Clayton, Paul 1948-

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CLAYTON, Paul 1948-

PERSONAL:

Born 1948; children: yes. Education: Temple University, B.A., 1976.

ADDRESSES:

Home—CA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Thomas Dunne Books, 175 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010.

CAREER:

Writer. Military service: U.S. Army, 1968-69, served in infantry in Vietnam.

WRITINGS:

Calling Crow, (e-book) E-Reads, 1995.

Calling Crow Nation, (e-book) E-Reads, 1997.

Flight of the Crow, (e-book) E-Reads, 1998.

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, (e-book) Electric eBook Publ., 2001, published by Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

A novel about child abuse.

SIDELIGHTS:

Paul Clayton is the author of a series of e-books, the "Calling Crow" series, set in the time of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. His first published book was a novel loosely based on his own experiences in the Vietnam War. Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam tells the story of a bookish young marine who arrives in Vietnam and is forced to confront a harsh reality he never imagined. "Clayton shuns drama and political issues, detailing instead the minutiae of one marine's experience," explained Library Journal contributor Rebecca Bollen. Clayton draws on the familiar formula of war novels, including the multiracial, multiethnic platoon with its share of misfits and the gung-ho company commander eager to earn his promotion even at the expense of his men's lives. "What sets this novel apart is Melcher's voice," according to Washington Post contributor Marc Leepson, "Clayton portrays Carl Melcher as a mild-mannered naif—a guy who, to his bafflement, is constantly buffeted by life's big currents." In the first half, Melcher finds himself far from the action, but eventually he starts going out on patrol, and as the Tet Offensive gets closer, Melcher finds himself narrowly escaping a series of close calls. Despite the somewhat formulaic plot, "Clayton's strong character writing carries the book," noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2004, review of Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, p. 456.

Library Journal, August, 2001, Rebecca Bollen, review of e-book version of Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, p. 83; July, 2004, Robert Conroy, review of Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, p. 68.

Publishers Weekly, May 15, 2004, review of Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, p. 35.

Washington Post, August 11, 2004, Marc Leepson, "A Grunt's Tour of Duty," section C, p. 3.