GREAT review in The Sunday Times of London

I'll admit it -- I care what critics think of FAKE. How could I not? It's my first book and I poured my heart and soul (and guts) into it, and while I know it's not a literary masterpiece, or the latest entry into the canon of American memoir writing, I'd like to think it's well-written, entertaining, provocative, and educational. I'd like to think it's a good read. A writer who claims not to care what critics think of his work is either much more successful and confident than I am, or isn't telling the truth. Or gets bad reviews.

I love hearing from readers as well, of course, and I appreciate every email I receive. Please keep sending them. I've gained new insight into my own work by looking at it through the eyes of readers.

But critics read and review books for a living (or at least for fun, on a regular basis), and most of them know the difference between good and bad writing. I want them to think mine is good, and so far, most of them have. Even those who have questioned my motives for writing the book have asserted (or at least hinted) that the writing was good. And this is what is most important to me.

But obviously, not all critics are created equal. Some are well-intentioned, but not particularly bright or insightful. Others are bright and insightful, but write reviews for publications almost no one reads. While I appreciate great reviews from critics like this, they're not the sorts of things that get clipped and framed and cherished for life.

But then there is The Times of London. Even better, The Sunday Times, with its heritage, its tradition, its respectability, its circulation of 1.3 million. It is the newspaper of record in the UK and, like the New York Times, it is known for its book reviews, which are drafted by some of the country's best critics. A review in this paper is highly coveted, to say the least.

And today, to my great fortune, I got one. A really good one. The paper devoted almost a half-page to a detailed discussion of the book, saying "He writes with pace, style and tension — everything a crime story needs. . . Walton has certainly learnt how to tell a good tale. If this is truth, it is like a coin that has flipped and run, landing in fictional terrain." It went on to call the book "an up-to-date Rake's Progress," and say "The slow unfolding of his crime makes tense reading."

If I were trying to brag about my own book, I don't think I could have written anything more complimentary. This is kind of the crown jewel of my writing career at this point. If I stop writing now, I'll always have this to look back at.

You can read the review on the Times website or see what it looked like in print.

Audio clips of KFBK radio interview

My interview on KFBK in Sacramento the other day was short, but went pretty well. This station is kind of a legend in this town. It was the first licensed radio station in the area, established back in the 1920s, and has been a ratings leader for years. One of its biggest(and most dubious, in my opinion) claims to fame is that it is the birthplace of the Rush Limbaugh program. The conservative talk show host / recovering prescription drug addict started locally on KFBK before moving to New York to become a giant of radio syndication. I once took my mom, a big fan, to see him perform live at ARCO Arena when he came through town on his "Rush to Excellence" tour (oh, what a catchy name), and he nearly filled the place with rabid fans. At the time, people in this town really liked their Rush.

This station followed the scandal closely when it unfolded, reporting every ugly fact that was revealed, so I was surprised I didn't hear from them when the book was released a few months ago. After a few phone calls I found someone who was interested. Sometimes it takes a little pushing.

For your listening convenience, I've uploaded my short interview with Kitty O'Neal and Jay Alan and the even-shorter news clip into which it was transformed (which ran repeatedly the following day).

As for other recent radio shows -- since I know you're all, like, checking this site every day so you can hear me answer questions -- I tried to record the KABC interview but set the timer on my computer incorrectly. So this one probably won't get posted, which is a bummer, since it went pretty well. The KHTK interview should be posted sometime after labor day, after I get a CD of the show from the host and find time to convert it.

Book review in New Statesman

New Statesman, a magazine in the UK that seems somewhat akin to The Nation (i.e. old, venerable, and with an unabashedly liberal perspective on politics and culture), has weighed in on FAKE: Forgery, Lies, & eBay. This is a rather lukewarm opinion of the book. Although the reviewer seemed to think the book was interesting, and called it "gripping," he also thought I was "far from a natural storyteller," and said the book's "moralising often gets in the way of a good story."

Okay. I'll take it. The natural storyteller part did sting a bit, and it's very different than what others have been saying.

You can read the review here.

On KABC Radio (Los Angeles) tomorrow morning

Tomorrow morning, Saturday the 26th, I'll be a guest on Marc Cohen's Computers and Technology show on Talk Radio 790 KABC in Los Angeles. The co-host of the show will be Marsha Collier, eBay maven and the author of eBay for Dummies (and a bunch of other books about eBay). I'm scheduled to come on at 10:00 AM.

Upcoming radio appearances

I've got a couple of radio appearances scheduled this week, both of them on Sacramento stations.

Today, Thursday, I'll be on the Kitty O'Neal and Jay Alan show on KFBK at about 6:16 Pacific Time. You can listen on the web by visiting the staion's home page and clicking "Listen Live."

On Saturday morning, August 26, I'll be on "Talkin' Money" with Jeff Tarbell on KHTK from 9 to 10 AM. If you happen to be up at this hour (I'm often not on a Saturday), this station has a "Listen Live" link on its home page as well.

Review in the Financial Times

FAKE: Forgery, Lies, & eBay was reviewed in last weekend's Financial Times. I don't have a hardcopy of the review yet, and you can't read it online without being a subscriber, but I can share an excerpt: "Walton's account . . . is a fast paced and readable mea culpa. There is genuine tension in his telling of his undoing."

My best review yet?

FAKE was reviewed in this month's Prosper Magazine, a regional publication targeted at the Northern California business community. I've got to say it may be the best review the book has gotten. The reviewers called it "a scandalous, suspenseful, uncomfortable, and remarkable story that is very much worth reading," and wrote,"Walton is so upfront about his failings (and is such a good storyteller) that one cannot help but cringe, laugh or gasp as the story unfolds, and root for some kind of personal and/or professional redemption."

As if this weren't kind enough, they go on to call me an "excellent writer," and write, "For anyone who was familiar with the headlines when the story broke, this memoir is a complete surprise, and a remarkable accomplishment for a first book. Let’s hope it’s not his last."

Reading stuff like this can make my whole week.

You can read it online here, or see what it looked like in print here.

Here's an odd anecdote about this magazine: Althought it's typically not found outside of Northern California, my brother and his wife once found a copy in their Moscow hotel room. Moscow, Russia, that is. The magazine had recently been launched, so they've never seen a copy, and they were surprised, when they flipped through it, to see so many articles about Sacramento.

Watch me on Northwest Afternoon today.

If you're in the Pacific Northwest and happen to be near a TV at 3:00 PM today, check out my interview on Northwest Afternoon. I recorded this last week in Seattle, and it was the first time I'd sat in front of a live studio audience.

Hello, Great Britain (perhaps you saw me in today's Guardian).

I am not, even in my wildest dreams, a rockstar, but today I was treated to a rockstar-worthy article in The Guardian, one of the UK's biggest (and in my opinion, best) daily national newspapers. The piece is splashed across two full pages and offers a tantalizing introduction to FAKE. The reporter, Dan Glaister, wrote that the book "lies somewhere between a thriller, an addict's memoir, and a techie's journey to the dark side," and called it "entertainingly written."

This was timed perfectly, as my book will be released in the UK tomorrow. I hope the article spawns more press in Britain. If anyone from The Sun or the Daily Mirror is reading, I will gladly embark on a naked, drunken, cocaine-fueled rampage through Chelsea (shock horror!) if you'll share my story with your readers. Just kidding. Sort of. Call me.

You can read the story on the Guardian website, but to get the full effect, check out how it looks in print.

Video of "Top Five Ways to Avoid eBay Fraud" from Q13 Fox TV Seattle

Here's the video of my visit to Q13 Fox TV Morning News. Keep in mind that I'm operating on about four hours sleep and had just fallen flat on my face on the way to the studio.