‘A Reason to Be’ Receives Accolades at The NY Metropolitan Screenwriting Competition

December 31 19:33 2021

New York, NY, USA – December 31, 2021 – Norman McCombs’ screenplay, based on his autobiographical novel A Reason to Be, received semi-finalist honors at The New York Metropolitan Screenwriting Competition. Showing bi-coastal appeal, in early December McCombs won the Best Sci-Fi Screenplay Award from the Los Angeles Film Awards.

The New York Metropolitan Screenwriting Competition is a Cinema Public House production. CPH is a US based independent festival company that produces festivals all over the world. They want to draw attention to writers so their films might get produced and showcased at festivals such Toronto, Sundance, and Cannes.

A Reason to Be also picked up Official Selection honors at the CFK International Film Festival and a Best Script award from the NY Independent Cinema Awards, which is sponsored by New York Arts & Cinema.

Equal parts love story, historical epic, and journey to self-discovery, A Reason to Be resonates at the heart of what it means to be human. It inspires us to discover who we are and where we came from, joining past with present, loss with love, and imbibes us with a brilliant hope for who we can become. As Douglas says in the novel: “We’re more than our blood lines. We’re love lines. Love is what flows down the generations. Love is what collects and gathers in force and momentum and strength. Love.”

McCombs was born in Amherst, New York, where he met his late wife, Grace. Like Douglas’ fictional wife Hope, Grace’s prolonged battle with Alzheimer’s and her eventual death led McCombs into a deep depression until a close friend aided him in receiving the help he needed. After recovering from his depression, McCombs left western New York and began to write A Reason to Be.

Listen to a radio interview of Norman McCombs by Michelle Jerson: https://soundcloud.com/expertclickradio/norman-mccombs-author-of-a-reason-to-be-a-novel-interviewed-by-michelle-jerson-on-radio.

“A Reason to Be is a brilliant, cerebral narrative of a man’s journey to discover who he is within the stunning breadth of history.” – Rachel Song, Author, 5-Stars

“An exhilarating exploration into exactly why we are here and the never-ending journey to find and give love.” – John J. Kelly, Detroit Free Press, 5-Stars

A five-minute audio book sample, including a bit of Scottish brogue, can be heard at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D2DYXVX.

With the enormous success of the Outlander books and TV series, Scottish history has become a popular topic. Contributions by Scottish emigrants have been vital to the enormous success of the United States and Canada. Those of Scottish descent are famous for a deep-seated streak of independence and intellectual vigor that has changed the world. Following the Battle of Culloden, in 1745, hundreds of thousands were cleared from the Scottish Highlands and scattered to all points of the compass.

McCombs connections to the famed Highland Clans forms the foundation of a journey through history which, in no small way, saved his life. Representing one of those great Scottish/American success stories, he has over two hundred patents worldwide, primarily for air separation technology used for a myriad of oxygen applications around the world. In 2011, as McCombs stood outside the East Wing of the White House before receiving the National Medal of Technology from President Obama, he asked himself a simple question: How did I come from the circumstances of my birth to the steps of the White House?

‘A Reason to Be’ Book Trailer: https://bit.ly/ReasonToBeTrailer

A Reason to Be: A Novel, ISBN 978-1626347335 (Hardcover) $17.95, 2020, Greenleaf Book Group, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Book-A-Million, and Porchlight.

Norman McCombs was born in Amherst, New York, in a home built by his immigrant father. He graduated from Amherst Central High School where he met his late wife, Grace. Norman went on to earn an AASEE from ECTI, along with a BSME and an ScD from the State University of New York at Buffalo, while serving in the New York State National Guard.

He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, which honored him with the EDISON Medal, their highest patent award. He has received numerous awards for technical achievement, including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Obama for developing the portable oxygen concentrator credited with saving and extending the lives of millions with lung diseases.

As Norman stood outside the East Wing of the White House, he asked himself a simple question: How did I come from the circumstances of my birth to the steps of the White House? That moment prompted Norman to search for deeper connections to his ancestry.

Norman has over two hundred patents worldwide, primarily for air separation technology used for a myriad of oxygen applications around the world. He is also an Officier Commandeur of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, as well as a sculptor, classical guitarist, and an avid fan of opera and the fine arts.

You can find more information on Norman McCombs at NormanMcCombs.com.

Media Contact:

For a review copy of A Reason to Be or to arrange an interview with Norman McCombs, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at [email protected] or by phone at 734-667-2090.

Follow Lorenz on twitter @abookpublicist.

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