Brady’s journey into writing is shaped by decades of law enforcement and leadership. Born and raised in San Francisco, Brian served in multiple police departments across California and New Mexico, eventually retiring as Police Chief in Novato. His career continued in corporate security—first as VP of Corporate Security for NBCUniversal, then as Director of Security for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Over the years, Brian collected real stories, characters, and extraordinary moments from his career, which later formed the backbone of his fiction.
His newest book, Hiding in Plain Sight, draws on actual investigations—crafted not as true crime, but as fictionalized detective narratives inspired by real cases. With a mixture of curiosity, skepticism, and loyalty, Brian weaves authenticity into every page. Whether talking about law enforcement, writing, or baseball (his favorite icebreaker), Brian brings humor and lived experience to the conversation. His dream? To see his stories adapted into a TV series or film.
Together, Cristina Matta and Brian Brady offered an insightful and inspiring discussion during “The Craft of Investigative Writing,” reminding readers that compelling stories often originate from profound personal experiences—and the courage to share them.
Find out more at: www.relatable-media.com/the-rv-book-fair
You can reach Brian Brady through site goldengatetales.com
