Caleb Pirtle III is one of the most successful writers who is not a household name.
Award Winner
Yet, he came out of the gate with a William Randolph Hearst award in his pocket for excellent collegiate journalistic writing. The first University of Texas-Austin journalism student to win the award.
And he hasn’t looked back. In the six decades since receiving that award, Caleb has been a reporter for numerous newspapers, travel editor for Southern Living, and editorial director for a Dallas-based custom publisher.
He’s won national awards and regional awards for his writing.
To date, he’s written somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 books, and several screenplays for television. And that doesn’t include the innumerable newspaper stories and magazine pieces he’s written. Caleb is one prolific writer.
All in all, he has had, and continues to have a successful writing career. And which one of us wouldn’t love to swap places with him?
Supports Writers
I met Caleb at that social media party known as Twitter, and soon to be called X, back in 2019. He gave me an award.
He named me as “One of the Top 25 Mystery Writers You Need to be Reading”. (Here is the link to the article: https://www.calebandlindapirtle.com/c-w-hawes-one-top-25-mystery-writers-need-reading/)
Needless to say, I was tickled pink to have achieved notice by an experienced, accomplished, and award winning writer. And thus began an acquaintance, which has since turned into friendship.
A Teacher
Caleb freely shares his knowledge and expertise. In addition, each of his books is a masterclass on how to use language to achieve the most visual results.
As an example, from his newest book Death in the Absence of Rain, he’s describing a drought:
…the sun just hangs high in the sky the color of dry bones in the field, cracking the ground around us, burning the land that rain hasn’t touched. There’s not enough green grass left to slip between the ribs of a mosquito.
There’s not enough green grass left to slip between the ribs of a mosquito. That, my friends, is poetry masquerading as prose. It is the quintessential Pirtle-ism.
His Fiction
While most of Caleb’s writing has been non-fiction, he has written some spectacular novels and novellas.
My introduction to Caleb’s writing was Lonely Night to Die. Three thriller novellas that, together, read like a novel.
Roland Sand, the Quiet Assassin, has gone rogue from a rogue agency within the CIA. Now he’s wanted by everyone.
The book was so good, I immediately became a Caleb Pirtle fan and have been buying up everything he’s written.
I think Caleb’s finest achievement may be The Boom Town Saga and his two contributions to the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles. Those five books contain the most fascinating characters and storylines you’ll find anywhere.
But anything by Caleb is good. Checkout his Amazon author page.
Supports the Writing Community
Caleb Pirtle is an amazing writer and a wonderful person. He has given much to the writing community over the years.
His may not be a household name. But the households of many writers know him.
Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!
CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes
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