Category Archives: The West

Reading Stephen Graham Jones's "Growing Up Dead in Texas," While Colorado Burns, Plus an Interview on ShelfLife@Texas

So I’m reading Stephen Graham Jones’s new novel, Growing Up Dead in Texas, which has a wicked description of a cotton-bale fire in West Texas. It’s a bit eerie to read right now, as I’m in Colorado, which seems to … Continue reading →

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Standoff With Sam Shepard at Ten Thousand Waves: Guest Blogger Elizabeth May's Brush With Greatness

Standoff with Sam Shepard at Ten Thousand Waves On a recent trip to Santa Fe I took my mother to Ten Thousand Waves, a gorgeous, serene Japanese spa located on Hyde Park road. I first read about the spa when … Continue reading →

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"My Father's Guns": An Essay for Father's Day, Plus Good Reviews of "The Bird Saviors" in the Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle

So I woke up this morning to read two good reviews of The Bird Saviors, which of course makes my Father’s Day: One in the Dallas Morning News, here, and another in the Houston Chronicle, here. And in honor of … Continue reading →

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"Prometheus" at a Cinema in Santa Fe, An Experience in Intensity

So while I was in Santa Fe I caught Ridley Scott’s prequel to Alien (1979), the flashy and eye-catching Prometheus, which is certainly trippy, even if it doesn’t all add up. I guess if I were rating it as such, … Continue reading →

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"The Bird Saviors" Playlist at Largeheartedboy.com, Live From the El Rey Inn in Santa Fe

So I’m at the El Rey Inn in Santa Fe, a supercool motel in the (greatly upgraded) motor-court mode on the historic Route 66, on this the official debut day of The Bird Saviors. Part of the debut is a … Continue reading →

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Review of "The Bird Saviors" in Booklist, With Bonus Bird Pics

So there’s a good review of The Bird Saviors in Booklist, which is another one of the pre-publication review entities: Booklist: May 15, 2012 The Bird Saviors./Cobb, William J. (Author)/Jun 2012. 320 p. Unbridled, hardcover, $25.95. (9781609530709). “The dusty town … Continue reading →

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Alex Prud'homme's "The Ripple Effect" Excellent Summation of Western Drought/Drying Out, as NOAA Notes This Spring Was Warmest on Record, by 5 degrees!

So I’m continuing to read the tome (a word I rarely use) that is Alex Prud’homme’s The Ripple Effect, on the myriad water problems we face in the 21st century, and I’m up to the chapters on drought and the … Continue reading →

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A Bear Sighting, With a Literary Twist

So this evening as I was finishing a salmon dinner (note the subtle motif about to emerge), a bear showed up in my yard–actually he kind of shambled up. Ever the amateur shutterbug, I grabbed my camera and snapped a … Continue reading →

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Great Review of "The Bird Saviors" in Foreword Magazine

So Foreword magazine, which specializes in Indie books, has a great review of my new novel The Bird Saviors, here, and I’ll paste it below: Summer 2012 — ForeWord Review THE BIRD SAVIORS William J. Cobb daringly dips his pen into … Continue reading →

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On Mud Rains & Wicked Windstorms: Crazy Weather in the Mountains as Backdrop for "The Bird Saviors"

So I’ve noticed the early reviews of The Bird Saviors mention the dust storms and pink snow featured prominently at the beginning of the novel. Although that might seem fantastic, actually crazy weather is common & seemingly growing ever more … Continue reading →

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