Once in a Lifetime

by Suzanne Mattaboni

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Pub Date May 24 2022 | Archive Date Jun 10 2022

TouchPoint Press

General Fiction (Adult) | New Adult | Women's Fiction

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Description

Sweetbitter meets Bridget Jones in a John Hughes movie, Once in a Lifetime is young women's fiction that plays against a vibrant 1980s background of everything from slam dancers and rubber jelly shoes to social anarchy and AIDS.

Once in a Lifetime is a girl-power, coming-of-age debut novel set during college break, 1984. Ambitious 20-year-old art student Jess spends an adventurous summer waitressing for tips in New Hope, PA, a crazy, progressive river town, to save for a semester abroad in New Wave London, England. She falls for a daredevil guitarist, becomes buds with a drag queen, gets into a triangle with the guitarist and the ex who tossed her off when she announced plans for London, and tests her friendships with her avant-garde roommates. In the end she realizes she needs to do what's right for her—not for any guy.

Suzanne Mattaboni is a Pushcart-nominated fiction writer, blogger, essayist, journalist, Newsweek Expert Forum contributor and corporate PR consultant. A former community service reporter for Newsday, her work has been published in Seventeen, Parents, Child, The Huffington Post, Mysterious Ways, Guideposts, 50 Word Stories, Dark Dossier, Motherwell, Turtle, and The Best of LA . Suzanne is a past first-place winner of Seventeen magazine’s Art and Fiction Contest. Her short fiction, essays, and poetry have appeared in anthologies including the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Pizza Parties and Poltergeist, Little Demon Digest, Running Wild Anthology of Stories, and What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Relationship Like This? She is also currently a host of The Banzai Retro Club podcasts, which focus on pop-culture of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. She was the editor of the Writes of Passage 2021 anthology, which debuted at number 17 on Amazon in the anthology category. She has two talented children, one hysterically fun husband, and two ever-ravenous cats.

A Note From the Publisher

Author is available for interviews, contributed articles, guest posts, Q&As, and expert commentary.

Advance Praise

"Wow. What a read. The characters are rich and in-depth. They pull you through the story and make it an enjoyable ride. The setting brings the ‘80s to life, and reminds the reader love, fun, hopes and dreams are timeless topics no matter what they are dressed in. Suzanne has captured the essence of the timeless struggles of youth and opportunity."

—The And I Thought Ladies, Award-winning Literary Lifestyle Brand

"A smart and entertaining read, the writing shines with engaging imagery and insights about the nature of creativity ... In Once in a Lifetime, Suzanne Mattaboni again showcases her writing prowess through humorous and quirky prose, following the antics of overly ambitious art student (and wayward, temporary waitress) Jessica Addentro as she and her band of avant-garde roommates navigate the new wave-charged summer of 1984. As she desperately works to kick-start her romantic and artistic life outside the boundaries of her college dorms, she deals with everything from mystical bosses, gritty punk concerts, a drag queen buddy with military training, livid restaurant patrons—and a gorgeous bass guitarist who climbs through her window and makes her head spin like a record. This new romantic tryst makes her feel she’s coming closer to that elusive, exciting life of music, creative potency, and near-fame she’s convinced she’s destined for—or when the dust clears, it could just present another barrier between her and her goals.

... Mattaboni stays true to her own solid feminist roots, considering the piece is being billed as a romantic comedy that’s not all about the guy. It rather keeps the emphasis on a set of core female relationships that make this story stand up and come to life. However imperfect the young women in this novel are, and as much as they falter in trying to push their lives forward, they are staggeringly devoted to supporting one another."

—Johnny Bigg, Los Angeles Wire magazine