Welcome to Norman diPenna's Website

After many years of work I'm pleased to announce that In the Purple Twilight, my first novel, is now available in both Kindle and paperback format through amazon.com.

I hope that readers will find this book inspiring. It is not an easy read. Although the plot is not convoluted, and the character motivations not difficult to understand, the style is a bit traditional and more literary than most current novels. This part of the book has been intentional, and done so as my simple homage to the great American writers of the early twentieth century. As an author, I can categorically state that writing in this style was not easy for me either. But I'm happy that I did so, at least for this one novel !

If you do read and enjoy this book, please don't hesitate to post your online review on either amazon or B&N.

Plot Summary

Paul Gudsen dreams of the stars. But he abandons his scientific pursuits for the promise of a safer and more attainable career as an attorney. He enrolls in law school and becomes romantically involved with the attractive, but ambitious, Jenn Devaine. He also secures a prized internship with the prestigious law firm of Ashton and Tate.

At first, things go well. But Paul soon discovers the concept of legal ethics to be an oxymoron. He is assigned to the defense case of Bruce Robinson, a prominent celebrity accused of murdering his estranged wife. He is then pressured to falsify key documents, and, as the case progresses, Paul begins to sympathize more with the murdered wife than with the accused husband.

This isn't the type of legal career that Paul had once aspired to, and eventually he begins to question the morality of his assigned duties. But the allure of success, and his desire for Jenn’s supposed affection, drive him on. Is worldly gain worth such compromises, and was he mistaken to so easily put aside his interest in the stars? Paul struggles with these issues, knowing full well that his future prospects with Jenn also hang in the balance.

Written in a style which harkens back to The Great Gatsby, but with a quirky humor, IN THE PURPLE TWILIGHT is thought provoking contemporary fiction which strives to both entertain and enlighten.