Content Management Systems can be easy to work with. A simple blog is a no-brainer for blogger or wordpress. But the more complex the site, the more complex the issues CMS has to handle, the more quirky the system gets. While it hasn’t had an impact on the functionality of the site (as far as I can tell), the partially-working state of my CMS does impact my ability to add content. So I’m about to make an effort to fix things, which means the site might be only partly functional or may totally disappear from time to time. My hope is that the first few things I try will conain the solution and this will be a short-lived speedbump. But it’s much more likely that I won’t find a reliable solution for days. So this is the heads-up that whatever problems you may experience with the site in the near term are being addressed and should not be permanent.

And now, as Don would say…

Onward,

Pw

Fair Harbor, NY – Summer, 1987
In costume for a community theater production. That’s me on the left.

Welcome and thanks for visiting the official website of crime novelist and MWA Grand Master Donald E. Westlake, aka Richard Stark, aka Tucker Coe, aka Curt Clark, aka Samuel Holt, aka Timothy J. Culver, aka J. Morgan Cunningham, aka Judson Jack Carmichael (what’s with all the “J” names?), and (grudgingly) aka Edwin West. The blog section (here) will be where interesting updates and news items related to Don’s work will appear. The other pages on the site are mostly static but still packed with Don-related info. The Parker, Dortmunder and Miscellany pages will grow as more fun stuff is added. More stories will be added to the Shorts page over time.

The bibliography and books pages are static but will continue to be a work in progress as more material is discovered, uncovered and digitized for the web. I have also decided to open the comments sections on the book pages. Some of Don’s work was considered groundbreaking, especially for its time, and what better place to have the discussion than right here? I have no idea if anyone will care to comment on specific titles or if this is just an invitation to web trolls but I thought I would start with an open platform and adjust if necessary.

Oh, and here’s all the “about me” you could possibly need: I’m Don’s youngest son. To understate the matter, my background is somewhat different — music, film, tv, web — but my inspiration has always been the same. In more than twenty years of working in the creative fields,  I still have never met another human being with the level of discipline and sheer volume of creative output as my father. Intimidating, to be sure. He was the consummate storyteller and I owe every ounce of my comparatively laughable imagination and work ethic to his example. This is one small way in which I’m trying to return the favor.

I hope you enjoy your visit. Come back again and comment liberally.

Thanks again,

Paul Westlake
Caretaker