Category Archives: writing

"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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"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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John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces" Finally to be Filmed, With Zach Galifianakis playing the Inimitable Ignatius Reilly

So one of the funniest American novels EVER is about to (finally) make it into a film version (in which Hollywood will no doubt muck it up, but so it goes): John Kennedy Toole’s (infamous) A Confederacy of Dunces (1980), … Continue reading

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"The Bird Saviors" Wins the Green Book Festival Prize in Fiction

So I admittedly don’t know squat about what the Green Book Festival is, but my publisher entered The Bird Saviors in their contest, and it won the first prize in Fiction, described here. (Take that, Toni Morrison!) And although I … Continue reading

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Letter From Westcliffe, Colorado—After a Radio Interview in Denver, With a Shout-out to Richard Brautigan's biography "Jubilee Hitchhiker," Plus a Poke at Nick Reding's "Methland"

So yesterday I was in Denver for a radio interview with Irene Rawlings of the Clear Channel, who couldn’t have been nicer. It was relaxed and easy, and quick. The sound booth/studio (whatever they call that little room) reminded me … Continue reading

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On Alex Prud'homme's "The Ripple Effect": Why I Never Wanted to Read This, and Now Can't Put It Down

So I have to confess of all the environmental issues floating around out there—Climate Change, Peak Oil, Fracking hazards, Overpopulation, Resource depletion, General 21st Century Malaise (okay, I added that one)—I’ve been deliberately avoiding reading (or thinking about) the looming … Continue reading

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