Flip the Narrative Norman Del Rosario

In that dreamless moment between sleeping and waking, Norman Del Rosario experiences a vision. It’s not his first, and it won’t be his last. He is hovering above a two-story apartment building, a birds-eye view of the property where his sister lives (Norm doesn’t know this, he finds out when helping her move years later). As if by instinct, Norman can tell his sister is in danger, somehow, just from the outside view of a random building. He can’t explain it, it’s just a deep dreaded feeling in his gut. As a retired police officer, he knows ignoring his intuition can be lethal.
He calls his sister and ominously tells her to be careful, spooking her abrasive boyfriend, who leaves for the night instead of breaking her back window like he threatened to. Days later, she thanks Norm for the warning.
Norm is used to it. He’s been experiencing weird things his entire life. Like witnessing a traumatic kidnapping or seeing strange premonitions, he’s had to adjust his worldview to fit multiple times. Since he was a child, he had always been cerebral, exploring the worlds inside his imagination. He says he has always been a writer, from the moment he first picked up a pencil and learned his letters. Always absorbed in his stories, he recalls being the quiet, pensive child.
Coming from an academically inclined family, Norman didn’t especially excel in school. English was his best subject, but he shied away from expressing himself fully on paper. When he became an adult and was enrolled in police academy, he pushed the creative side of himself away, preferring to exude the macho stereotype. It was easier than opening himself up to the judgement of everyone around him. Instead of forming the first ever all-cop-reading/poetry-club, he made the quiet decision to be someone other than he was.
Facing danger on a daily basis, Norm admits he didn’t give himself time to think, to be present in everyday moments. After spending over two decades as a law enforcement officer, he retired somewhat unexpectedly and unceremoniously. Norm had been seriously injured on the job, and his personal life at the time had forced his hand. He felt lost, unsure of who he was after retiring. Rediscovering his passion for writing helped bring him back to life.
In a Substack post, he declares, “I’ve been living from the neck up and only in times of crisis, loss or extreme passion do I experience other aspects of my being.” Seemingly detached from himself, he begins to throw himself into the novel he had been working on. The idea had been stirring for some time, and once he fully dedicated himself into getting the story on paper- it was like exorcising a demon. Vomiting up the words can be grueling and taxing, but it’s only the first part. Next is the terrifying moment where you actually hand that page to someone else to critique, opening yourself up for a possible attack on your core as a person. Conquering this fear (with seemingly relative ease), Norm started working with an editor to fully establish the tone and voice of his story.
At the heart of Norman Del Rosario’s debut novel Flip, is a story of rebellion and acceptance. Instead of a lengthy memoir listing his achievements and all he has learned, Norm weaves a narrative that touches the deepest part of the human psyche. The first thing that strikes you about his writing is his voice, forging a universal connection with the reader despite background. The story compels us to keep reading, just one more chapter before bed, captivating us the way all the best stories do. If we still lived in the Stone Age, Norman Del Rosario would be the prophetic orator, huddled around the campfire regaling the people with wisdom through parable. Luckily for us, Flip releases in October, just in time for the spooky season.
If you are interested to read more from Norm, consider subscribing to his Substack- https://substack.com/@normdelrosario.

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