Weird thing happened to me just before Christmas, one of the most bizarre things I can remember. I was quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

Here’s what happened: during the first lockdowns of the pandemic, I had quit drinking and was reading a TON to fill the hours. I also started discussing what I was reading on /r/books. I don’t spend much time there anymore. 

Then out of the blue I got a Reddit DM:

I’m on the record as not a Jack Carr fan, but I hadn’t read one of his books in years. BUT, I’m a guy on the internet, so opinions are my thing. I emailed Trachtenberg back and wound up talking to him for probably about an hour spread out over several phone calls. We talked about books in general, Jack Carr, and how despite his politics (especially in the first book in that series), he’s a force for good in the book world, especially when you look at the demographic trends — if young men are reading Jack Carr, it sure beats not reading. Tractenberg tells me that Carr also is very generous in recommending other authors and helping new authors find an audiences, which is also excellent. 

Just before Christmas, Trachtenberg emailed me with the link to the story (archive.is link). It’s a good profile, and it’s very cool to see my name in the piece. I suspect that Carr’s QAnon-style politics that were so grating in The Terminal List have moderated (at least that’s what I saw in the third book, which is the last one I read). Good for him for finding a niche, even if it’s not the one for me.