~REVIEW~
This was one of the best books I’ve read this year. Yes it
is going in that category of mine. I loved how REAL it was. It wasn’t your regular
love story. It was a book with things happening that really could happen in
someone’s life. It was a wonderful story that I enjoyed reading. It was
emotional, heartbreaking, and extremely funny. I found myself literally laughing out loud
through some of the book and crying in others. Again let me say I LOVED it.
Morgan is a sweetheart. You can’t help but love him because
of how amazing and real his character is. It’s honestly like being inside a man’s
head. He has the same feelings that each of us has every day. Not to mention he
is a charmer and you can’t help but fall in love with him.
I felt so bad for Morgan when the story began. He was
definitely being thrown a lot of bad luck from the very start. His wife is not
one of my favorite people by the way. I hated how she treated him and thought
he deserved better when I was introduced to her, Jennifer.
When Morgan and Jennifer start marriage counseling, let’s
just say it was very interesting. I loved that it helped both of them to see
the errors they both made in their relationship. It helped them to learn to get
along better for the sake of their daughter and even become friends.
I absolutely ADORED Emma. She was sweet and caring and even
a little spunky. She pushed Morgan to see how wonderful he is and that he is
very talented and needed to follow his dreams. I was really rooting for Emma,
she was just that great. The only thing about her that drove me crazy was how
she tried so hard to ignore her feelings for Morgan.
In Non-Friction you will be introduced to Olivia and Oliver.
Let me tell you I loved and adored their story. I mean I really got into them
and what was going on with them, it was touching. I wouldn’t mind reading more
about them. I was just drawn to that
part of the story as well.
The ending, well let me say it about killed me. I wanted it
to go a certain way sooo very bad. Of course things never go like you want them
too. I don’t want to give much away because I really think this is one of those
books where the ending you should experience yourself. Because it will break
your heart and have you holding your breathe, just wanting Emma and Morgan to
finally be together. I could feel each of their loss and it broke my heart. Yet
it will also heal your heart, but that’s all I’m giving away.
1.
Is Non Friction a series?
Oh, a serious question… Okay, I can do serious! In the
traditional sense, Non Friction is not part of a series in that the story carries
on from one novel to the next. However, there will be some overlap in a Charlie
Kaufman kind of way between Non Friction and my next novel, Sick Day.
2.
What inspired you to write Non Friction?
My original idea was to write a Diary of a Wimpy Kid for adults,
but I can’t draw and I can’t afford an illustrator. So I ended up with a comic
book idea. And that led me to what the heck would a comic book be doing in a
story about a guy whose wife walks about on him, which led me to Our Story, and
the rest fell into place from there. I bet you’re sorry you asked that
question, aren’t you?
3.
Do you have a favorite author?
I have plenty of favorite authors, but just like I pick one
favorite among my kids, I’ll pick a favorite author right now: Colin Harrison.
He writes the most amazing stories and, like mine, his stories and characters
are motivated by love, even if their actions suggest otherwise.
As for Indie authors, I can’t pick a fav. Right now, I really
admire Tarryn Fisher after reading Thief and I can’t wait for Mud Vein in
December. I also can’t get enough of AL Zaun’s voice – I mean, when I’m
jonesing for something fresh and snappy, I’ll actually creep on her Facebook
page. And I really, really enjoyed Leslie Fear and CD Hussey’s Villere House –
spooky in a way that brought me back to my Horror-reading days.
4. What’s your favorite book?
My favorite book of all-time was Gone Baby Gone by Dennis
Lehane. I have never read a book that made me question the value of “moral
justice” like that book did. It messed me up for days.
5. Which character in your book Non Friction would you say you
are most like? If any.
Definitely Morgan. He says what I sometimes think and he’s a
writer who fails to see life’s big picture; he’s flawed, he has good intentions
but doesn’t what they are and sometimes he loves the wrong people for the wrong
reason. That’s me. I take stupid risks like Morgan does and I’m sure as I get
closer to the end of my story, I’ll mature just like he did at the end of his.
6. Is any of Non Friction, True? Like did any of the story
relate to yourself or person experiences?
I wish more of Non Friction were true! Unfortunately, almost all
of it was made up. Rochelle is a based on a real person and I’ve had the kind
of conversations that Morgan had with Rochelle; also, my daughter is as much a
diva as Evelyn is. But the really cool stuff – fan mail, lunches with literary
agents/interns, glamorous author events – were complete fabrications. Which is
a good thing because if they weren’t, then the part where his wife walks out on
him would not have been fabricated either!
7. What inspired you to become a writer?
I know this will be hard to believe, but I’ve always been
something of a super-geek. (Okay, you can remove “something of,” because I’ve
always been a super-geek, period). When I was really young, I wrote stories to
fill those boring gaps between Friday and Monday – my friends were always at
school. When I was old enough to care, I found out that Stephen King made
something like $75 million one year, and all he did was sell his stories. THAT
was when I started to take things a little more seriously! I figured if I were
just 1/10th as awesome as Stephen King, I could make my $7.5 million
last a lifetime.
8. Sometimes authors leave out things they write when they start
writing or they change a part in the book. Is there anything like that that you
did while writing Non Friction? Like a deleted scene.
Not so much a scene, but I originally had a lot more of Our Story
in the novel. There was a real heart-breaking tale to be told between Oliver
and Olivia, but the story wasn’t about them. As a result, much of Our Story was
left out. Something else I did was create 2 different endings because I
couldn’t decide which one to run with. That was a neat experience because the
feedback was virtually the same!
9. What are you most excited about the most for readers to
experience/learn from your newest book Non Friction?
I really hope people can enjoy the “funny yet tragic” story
between these two people. I hope there is laughter and a bit of sadness, but
most of all I hope people get engaged in the story and concept.
10. Name one interesting fact
about yourself? Or something we might not know about you.
I love nightmares, the kind where you wake up in a sweat and
think someone is in your house and there’s that constant ringing sound in your
ears. In fact, I eat cheese before bedtime because someone once told me that if
you eat cheese right before you fall asleep, you’ll have horrible, frightening
dreams (which is BS, btw, but I do it anyway because I’m addicted to cheese
now). I don’t think anybody knows that about me (remember, super-geek… that’s
why I invented my own emoticon for the Non Friction cover).
Okay, Our Story... I've thought about publishing it, but I think it will be one of those stories that kinda lingers across future novels. Without saying too much, Our Story will re-appear in Sick Day, but it definitely will not have the same attention it had in Non Friction. And instead of being told from the male's POV, it will be more from the female's POV. Almost like a "he said, she said" difference. Still, it might not ever get published as a standalone novel/story, but it won't go away either. How's that for writing an answer that doesn't really address your question? (Insert evil laugh)
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