Author Archives: John Walters

Book Review: Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt

It is a measure of the worth of this book that I begin writing the review before I have even finished it.  It is also a measure of the length.  It is over 850 pages of small print.  When I … Continue reading

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Stranded

Sunday, December 19th, was one of the most stressful days my wife and I have had in a long time.  As any parent knows, there is no paucity of anxiety when you are raising kids, but this situation was extreme … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Year’s Best Science Fiction, 26th Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois

I have a confession to make.  Though I write a lot of science fiction and fantasy, I read very little of it.  Many years ago I existed almost solely on a diet of SF and F, but not anymore.  First … Continue reading

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One True Reader

It is to Henry Miller that I turn in my confusion: Henry Miller, who made an art form out of despair.  I haven’t read him in years.  Well, let me qualify that.  I recently re-read “Reflections on Writing”, which is … Continue reading

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Book Review: Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon

Thomas Pynchon can write; there’s no doubt about that.  He can spin a sentence as well as anyone.  It’s a pleasure to read this novel just for the word-craft.  But looking deeper, I think what I object to most is … Continue reading

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Writers as Parents

On September 22nd, 2010, in response to John Scalzi’s post on the Science Fiction Writers of America website called:  “Writer and Parent?  Tips For Finding Your New Balance” I wrote the following: “I have five sons and my wife and … Continue reading

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Introduction: Where I Blog and What I Blog For

What prompted this blog was my decision to take matters into my own hands.  For this I have to thank Dean Wesley Smith and his online book “Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing” and Kristine Kathryne Rusch and her online … Continue reading

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