Matthew Norman's Blog, page 3

One Step Closer: The Title Page

Hey, everyone. We're inching closer and closer to the release of LAST COUPLE STANDING.

Here's a shot of the title page, which I really, really like. Note the interlocking O and U. The designer carries this theme throughout the book with interesting typographical flourishes for each section break. 

As a writer, seeing your novel go from a giant Word doc to an actual book is one of the most exciting parts of the publishing process. 

Stay tuned for more updates leading up to the March 20...

How Do You Eat An Elephant?

I was a guest earlier this year on a very interesting new podcast called Creative How. As the name suggests, it's all about exactly "how" creative people go about doing what they do. My particular episode is about novel writing, obviously, because that's really the only thing I know how to do.

Over the years, I've been asked about writing in a very general sense. I've talked about things like which writers I like, what inspires me, and where certain ideas have come from. This hour-long chat is...

Coming Soon

People are always saying to me, "Come on, Matt Norman, put on some pants and finish your book already."

Well, fine, I did, and here's the official announcement from my new publisher, Ballantine Books. There's some industry jargon here, but, the gist of it is that I've agreed to a two-book deal. The first of those two books is called LAST COUPLE STANDING, which will be out next year. As for the second book...well, I better get writing.

Stay tuned for more info on things like release dates and co...

Everything is Still Awful and I Want to Die But Music Helps a Little

Hello again, friends.

What now seems like a hundred years ago, I wrote a post called Everything is Awful and I Want to Die But Here's a Joke I Heard. A few readers contacted me back then to let me know that it helped make them feel better.

Well, if you're the type of person who thinks like me, everything is still awful. More awful, in fact. But, because I'm a sucker for hope, I thought I'd share something that helped me, at least briefly, feel less shitty about everything.

The other morning, I...

How I Write

Earlier this summer, I chatted with Allison Futterman from The Writer about...well, writing.

More specifically, "How I Write," which is a column that the magazine devotes to things like craft and process. A lot of writers get shy when talking about the rituals and mechanics of what they do, but I've always enjoyed it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I went on and on about it. Allison, wisely, just printed the useful parts. Here's a link, if you're interested.

And, if anyone has any questions...

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE: I Did NOT Write This Book

Hey, Friends & Fans. One of the downsides to having such a generic name is that there are a lot of Matthew Normans out there. There's a renowned clock-maker, an Australian actor, a controversial political columnist in the UK, and an infamous drug smuggler who is currently, as best I can tell, in prison.

There are also several other Matthew Normans on earth who write books. The nerve of these guys!

One of these non-me Matthew Normans recently published the book pictured above, Death of Sol...

The World of Pax Americana: An Interview with Kurt Baumeister

Earlier this summer, I had the chance to interview novelist Kurt Baumeister about his fantastic debut novel Pax Americana. Part lit fiction, part thriller, part revisionist history, it's one of the most unique books I've read in a very long time. Here's a transcript of our chat, which appeared on JMWW.

If Pax Americana sounds like something you'd be into, get it here, and let me know what you think.

thenormannation@gmail.com

Domestic Violets Writing Q&A

Happy New Year, everyone. This week, I answered some very interesting writing-related questions about my first novel over at the blog Great Writers Steal.

It was a lot of fun. Between We're All Damaged and the new novel I'm currently obsessing over, I haven't had a chance to think about Domestic Violets in a very long time. Here's a link to the Q&A, which covers everything from the mechanics of dialogue to the many pitfalls of writing about writers. Hope you like it.

thenormannation@gmail.c...

Everything is Awful and I Want to Die But Here's a Joke I Heard

Like about half the country, I'm hurting badly right now. It's an overwhelming feeling, complete with nausea, hopelessness, and sudden bouts of startlingly raw emotion.

I've done my best over the past 24 hours to avoid lashing out. It'd probably feel good to point fingers and chastise those who disagree with me, but, I know that I'd ultimately regret it, and I'd just find myself with something else to feel shitty about.

I don't know why the election turned out the way that it did. I don't know...

A Reading From The Books of Matthew and Jessica

Back in June, I had the pleasure of reading with the very hilarious Jessica Anya Blau at the Pratt Library in Baltimore. It was a fun night. I told a story about how my eyeball kind of exploded recently, and then I read the first chapter of We're All Damaged. Jessica told a story about her most recent trip to the lady doctor and read the first chapter of her latest, The Trouble With Lexie. The whole thing was captured here on a podcast. Check it out.

thenormannation@gmail.com