Amiga

Amiga is my novel that takes you from the early days of the personal computer industry in the 1980s to a critical time in our recent history.

What is Amiga about?

In 1985, a young Laura Rodriguez goes to Silicon Valley to start a career as a computer programmer. She finds a job in San Rafael at a quirky startup run by a family with secrets.

In 2016, a now middle-aged Laura faces growing professional and family crises and the most divisive presidential election in recent history. She fears losing her job in the wake of a merger, and she distrusts her new millennial boss. Her daughter has cancer, her son quit a lucrative programming job and moved back home, and her marriage is crumbling—especially when an old flame reenters her life.

Laura must seek solutions from a past she wants to forget. She may find them in the computer that changed her life, the Amiga.

Here’s a reading from Amiga.

Where do I buy Amiga?

Amiga is available in paperback and Kindle formats. You can purchase Amiga online from your favorite bookstore and retailers.

Amiga is available through Kindle Unlimited. Enjoy Amiga for free along with other great books with your Kindle Unlimited membership.

If your local bookstore doesn’t carry Amiga, ask them to order it.

Signed books for sale

You can still buy signed copies of Amiga at Beach Town Books in San Clemente, California. Here are some photos from my last book signing.

You can also find copies of Amiga at the Barnes and Noble at the Irvine Spectrum.

What are people saying about Amiga?

Check out these stellar reviews:

“Stern’s writing is clear, eloquent, and entertaining. He pens a great novel of the technically oriented women and their grit in entering a profession that was almost exclusively male. Stern creates a protagonist who has the wherewithal to handle the personal, social, and technical problems of her era, portraying a woman of astonishing powers.”

—Carole W, AuthorsReading.com

“Stern does a fine job of creating a strong and believable lead female character without resorting to standby cliches or waving convenient social or political flags. The rest of the story unfolds effortlessly to make for a good and entertaining read.”

—Gojan Nikolich, author of The Gopher King: A Dark Comedy

“Amiga is one of those stories that sticks with you. You get enthralled in the excitement of the 80’s tech era and then get shaken up by the mystery of human nature and how some mistakes can plague a family for generations.

What a combination! Matthew gives us great writing, a strong plot, and a sweet romance that has you rushing through the pages to see if the love hangs in there through time. You can’t pass up this read!”

—Jackie Anders, author of Arion Rising

“Loved the book. Mathew Stern has obvious talent in formulating characters and keeping the reader’s interest in turning the next page. I couldn’t put it down!”

—Jimbo on Amazon

“As Laura explains, in the burgeoning 80’s tech world, “We were pioneers in a pristine, unexplored wilderness before we paved it over with an information superhighway. The Amiga made me feel like anything was possible…” That feeling of possibility is one of the novel’s great redemptive qualities and will make me consider the novel long after I return it to my shelf.”

—Michael P. Harnett on Amazon

“The character development was solid and the timeline flipping was clear and easy to follow. I was left wanting to know what was going to happen to the protagonist chapter after chapter…”

—Jeremy on Goodreads

“Mr. Stern delivers a woman’s empowerment book that is also a techie’s dream.”

—Timothy G. Sojka on Amazon

“I couldn’t put it down. The story is fascinating. It took me back to those early days on computers, with many of the issues young Laura faced… I was also impressed with his delicate handling of the highly charged politics of 2016. Matthew Stern did a great job!”

—Reviewer on Amazon

Your reviews of Amiga are greatly appreciated. Post them where you purchased your books, as well as Amazon and Goodreads. Your comments are appreciated.

Amiga in the News

Amiga was recently profiled in Orange County Writers Friday Reads.

Orange County Writers

Interviews

I was also interviewed by Doug of 10 Minute Amiga Retro Cast. Watch his interview and review of Amiga below.

 

In this recent video, I tell the story behind the writing of Amiga.

Read the press release from Black Rose Writing.

What is the Commodore Amiga?

The Amiga is a computer that was marketed by Commodore from 1985 to the close of the company in 1994. It was the most advanced of its generation of computers, and it had features that wouldn’t be matched by Windows and Mac computers until years later. The Amiga had preemptive multitasking that enabled it to run several programs at once. It featured the most advanced graphics and largest color palette of its time when many computers were still monochrome. Its advances in desktop video enabled the Amiga to be used to produce animation for TV shows and music videos. Although Commodore is gone, interest in the Amiga remains high. You can buy Amiga emulators and new Amiga hardware and software. Vintage Amiga computers are available on auction sites.

How do I learn more about the book and the computer?

My website has articles about the Amiga and my publishing journey.

In December 2019, I tweeted short excerpts from the book with hashtag #AmigaAdvent. Follow me on Twitter for news and updates.

You can learn more about the Amiga computer from these sources:

Visit this page often and follow me on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information.

Want me to speak at your bookstore or author event?

Of course, in-person events are off until our microscopic friend bids us adieu. You can contact me about future events through Facebook or Twitter.