Matthew Gray Gubler Wants His New Book to Feel Like a "Gift From My Heart"

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When Matthew Gray Gubler appeared on Criminal Minds in 2005, fans immediately loved his portrayal as Dr. Spencer Reid. While he quickly became known for the role he played on TV, he always knew he had other creative passions he wanted to explore.

Fast-forward to 2019, and Matthew published his first book — a children's book titled Rumple Buttercup: A Story of Bananas, Belonging and Being Yourself. Just weeks later, it became a New York Times bestseller and was met with rave reviews on Amazon from actual caretakers and parents. Needless to say, Matthew had all the encouragement he needed for book number two: The Little Kid With the Big Green Hand, which was released on September 26.

As he revealed in an interview with Good Housekeeping, Matthew really felt inclined to continue writing because of how quickly people forge bonds with one another over the medium. "Books to me are really unique because people can hold them," he explained. "It transports them to a light-hearted dimension where they feel connected."

In The Little Kid With the Big Green Hand, Matthew once again transports his readers to a childlike realm, this time with the help of a young protagonist named Lenore. Born with an unusual green hand, she often feels out of place and fears no one will like her because of something she sees as inferior. But her new friend, Chuck, slowly allows her to see the good in her unique quality, which is an ideal that Matthew is particularly passionate about. What's more, he hopes fans of all ages will to embrace their own particular quirks after reading the book.

"In the funniest of ways, I feel like this particular one is more for kids to read to their parents," he expressed. "As Lenore and Chuck are having realizations, I wanted the audience to be in their perspectives. That's a lot of where my storytelling instincts come from."

Speaking of Matthew's own approach to life and art, he's particularly vocal about how hands-on he is with the publishing process, even when the story is done.

Along with creating his own publishing imprint, Pumpkin Patch Press, he also handwrote and illustrated every element of the story — including the bar code and copyright page.

"To me, the best thing you can give someone is a personal gift, like a hand drawn card," he said. "With everything, from the books to directing and even my acting, I want people to feel the human touch and know that it was made for them by a person who loves them... What it gives to people, hopefully, is an entirely homemade gift from my heart."

With that in mind, Matthew has used the book to create new connections with the help of his Big Green Hand Tour. As he travels across the country in a green Volkswagen bug with a big hand on the roof, he gets to see people light up as he delivers copies of his latest work.

Despite the venture into book writing, there's still one question still remains on fans' minds. Does Matthew ever plan on returning to acting (and subsequently, directing)? If Matthew has his way, there's a chance you'll see him onscreen at some point.

"On the road, people are like, 'Oh, when are you going back to acting?'" he says. "It's so weird because I don't see a difference between the daily endeavor of acting from the daily endeavor of writing to the daily endeavor of drawing."

"I am sure I'll go back to comedy and to acting and all of that," he concludes." I'm just not sure when, but I know I look forward to it. I really love doing everything."

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