Book Title: Non Friction
Author: Morgan Parker
Release Date: December 31st, 2013
Hosted By: A Dirty Book Affair
SYNOPSIS:
After 12 years, 4 months and 1 and 1/2 weeks of marriage, his wife packs up and leaves with their daughter. So he writes an Indie novel. And it becomes a bestseller. Well, sort of.
His fame brings him the lifestyle of a rockstar, and he has the fan mail (i.e. female undergarments, probably clean) to prove it.
But seeing his fame, his wife suddenly believes in marriage counseling. Their homework: to create something beautiful for each other.
So he writes Our Story, his literary secret-weapon that will win his wife back. But in the process he discovers that true love is more than just ticking the right boxes on a checklist.
TEASER:
~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.
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
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
AUTHOR BIO:
Morgan Parker is the pen name for a shy and introverted former banker. Because he could never balance his cash at the end of the banking day, he made up stories in order to keep his job. None of those stories was Textual Encounters, which is great because readers will discover a truly unique and original romance that has never been told before.
CONNECT WITH PARKER:
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).
11. Will you write another book for Oliver and Olivia? Write Our Story?
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)
PARKER'S OTHER BOOKS:
Synopsis:
Katie discovers an unlocked iPhone in the back seat of a taxi. But instead of turning it in to the driver as lost, she decides to keep it for herself.
Outside of the usual clutter you would expect to find on a smartphone, what captures Katie's interest is the single conversation she finds on the phone's secure text messaging service, a three-month dialogue between a woman with an uncertain past named Christine and a single, eligible man named Jake.
From Strangers to Soulmates in 90 Days
What starts out as a message intended for someone else ends up being the beginning of a relationship more powerful than anything Christine or Jake have ever experienced.
But nothing ever turns out to be as good as it initially seems and their histories slowly reveal details and past lovers that threaten to derail their humble quest for love.
Forgotten In The Back Seat of a New York City Taxi
Can Christine and Jake overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles, doubts and secrets that endanger their love?
If so, why would such a relationship get forgotten in the back seat of a New York City taxi?
Presented in a Format Unlike Any Other You Will Find
Follow Katie as she reads through the 3 months of conversations that form The Christine + Jake Affair and provide the foundation for the Textual Encounters Trilogy
Synopsis:
Having found a white iPhone in the back of a New York City cab, Katie orchestrates a "chance" meeting with Jake, the man of her dreams. Knowing more than she lets on, Katie develops a relationship with Jake that ultimately gets captured in text form. And those texts are passed along to the married woman that just lost Jake's baby.
Loved the interview! Good questions Verna! <3
ReplyDeleteThanks Love :)
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