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Alissa Nutting Biography

Fiction writer

Alissa Nutting is a contemporary fiction writer known for her unique narrative style and profound thematic explorations. Her novels often focus on the psychological states and moral dilemmas of marginalized individuals.

Humor Food Cheese

Book:Made for Love

Source: Made for Love

“I'm grateful for the myriad ways you did not abuse me. I was never starved or kept inside a cage or repeatedly burned with cigarettes. I guess it just sucks how a lot of parents like their children but you didn't like me. It also sucks how even though I didn't really like you, I never stopped wanting you to like me, because you never cared if I liked you or didn't.”

Family Parents Family Dynamics

Book:Made for Love

Source: Made for Love

“I think what tends to embarrass me most is how much I struggle at the little things that seem to come so easily to most people, mainly involving routine and self-care. It's hard for me to do things like cook a meal, not be in a constant apocalyptically late rush everywhere I go, to put something back when I'm finished with it. I seem to be hardwired for chaos and disorganization.”

People Thinking Littles Self Hard Seems Care Struggle Late Constant Chaos Finished Cooks Meals Little Things Routine Self Care Involving Back When Disorganization

Author:Alissa Nutting

“Keeping a diary is advanced-level living. I spend way too much time trying not to curl up in the corner like a giant fetus & weep to keep a diary.”

Way Trying Levels Too Much Corners Giants Diaries Curls Fetus

Author:Alissa Nutting

“exercise will never be my lover. Or even my friend. For me, a workout is more like an annoying coworker I have to see a few times a week.”

Week Lovers Exercise My Friends Annoying Fitness Workout My Lover Coworker

Author:Alissa Nutting

“You know how some people are unlucky in love? I was always unlucky in exercise. I'd get into a relationship with a workout program or guru, we'd go steady for a few intense months, and then we'd have a really ugly breakup.”

People Knows Know How Months Exercise Program Ugly Intense Breakup Steady Fitness Workout Guru Unlucky

Author:Alissa Nutting

“With surgical insight, Inside Madeline delves into the most complex female territory imaginable and dissects until every honest bone is revealed. Bomer's prose doesn't flinch, doesn't filter-the bravery of these stories left me breathless.”

Stories Left Honest Female Bravery Complexes Insight Bones Prose Territory Filters Breathless Madeline

Author:Alissa Nutting

“It was just such a complete shock to turn on the news one day and see someone that you know, someone you have passed in the halls of your high school. It got me thinking, 'Well, what are some novels that are about female sexual psychopaths? I really didn't have many references for that, and I felt like that was a void in transgressive literature that I wanted to fill.'”

Thinking Knows Wells Wanted School Turns Literature Felt Novel One Day News High School Female Shock Halls Void Turn-on Psychopath

Author:Alissa Nutting

“I think that in our culture there is this message to males that any time you can have sex with an attractive female, you should do it. But for females you always have to guard yourself against it, sort of keep sex at bay. You don't want to get a reputation, especially when you are under age.”

Thinking Want Should Age Culture Sex Messages Female Males Reputation Attractive

Author:Alissa Nutting

“If you're a beautiful Caucasian woman, and you commit a heinous crime, it's like people don't want to acknowledge the reality of your actions.”

People Ifs Want Reality Action Beautiful Crime Commit Acknowledge Caucasian Heinous Crimes

Author:Alissa Nutting

“I don't consider myself attractive. I'm an academic, and in academia, people will write you off if you look younger.”

People Ifs Writing Looks Attractive Academic Academia

Author:Alissa Nutting

“I've worked hard on my doctorate, and I want to be acknowledged for that. But I also wanted to comment on this message that women get that the most important thing they can do is police their appearance.”

Want Important Hard Wanted Can Do Messages Police Important Things Appearance Comment Doctorates

Author:Alissa Nutting

“You want to do all of these preventative things to make sure you always look as young as possible, you don't want to look your age. Looking young and attractive matters, even more than the type of person you are, even more than the actions you commit.”

Want Looks Persons Matter Age Action Young Type Commit Attractive

Author:Alissa Nutting

“It's a challenge of to write a narrator who is doing something that is really unlikeable and morally questionable. A lot of times, you read a book because you like the character, you are cheering for the character; you want the best for the character.”

Want Writing Book Character Challenges Cheer Questionable Narrators

Author:Alissa Nutting

“I'm a big people pleaser; I had a very awkward adolescence. Part of me is still that person who wants everyone to like me.”

People Want Persons Stills Bigs Like Me Awkward Adolescence Pleasers

Author:Alissa Nutting

“For many years I wrote nothing but "I will not sleep with Steve Almond" over and over again, page after page à la Jack Torrance in The Shining. Finally, hundreds of psychotherapy sessions and an intense shaman-guided DMT sweat lodge experience led to a breakthrough, and I was able to write about other people I would not sleep with, and also about people I would.”

People Writing Years Able Sleep Pages Shining Intense Sweat Breakthrough Session Psychotherapy Lodges Dmt Almonds

Author:Alissa Nutting

“Luckily I'm on prescription drugs that prevent me from worrying about anything too much.”

Worry Too Much Drug Prescriptions Prescription Drugs

Author:Alissa Nutting

“I think humor is like a shield that lets you get as close to the sad sad flame as possible - far closer, oftentimes, than drama.”

Thinking Drama Flames Shields

Author:Alissa Nutting

“I really want readers to put themselves into the shoes of each character. So the opening lines are an orienting technique: this is where you are, this is who you are. Go.”

Want Character Lines Reader Who You Are Shoes Technique Opening Where You Are

Author:Alissa Nutting

“My poor family. I try to protect them from my work. My parents are very religious, and my brother and sister are very normal. We have an understanding, I think, that what I do isn't quite down their alley.”

Thinking Trying Parent Understanding Religious Poor Brother Protect Normal My Brother Brothers And Sisters Alleys Poor Family

Author:Alissa Nutting

“My writing circle isn't too full of people who fall into the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Tuesdays With Morrie" category.”

People Writing Fall Customers Circles Categories Items Tuesday Morrie Tuesdays With Morrie

Author:Alissa Nutting

“During my MFA, I was lucky to be surrounded by a really supportive group of peers. And now I get feedback pretty exclusively from freaks only.”

Groups Lucky Freak Peers Supportive Feedback

Author:Alissa Nutting

“Las Vegas is incredible. Either you love it or you're a classy person with morals. I fall into the former category. It's definitely bled into my writing.”

Writing Persons Fall Moral Incredibles Former Categories Vegas Las Vegas

Author:Alissa Nutting

“I've seen men in $5,000 suits urinate in public fountains here. Las Vegas is the best place on earth.”

Men Earth Suits Fountain Vegas Las Vegas Best Place

Author:Alissa Nutting

About the Author

Known for: Fiction writer
Quotes: 24

Books & Sources

Made for LoveRelated source material

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