Mitchell Waldman's Blog: New Writing/Reviews
September 16, 2025
Observations from the Otherworldly in THE VISITOR
And, as he and Lucille walk, he notes another strange phenomenon among a large number of these humans, a sea of them it seems, who appear to be moving forward led by rectangular screens they hold in front of their eyes. It seems to Ash that these screens must be giving them directions as to where to go, or what to do, or something of that order, because they walk down the strip of sidewalk without looking up, some of them barely missing Ash and Lucille as they weave out of other beings' ways, while others walk like robotic creatures at extremely slow paces. One person stops all of the sudden and starts tapping his finger on his little screen, responding in some way, Ash imagines, to the orders of the leader or whoever is giving him his commands.
"Damned cell phones! People have no consideration!" Lucille says. "No minds of their own!" She seems very disturbed but seems to be echoing his thoughts in this regard, although the way she says it seems to infer that they actually do have minds but, maybe, are just not using them to their fullest potential. But what does he know? He's new here, “born again.” He could be wrong. He could be mistaken.
From novel THE VISITOR by Mitchell Waldman
https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitche...
"Damned cell phones! People have no consideration!" Lucille says. "No minds of their own!" She seems very disturbed but seems to be echoing his thoughts in this regard, although the way she says it seems to infer that they actually do have minds but, maybe, are just not using them to their fullest potential. But what does he know? He's new here, “born again.” He could be wrong. He could be mistaken.
From novel THE VISITOR by Mitchell Waldman
https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitche...
September 2, 2025
New Interview with Mitchell Waldman
Thanks to the folks at Awesome Gang for the awesome interview!:
Interview With Author Mitchell Waldman
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
--I am the author of the novels THE VISITOR and A FACE IN THE MOON, as well as the short story collections BROTHERS, FATHERS, AND OTHER STRANGERS and PETTY OFFENSES AND CRIMES OF THE HEART. My fiction and poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. I also serve as the Fiction Editor for Blue Lake Review.
--I grew up in the Chicago area and attended the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, where I received a B.S. in Psychology, the University of Texas at Austin, and Southern Illinois University, where I earned my J.D.
--I worked for 27 years as a writer and Attorney-Editor for a legal publishing company, having retired in 2022.
--I live in Rochester, NY with my partner the award-winning journalist and poet Diana May-Waldman, author of A WOMAN’S SONG.
--We have six children and six grandchildren.
I love baseball, cycling, reading, of course, and a good ale.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
--My new novel is entitled THE VISITOR which starts “He wakes up in a different body.”
--So begins the journey of Ash—short for Pin Asher9919—who awakens on a hospital bed on, he believes, a different planet after an automobile accident took the bodily life of an Earth human named Edward Fleishman. Ash is told he was the victim of a serious brain injury and miraculously recovered from being brain dead in a coma, but Ash feels he knows the truth: his spirit has replaced the distressed spirit of the former Edward Fleishman.
--And so Ash’s new life on earth begins, complete with a spouse who is a stranger to him, a body he is not sure how to use, a world he must learn to navigate, and a government he can’t trust.
--How did I get the idea for THE VISITOR?
--It started with an idea about reincarnation. I’d written a story in my last short story collection Brothers, Fathers, and Other Strangers about a Jewish dentist who thinks he was the reincarnation of Hitler. I was fascinated with the reincarnation angle (or was he merely going crazy?) In any case, that idea sprouted into the question Why should reincarnation of spirits be limited to the reincarnation of spirits from Earth? If there are no physical limitations on the movement of spirits and you believe there is life on other planets why couldn’t spirits from other worlds travel into the bodies of Earth-bound humans.
--Then I started reading about distressed souls leaving human bodies and the concept of Starseeds — Individuals who believe their souls originate from other planets, star systems, or dimensions and have incarnated on Earth to help humanity and the planet.
--Mix that with some purposeful rereading of great dystopian sci fi novels such as 1984, A Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451, mix in the current political state of the government in the United States, and the concept for my new novel was born, starting with the first sentence: “He wakes up in a different body.”
--I spent many hours before work and lunch hours starting to build the novel, revising it and revising it until it got to its final form and was, eventually, accepted by my publisher All Things That Matter Press, whose editors gave it yet another final edit or two.
--And now, the book has been well received by reviewers and readers on Amazon as a novel blending speculative fiction with psychological depth, as a thought-provoking novel explores themes of consciousness, trust, and what it truly means to belong in a world that feels anything but familiar, and as and emotional and thoughtful book, exploring what it means to be human.
--I hope other readers will also find it an interesting and enriching experience.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
--I have a tendency, from years of writing on lunch breaks and before work, of writing in small segments and coming back to work on my stories. This was true of my novel, as well, which required a lot of editing in the end to make sure all my small blocks of writing congealed.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
--Joseph Heller, Philip Roth, Dorothy Allison, Diana May-Waldman, Ernest Hemingway, Richard Russo, Larry McMurtry, TC Boyle, Larry Brown, Richard Ford, Michael Chabon, Larry Watson, Chris Offutt, Mark Costello, Alice Munro, Frederick Barthelme, Tim O’Brien, Raymond Carver, Jonathan Tropper, Sam Pink, Sam Lipsyte, Andre Dubus, Andre Dubus III, Mark Jacobs
--Books that have influenced me? Like a lot of writers, I suppose I'd say I’ve been influenced by every fiction book I'veever read, good or bad.
What are you working on now?
--I’m currently working on a new collection of literary short stories, continuing themes that have been included in my past collections, dealing with family dysfunction, feelings of alienation, and the paths we take in our journeys through life.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
--All types of social media sites are the thing, it seems these days, from Facebook to posting on Medium and Substack, Instagram, Goodreads, and such. It’s something I’m still trying to catch up on.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
--Don’t give up. It’s a long road to “get there” and “getting there” can mean a lot of different things to different people. Do you want to get your words out there to be read? Do you want to make money, become famous? What is your motivation for writing? A lot of people say they “must write,” which sounds like a writer thing, but really, think about what your purpose in writing is.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
--As a writer we have a tendency to bury our heads in our writings. Sometimes you need to lift your head up and see what’s going on around you. Don’t be all-consumed by your work. Live life rather than just write about it.
What are you reading now?
--I’m currently reading OUR STORY BEGINS: NEW AND SELECTED STORIES, a collection of Tobias Wolff’s short stories.
What’s next for you as a writer?
--I have been tending from moving from purely literary writing to more speculative or experimental work, keeping the same literary themes in my work, as exhibited by my lates novel, THE VISITOR. My new story collection should feature a cross-genre mixture of stories.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
--CATCH-22
--SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE
--A WOMAN’S SONG
--THE SUN ALSO RISES
https://awesomegang.com/mitchell-wald...
Interview With Author Mitchell Waldman
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
--I am the author of the novels THE VISITOR and A FACE IN THE MOON, as well as the short story collections BROTHERS, FATHERS, AND OTHER STRANGERS and PETTY OFFENSES AND CRIMES OF THE HEART. My fiction and poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. I also serve as the Fiction Editor for Blue Lake Review.
--I grew up in the Chicago area and attended the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, where I received a B.S. in Psychology, the University of Texas at Austin, and Southern Illinois University, where I earned my J.D.
--I worked for 27 years as a writer and Attorney-Editor for a legal publishing company, having retired in 2022.
--I live in Rochester, NY with my partner the award-winning journalist and poet Diana May-Waldman, author of A WOMAN’S SONG.
--We have six children and six grandchildren.
I love baseball, cycling, reading, of course, and a good ale.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
--My new novel is entitled THE VISITOR which starts “He wakes up in a different body.”
--So begins the journey of Ash—short for Pin Asher9919—who awakens on a hospital bed on, he believes, a different planet after an automobile accident took the bodily life of an Earth human named Edward Fleishman. Ash is told he was the victim of a serious brain injury and miraculously recovered from being brain dead in a coma, but Ash feels he knows the truth: his spirit has replaced the distressed spirit of the former Edward Fleishman.
--And so Ash’s new life on earth begins, complete with a spouse who is a stranger to him, a body he is not sure how to use, a world he must learn to navigate, and a government he can’t trust.
--How did I get the idea for THE VISITOR?
--It started with an idea about reincarnation. I’d written a story in my last short story collection Brothers, Fathers, and Other Strangers about a Jewish dentist who thinks he was the reincarnation of Hitler. I was fascinated with the reincarnation angle (or was he merely going crazy?) In any case, that idea sprouted into the question Why should reincarnation of spirits be limited to the reincarnation of spirits from Earth? If there are no physical limitations on the movement of spirits and you believe there is life on other planets why couldn’t spirits from other worlds travel into the bodies of Earth-bound humans.
--Then I started reading about distressed souls leaving human bodies and the concept of Starseeds — Individuals who believe their souls originate from other planets, star systems, or dimensions and have incarnated on Earth to help humanity and the planet.
--Mix that with some purposeful rereading of great dystopian sci fi novels such as 1984, A Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451, mix in the current political state of the government in the United States, and the concept for my new novel was born, starting with the first sentence: “He wakes up in a different body.”
--I spent many hours before work and lunch hours starting to build the novel, revising it and revising it until it got to its final form and was, eventually, accepted by my publisher All Things That Matter Press, whose editors gave it yet another final edit or two.
--And now, the book has been well received by reviewers and readers on Amazon as a novel blending speculative fiction with psychological depth, as a thought-provoking novel explores themes of consciousness, trust, and what it truly means to belong in a world that feels anything but familiar, and as and emotional and thoughtful book, exploring what it means to be human.
--I hope other readers will also find it an interesting and enriching experience.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
--I have a tendency, from years of writing on lunch breaks and before work, of writing in small segments and coming back to work on my stories. This was true of my novel, as well, which required a lot of editing in the end to make sure all my small blocks of writing congealed.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
--Joseph Heller, Philip Roth, Dorothy Allison, Diana May-Waldman, Ernest Hemingway, Richard Russo, Larry McMurtry, TC Boyle, Larry Brown, Richard Ford, Michael Chabon, Larry Watson, Chris Offutt, Mark Costello, Alice Munro, Frederick Barthelme, Tim O’Brien, Raymond Carver, Jonathan Tropper, Sam Pink, Sam Lipsyte, Andre Dubus, Andre Dubus III, Mark Jacobs
--Books that have influenced me? Like a lot of writers, I suppose I'd say I’ve been influenced by every fiction book I'veever read, good or bad.
What are you working on now?
--I’m currently working on a new collection of literary short stories, continuing themes that have been included in my past collections, dealing with family dysfunction, feelings of alienation, and the paths we take in our journeys through life.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
--All types of social media sites are the thing, it seems these days, from Facebook to posting on Medium and Substack, Instagram, Goodreads, and such. It’s something I’m still trying to catch up on.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
--Don’t give up. It’s a long road to “get there” and “getting there” can mean a lot of different things to different people. Do you want to get your words out there to be read? Do you want to make money, become famous? What is your motivation for writing? A lot of people say they “must write,” which sounds like a writer thing, but really, think about what your purpose in writing is.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
--As a writer we have a tendency to bury our heads in our writings. Sometimes you need to lift your head up and see what’s going on around you. Don’t be all-consumed by your work. Live life rather than just write about it.
What are you reading now?
--I’m currently reading OUR STORY BEGINS: NEW AND SELECTED STORIES, a collection of Tobias Wolff’s short stories.
What’s next for you as a writer?
--I have been tending from moving from purely literary writing to more speculative or experimental work, keeping the same literary themes in my work, as exhibited by my lates novel, THE VISITOR. My new story collection should feature a cross-genre mixture of stories.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
--CATCH-22
--SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE
--A WOMAN’S SONG
--THE SUN ALSO RISES
https://awesomegang.com/mitchell-wald...
August 14, 2025
Midwest Review calls THE VISITOR original, clever, imaginative, compelling and a fun fascinating read from cover to cover
Thanks to Jim Cox and Midwest Book Review for their review of my new novel The Visitor:
The Visitor
Mitchell Waldman
All Things That Matter Press
https://allthingsthatmatterpress.com
9798991537261, $15.99, PB, 183pp
https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitche...
Synopsis: A man wakes up in a different body.
So begins the journey of Ash (short for Pin Asher9919) who awakens on a what he thinks must be a hospital bed on a different planet after an automobile accident took the bodily life of an Earth human named Edward Fleishman.
Ash is told he was the victim of a serious brain injury and miraculously recovered from being brain dead in a coma, but Ash feels he knows the truth: his spirit has replaced the distressed spirit of the former Edward Fleishman.
And so Ash's new life on earth begins, complete with a spouse who is a stranger to him, a body he is not sure how to use, a world he must learn to navigate, and a government he can't trust.
Critique: Original, clever, imaginative, compelling, and a fun, fascinating read from cover to cover, "The Visitor" by Mitchell Waldman is an extraordinary and recommended pick for all dedicated science fictions fans. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this trade paperback edition of "The Visitor" from All Things That Matter Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99, Amazon).
https://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw...
The Visitor
Mitchell Waldman
All Things That Matter Press
https://allthingsthatmatterpress.com
9798991537261, $15.99, PB, 183pp
https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitche...
Synopsis: A man wakes up in a different body.
So begins the journey of Ash (short for Pin Asher9919) who awakens on a what he thinks must be a hospital bed on a different planet after an automobile accident took the bodily life of an Earth human named Edward Fleishman.
Ash is told he was the victim of a serious brain injury and miraculously recovered from being brain dead in a coma, but Ash feels he knows the truth: his spirit has replaced the distressed spirit of the former Edward Fleishman.
And so Ash's new life on earth begins, complete with a spouse who is a stranger to him, a body he is not sure how to use, a world he must learn to navigate, and a government he can't trust.
Critique: Original, clever, imaginative, compelling, and a fun, fascinating read from cover to cover, "The Visitor" by Mitchell Waldman is an extraordinary and recommended pick for all dedicated science fictions fans. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this trade paperback edition of "The Visitor" from All Things That Matter Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99, Amazon).
https://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw...
August 9, 2025
New review of The Visitor
Thanks to Bruce at BVS Reviews for his review of my new novel The Visitor, in which he says, among other things:
The Visitor melds sci-fi with human drama. It also throws in biting commentary of a dystopian nature. That nature is pretty much what is currently unfolding in the U.S. The strong-arm type of arresting and detaining of illegal immigrants in the novel is exactly what is happening in the U.S. right now. The messages in the media that are being constrained by the government in the novel appears to be happening in real life in the U.S. And the unhinged President in the novel, Wolff, parallels a lot of Donald Trump's words and actions.
If you like a good story that blends science fiction with human drama with dystopian elements thrown in, The Visitor is something you should read. Even if you're a die-hard conservative who aligns with the current U.S. President, this is a good read. It just might get you to think about your choices.
--BVS Reviews (read the full review here: http://bvsreviews.com/thevisitor25.htm
The Visitor melds sci-fi with human drama. It also throws in biting commentary of a dystopian nature. That nature is pretty much what is currently unfolding in the U.S. The strong-arm type of arresting and detaining of illegal immigrants in the novel is exactly what is happening in the U.S. right now. The messages in the media that are being constrained by the government in the novel appears to be happening in real life in the U.S. And the unhinged President in the novel, Wolff, parallels a lot of Donald Trump's words and actions.
If you like a good story that blends science fiction with human drama with dystopian elements thrown in, The Visitor is something you should read. Even if you're a die-hard conservative who aligns with the current U.S. President, this is a good read. It just might get you to think about your choices.
--BVS Reviews (read the full review here: http://bvsreviews.com/thevisitor25.htm
July 26, 2025
An American President who wants to lock up literal aliens
An American President who wants to lock up literal aliens. It's science fiction...or is it?
The Visitor by Mitchell Waldman.
https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitche...
The Visitor by Mitchell Waldman.
https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitche...
July 23, 2025
Story published at Northwest Indiana Literary Journal
My story "After the Layoff" is now available at Northwest Indiana Literary Journal here:
https://northwestindianaliteraryjourn...
CAUTION: It isn't pretty!
Thanks for looking.
https://northwestindianaliteraryjourn...
CAUTION: It isn't pretty!
Thanks for looking.
July 19, 2025
Read my new novel The Visitor for free!
Now, if you have Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can read my new novel THE VISITOR for free!
https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitche...
In addition, my prior books are also available for free on Kindle Unlimited.
https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitche...
In addition, my prior books are also available for free on Kindle Unlimited.
June 27, 2025
Feedback on new novel
I want to thank all those who have already read my new novel THE VISITOR.
Here are some of the readers' comments, so far:
If you’re into sci-fi stories with a heavy dose of introspection and an imaginative plot, this one’s for you. Five stars from me, and a quiet thank-you to the author for writing something truly memorable!
This is perfect for reader's seeking literary sci-fi with a psycholinguistic endeavor. It's bizarre and thought-provoking with a subtly striking conclusion.
A transformative experience for those who appreciate well-rendered speculative fiction.
Though it’s science fiction, the story is emotional and thoughtful, exploring what it means to be human. The pacing and atmosphere are well done, and the ending feels satisfying. A good read for fans of thoughtful, imaginative stories.
The friendly yet eerie writing style would appeal to anyone who cherishes psychological realism where reality and the self are constantly called into question.
Blending speculative fiction with psychological depth, this thought-provoking novel explores themes of consciousness, trust, and what it truly means to belong in a world that feels anything but familiar.
CHECK OUT THE VISITOR ON AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitche...
Here are some of the readers' comments, so far:
If you’re into sci-fi stories with a heavy dose of introspection and an imaginative plot, this one’s for you. Five stars from me, and a quiet thank-you to the author for writing something truly memorable!
This is perfect for reader's seeking literary sci-fi with a psycholinguistic endeavor. It's bizarre and thought-provoking with a subtly striking conclusion.
A transformative experience for those who appreciate well-rendered speculative fiction.
Though it’s science fiction, the story is emotional and thoughtful, exploring what it means to be human. The pacing and atmosphere are well done, and the ending feels satisfying. A good read for fans of thoughtful, imaginative stories.
The friendly yet eerie writing style would appeal to anyone who cherishes psychological realism where reality and the self are constantly called into question.
Blending speculative fiction with psychological depth, this thought-provoking novel explores themes of consciousness, trust, and what it truly means to belong in a world that feels anything but familiar.
CHECK OUT THE VISITOR ON AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitche...
June 3, 2025
New novel!
My new novel, The Visitor, is now available from All Things That Matter Press!
He wakes up in a different body.
So begins the journey of Ash—short for Pin Asher9919—who awakens on a hospital bed on, he believes, a different planet after an automobile accident took the bodily life of an Earth human named Edward Fleishman. Ash is told he was the victim of a serious brain injury and miraculously recovered from being brain dead in a coma, but Ash feels he knows that his spirit has replaced the distressed spirit of the former Edward Fleishman.
And so Ash’s new life on earth begins, complete with a spouse who is a stranger to him, a body he is not sure how to use, a world he must learn to navigate, and a government he can’t trust.
The Visitor is a unique blend of science fiction, social commentary, and human drama, with dystopian and literary elements. It explores identity, alienation, social and political conditions, and government overreach in our current society from the viewpoint of an outsider--an alien spirit which has replaced that of a human after an automobile accident--or is he really just a human soul affected by a traumatIc brain injury? For those who love stories like Stranger in a Strange Land, 1984, works of Philip K. Dick, and Kashuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBRVT74X/...
He wakes up in a different body.
So begins the journey of Ash—short for Pin Asher9919—who awakens on a hospital bed on, he believes, a different planet after an automobile accident took the bodily life of an Earth human named Edward Fleishman. Ash is told he was the victim of a serious brain injury and miraculously recovered from being brain dead in a coma, but Ash feels he knows that his spirit has replaced the distressed spirit of the former Edward Fleishman.
And so Ash’s new life on earth begins, complete with a spouse who is a stranger to him, a body he is not sure how to use, a world he must learn to navigate, and a government he can’t trust.
The Visitor is a unique blend of science fiction, social commentary, and human drama, with dystopian and literary elements. It explores identity, alienation, social and political conditions, and government overreach in our current society from the viewpoint of an outsider--an alien spirit which has replaced that of a human after an automobile accident--or is he really just a human soul affected by a traumatIc brain injury? For those who love stories like Stranger in a Strange Land, 1984, works of Philip K. Dick, and Kashuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBRVT74X/...
February 28, 2025
New review of BROTHERS, FATHERS, AND OTHER STRANGERS
Thanks to Frank Sirotta for his latest review of my short story collection BROTHERS, FATHERS, AND OTHER STRANGERS.
You can read it here:
https://commuterlit.com/2025/02/frida...
You can read it here:
https://commuterlit.com/2025/02/frida...
New Writing/Reviews
My story "Job Interview" is in the new issue of The MacGuffin--
https://www.schoolcraftbooks.com/shop... ...more
https://www.schoolcraftbooks.com/shop... ...more
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