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A Morning with Craig Johnson
It's hard to believe that Junkyard Dogs is the sixth Walt Longmire mystery. So it goes, "time flies when you are having fun!" Fun doesn't even come close to the great time Virginia, Mitchell and I had during breakfast with author Craig Johnson and his lovely wife Judy. Time flew by as Craig shared stories about his adventures on the road and abroad. Jenny Shank has a great blog write up on his recent visits to France that you won't want to miss.
Craig has signed books for us for years, but this is the first time we've had the opportunity to actually spend some time with him. As you may know he lives in a small town of 25 people about a half an hour from Sheridan, Wyoming. He is currently on his first tour for Junkyard Dogs.
Yes, the first tour. Craig is a strong supporter of the small independent bookstore, and as such started his own west coast "motorcycle tour," visiting little out of the way towns such as Red Lodge (MT), Winnemucca (NV), Sisters (OR), Redmond (OR) and the like. So he will be climbing back on his bike to run the circuit one more time in July. If you find yourself on the road between Salt Lake and Reno near the 4th of July watch for this cowboy, sans hat, running down the highway.
I personally love the Walt Longmire series, and have often been blown away by the strong characters and sharp dialogue. As it turn out Craig has had some serious training in writing dialogue . . . he holds a Ph.D in playwriting. Perhaps that explains it.
Junkyard Dogs finds a volatile new economy in Durant when the owners of a multi-million dollar development of ranchettes want to get rid of the adjacent Stewart junkyard. The notorious Stewart clan is an adventure unto itself and, when conflicts erupt, Walt, Dog, life-long friend Henry Standing Bear, and deputies Santiago Saizarbitoria and Victoria Moretti find themselves in a small town that feels more and more like a high plains pressure cooker.
As Judy tells the customers in her store in Sheridan, "please read Junkyard Dogs . . . my husband wrote it."
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