Thomas Duffy is a New York-based writer who has authored several fiction novels, including 2016’s 9/11 themed To Never Know. He finds stories of day-to-day challenges fascinating and intriguing. Duffy has written about different topics such as working in retail, mental illness, romance and existentialism. Stockboy Nation is his eighth novel and his first sequel. Duffy also has an interest in film criticism and has interviewed several celebrities from the silver screen, including Minnie Driver and Richard Dreyfuss.
Read BookTrib’s review of Stockboy Nation here.
BOOKS:
Stockboy (2013)
Off the Line (2013)
One Love (2014)
Heartbreaker (2015)
To Never Know (2016)
The Separation (2018)
Social Work (2019)
Stockboy Nation (2020)
Your biggest literary influences:
Scott Fitzgerald, Stephen King, Nicholas Sparks, Elizabeth Wurtzel, Suzanne Collins, Ned Vizzini, Woody Allen
Last book read:
Nothing General About It: How Love Saved Me On and Off General Hospital by Maurice Benard
The book that changed your life:
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. It’s about a young man who spends a brief time on the psychiatric floor of a hospital after being admitted for suicidal thoughts. No other book, for me, cut to the bone and really examined the frailty of human beings. This book is surprisingly hopeful as this young man mixes with the other patients and comes to realize a lot about his own life that he never had before. Before reading this book, I remember loving F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night, which was influenced by Fitzgerald’s relationship with his wife Zelda. It also focused on heavy themes. I guess you could say I enjoy meaty topics in my literature.
Your favorite literary character:
Curious George. Simple. He reminds me of myself with his inquisitive nature and always gets into lots of trouble. We have more in common than I want to admit. Here I am admitting to the world that I relate to a monkey most of all! The Man in the Yellow Hat from the Curious George books would be my second choice because he reminds me of myself looking in on my other self if that makes sense.
Currently working on:
Heavenly, an otherworldly novel about what happens when we die.
Words to live by:
Never sell yourself short. You can do whatever you put your mind to.
Advice for aspiring authors:
It’s a tough biz. However, if it’s your dream to be a part of it, then never give up. Keep reaching for the stars because the day you stop trying is the day you give up hope. Just keep getting your work out there.
Articles and Reviews:
QNS
Readers’ Favorite
Foreword Reviews
Literary Titan
Feathered Quill