Debut Author Matt Norman Has "the making of a powerful voice in fiction", says Jackie

Tom Violet always thought that by the time he turned thirty-five, he’d have everything going for him. Fame. Fortune. A beautiful wife. A satisfying career as a successful novelist. A happy dog to greet him at the end of the day.

The reality, though, is far different. He’s got a wife, but their problems are bigger than he can even imagine. And he’s written a novel, but the manuscript he’s slaved over for years is currently hidden in his desk drawer while his father, an actual famous writer, just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His career, such that it is, involves mind-numbing corporate buzzwords, his pretentious archnemesis Gregory, and a hopeless, completely inappropriate crush on his favorite coworker. Oh . . . and his dog, according to the vet, is suffering from acute anxiety.


Tom’s life is crushing his soul, but he’s decided to do something about it. (Really.) Domestic Violets is the brilliant and beguiling story of a man finally taking control of his own happiness—even if it means making a complete idiot of himself along the way.

Jackie says:
"Tom has always lived in his father's shadow--he's a renowned author who has just won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction (and just as renowned a womanizer).  So Tom is keeping the fact that he has just finished his own book an extreme secret.  What he is not keeping so secret is the fact that his job as a public relations copy-writer for a huge company makes him crazy.  His daily clash with one of his uptight, tie-wearing co-workers is laugh out loud funny.  What's not so funny is the fact that Tom is experiencing erectile dysfunction and it's beginning to crush his marriage.  Factor in his most recent crazy step-mother, his own mother leaving his big hearted stepfather, the enticing 23 year old copy-writer in his office and the possibility that his wife is having an affair, it was only a matter of time before Tom went berserk.  And boy did he ever!

Norman has a lyric writing style that made me frequently stop and re-read a sentence or two because it was so beautifully written.  This book deals with some profoundly difficult issues with tremendous humor without ever degrading the pain and drama that were involved in them.  This is his debut novel.  I certainly will be eagerly watching for more from him in the future--he's got the making of a powerful voice in fiction."