About the Author

Courtney Maum is the author of the novels Touch and I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, and the chapbook “Notes from Mexico.” She has been published in outlets such as the New York Times; Tin House; O, The Oprah Magazine; and Buzzfeed; and has worked as a trend forecaster, a fashion publicist, and a party promoter for Corona Extra in the past. She currently works as a makeup shade and product namer from her home in Litchfield County, CT where she founded the interdisciplinary retreat The Cabins.

Reviews

Finalist for the Connecticut Book Award

"[A] charming satire."—New York Times Book Review, Paperback Row 

"Courtney Maum's exuberant new novel sends up the world of techie consumerism....[Her] writing is easy, eager and colloquial. . . . [She] shines when she writes about creativity, the slow burn and then sudden rush of ideas....Good writing about creativity is rare. Maum captures that fragile, gratifying, urgent process."—New York Times Book Review
 
“Irresistible. . . It’s impressive that Ms. Maum has managed to make a return to old-fashioned family values—and even commonplace acts of physical intimacy—seem daring and subversive. Maybe it will beckon a trend.”—Wall Street Journal

“A sharp, poignant take on our digitally dependent lives.”—Marie Claire

"Touch is an interesting take on what life would be like if we just put down our phones and stepped away from the computer. Maum reminds us to not forget about those who are living and breathing right around us. Because a loving hug, tight squeeze, or simple touch is so much more fulfilling than a text."—Associated Press

“Sweet and funny. . . A sharp yet feeling satire, Touch bristles with insights into the longing for warm, messy, inefficient, and imperfect human life buried in our increasingly streamlined, disembodied now.”—Interview

“Maum's takedown of our screen-addicted culture is funny and wise. It's perfect for vacation because it's breezy but not shallow. You can read it in a day and think, That was fun, and I feel better about the world.”—HGTV Magazine

“A satirical but sincere look at our thirst for ‘in-personism.’”—Departures

"Touch is an of the moment satire you should not miss.”—Domino

“Tech forecasting takes center stage in a diverting new novel.”—Time

“[A] sharp, funny satire . . . Maum has a lot of fun poking fun at our tech- and self-obsessed lives, but she also offers a compassionate plea for the importance of family, real human interaction and empathy.”—Miami Herald

“It’s fiction, but you’ll never look at your devices the same.”—Glamour

“Courtney Maum has seen the future. . . . Delightfully strange.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram