Email: matt@mattbloom.com
author of adult literary fiction and children's fiction books
"A rollicking, funny, surprisingly thoughtful sendup of the current climate of political discontent." Kirkus Reviews
About Matt
An author's journey
The various jobs Matt Bloom has worked over the years have supported and informed much of his fiction writing. Kitchen hand, freight elevator operator, migrant laborer, truck driver, bartender, and anti-money laundering investigator, to name just a few. A Vassar College graduate, Matt has spent most of his life in New York City, but has also lived in Australia, Mexico, Montauk, NY, Jersey City, NJ, and Ohio. He’s now settled in the beautiful Hudson Valley with his wife, Shelley Simmons-Bloom.
Matt’s first published work was a short story in the Westside Spirit, a free weekly newspaper that still exists several decades later! His novels are Blue Paradise (1998), A Death in the Hamptons (2002), The Last Romantic (2005), and Salt of the Nation (2019), which have earned Matt fellowships at Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Breadloaf Writers’ Conference, and a residence at MacDowell Artists’ Colony. While Matt is primarily an adult fiction writer, he has also been inspired by his adored tuxedo cat, Bunny, who stars in Matt’s award-winning young readers chapter book series so far comprised of Hello, My Name is Bunny! New York City (2016), Hello, My Name is Bunny! London (2018), Hello, My Name is Bunny! Paris (2022), and Hello, My Name is Bunny! Tokyo (2023). The Hello, My Name is Bunny! books have won New York City Big Book, Independent Press, Moonbeam, and Nautilus book awards. Hopefully, more to come!
Photo credit: Peter Meitzler
Adult Literary Fiction by Matt Bloom
Salt of the Nation (Adelaide Books, April 2019)
"A rollicking, funny, surprisingly thoughtful sendup of the current climate of political discontent." Kirkus Review
Salt of the Nation is the story of Harry McBride, a disillusioned gravel plant worker who impulsively slugs the Republican presidential nominee during a campaign photo-op and instantly becomes America’s most famous fugitive and newest hero.
Harry’s vicious punch is caught on camera and immediately goes viral as he flees the scene of his crime and heads for Mexico. While being pursued across the country by a zealous born again private investigator, Harry is taunted via the airwaves by Grover Budd, a Rush Limbaugh-like radio host who doggedly portrays Harry as a subversive agent of the "socialist" Democratic Party.
Despite Grover Budd’s efforts, Harry soon becomes a role model to working-class men and a sex symbol to disaffected women longing to escape their unfulfilling lives. To a single mother he meets, Harry is a healer with the power to cure her chronically-ill son. College professors start teaching ad-hoc courses on Harry, a song about him goes to number one, and radio stations stage Harry McBride Punch-Out Contests to raise money for the troops. That’s not to mention the Harry McBride Society, hastily contrived to cash in on the free-floating rage and frustration to which Harry has given a name and a face.
Set during the run-up to a pivotal presidential election, Salt of the Nation is more than a road story; it’s a novel about a land riven by broken promises, thwarted dreams, and populism gone awry. It’s the story of a contemporary America equally divided and galvanized by an ordinary man’s rash act and desperate journey.
Readers have called Salt of the Nation "smartly written and enormously enjoyable," "darkly comedic," and "a true page-turner."
Blue Paradise (Red Brick Press, 1998)
"...this novel introduces a talent whose ability to create interesting characters and drive them through a narrative marks him as an author to watch." Publishers Weekly
In a style reminiscent of James T. Farrell and Lawrence Block, Blue Paradise takes the reader into a lonely world of heavy drinkers, prostitutes, bar fights, scam artists, and losers…and to a world where the indomitable human spirit can always be redeemed.
From behind the bar at Blue Paradise, Nick Gallagher has seen it all. His one hope of getting away from the rundown tenements and grimy streets of Hell’s Kitchen is his next boxing match, the biggest of his career. Jimmy, the local bookie, has a different idea, though.
From Hell’s Kitchen to Times Square to the casinos of Atlantic City, this stunning literary debut delivers a knockout punch.
A Death in the Hamptons (Hatherleigh Press, 2002)
“A good read...Bloom captures both sides of the Hamptons brilliantly." Hollywood Insider
It’s getting hot in New York City, and the chic, elite, and well-to-do are headed to their favorite summer retreat on the East End of Long Island. But this year it’s not a celebrity or Wall Street mogul who starts tongues wagging and the scandal sheets rolling. It’s local fisherman, Andrew Kane, who has the misfortune of reeling in the headless body of a second-rate actor along with his morning catch. This is just the start of Andrew’s descent into the darkness, danger, and intrigue lurking just beneath the glitz and glamour of the Hamptons.
Children's Fiction by Matt Bloom
Hello, My Name is Bunny! NYC (2016)
"A charming and simply told story with a clear message." —Kirkus Reviews
Meet Bunny Bloom: irrepressible, international feline do-gooder. This first book in the Hello, My Name is Bunny! chapter book series finds a recently adopted Bunny escaping her comfy apartment in a daring attempt to rescue a New York City Central Park carriage horse from its mean owner. Helped by her new friends, Mike the Mouse, Polly the Pigeon, and Peter the Deliveryman, Bunny sets out to prove there’s no such thing as impossible!
$2 from every book sold on hellobunnybloom.com is donated to KittyKind, the group who rescued Bunny in 2014, and other U.S. rescue groups.
A Gold Winner of a New York CIty Big Book Award.
BISAC codes:
JUV039220 - Juvenile Fiction/Social Themes/Values & Virtues
JUV045000 - Juvenile Fiction/Readers/Chapter Books
JUV002050 - Juvenile Fiction/Animals/Cats
Hello, My Name is Bunny! London (2019)
"...this beautifully illustrated and equally beautifully written story will charm children and adults alike. I was pulled into the story from the very first page. As was the case with the first book, the antics of Bunny and her friends had me smiling throughout the book." Ingrid King, The Conscious Cat
Foxes in peril! In this second book in the Hello, My Name is Bunny! chapter book series, Bunny teams up with 10-year-old Lily Hayward, Rocky the lazy tabby cat, and Goldy, the mischievous Labrador puppy on a nighttime adventure to save London’s foxes. When Lily faces a confidence crisis spurred by school bullies, Bunny is by her side to help her see that with a positive outlook and smart thinking, you can be unstoppable!
Features 22 beautiful color illustrations. Suitable for ages 6+ and cat-lovers of every age.
$2 from every book sold on hellobunnybloom.com is donated to KittyKind, the group who rescued Bunny in 2014, and other U.S. rescue groups.
A Gold Winner of the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards.
BISAC codes:
JUV039220 - Juvenile Fiction/Social Themes/Values & Virtues
JUV045000 - Juvenile Fiction/Readers/Chapter Books
JUV002050 - Juvenile Fiction/Animals/Cats
Hello, My Name is Bunny! Paris (2022)
"Bunny's newest adventure continues to inspire readers to treat others with kindness and respect." —Kirkus Reviews
Disaster! Mona Lisa, the world’s most famous painting, has been stolen and is being held for ransom by a pair of dastardly art thieves. This third installment in the Hello, My Name is Bunny! chapter book series brings Bunny together with an ensemble of characters who know what it means to play hard and work hard! Violette, the lovable Jack Russell, Sam the Swallow, Carl the Catfish, and a pair of ridiculously cute rats named Renata and Renoir join forces with Bunny and show the reader how “teamwork makes the dream work!”
Features 22 beautiful color illustrations. Suitable for ages 6+ and cat-lovers of every age.
$2 from every book sold on hellobunnybloom.com is donated to KittyKind, the group who rescued Bunny in 2014, and other U.S. rescue groups.
A Gold Winner of a Nautilus Book Award.
BISAC codes:
JUV039220 - Juvenile Fiction/Social Themes/Values & Virtues
JUV045000 - Juvenile Fiction/Readers/Chapter Books
JUV002050 - Juvenile Fiction/Animals/Cats
Hello, My Name is Bunny! Tokyo (2023)
"A sweet and simple tale of forgiveness that teaches kids and adults alike the value of helping others." —Kirkus Reviews
Getting into “a good kind of trouble!” This fourth book in the Hello, My Name is Bunny! series finds Bunny in Tokyo where her trademark curiosity leads her to escape her apartment, this time in pursuit of new friendships. She instead finds herself whisker-to-whisker with more danger than she’d imagined, including a run-in with an-imposing-looking falcon and two street cat gangs who consider her a “pampered puss” that they’d rather fight than be friends with. It takes all Bunny’s courage to show them that forgiveness, helping others, and hopefulness will always win the day.
Features 22 beautiful color illustrations. Suitable for ages 6+ and cat-lovers of every age.
$2 from every book sold on hellobunnybloom.com is donated to KittyKind, the group who rescued Bunny in 2014, and other U.S. rescue groups.
BISAC codes:
JUV039220 - Juvenile Fiction/Social Themes/Values & Virtues
JUV045000 - Juvenile Fiction/Readers/Chapter Books
JUV002050 - Juvenile Fiction/Animals/Cats