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Edward D. Webster

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

http://edwardwebster.com

Genre

Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Member Since

November 2015

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Edward D. Webster’s wide-ranging interests have led him to diverse careers; from teaching high school math to Navajo students in NM; to environmental management; to working to establish a center for abused, neglected and abandoned children.

He is the author of an eclectic collection of books as well as articles appearing in publications as diverse as The Boston Globe and Your Cat magazine. His writing has been honored by groups ranging from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and Midwest Book Review to the Boomer Times.

Ed admits to a fascination with unique, quirky, and bizarre human behavior. His acclaimed memoir, A Year of Sundays (Taking the Plunge and our Cat to Explore Europe) shares the eccentric tale of his months-long ad Edward D. Webster’s wide-ranging interests have led him to diverse careers; from teaching high school math to Navajo students in NM; to environmental management; to working to establish a center for abused, neglected and abandoned children.

He is the author of an eclectic collection of books as well as articles appearing in publications as diverse as The Boston Globe and Your Cat magazine. His writing has been honored by groups ranging from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and Midwest Book Review to the Boomer Times.

Ed admits to a fascination with unique, quirky, and bizarre human behavior. His acclaimed memoir, A Year of Sundays (Taking the Plunge and our Cat to Explore Europe) shares the eccentric tale of his months-long adventure in Europe with his spirited, blind wife and headstrong, deaf, geriatric cat.

In his historical novel, Soul of Toledo, about Spain in the 1440s, the diabolical nature of mankind stands out as madmen take over the city of Toledo and torture suspected Jews, thirty years before the Spanish Inquisition. (Based on a history by Benjamin Netanyahu’s father.)

Webster also likes to mix unique characters to see what they’ll do with/to each other. In his novel, The Gentle Bomber’s Melody, a nutty woman, bearing a stolen baby, lands on the doorstep of a fugitive (but gentle) bomber hiding from the FBI. The result: irresistible insanity.

In his third novel, Carlos Crosses the Line, Webster cast his eye in other directions: the 1960s, the immigration quagmire, the validity of borders between people and countries—and most essentially, the question of what to believe if you don’t accept your culture’s traditional values.

American Nonsensical crossed new lines, with a pair of charlatan preachers, multiple missing persons, a body (dead or alive?) in an old mining pit and two detectives seeking to solve the cases while arguing over Donald Trump and conspiracy theories. Here, Webster delves into the nature of truth, religion and sanity in an America churning with unprecedented tension.

Now, with Russian Nonsensical, he brings snakes, Artificial Intelligence and Russian nonsense to the table for another slightly insane, sometimes poignant, and definitely fun adventure. Nonsense, of course, spans the globe, which provides the potential for endless adventures. Next time, something in southern hemisphere?

Webster lives in Southern California with his divine wife and two amazing cats. ...more

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Edward D. Webster I love putting myself into the minds of unique characters--be it a man bent on making a point with explosives in The Gentle Bomber's Melody or the his…moreI love putting myself into the minds of unique characters--be it a man bent on making a point with explosives in The Gentle Bomber's Melody or the historical madmen who perpetrated an inquisition 30 years before the Spanish Inquisition in Soul of Toledo. The trick for me is to write from their heart and their perspective without judging them. (less)

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Edward D. Webster Traveling to Toledo, Spain (with my wife and 17 year old cat), the tourist information spoke of ‘the City of Three Cultures, and I learned that there …moreTraveling to Toledo, Spain (with my wife and 17 year old cat), the tourist information spoke of ‘the City of Three Cultures, and I learned that there had been glorious time when Jews, Muslims and Christians created one of the richest cultures in the world—literature, spiritual enlightenment, art—you name it. The architecture, with its Moorish influences drew me in and whispered praises to that past glory. At the same time I knew about the Spanish Inquisition and the expulsions of Jews and Muslims. I had to know how everything had fallen apart.

Back home in California, I discovered the book, Origins of the Inquisition in Fifteenth Century Spain, by Benzion Netanyahu (the Israeli Prime Minister’s father). It told the story of a rogue inquisition, thirty years before the church-sponsored version. I was on the path. From there I arranged private lectures with professors in Toledo and Segovia and traveled back to Spain. I learned about the politics and history, the culture and landscape.

The actual historical characters were fascinating—a weak king, manipulated by his Constable, the king's cousins and his own son who plotted against him, those madmen who rounded up converts and sought confessions of blasphemy. All I needed to do was to create a protagonist whose life would be threatened by this true historical conflict and a lovely woman for him to love.
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Edward D. Webster’s books

Average rating: 3.85 · 71 ratings · 29 reviews · 6 distinct works

	A Year of Sundays: Taking the Plunge and (Our Cat) to Explore Europe 3.54 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2004	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Soul of Toledo 4.33 avg rating — 12 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Carlos Crosses The Line: A Tale of Immigration, Temptation and Betrayal in the Sixties 4.45 avg rating — 11 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	American Nonsensical, A Farce, Both Tragic and True 3.70 avg rating — 10 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Russian Nonsensical 3.71 avg rating — 7 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Gentle Bomber's Melody 3.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Edward D. Webster's Blog

Kirkus Reviews Editor's Pick

The Kirkus Reviews monthly magazine is arriving in mailboxes today. Dated Nov 15, 2024, the magazine lists my book, Russian Nonsensical, as the monthly Editor's Pick for Indie books. Kirkus Reviews is so well-respected and authoritative; this is quite an honor.

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Published on November 20, 2024 22:44 • Tags: bookreviews, kirkusreviews, russiannonsensical

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Edward’s Recent Updates

Edward D. Webster wrote a new blog post Kirkus Reviews Editor's Pick The Kirkus Reviews monthly magazine is arriving in mailboxes today. Dated Nov 15, 2024, the magazine lists my book, Russian Nonsensical, as the monthl Read more of this blog post »
Nov 20, 2024 10:44PM · like
Edward Webster and 2 other people liked BooksCoffee's review of Carlos Crosses The Line: A Tale of Immigration, Temptation and Betrayal in the Sixties: "Set in California and Mexico, Webster’s gripping latest tells the story of one man’s journey through life. Carlos Montoya always had trouble with his culture’s unquestioning faith, but when at twenty-two, he arrived in California illegally and suffer" Read more of this review »
Oct 02, 2024 05:07PM · see review
Edward Webster made a comment in the group Goodreads Librarians Group — Adding book cover to new book on my author page topic " Thank you. And thanks for the cat pic. "
Aug 03, 2024 12:33PM

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Making Connections: 5868. - Carlos Crosses The Line: A Tale of Immigration, Temptation and Betrayal in the Sixties by Edward D Webster	4	12	Jul 25, 2020 03:53PM