Life lessons spanning a difficult decade.

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Normal by Conor Nolan is a candid self-help book that tackles teenage angst and growing pains over a decade in a unique conversational style.

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Request a review copy of Normal by contacting us here.

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“Most of us will never be ok, we’ll just get better at dealing with it. I hope the flashbacks make sense now.” Somewhere along the journey of social and societal evolution, a devastating idea known as ‘the norm’ came out to play. The blissfully ignorant finger of stigma and judgement pointed at us, paralysed us, and left us afraid to discuss life’s delicate matters of mental illness, ambition, and individuality.

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A teenage life of giving this ‘normality’ the middle finger gifted twenty-year-old Conor with fulfilment, happiness, and self-awareness. But not without a cost. Amidst the unsuspecting excitement of a lively house party, Conor talks his way through the hairpins and chicanes of an emotional racetrack. With the persuasion of an open-minded stranger, he tells his decade long story of mental struggles, misunderstandings, and how his fight against ‘the norm’ taught him the fragile yet priceless nature of our own lives.

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With his personal and imaginative input, the author succeeds on two levels, creating engaging storytelling and delivering excellent advice from his experiences over ten years:

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“…between the ages of ten and twenty, I learned a series of lessons about life. Here are those lessons.”

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Presented in an imagined dialogue between Conor and the ever-present ‘Stranger’, these empowering lessons include everything, from being comfortable in your own skin and gaining self-belief to grabbing opportunities and overcoming life’s obstacles:

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“Self-belief, although it is always talked about and promoted, is a rare commodity. They say common sense isn’t that common; well self-belief rarely comes from within oneself. It’s usually prompted or ignited by an external source, an encouragement, a moment of inspiration, or a statement.”

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With its blend of humour, sporting metaphors and relatable situations, Normal is a creative and influential book that shines a light on mental health issues, particularly amongst young men. Capturing the reader’s attention from start to finish, this book is full of inspiration and suspenseful passages, opening up important discussions surrounding relevant and difficult issues that affect young people today.

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With its thought-provoking format, it reminds youngsters that life is a journey and, at times, one that takes a bumpy ride. Its distinct conversational dialogue invites the audience to listen and allows the author to address debilitating issues and stressful situations with sensitivity and sensible advice.

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Normal exemplifies imaginative writing at the top of its game, achieving its intention to put forward goals and coping strategies when problems, stigmas and judgements arise. It is an aspirational read that will resonate with its intended audience of young adults and older teenagers. Offering life-affirming guidance, it highlights what really matters and argues that while being young is tricky, there is no such a thing as being ‘normal’.

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Review Copies and interviews with the author are now available on request. Contact us here for details.

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The Book is available to order from Amazon and other major retailers
Price: £9.99 (Paperback); £2.84 (eBook)
ISBN: 978-1-913704-60-5
Pages: 172

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About the Author

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Conor Nolan is 21 years old. Originally from county Cavan, in the northwest of Ireland, Conor is currently studying physics at the National University of Ireland in Galway. When he is not working towards his degree, Conor is a competitive powerlifter and strongman.

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An aspiring author, Conor decided to write his first book, Normal, to encourage other people to be themselves, open up more and, most of all, to not be afraid to talk.

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ENDS