Author: johnmartinauthor
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Why I’m so Lone Rangery
I first got behind a typewriter in 1973, back in Grade 10, when I made a bold move that rattled the school timetable — I took typing as an elective. Most of the other boys chose manly pursuits like woodworking or metalwork, but I decided to cross the gender divide. That’s how I found myself as the…
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Meet Wish-Wash, my new (unreliable) reviewer
You might remember my no-recipes policy from last week — no scones, no stews, no nonsense. Well, I can’t promise the same restraint from my newest recruit, Bert Whish-Willson, better known as Wish-Wash. The gnarly old man has appointed himself reviewer-in-residence for my books, and you can now find his ramblings under the My Books tab on my website,…
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Welcome — but leave your mixing bowl at the door
You might think an author’s website is all about flogging books — a digital shopfront with flashing “Buy Now” buttons and not much else. Some are, I’ll admit. But the better ones (and I like to think mine’s one of them) are more like a comfy lounge where readers can wander in, have a stickybeak,…
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The evolution of funny, satirical books
Humour has been part of storytelling for as long as people have been telling stories. Ancient writers used comedy to puncture pomposity, while medieval satirists sharpened their pens on the powerful. In English literature, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726) proved that a ridiculous adventure could carry biting political commentary, and Charles Dickens later filled his novels with…
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The evolution of book covers
Book covers have come a long way from their humble beginnings. In the earliest days of printing, books were precious objects, often bound in plain leather or cloth. Their value lay in the words inside, and covers were designed to protect rather than attract. Titles, if they appeared at all, were handwritten or stamped in…
JOHN MARTIN'S TALES 