About Tom Norton:
It's a rare opportunity to meet such a brilliant storyteller who is also very silly. Tom Norton is the author of the hilarious sci-fi novel PINK EYE.
Some of the praise for Pink Eye, "So weird, but so fun," "So many twists and LOLs," and simply, "LMFAO!"
Tom lives in a tiny house with his beautiful family and their little cat, which experiments on him daily.
By night, He writes like a madman. He’s performed stand-up, worked as a journalist and made short films – some were nominated for awards, but sadly no wins. Don’t worry, Tom’s so silly he’ll keep trying.
By day, Tom is a TV editor and the co-host of a fun STEM podcast, where he jokes with big-brained professors.
It's called…BIG QUESTIONS from SMALL MINDS
What inspires you to write?
For me, it's all about the reader. If I can make readers laugh and love my characters, then I feel like I've won the lottery.
My day job is a TV editor, so I really want my novels to seem like movies in the reader's head – you know, fast-paced, extremely visual, and emotionally immersed in another world. I use all the tricks of screen editing to do this. And when a reader says they felt like this, it's the best.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Oh Geez, there are so many. Growing up I was lucky because I come from a long line of librarians: My grandmother was a librarian, my mum is a retired one and my sister is one. So I was exposed to lots of different books. I'll love anything from Virginia Woolf to John Scalzi. But I've always been drawn to funny books.
So here are a few of my favourite funny books.
Obviously – HitchHiker's Guide by Douglas Adams
The Murder Bot Diaries – Martha Wells
Good Omens -Gaiman and Pratchett
Nettle & Bone – T Kingfisher (+ What Moves the Dead)
Vernon God Little – PD Piere
Trainspotting – Irvine Welsh
Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
Rant – Chuck Palanuk
Tell us about your writing process.
So, I'm a super planner. Crazily, I find it 'almost' as enjoyable as the writing. It doesn't matter if the story is a sci-fi or a crime caper, first I'll start with the themes.
For Pink Eye, I had lots of topical social ideas I wanted to skewer with satire. Pink Eye is a sci-fi comedy about first contact and an alien invasion – so satirically, I was thinking of people's opinions of refugees. Slow government responses compared to the hyper-speed of social media. And all the ridiculous cultural differences we'd have. There's more, but I don't want to give it away. But having those themes in the front of my mind, before outlining the plot, the characters, and etc, really helps cement a strong outline and concept.
Then I'll begin writing and in seconds, I've gone off the plan.
My hands are typing like a madman. I'm loving what I'm writing, but it's a completely different direction. And my rational brain is screaming, "What the hell are you doing? Stick to the plan."
"To hell with the plan," I'll say, hitting the keyboard.
Obviously, I do use the plan, but not as much as my rational brain would like.
So at the end of each chapter, I'll compare how far I've veered off and make appropriate adjustments. I still want to reach the ending, but I want to take a less obvious path.
Because for me, the adventure has to feel natural, yet exciting and unexpected. If I think a twist is too obvious, then I'll push the story harder.
I want my writing process to be as fun as possible. Because when I'm loving and laughing unexpectedly at my characters, I know my readers will be too.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Hell yes. My kids laugh at me cos I'm chatting with them. Sometimes I'll argue with them too. And not just in front of the computer, it might be while making a cup of tea or driving the car. but I try not to do it out loud in public.
But more often, I'll be impersonating my characters' voices, speaking them out loud to understand their inflection and tone. I want to whittle and hone each character's voice so they sound authentic.
I also love meeting new people because they come with a whole bag of new phrases and expressions. I love hearing these because it's as if these people have some new candy I haven't tried. So naturally, I'll snatch their bag the moment they're not looking.
What advice would you give other writers?
Love what you write and love your own company. You're going to spend a lot of time working by yourself so you might as well enjoy it.
And because writing is a solo thing, make friends with other writers, help each other, give each other feedback, and spend time laughing with them away from the keyboard.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Well, it was a no-brainer for my first novel Pink Eye.
As most of us know, the doors to traditional publishing are pretty much closed to anyone who's not a nepo-baby or hasn't previously published a novel. But like any new writer, I thought it would be different for me.
So, with my novel in hand, I approached the castle gates of traditional publishing. On the drawbridge, a guard yelled, "No unsolicited books shall pass." Then, they opened fire, shooting me with bot-made rejection letters. As I ran for cover, I decided self-publishing was really the only option.
Obviously, traditional publishers want to lower their risk by backing writers who have a bigger social media standing, established readers, or a famous name.
So, I'm happily self-published, chatting with new readers, and hoping they'll leave honest reviews.
Don't worry, I will breach those castle gates. And soon! <insert evil laugher> "Revenge will be mine!"
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
This is a great question.
The way I see it, the publishing industry is currently being shaken up – the way the music industry was in the early 2000s (now replaced with Spotify and etc), and like the TV and Film industries have been (traditional networks are being replaced with Netflix and etc).
Both those industries have had a revolution – the old elite has been removed and replaced with a brand-new elite. One that is just as much gatekeepers as the last.
So yeah, publishing is changing and this doesn't mean it'll be any better for writers, but what you can be sure of is – it'll be great for readers!
Writers will still have gatekeepers and hurdles to jump. We just don't know who or what they'll be.
What genres do you write?: Sci-fi Comedy
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Tom Norton Home Page Link
Link To Tom Norton Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
YouTube
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
