Matthew Norman's Blog, page 4

Book Music

One of the best things about publishing novels is getting to write playlists for Largehearted Boy, which is a wonderful website that explores the beautiful overlapping of music and literature. Check out my playlist for We're All Damaged, which appeared on the site earlier this week. Any songs you wish I would have included?

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Twitter Questions

On Sunday, I asked the Twitterverse if they had any questions for me about, well, anything. Here they are, along with my answers.  

@MatthewHanover asked:
What are your desert island all time top five novels? 

This is the kind of question that a guy like me could spend hours and hours suffering over. I'm not going to do that, though. Instead, I'm going to answer quickly and just go with it. Straight Man by Richard Russo, The Catcher in the Rye by Mr. Salinger, The Financial Lives of...

Lad Lit Q&A

In the UK, which is among the greatest places on Earth, they have this term called "Lad Lit." It doesn't take a Comparative Literature major to figure out that it refers to the male equivalent of "Chick Lit."

Like a lot of writers, I sometimes take myself too seriously, and I've been known to get all prickly and self-righteous in the face of labels.

But...whatever. I'm a youngish guy, my main characters have all been youngish guys, and who the hell am I to question the word choice of the very p...

The 3Ws

Last week, my writer friend Allie Larkin asked me to be a part of her incredibly cool 3Ws series in which writers answer three simple questions:

1. What do you create?
2. Why do you create?
3. What do you consume? 

Here are my answers.  Do yourself a favor and check out the rest of the series, too. Some really great stuff there from some of the best writers working today. And, I definitely recommend following Allie on Twitter, because she is very funny.  

thenormannation@gmail.com

Unfamous

Five years ago, I gave my very first public reading as a professional novelist.  It...it didn't go as planned. 

Here's my essay about that humbling little evening, which appeared yesterday on Lit Hub.

thenormannation@gmail.com

Writer's Bone Podcast: 45 Minutes of Me Talking

About a month ago, I had the pleasure of hanging out in a bar in Baltimore with the writer Gary Almeter from Writer's Bone. We chatted about all sorts of book things, like inspiration, autobiography, and my favorite swear word. Here's our conversation in full, bar sounds included. And, after you've listened, go check out the site. It's fantastic.

thenormannation@gmail.com

The Digital Age: An Update

On May 1, Amazon released my new book We're All Damaged a month before the official publication date as part of its Kindle First program. And, well...wow.

The very first day it was available, it shot to #1 on a bunch of different lists, and, on day two, it became the most downloaded book on all of Amazon. In addition to all those downloads, the book has gotten a flood of reader reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads...more, in fact, than I ever could have imagined. 

Thanks to everyone who h...

Damaged Early

I'm thrilled to announce that my friends at Amazon have picked We're All Damaged as a Kindle First for May.

What does that mean? Several things...and they're all good. For starters, even though the book doesn't officially come out until June 1, the e-version is available right now, a whole month early. And, here's the best part. If you're an Amazon Prime member, it's absolutely free. If you don't have Amazon Prime, don't worry. Non-Primers can download it for just $1.99. Which is basically fre...

Hallelujah!

The other night, after we got the kids to bed, my wife remembered that she forgot to fill her car up with gas on the way home from work. The fact that she was saying this aloud—and saying it with some concern—was alarming. When it comes to things like gas in her car, she likes to live dangerously.
“How much do you have?” I asked.
“Not much.”
“How not much?”
She shrugged.  “I’ll get it in the morning.  I think I have enough to make it to the gas station.”
Like a lot of modern couples, ou...

Ready Chapter One

My new novel, We're All Damaged, doesn't hit stores and e-stores until June 1, which is still two whole stupid months away. However, if you're feeling impatient, Amazon has Chapter 1 available to preview. And, best of all, like those free samples I gorge on at the grocery store every weekend, it doesn't cost a thing. Just click here, then click the picture of my book that has the Look Inside! logo over it. It's easy. I recommend reading slowly, though. It's a pretty short chapter. Hope you li...