John M. Donovan, a novelist born in Hillsboro and a 1982 graduate of Wabash College, has published his fifth novel, “Fluffball! Or, How Five Really Tall Guys and an Immortal Chinese Philosopher Opened the Door to a Parallel Universe and Saved Professional Foam Basketball, More or Less.”
The book is a satire about professional sports and guys who play professional Foam basketball. Then, they get involved in the weird little secret, which is the origin of their universe.
“So it is kind of a tour de force,” Donovan said. “The new novel is a departure for me because my four previous novels have been set pretty much in a real world setting. But ‘Fluffball!’ is more of a satire. And so that let me take it off in all kinds of different directions.”
He came up with the idea of writing the novel when his parents gave him a Nerf basketball for his seventh grade Christmas. Then, as he and his brother played basketball games in their bedroom, they hit on the idea of having team names for each of themselves. “And so essentially, it was like 47 years of research went into this novel,” Donovan said.
His freshman year at Fountain Central High School was the last year that he played basketball. “That is when I realized that there were people a lot more talented at it than me,” Donovan said. “But you do not have to be a sports fan to identify with the main character [of the novel and to enjoy reading it].”
He was an English major at Wabash. “I love the college. I love going back and just walking around whenever I’m in town,” he said, reflecting on his college life.
After graduating, he became involved in advertising and he has been writing advertising copy ever since.
He shared advice to people who are interested in becoming a novelist. “The best advice I can give is to read. Read everything you can, but especially read the best,” Donovan said. “The more you read the more it just seeps into you and it’s easier to come out.”
Donovan’s other novels include “The Fraternity,” “Trombone Answers,” “The Rocheville Devil,” and “Love and Corn and Whatnot.”
While “Fluffball!” is currently available only in print, the others are available in both print and electronic versions. The books can be purchased on Amazon.
