Author Claims that Pearl Jam References in Novel Not ‘A Thinly Veiled Attempt to Sell Books to Middle Aged Fans’

SEATTLE – Author Jeff Norburn denies that he created a character in his novel Triple Barrel, to be a hardcore fan of Seattle grunge rockers Pearl Jam in order sell copies of his novel to fans of the band – at least the ones who are into reading novels.

“It seems obvious to me that Norburn made the character of Ana a Pearl Jam fan because he wants Jammers to buy his book,” said Stone Cameron, President of the  on-line fringe Pearl Jam Fan Club ‘PJ is my Jam’.

“Most Pearl Jam fans are in their 40s and 50s now,” Cameron elaborated. “25 years ago we spent our time jostling about in mosh pits, smoking weed, and wearing flannel, but nowadays we watch a lot of Netflix, read novels, and go to bed early – at least until the boys release a new album and go on tour.”

We contacted Norburn at his palatial home in Quesnel, Canada where he claimed he was unaware of the controversy. “I had no idea this was a thing,” Norburn said. “I’m a huge Pearl Jam fan and I thought it would be fun to make the character of Ana a fan too. That’s all there is to it.”

When asked if he thought that including Pearl Jam references in the novel would help him sell more books, Norburn said, “That’s ridiculous. You can’t expect someone to buy a novel just because one of the characters has a dog named Lukin, or they have a key chain with PJ20 on it, or they engage in heated discussions with their coworkers about how egregiously Creed sucks.”

“Obviously I’d buy a novel for those reasons, but that’s me. Like I said, I’m a huge Pearl Jam fan. Whenever Pearl Jam is mentioned in a book or a movie, it’s a pretty safe bet that I’m going to buy it but I wouldn’t expect anyone else to buy a novel simply because Pearl Jam is mentioned a few times – I mean it would be great if they did, but I wouldn’t expect it.”

Norburn stressed that while there is content in Triple Barrel about the band, they don’t play a significant role in the story. “Triple Barrel may be wildly entertaining, but it’s not about the ‘Best Band in the History of the World’.  It’s actually the story of a paramedic (and huge Pearl Jam fan) who gets mixed up in a blackmail scheme, a series of warehouse thefts, home invasions, and murder, after someone kills her brother.”

Stone Cameron isn’t buying Norburn’s argument though. “He’s simply taking advantage of Jammers the same way David Crane and Marta Kauffman did when they got us to watch that final episode of ‘Friends’ just so we could hear 30 seconds of Yellow Ledbetter,” Cameron said. “Mind you, it was a powerful scene. David Schwimmer is a national treasure.”

Norburn maintains that his only motivation for making Ana a Pearl Jam fan was that it ‘felt right’.  “They always say, ‘write what you know’ and I know Pearl Jam.”

“Norburn can say what he likes but it won’t work – at least not anymore,” Cameron said. “I mean – it worked on me, but that’s because I was drunk when I bought that copy of Triple Barrel on Amazon. I’m not going to lie – it’s really good, and not just because Ana tunes in to Pearl Jam Radio on Sirius XM and talks trash about Scott Stapp.  As far as novels go, it has all the violence, profanity, and full frontal nudity I expect, and it’s pretty damn funny.”

When asked how he would rate the novel Cameron said he would put it in terms he thought most Pearl Jam fans would understand. “It’s not ‘Atlanta 1994 Black’ good (I mean – is anything?), but it’s easily ‘L.A. 2009 Red Mosquito’ good, maybe even better than that.”

Triple Barrel is available on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Triple-Barrel-Jeff-Norburn/dp/1691923729/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Huge Spike in Curling Iron Sales Linked to Crime Thriller

ALBUQUERQUE – Manufacturers of the Triple Barrel Curling Iron have reported that sales of their hair styling device have increased dramatically since the release of author Jeff Norburn’s novel Triple Barrel.

“We noticed the largest sales spike in Western Canada but we’ve seen increased sales worldwide since the novel was released in early November,” said Shirley Wand of Mojonnie, manufacturer of the triple barreled curling device.  “It seems that people searching popular websites like Amazon.com for the author’s second novel, inadvertently buy our product instead.”

“We aren’t sure if it’s because they are drunk or what, but it happens more often than you would expect,” Wand elaborated.  “It’s hard to confuse a curling iron with a paperback novel, but it seems to be happening with surprising regularity.”

Wand went on to admit that customers who mistakenly purchased the device were understandably distraught when they didn’t receive the profanity laden crime novel they had been expecting but she noted that others, while initially disappointed, are pleased by the compliments they get on their mermaid waves.

“I like a raucous fast-paced crime novel as much as the next girl,” says Ariel Sirène, an avid reader and swimmer from a small fishing village in the south of France.  “But no matter how good a book is, it can’t give me Hollywood glamour curls.”

When asked if she would still be buying the novel, Sirène said, “Of course, even if the novel doesn’t come with a cute little hair tie like the curling iron did.”

Author Jeff Norburn was apparently oblivious to the confusion and the impact he has had on world-wide curling iron sales until we brought it to his attention.  “When I named the novel, I had no idea that curling irons came in multiple barrels,” he said.

When asked if he thought that it said something about the intellectual prowess of some of his readers who were mistakenly ordering curling irons instead of his novel Norburn declined to comment.

Wand was unwilling to confirm how many customers have accidentally purchased their curling iron instead of Norburn’s crime novel but she did manage a small smile and said, “Let’s just say if the trend continues, the staff at Mojonnie can expect a well-deserved pizza party at the end of the year.”

Customers wanting to buy Triple Barrel – the novel  (not the curling iron) should use the following links:

Canada:  https://www.amazon.ca/Triple-Barrel-Jeff-Norburn/dp/1691923729/ref=pd_ybh_a_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5VFB6HCRY0SXK61N66ZM

USA:  https://www.amazon.com/Triple-Barrel-Jeff-Norburn/dp/1691923729/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Triple-Barrel-Jeff-Norburn/dp/1691923729/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Australia:  https://www.amazon.com.au/Triple-Barrel-Jeff-Norburn-ebook/dp/B07ZJYRHNV/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1573942550&refinements=p_27%3AJeff+Norburn&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Jeff+Norburn