








Remember life-right-after-college? That feeling of “Now what?” hanging over you?
Frustrated young newspaper journalist Pete Rattigan is caught up in the uncertainty of the post-graduate “real world” when we first meet him, in the debut novel by Damon Ferrell Marbut called “Awake in the Mad World.”
Then one night, one seemingly minor encounter sparks a philosophical journey which leads Pete to discover that, in the most beautiful or even cruel moments of life, the power of friendship explains the power of the universe.
And that, perhaps, there is no such thing as chance.
As we run alongside Pete in his personal marathon, we relive the exhiliration of having a youthful heart that beats just to prove that it will always survive and succeed on its own terms.
More below the media player.
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The Indie Author Life
Is Damon Ferrell Marbut’s novel “literary fiction”?
Damon himself addressed that recently on his blog
I was recently asked to write out my thoughts for a blog on why my novel has been classified as “literary fiction.” The question came up in the middle of a discussion surrounding what genres are most popular vs. what genres are “better.” I don’t have a real answer to that, nor a complete one. But I’m sharing what I’ve come up with if it helps my readers understand my position on what my genre may or may not aim to do, and accomplish.
I am not a critical theorist and have only pretended to be in temporary flashes of my graduate school days. It was thankfully over cocktails which, I believe, renders it in hindsight as much more forgivable nonsense than if I’d have had my wits about me and said nothing at all.
Bonus audio
Damon has recorded five and half minutes of a reading from Awake in the Mad World.



