Brent Salish

 

About Brent

Brent Salish (that’s me) lives on an island north of Seattle.

I’ve led an interesting life that informs my books.

I worked for one of those big tech companies (for a long time).

I’ve taught and lectured around the world.

I’ve played in bands. I even directed plays in New York, once upon a time.

Nowadays, I write. (There’s a blog down the bottom of this page, too.)

Novels

Published: First Tuesday, a thriller about stealing the election by hacking just a few voting machines in the right precincts. Torn from the headlines and all that crap, except I wrote it in 2015. And it’s based on real stuff, both deep research and a bit of inside dope. By the way, nothing has changed. It’s still possible for a couple of hackers to pull off the basics of the plot. So go buy First Tuesday, read it, and worry. (And yes, there is a solution to vote-machine hacking. No, it’s not returning to paper ballots. Just… read the book.)

Preparing for Publication:

Short Stories Published

  • The Jigsaw of Memory
    A jigsaw puzzle is a) a metaphor, b) a way to take a break, c) an excuse to not-write, or d) all of the above. When our kids were young, we used to play the game Memory with them, where you win by remembering where various words are placed in a face-down array of word-cards.… Read more: The Jigsaw of Memory
  • Culinary Adventures (?) in The New York Times
    The New York Times crossword puzzle this morning (Friday) features the following clue (fifteen letters): Shell food? The answer is something I have never considered and hope never to think about again, but I’m afraid it’s going to haunt my nightmares: GasStationSushi Lovely pun, but I get shivers thinking about the actual (possible) product. And… Read more: Culinary Adventures (?) in The New York Times
  • One More Thought on Jury Service: Presumption of Innocence?
    No humor in this post, either. For the trial for which I flunked out of the jury pool, the defendant was dressed fairly well. He looked middle-class, successful. Until jurors noted the man standing in the back corner of the courtroom when we rose for our (innumerable) breaks. The man was dressed in full police… Read more: One More Thought on Jury Service: Presumption of Innocence?
  • Tedious Brief
    A tedious brief scene of young Pyramus And his love Thisbe; very tragical mirth.’ Merry and tragical! tedious and brief!   — Wm. Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (V,1) “Tedious brief” could also describe much of the output of lawyers. They write novels, in a Dogberry-like language too convoluted for us mortals. They produce fiction, or… Read more: Tedious Brief
  • Jury Duty and the Art of the Novel
    I’ve been called for jury duty. I’ve served before, and I consider it a privilege. Not an unmitigated privilege, of course – waiting around, transportation woes, more waiting, making sure my hearing aids have sufficient battery, wait some more, and then argue with five or eleven other people about what we heard and what it… Read more: Jury Duty and the Art of the Novel