Grenade Bouquets (Runaway Train, Book 2) by Lee Matthew Goldberg

Publisher:  Wise Wolf Books (August 5, 2021)

Series: Runaway Train, Book 2

Category: Young Adult, Runaways, Outcasts, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Depression, Mental Illness

Synopsis

I had stars in my eyes and I couldn’t see around them…

The year is 1995 and my parents have finally allowed me to take the summer to tour in a VW van across the country with my boyfriend Evan and our band. Yes, my dream to be a singer became reality. Even with Clarissa, Evan’s jealous ex-girlfriend, as the lead singer, it’s my presence on stage that led us to a major record deal. There are moments you’ll always remember in life, but I can’t imagine anything more cool than hearing your song on the radio for the first time.

But being a Rockstar isn’t as easy as it sounds. Using alcohol and drugs as coping mechanisms, nothing but tension surrounded me, hurting my still blossoming relationship, and continued grieving over my sister’s death.

A love letter to the nineties and a journey of a girl becoming a woman, Grenade Bouquets charts the rollercoaster ride of a band primed to explode on the scene, as long as they keep from actually exploding.

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Praise

“An engaging ’90s pastiche with an earnest heart beating at its center.”- Kirkus Reviews

“Runaway Train is a high-energy testimonial to the redemptive power of a road trip with an awesome soundtrack. Lee Matthew Goldberg balances the urgency of youth with a whiff of anticipatory nostalgia for the music and misadventures of late adolescence. Attuned to way distinctions between music genres and teen idols can feel like impermeable walls worth defending, and then crumble as a teen like Nico Sullivan finds her own voice.”- Jenn Stroud Rossman, author of The Place You’re Supposed to Laugh

“Raw. Riveting. Runaway Train stays true to its title as it explores the deep pain of a teenager desperately trying to find peace in a world full of pain. Lee Matthew Goldberg is a master at bestowing sympathy and strength on deeply flawed characters. Realistic and shocking, hopeful and satisfying, Runaway Train will keep readers turning the page.”- USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Forster 

“It’s an incredibly challenging task for an author to utilize a darkly comedic tone without coming across as disingenuous–but Goldberg executes it here with expert precision. Brimming over with the visceral atmosphere of the early 90s grunge era, RUNAWAY TRAIN is a must-read for those willing to buckle up for the ride.”-Peter Malone Elliott (Director of Operations, Book Pipeline)

Guest Post

How To Research Your Story Before Writing Your Book

By Lee Matthew Goldberg

Research is a huge part of writing a novel. Even though you’re creating fiction, it has to be based in believability. For all of my eight novels, there’s been some degree of research, even before I started writing.

My first book Slow Down took place in the world of Hollywood, focusing on a director. I spoke with a few directors to get the ins-and-outs of their days and to answer some technical questions too. My second book The Mentor was set in the world of academia and publishing. I taught undergrad for ten years, so that research came from experience. One of my characters is a book editor and I spoke with editors about how they choose manuscripts and then champion them in-house. My third novel The Desire Card had the most research of the three because it was a thriller about a Wall Street Executive getting a liver of the black market. I did a lot of research prior to writing about working on Wall Street and the black market, which was not easy research to do. The book also had a part that was set in Mumbai, so the bulk of the research was recreating Mumbai on the page. An editor of mine lived in Mumbai for many years, so he helped with a lot of the details. For each of the books, research became a guide to developing the story. I got more ideas after researching, so it was so important to do before I began writing and plotting.

My fourth novel The Ancestor had the most research of any. It was about fishermen in the wilderness of Alaska, so I did a ton of research about both. A third of the novel also takes place during the Alaskan Gold Rush in the late 1800s. I watched many documentaries and read many books about the era before I even attempted to write. And when I was writing those parts, I only read books set in that era, so I could immerse myself in those times.

For my Young Adult series Runaway Train and the second book Grenade Bouquets, the novels are set in the 1990s. I was a teenager at the time, so I remember a lot, but the main character is a girl. I asked friends to send me any info about what a teenage girl would be interested in in the 90s. I also watched a lot of TV from that era like the shows My So-Called Life and 90210. The books are heavily influenced by music as well. Each chapter is a different grunge song that the main character adds to her mixtape. Of all the research I did, this was the most fun, since I got to relive my favorite era of music. I even got the rights from the band Soul Asylum to use their song “Runaway Train” in the book.

Whether you set a novel in the past or the present, research is so important in creating a full picture of believability for the readers. These days, the internet is your best friend to find out any info, but it’s also good to talk to professionals as well. For me, it was getting in contact with directors, editors, people in finance, fishermen, and those who grew up in the 90s to give firsthand knowledge that would help round my characters.

Whatever you decide to write, make sure you put in the work to really bring it to life for your readers. Trust me, they’ll tell you if you don’t!

Guest Review by Gud Reader

There is something unique about young adult adventurous books with rock stars as their characters. When delivered perfectly they offer the reader some glimpse of the glamour, the glitz and even the downside including the drugs and the depression. One such good read which does this just right is the ‘Grenade Bouquets’ by Lee Matthew Goldberg. As a bonus, it takes place in the 90s. So, even though it is written with young adults in mind, their parents will enjoy it as well.

The book, a sequel of the ‘Runaway Train’ brings back Nico now a seventeen-year-old teenager whose life is now wrapped up in touring with her new band. Grenade Bouquets. For Nico performing on the stage is just like a dream come true especially doing so alongside the lead singer Evans who also doubles up as her new boyfriend. However, despite the band making huge strides in the rock arena, Nico has to keep on battling. First Clarissa who is Evan’s ex and also a member of the band is on Nico’s neck bashing her at every instance, secondly, while Nico’s star is rising, her fellow band members start harboring some resentment towards her. Also fresh from mourning her sister’s loss how will her inexperienced teenage self-deal with her newfound fame, Clarissa’s resentment, and the depression which is slowly creeping in?

The author Lee Matthew Goldberg does a marvelous job of featuring Nico who, despite being a teenager has that glorious sneer of a tough punk queen who knows how cool she is and does not care if you agree. Despite having a dark, provocative, and aggressive side complete with some confrontational dust-ups she knows she has to rise.

This one is your pick if you are looking for an adventurous book complete with the rock life thrill. Also, you will walk away with some behind scenes of the rock life involving the skullduggery, alcohol, and also depression.

About the Author

Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of seven novels including THE ANCESTOR and THE MENTOR, currently in development as a film off his original script, and the YA series RUNAWAY TRAIN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the Prix du Polar. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Millions, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, LitReactor, Monkeybicycle, Fiction Writers Review, Cagibi, Necessary Fiction, Hypertext, If My Book, Past Ten, the anthology Dirty Boulevard, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press and others.

His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City.

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