About the author

Mitty Walters

<p>Yes, Mitty Walters is a pen name. It&#39;s a tribute to James Thurber&rsquo;s classic, &quot;The Secret Life of Walter Mitty&quot; (1939).&nbsp;</p> <p>When I read that story, I was a homeless teenager who was never sure where he would be sleeping the next night. I had an instant connection with Walter Mitty. But I always felt like his dark reflection. Walter&#39;s wild fantasy life helped him to escape his boring reality. But my fantasy was just to have a boring reality.&nbsp;</p> <p>Too bleak? Fine.&nbsp;</p> <p>The truth is I joined the Merchant Marines when I was fifteen. When they asked for ID, I gave them my dead cousin&#39;s birth certificate. Next thing I knew I was on a bus headed to Savannah. When I hopped my first freighter, my heart was filled with all kind of romantic notions. But three straight days of puking cajoled me back to reality. I didn&#39;t set foot on land for another four months.</p> <p>The Merchant Marine is not some mysterious gateway to adventure for young lads. It&#39;s just work, sweat, and misery. I didn&#39;t get marooned on any island, didn&#39;t rescue any damsels in distress. I just toiled away pointlessly. The most adventure I had was getting arrested in Thailand with a bunch of drunken idiots that I didn&#39;t even know. I learned to speak a little Cantonese while I was in there, though. But mostly I wasted away for eighteen long months. Until the riots began, anyway.</p> <p>Crud. Too bleak again?</p> <p>Look. You can be honest. You don&#39;t care who I am. You just want to go on a wild ride. I&#39;m cool with that. Just scoop up one of my books and let&#39;s bounce!</p>