Nonfiction Book Award Status: Silver Award
Title:
South of Normal: My Year in Paradise by Norm Schriever
Synopsis: 
Have you ever sat at work and thought about leaving the rat race behind? Do you secretly question if it all makes sense, fantasizing about moving to a white sand beach in the tropics to live the easy-breezy life in paradise? Well, Norm Schriever did just that.
Frustrated and unfulfilled with his comfortable existence in the States, successful businessman Norm Schriever knows there is something more he is supposed to do with his life. So, he quits his job, sells and donates all of his possessions, and moves down to Tamarindo, Costa Rica, with nothing but a laptop and a surfboard, vowing to chase his long-forgotten dream of being a writer.
But Norm soon finds that paradise has its dark side, and the perfect life in a little seaside town isn’t always as easy as it seems. Whether it’s adapting to the local customs and the language barrier, dodging lawless drug traffickers and corrupt cops, or spending “quality time” in a Third World prison, Norm always keeps his sense of humor and forges ahead, intent on finding the paradise he has been looking for.
Will Norm achieve his dream, and gain a new appreciation for life, love, and happiness in one of the most beautiful places on earth? Or will he succumb to the jungle heat, scorpions, and machete-wielding marauders? Grab your sunblock and buckle up, because you’re in for a gonzo blast of laughter and adventure…south of normal.
Author Bio:
Norm Schriever is an Amazon.com best selling author, expat, cultural mad scientist, and enemy of the comfort zone. He founded 7 Wave Media, a pro blogging and content marketing firm, to help smart companies grow their brands and skyrocket sales. His work has appeared on NBC, MSN, Yahoo, the University of Connecticut, and newspapers, websites, and radio shows all around the world.
Norm grew up in Connecticut and graduated from the University of Connecticut, where he was never accused of over-studying, and went on to live in Colorado and most recently in Northern California.
Dissatisfied with a conventional existence, Norm sold or donated all of his possessions and moved down to Costa Rica in 2011. In the sleepy surf town of Tamarindo he pursued his passion of writing. Armed with his secret weapons: fresh ocean air and Baileys in his morning coffee, he completed his first book, Pushups in the Prayer Room. He next migrated just a chicken bus ride north to San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua, where he settled into a local barrio and wrote the controversial South of Normal with his puppy, Panda, curled up at his feet.
He now lives by the sea in Nga Trang, Vietnam, where he is writing his heart out, butchering the language, and learning to play guitar.
He sees his words as a way to illuminate the commonalities of human existence, and thereby hopes to leave this planet a little better than how he found it. This is why he writes.