Authorpreneur Dashboard – Matthew Arnold Stern

Matthew Arnold Stern

Amiga

Literature & Fiction

To deal with her present, she must face her past. In 1985, a young Laura Rodriguez goes to Silicon Valley to start a career as a computer programmer. She finds a job at a quirky startup run by a family with secrets. In 2016, a now middle-aged Laura faces growing professional and family crises and the most divisive presidential election in recent history. She fears losing her job in the wake of a merger, and she distrusts her new millennial boss. Her daughter has cancer, her son quit a lucrative programming job and moved back home, and her marriage is crumbling—especially when an old flame reenters her life. Laura must seek solutions from a past she wants to forget. She may find them in the computer that changed her life, the Amiga.

Book Bubbles from Amiga

I'm done doing the thinking for you

When the Posner's startup software company faces a crisis, they look to Laura to come up with a solution. But she has to put the family in their place.

There's a lot I'd like to forget.

Laura catches up with her old flame Greg after 30 years. They reminisce about old times, but she remains on her guard.

Leave California?

After finishing her Christmas shopping, Laura and her boyfriend watch the sunset at the Marin Headlands. The change of seasons makes them think about their future together.

It's the day after Halloween...

Lots of books are about Halloween. Amiga shows what happens the day after Halloween when you work at an office. Laura and her coworkers share stories about trick or treaters as they look over bags of leftover candy. Since this is Halloween 2016, an upcoming election enters the discussion. So do corporate politics.

I want you to give a...about it!

It's not enough to have a dream. You need the passion and knowledge to achieve it. We may also need something—or someone—to kick our butt and make us work on it. This is what Laura does for Peter in this scene. Do you dream of writing a book? Take advantage of NaNoWriMo as an opportunity to start. I started this novel in NaNoWriMo 2016. Make this the NaNoWriMo when you start your next novel.

When I'm on stage...I feel alive!

The moment you want to pursue your passions, well-meaning people (including your parents) will try to shoot them down. They will call you impractical and say you're wasting your time. Part of being a brave artist is pursuing your art, even when those around say that you shouldn't. This is what happens to Henry in this scene.

What good is making money...

What happens when our love of creativity goes against our parents' expectations? Is it better to do what we love or do what pays the most money? It's a question Henry must confront with his mom and dad.

You don't forget something like that!

This scene shows how trauma can affect a person—even decades after the event took place.

All we can do is live.

With writing, we can do more than tell stories. We can share lessons we've learned and insights we've gained. I hope readers find guidance and inspiration that helps them live better. That's what makes me feel good about writing.

I didn't understand myself.

Laura finds aging difficult, especially when her new boss is young enough to be her daughter.

How is this even possible?

Laura experiences the Amiga computer for the first time. She is amazed at its capabilities and curious what Peter intends to do with it.

You have lovely kneecaps.

Laura meets her fellow programmer for the first time in the most awkward way. Find out more in Amiga.

Some things can't be thrown away.

An old garment forces Laura to revisit a horrific event. Can she face her past to deal with her present? Find out in Amiga.

...but our new machines had no soul.

As Laura uses her Amiga for the first time in decades, she reflects on how much technology—and her life—has changed in that time. But can she come to terms with her past to deal with her present? Find out in my novel Amiga.

The Remainders

Literature & Fiction

Dylan Glass, an 18-year-old high school dropout, has been kicked out of his mother and stepdad’s palatial house. Now homeless, he sleeps in his SUV behind an abandoned movie theater in an aging San Fernando Valley suburb. Although he has a job at a dollar store and support from the people he meets, he finds himself challenged by old temptations and a new woman, the alluring and enigmatic Pearl. Miles away in Orange County, his estranged father, Dr. Oliver Glass, struggles with demons of his own. A private practice and a beautiful girlfriend with children of her own can't make up for a past of tragedy and abuse. Memories of long-ago terrors constantly haunt Oliver. Oliver seeks to reconnect with his son. Dylan seeks love and acceptance. Can they overcome their painful pasts? Or will they surrender to their self-destructive urges? Find out in the new adult novel that has been called “an intensely moving story” and a “powerful page turner,” The Remainders.

Book Bubbles from The Remainders

Love is a form of bondage

As Hannah recounts her experiences as a bondage model, she shares with Dylan an interesting insight about love.

You like sushi?

Oliver remembers how he met his first wife, Teresa, at a party at the hospital.

At least I could control my death

TW: Suicide, gun violence. Dylan's stepfather inspires millions through his books and ministry. But Dylan feels nothing but depression by knowing the truth about him.

We sold the stuff they couldn't sell

Dylan describes the dollar store he works at, Buck & Awesome in Reseda. They find value in merchandise that seemed worthless—and they see the value of a homeless person like Dylan.

We don't always appreciate the people we love

Mrs. Cimino gives Dylan an important lesson while hinting at a past painful experience.

We became full-on Christians...

Dylan describes how he gained and lost his faith. Deconstruction is one of the contemporary issues covered in The Remainders.

I loved playing baseball

Oliver recalls one of his proudest—and saddest—moments playing baseball as a child.

Reseda was indeed a weird place

Dylan is surprised that his coworker Pearl—along with others in his community—would offer to help a homeless person like him. Find out how in The Remainders, which is Book of the Month at the Write Or Wrong Virtual Book Club.

They didn't talk about how Dad died.

Oliver remembers his father's funeral and his sense of isolation and loss.

I wanted someone to believe in me too.

Remember the Disney animated movie "Treasure Planet"? It's considered one of their underrated gems. And for Dylan Glass, it's a source of inspiration in his bleak life.

"You can leave anytime."

Oliver Glass is confronted by his girlfriend's son with a difficult question. It forces him to think about the relationships he has lost.

"It has been taken care of."`

Dylan gets serious news and an ominous threat.

Physician, heal thyself!

As a doctor, Oliver Glass finds his most difficult patient is himself.

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