John L. Williams's Avatar

John L. Williams

@johnelwilliams

Writer, festival organiser, CLR James biographer, winner of 'most improved player' award Tilburg Regents CC 2023. New book Heatwave, on the summer of 76, out this May

328
Followers
482
Following
128
Posts
11.10.2023
Joined
Posts Following

Latest posts by John L. Williams @johnelwilliams

Preview
Daniel Woodrell obituary Author of ‘country noir’ novels, such as Winter’s Bone, set in the rural communities of the Ozark mountains

Thanks John, and great to read your memoir of Dan and Katie. You can find my obit here - www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...

22.02.2026 18:03 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
It Sure Can Get Cold In Des Moines
It Sure Can Get Cold In Des Moines YouTube video by Tom T. Hall - Topic

youtu.be/jQHLD5Vvpzo?...

04.02.2026 09:20 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

S.J. Parris - Traitor's Legacy
Andrew Martin - The Moquette Mystery
William Shaw - The Red Shore

@williamshaw.bsky.social

01.01.2026 18:41 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Kate Webb - Hollow Grave
Veronika Dapunt - Death and Other Occupational Hazards
Philip Gray - The House With 9 Locks
Louise Candlish - A Neighbour's Guide To Murder

@philipgraybooks.bsky.social

01.01.2026 18:41 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

In an annual tradition - here's the top ten crime novels of the year as selected by the keenest reader I know - my mum Gillie. No particular order.

Stig Abell - The Burial Place
Maz Evans - That'll Teach Her
Rob Parker - The Troubled Deep

@thestigabell.bsky.social
@robparkerauthor.bsky.social

01.01.2026 18:41 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 2 📌 0
Preview
Daniel Woodrell obituary Author of ‘country noir’ novels, such as Winter’s Bone, set in the rural communities of the Ozark mountains

I've written an obituary of the great Daniel Woodrell
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...

11.12.2025 18:23 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Thanks Sarah. Such a loss

01.12.2025 15:33 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Daniel Woodrell | John Lincoln William

Here's a link to the chapter I wrote about him in Back to the Badlands twenty years ago. It's long, but gives a sense of the man - and what we've lost with his passing. johnwilliams25.wixsite.com/website/dani...

30.11.2025 17:23 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

A couple of times I spent time with him and his wife - fellow writer Katie Estill - out in West Plains, Missouri. And he always talked about wanting to come to Wales. Ah well

30.11.2025 17:23 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 2 📌 0

So sorry to hear about the death of Daniel Woodrell. Dan wrote one of the very finest novels of the last fifty years in Winter's Bone and another that's not far off in Tomato Red. And aside from that he was a really good guy.

30.11.2025 17:23 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0

No need!

14.07.2025 11:59 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The cover of hardback book “Heatwave” by John L Williams

The cover of hardback book “Heatwave” by John L Williams

Really looking forward to reading this today, seems appropriate given the weather!
@johnelwilliams.bsky.social

14.07.2025 05:30 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

I'm pretty sure Goines didn't write all those posthumous books. It's just implausible and they read differently. But Nazel is just a guess, based on my sense of his style and his close involvement with the publishers... Will have to get that book - looks great.

08.07.2025 20:50 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Preview
An Appreciation: Joseph Gober Nazel Jr. (1944-2006) Joseph Nazel kept a pistol tucked in his desk, but he seldom showed it.

Just found a fascinating obituary of Nazel here - www.latimes.com/archives/la-...

08.07.2025 20:03 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Blimey. Is that a Holloway House? I've long suspected that Joe Nazel may have written the stream of posthumous Donald Goines novels ..

08.07.2025 20:01 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Anthony Godby Johnson - Wikipedia

This is a good one. Am smug to say I smelt a rat straight away when sent it for review way back when...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony...

08.07.2025 07:21 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Radio Sohemia Arts Podcast · Updated Biweekly · Radio Sohemia provides recordings of Q-and-As and talks hosted by the London-based Sohemian Society as well as interviews that aren’t staged in front of an audience. ...

You can hear me talking to Travis Elborough about the heatwave summer of 1976 here
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...

06.07.2025 19:56 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

Here's some - bonus pulp fiction above!

02.07.2025 18:29 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

Heatwave news from June 1976

20.06.2025 17:29 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

Not from Exeter are you?

20.06.2025 17:27 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

C'mon!

20.06.2025 17:08 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0

Thank you!

19.06.2025 09:46 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

32 years ago today, Charlotte Greig did this fine piece on Moe Tucker in the Guardian (1 June 1993).
#MoeTucker #MaureenTucker #VelvetUnderground @robertrotifer.bsky.social

01.06.2025 08:49 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0

Great - Thomas Wortche too?

17.06.2025 16:15 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Is she still in Berlin?

17.06.2025 15:25 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Thanks Jo!

12.06.2025 17:17 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Really enjoyed this interview

12.06.2025 10:56 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I really liked Room To Swing a long time ago

05.06.2025 11:59 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Post image

Thank you Faber & Faber for sending me this on, um, May 29. Never too early!

29.05.2025 17:57 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0