THE PURSUIT OF COOL

Quarter Finalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award / Awarded  “IndieReader Approved” badge from IndieReader.com

The Pursuit of Cool is a humorous and moving story of a ragingly ambitious, pop culture obsessed, tragically romantic young man who tries to find “cool” while attending college during the 80s. It is sure to appeal to fans of Catcher in the Rye, Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, John Hughes movies, and the 1980s…

Praise for The Pursuit of Cool:

“An experience as moving and thought provoking to its reader as it is to its hero.”

       –Literary Inklings

“A skilled writer… A smart account of ’80s college kids… the novel believably summons the ’80s, complete with floppy disks, 9 1/2 Weeks on VHS and R.E.M. cassettes.”

       –Kirkus Indie Review

“The Pursuit of Cool is a novel surrounding college student Lance Rally, as he seeks to rise to the top of the social ladder by finding what cool is, only to be swept into the whirlpool of its many definitions. With plenty of humor and a strong moral on the purpose of youth, The Pursuit of Cool is a strong pick for general fiction collections and those who want an original take on the college dynamic.”

       –Midwest Book Review

“Skidmore has skillfully crafted a sympathetic protagonist whom readers root for…and the narration has an understated lyrical quality.”

       –Watch Me Bounce

“Lance…such a lovable character! The lovable male character who is kind of goofy and different, loved easily, intelligent, but who has a depth… I loved it!”

        –Novel d’Tales

“From The Clash to Joy Division to Bauhaus…it provides the perfect setting. A great debut, and I can’t wait to read more from Robb Skidmore.”

       –The Book Fetish

“The characters are so well-developed and precise, I am already envisioning which actors would play them on the big screen.”

       –Mamarific

A novel that uniquely captures the 1980s, The Pursuit of Cool tells the story of Lance Rally and his turbulent college years. He faces pressure to live up to his super-achieving family and is fueled by grandiose ambition. He wants to become a success but is easily distracted and obsessed with pop culture. He also has a deeply romantic nature and though inept he is sincere and falls in love quickly. He discovers emotional complexities as relationships with a beautiful psych major and a feisty goth girl shape and change him. Friendships with a punk rock actor and a subversive scholar challenge his future plans. This coming-of-age journey is a funny and emotional ride through album covers, dance techniques, all-nighter revelations, and corporate internships gone bad. The story comes alive with music and movies which give Lance solace as he questions his beliefs and his heart gets crushed. He tries to capture that illusive quality, that magic of youth, the essence that is “cool.”

“…An excellent job of taking a character and creating his time and place perfectly. A totally enjoyable flashback ride…”

        –Dew on the Kudzu

“A splendid job… The lively dialogue is the real music of this novel.”

        –Writers Digest

Read an interview of Robb Skidmore about writing The Pursuit of Cool. Here is the Complete Discography.

On sale now for Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, Amazon paperback, Barnes & Noble Nook and Smashwords. Ebook for $2.99. Paperback for $12.99.

The arrival of Advanced Review Copy paperbacks: