Norb's Story
A funny thing happened during my 60-hour weeks as a wealth advisor. I discovered the joy of writing. For years my partners and I wrote about investment decisions, why we bought this stock or sold that one. I loved the wordplay and believe the process of writing to clients woke an inner beast.
Our letters never quite sated my appetite, though. We addressed stiff, technical issues like free cash flow or capital adequacy. Frankly, the ratios made my teeth hurt. I longed to write stories about Wall Street's people, the crazy things that percolate through trading floors and broker bullpens. I wanted to write words like "abso-fucking-lutely" and not worry about repercussions from corporate compliance.
When Top Producer hits the racks in 2009, you will find that I tell such stories and use such language. My people, characters that is, hail from the trenches of finance. Brokers. Traders. Sales assistants. There is the occasional CEO, or the bigger than life hedgie. But I am not trying to pluck some legend from the business press and fictionalize that person. I care about the rank and file, the everyday Joes that come with warts and canker sores. They find themselves thrust into uncomfortable worlds by forces far beyond their control.
Working on Wall Street's front lines prepped me to write this fiction. I am a Managing Director at a money management firm where I have had the great fortune to work since May, 2006. I spent the previous 14 years on the "sell-side," industry jargon for brokerages and investment banks. Ten of those years were with a white-shoe brokerage, the place where I began writing Top Producer.
Mary, my wife, has been my strength and constant companion ever since our fifth high school reunion. We live in Bronxville, NY with our daughter, CoCo, and our son, Wynn. Both are studying hard and preparing to change the world in different ways. Frankly, I find it humbling to watch their journeys. The demands on students seem so tough today. 
My academic degrees are from Phillips Exeter (1976), Harvard College (1980), and Harvard Business School (1986). Taken together, the diplomas make me sound like a member of the New England elite. But nothing could be further from the truth. I grew up in a military family and spent my formative years in the Catholic schools of Charleston, SC. My family emphasized honesty and hard work. We respected authority, a value that academic and professional environments would later challenge. Perhaps as a function of this trek – from military chain of command to Wall Street's oasis of confrontation – I like fictional characters who struggle with cynicism born from experience.
Other things I like: travel ranks near the top. I have lived on the far side of the earth, the Philippines and Australia to be exact. Traveling by bicycle is even better. Mary and I once spent six weeks biking 1,500 miles through Europe. On a philanthropic level, I am committed to American Diabetes Association. It is a terrific organization with an important mission. They raise much of their money through cycling events, a nice ancillary benefit.
What are my next steps as an author? St. Martin's Press offered a two-book deal. So I am writing from 5:00 to 7:00 am weekday mornings, most evenings, and on the weekends. We're targeting a release date for the second book sometime in 2010. That's all I will say for now, except that I am thrilled with the unruly band of hedgies marauding through my pages.
Thank you for visiting my website. I hope you will try Top Producer, and more importantly, I hope you enjoy the book. "Money good" as we say on the Street. Pro or con, please let the world know what you think by posting a review on-line. Or if you would prefer, just shoot me an email. I may not be able to respond to them all, but I will read every one.
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