Robb Skidmore is a novelist who currently lives in Southern California. He writes upmarket fiction which combines a literary sensibility with honest and deep characterizations. He started out as a maniacal scribbler in journals during college and later attended several fiction workshops. His short stories have appeared in many literary reviews and publications. His critically acclaimed and cult classic novel, The Pursuit of Cool, was a Quarter Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest and a Winner of a Next Generation Indie Award. It is a coming of age story that captures Generation X and what it was like to be young and attending college in America in the 1980’s. Full of humor and heartbreak, it follows a music, movie and pop culture obsessed, tragically romantic young man who struggles to find himself in the success driven 80’s. Praise for The Pursuit of Cool: “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 “…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 "...An excellent job of taking a character and creating his time and place perfectly. A totally enjoyable flashback ride…" —Dew on the Kudzu “Skidmore has skillfully crafted a sympathetic protagonist whom readers root for… and the narration has an understated lyrical quality.” —Watch Me Bounce "From The Clash to Joy Division to Bauhaus…It centers the reader in that hopeful era of high expectations and jaded reality. A great debut, and I can't wait to read more from Robb Skidmore." —The Book Fetish A novel that uniquely captures the 1980s, The Pursuit of Cool tells the story of Lance Rally and his turbulent college years. He comes from a super-achieving family and is intent on being a big success. But he is also an inept, hopeless romantic, obsessed with pop culture, and prone to distraction. Friendships with a punk rocker and a subversive scholar challenge his worldview, and relationships with a beautiful psych major and a feisty goth girl shape and change him. 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." His ebook short novella THE SURFER is a tale of suspense which explores the beauty and unpredictability of nature, and of life, and the strange lure of surf.