The Madonna of Bolton: an everyday story of love, life and Causing a Commotion
Attitude magazine editor-in-chief Matt Cain is launching an exciting Madonna project: a novel called The Madonna of Bolton.
The Madonna of Bolton is the story a young boy growing up in the North of England in the 80s who has a really hard time in life and clings onto Madonna in order to get through it. But then he needs to let go of his obsession in order to find his own voice and become the person he’s meant to be. Each chapter is built around a Madonna song and the whole book is an uplifting celebration of her work and her impact on her fans.
“I’m so happy with it and it’s the one thing in life I’m most proud of,” Matt says. He took his novel to Unbound and wants to run the fastest crowdfunding campaign they’ve ever done so that the book can be published in time for Madonna’s 60th birthday celebrations next year. Let’s hear about it from Matt himself in the video below:
Matt’s campaign to build buzz around my new book is now live – you can find out all about it, make a pledge, buy an advance copy and have your name printed in the finished book and read the first chapter at the publisher’s wesbite here.
An everyday story of love, life and Causing a Commotion
Charlie Matthews’ love story begins in a pebble-dashed house in suburban Bolton, at a time when most little boys want to grow up to be Michael Jackson, and girls want to be Princess Di. Remembering the Green Cross Code and getting out of football are the most important things in his life… until Auntie Jan – who everyone says looks like the blonde one out of Bananarama – gives him a gift that will last a lifetime: a seven-inch single called “Lucky Star”.
On his ninth birthday, Charlie discovers Madonna, and falls in love. And this obsession sees him through some tough times in life: being persecuted at school; fitting in at a posh university; a glamorous career in London; finding boyfriends; getting rid of boyfriends; growing up; and family heartbreak.
Madonna’s music and videos inspire Charlie, and her fierce determination to succeed gives him the confidence to do the same. Ultimately, though, he must let go of his reliance on his idol and learn to find his own voice.
When Matt first started talking to publishers about this book, he was told that it was too working class, too Eighties, too immersed in pop culture, and too gay. But Charlie’s is a story that anyone can empathise with. It’s Billy Elliot meets Beautiful Thing with added pointy breast plates – a story for anyone who ever sang their heart out, looked for love, dreamed of more, or
wanted a Soda Stream more than anything else in the world…
The Madonna of Bolton will make you laugh, cry and Get Into the Groove. It’s a book to Cherish and a Ray of Light, and it even has a little Hanky Panky.
Pledge now for your subscriber’s edition, and together we’ll be Causing a Commotion.
#JustGayEnough
