Salter, John

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Salter, John

PERSONAL:

Born in Raleigh, NC; children: three. Education: University of North Dakota, B.A., M.A.

ADDRESSES:

Home—ND. Agent—Susan Ramer, Don Congdon Associates, 156 5th Ave., Ste. 625, New York, NY 10010.

CAREER:

Writer. Worked variously as a janitor, nonprofit organization director, bottle washer, toilet salesman, postmaster, firewood cutter, convenience store clerk, hazardous waste technician, and lecturer.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Recipient of various fellowships and awards from the Loft Literary Center, McKnight Foundation, Corporation of Yaddo, and the Minnesota State Arts Board.

WRITINGS:

Alberta Clipper (short stories), Livingston Press (Livingston, AL), 2002.

A Trout in the Sea of Cortez (novel), Counterpoint (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor of short fiction to periodicals, including Massachusetts Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Meridian, Florida Review, Pearl, Parting Gifts, Fourteen Hills, Third Coast, and Nebraska Review, as well as to anthology Best American Mystery Stories 2001.

SIDELIGHTS:

John Salter's debut novel, A Trout in the Sea of Cortez, tells the story of Dennis Pratt, a part-time worker at a toxic waste recycling plant in North Dakota. Pratt lives a quiet, directionless life guided by no particular ambitions. His life is troubled, though, by suspicions that his wife is having an affair, and he is concerned about his daughter, who is a college freshman. Salter portrays Pratt's midlife crisis in the midst of a colorful cast of supporting characters who ultimately enliven Pratt's dull existence. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly commented that the novel "feels more like a set of short story-like set pieces rather than a whole work." However, a contributor to Library Journal remarked that the "expertly written dialog flows easily and brings us right into the compelling action."