Today, I have author Luke Stoffel in the interview chair. We’re discussing his latest release How To Win a Million Dollars and BEEP Glitter!, a contemporary fictionalized memoir. Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.
****
1. Hi, Luke. First off, readers have an idea about the writer you, but what about the everyday you? Can you share about your personal life?
Luke: I live in New York City, in an old artist loft that was once a spice warehouse. I Airbnb my guest room to help pay the rent, which gives me a lot of insight into people’s lives. I am a painter, working in a pop art style, and I focus a lot on religious figures from Asia. My work tries to bridge the gap between America’s understanding of who we all are, why we are different, and why we are all beautiful at the same time.
2. I’ve been perusing your Goodreads page and see this is your first book release. Why start with a fictionalized memoir?
Luke: I also wrote a cookbook in 2017 that was a total hoot: The Unicorn Cookbook, where I invented Bieber Fever Hot Cocoa, No-Bake Mermaid Cheesecake, and Peeps Pizza. It’s also based on my life, growing up in Iowa and baking treats with my mom and sister.
This new book is a much wilder, more expansive vision of that. I wrote it because I thought my mishaps and adventures in the world were hilarious in their own stupidity, but also because they could serve as a mirror many of us can see ourselves in. I was humble in my approach, as it was important to uncover simple truths I think we all go through. I wanted readers to feel like they were in my shoes, rather than just reading about my life, which is why I framed it as a fairytale or a myth.
It was more interesting for me to create a world loosely based on my life, told through the eyes of a child. I was very purposeful with beta readers to find out where the book resonated and where I was being overly indulgent. I didn’t want to write a straight memoir—my life is nothing special. I’m just a kid whose first job in NYC was working backstage on a Broadway show called Urinetown… where I cleaned the toilets. It’s a real Cinderella story of sorts, and I wanted it to feel that way.
3. Let’s talk about your main character. What do you love most about Luke?
Luke: I love that I was completely honest, even when it was unabashedly embarrassing. The humor that came through surprised me at times. It’s not something I want my mom to read, but if she does, I hope she can find the hilarity in it. My journey is unique, but it’s more fun because of how much I’ve screwed up, and I think that’s where the book really excels.
4. And what makes you shake your head at him?
Luke: He’s a total idiot, but totally fun and adorable. But he tries really, really hard. I’m not sure he ever learns his lessons, but I think that’s what will endear him to readers.
5. Without giving away any spoilers, what was your favourite scene to write and why?
Luke: I have a chapter that’s basically a side note, a story within a story. It’s a break from the narrative where I wrestle with a volcano goddess and lose spectacularly. The trials and tribulations in that chapter will make you laugh out loud and get your heart racing. I also wanted it to feel like a myth, a story I’m telling you, not just a recounting of personal events. I wanted to create a world that was part of the overall book but completely separate at the same time.
6. Tell the readers why they should read your novel.
Luke: There’s a joy in the first chapter that will hook you in. Anyone who was ever a child will relate to it and be propelled forward on a spectacular misadventure of a young boy who would stop at nothing to conquer the world. It has adventure, heartbreak, first love, and a twist you never see coming. I think readers will love it. My beta readers already have, and they helped shape the book into a much stronger piece than I ever thought possible.
7. Let’s talk about the title. How did you come up with it?
Luke: Bahahahahahah! My title is so audacious that Amazon made me change it. I’ve been writing this book for 8 years, but the title bubbled up because it’s my life’s goal to get on the reality TV show Survivor. While making my yearly audition tape, I thought, “If I don’t make it this year, next year I’m going to write a crazy book about all the ways I tried to win a million dollars and send them the book.” The title was written right then.
The title encapsulates the first chapter—How To Win a Million Dollars—and the last chapter—How To BEEP Glitter!—which summarizes all the ways I tried to win.
8. I enjoy doing random questions, so humour me:
- What’s your favourite movie?
Interstellar. There’s a line in that movie that really strikes me:
Hathaway: Listen to me when I say that love isn’t something that we invented. It’s… observable, powerful. It has to mean something.
Cooper: Love has meaning, yes. Social utility, social bonding, child rearing…
Hathaway: We love people who have died. Where’s the social utility in that?
Cooper: None.
Hathaway: Maybe it means something more—something we can’t yet understand. Maybe it’s some evidence, some artifact of a higher dimension that we can’t consciously perceive. I’m drawn across the universe to someone I haven’t seen in a decade, who I know is probably dead. Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space. Maybe we should trust that, even if we can’t understand it. - What book is currently in your e-reader?
The Will of the Many! It’s amazing. I highly recommend it. It’s like The Hunger Games set in the future, where everyone lives as if they were in ancient Greece, and they’re searching for an ancient portal too… - Who’s your favorite musical group?
Justin Bieber. ❤ What song puts a smile on your face? “Sorry!” by Justin Bieber. Is it too late now to say sorry?!
8. What can we expect from you in the future?
Luke: I have a second novel that, in some ways, is a continuation of the first book, but it’s a completely different piece. It’s called In Over Your Head: When the Only Way Out is Down. It’s a collection of stories from my 15 years exploring Southeast Asia, the hilarity of learning to scuba dive, and the tragedy of escaping Asia as COVID began closing in around me. It’s written in the second person and is totally unique in how it makes you feel like you are physically in my body, living the experiences yourself.
****
Title: How To Win a Million Dollars and BEEP Glitter!
Author: Luke Stoffel
Pairing: MM
Tense/POV: past tense/first person
Genres: Contemporary, Humor, Fictionalized Memoir
Tropes: Coming-of-Age, Flawed Hero, Small-Town Dreamer, Cultural Satire, Underdog Story
Themes: Coming out, Resilience, Self-Discovery, 80s Nostalgia, Hope and Optimism
Heat Rating: 2 flames
Length: 72 000 words/ 263 pages
Release Date: February 1, 2025
Publisher: Cinderly
How to Win a Million Dollars is a madcap, self-deprecating, laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story that reads like David Sedaris meets Heartstopper, told as Ready Player One. It takes readers on an adventure through the wildly inventive, sometimes-questionable, but always entertaining schemes of a boy who would do anything to make it big.
Growing up as a gay Catholic schoolboy in a tiny Mississippi River town surrounded by cornfields, Luke’s imagination was constantly set on fire by million-dollar daydreams and DIY hustles. Whether it was hunting down the missing Cap’n Crunch or gaming McDonald’s Monopoly, no scheme was too ridiculous, no shortcut too far-fetched. With his trusty Hustler bike and a mountain of determination, Luke didn’t just dream—he plotted.
Set in the 1980s, this is the story of a kid with a knack for scamming, hustling, and occasionally crashing and burning—all in the pursuit of that elusive big win. From navigating a Catholic school playground full of bullies to trying to “make it” out of a blue-collar family, Luke was always on the move, cooking up his next big adventure. Dragging his little sister—turned faithful sidekick—into trouble at every turn, her sweet voice was always in his ear, making us wonder: is he conning her, or is she saving him from himself?
As Luke grew up, so did the schemes—transforming into a Broadway Cinderella story of sorts, ditching it all for the artist’s life in Paris, and even getting cursed by a vengeful Hawaiian god. With each crazy plan, the stakes got higher, the twists got weirder, and Luke had to ask himself the big questions: Can you beat the system, or will the system beat you? And what do you do when your dreams—and all your wildest schemes—start to crumble? Through hilarity, heartbreak, and the relentless pursuit of the American Dream, How to Win a Million Dollars explores the glittering highs and crushing lows of chasing success in a world shaped by Reaganomics, dyslexia, and the crumbling façade of opportunity. From paperboy scams to glitter-filled art shows, this story is proof that while everything can fall apart at any moment, the journey—chaotic, messy, and wildly imperfect—is the real prize. And maybe, just maybe, there’s still a million-dollar dream out there, waiting to be won.
Note: It is standalone not a series, but it has a related book coming in 2026. It does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
The first time I tried to win a million dollars, it was the sweltering summer of 1985, and the Mississippi River was swollen and threatening to spill over its banks. The town was on edge, but thanks to the giant quarry wall my grandpa helped build back in the ‘50s, we were safe from the river’s fury. It was during that unforgettable summer when Cap’n Crunch went missing, and panic spread across the nation like wildfire.
Supermarkets were packed with towering displays of Cap’n Crunch, a mountain of yellow and blue boxes stretching to the ceiling. But when you looked up, there was no Captain. His jovial face had vanished, leaving behind nothing but dotted lines and a big question mark. He had disappeared, zeroed out. Zoinks! What was I to do?
The commercials made it sound so simple: find the Captain, restore him to his cereal kingdom, and win ONE MILLION DOLLARS. For a kid like me, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. A million dollars wasn’t just a number—it was a golden ticket, a way out of this tiny Mississippi River town.
Every Saturday morning, I’d sit in my parents’ living room—a shrine to America’s Bicentennial celebration. The royal blue carpet stretched wall to wall, its plush fibers worn thin in front of the TV. A deep red couch commanded the room like a throne, while gold curtains depicting Revolutionary War scenes framed the windows. It was like 1776 had crashed into 1980s suburbia, and somehow, we were still stuck suspended in between.
As my brothers and sisters tormented each other in the background, I was glued to the TV. The old box hummed as commercials blared, demanding kids like me solve the mystery, save the Captain, and claim the prize. The urgency of it all buzzed in my chest, electrifying the air around me. To a seven-year-old like me, a million dollars wasn’t just thrilling—it was everything. It meant a chance to escape this town, this life, and find something more.
In the afternoons, when the noise at home became too much, I’d head for the bluffs. The familiar path wound through tall grass that swayed gently in the breeze, the green hills rolling endlessly toward the horizon. I’d climb to my favorite perch and sit there for hours, the town spread out below me like a miniature toy train set. The limestone clock tower stood proudly at the center, surrounded by the river, the factories, and the steeples of the churches. Everything looked so small from up here, but somehow, it felt even smaller at eye level.
You see, up close, the town was just a second-rate version of Main Street USA, stripped of all the charm and magic of Disneyland. Most of the families here were like mine—working-class and stuck. I lived on the North End, what people would call the wrong side of the tracks, where factory workers like my dad scraped by.
I was a short, scrawny kid with wavy dishwater blond hair, wearing tattered dungaree shorts that were practically a second skin during the summer, their faded denim streaked with dirt and grass stains. My skin was golden tan from hours in the sun, but my legs were a patchwork of scars from chigger bites I couldn’t stop picking. Sitting cross-legged on the warm earth, absently scratching at the bites, my mind churned, methodically piecing together a plan. The Captain was missing. My ticket to freedom was hidden somewhere out there, and all I had to do was find it. Yet from this vantage point, the possibility of something greater still felt wildly out of reach. A million dollars meant escape, and as I sat on that bluff, staring out at the endless rows of cornfields, I swore to myself I was going to find it.
Each week, I’d beg my mom to let me tag along to the grocery store. Econofoods smelled like a strange mix of fresh produce and fake lemon cleaning products that clung to the air. The linoleum floors were scuffed and worn down from years of shopping carts rattling over them and the steady shuffle of feet. Jess, my five-year-old sister, was always a whirlwind of energy, darting between aisles like a tiny tornado. She had our dad’s button nose and her favorite white, frilly cotton top tucked into neatly pressed khaki shorts. Her tiny diamond stud earrings, pierced at Claire’s in the mall when she was a baby, sparkled as she twirled through the store. Her short brown pixie cut bobbed with every step, her energy infectiously lighthearted even as I plotted my next move.
****
Luke Stoffel (b. 1978) Growing up a gay Catholic schoolboy on the banks of the Mississippi came with its own cross to bear. Confined by the cornfields of small-town Iowa, Luke’s understanding of God and his yearning for a world beyond began to take shape—often while nursing a bloody nose on the playground. The first thing Jesus taught him was how to hate himself; but the first thing the world taught him was how vast his possibilities were.
Luke is an accomplished artist and author, with several books available on Amazon, including The Easy Bake Unicorn Cookbook, The Art of Tarot: A History and Guidebook, and his debut novel
How to Win a Million Dollars and BEEP Glitter! His second, follow-up novel, In Over Your Head, is set to release in 2026. Additionally, his art and photography are featured in his ongoing book series The Noble Path.
Stepping off the plane in Thailand was like landing on Mars. Surrounded by towering golden stupas, and realizing there was something beyond the confines of Christ, became an explosive creative catalyst. Having visited over 40 countries, Stoffel channels the diverse cultures he’s encountered into his art. His work explores spirituality in a vibrant, pop fantasy style, offering American audiences a glimpse into the world’s rich religious and cultural tapestries.
Recognized as one of NYC’s top LGBTQ+ artists by GLAAD he has been showcased by prestigious organizations like the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and the Matthew Shepard foundation. His art and photography have appeared on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing, in the New York Times, Huffington Post, AM New York, Hawaiian Airlines Magazines, and on the cover of Next Magazine. His artistic contributions have earned him the Starving Artist Award, along with a commission for Ralph Lauren’s daughter. His art has graced iconic New York venues like the Puck Building, The Art Directors Club, The Prince George Gallery, GalleryBar, and New World Stages.
Follow Luke: Blog/Website | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter Sign-up | TikTok
****
Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win a Collector’s Edition or one of 5 ebooks
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Maggie Blackbird 