This is the second chapter of my upcoming science fiction novel, The Last Disruptor, the story of a boy who tells stories that could doom or save planets. 2 TEST TUBE DINO Crate and his friends lined up at the door of Ms. Sweeney’s classroom, ready for the bell to release them to the buses.... Continue Reading →
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Chapter 1 of The Last Disruptor -- A new science fiction novel by RD Varnon. Crate is a boy with an unusual name and an unusual ability to tell stories that might destroy a couple planets or save them. Sneak Peak Chapter 1 Walter the Whale There was one thing extraordinarily odd about Elementary School... Continue Reading →
RobertVarnon.com new look
After a long absence due to a variety of reasons, including the creation of my newest manuscript, The Last Disruptor, I have gotten around to revamping the website. It's simpler, cleaner and easier to navigate and I hope it will be more useful to readers and me. Thanks for hanging in there with me.
Lessons From the Shoulders of Giants
Fourth Grade From my collection of personal reminiscences on the great teachers I've had It was 1980 and the summer was gone and I was heading to my first day of school in a new city. I didn’t realize until years later the teacher waiting for me in that fourth grade classroom would have a... Continue Reading →
Wolfe, Le Guin, the Fictional Dream… Oh, and Richard Russo Returns
May 3, 2019 -- So I stopped by my mom's house the other day to drop off some books and a rather large blue vase she wanted. But instead of just running out the door I sat down with her and talked about a lot of things. It made me realize I don't do that... Continue Reading →
Finding Wolfe’s Shadow
I believe it was summer and I was 11 years old and as so often happened on those hot days, my mom took my brother and I to work with her at the library. Once inside, we got the warning to behave and then, she dispatched us to go find some books to read while... Continue Reading →
Half as good as Water for Elephants
March 23, 2019-- So the other day I was perusing Good Reads and noticed a reader had rated Potential just two stars. Of course my ego got a little burnt, but then I noticed this same reader had ranked some well established writers with just two stars and then, I saw she had given Water... Continue Reading →
Record Setting Day
March 7, 2019 -- There's a Starbucks I sometimes pop into on Wednesdays to grab a cup of coffee while running a few errands. For the most part, the staff there is efficient but not too conversational, but yesterday, there was a gregarious young man working behind the counter who insisted on chatting. I say... Continue Reading →
Some thoughts on my old career: Or, you gotta love photographers
So, part of this website is, I guess to let people know a bit about me and how I got to this point in my writing. Well, I wouldn't be here today if not for my time as a reporter. I spent nearly 14 years in that field writing on the topics of: sports, city... Continue Reading →
Moving Forward in the Night
Feb. 11, 2019 -- This Monday finds me tired from working a night job while I continue to make edits on my latest manuscript. For those of you just joining me here, or taking a first read of this site, I've had a bit of a journey getting to this point in my life as... Continue Reading →
Robert Varnon -- R.D. Varnon 