Author Craig Johnson enjoys writing books and talking to Wyoming audiences.
Creator of the Sheriff Walt Longmire literary mysteries, he will be the guest of the Park County Library System August 21-22 in three free public programs.
Johnson begins his tour at the Park County Public Library in Cody at 12 noon on Saturday, August 21, following up at the Meeteetse Chocolatier at 7 p.m. the same day.
On Sunday, August 22 at 12 noon, Johnson goes to the Powell Branch Library for a pizza party.
Although not a native of the state, Johnson adopted Wyoming as home about 20 years ago. He settled in Ucross and eventually got serious about writing the Longmire stories, with the first book, The Cold Dish being published in 2005.
Junkyard Dogs, the latest in the series, came out in June this year.
An acclaimed writer and popular speaker, he is invited to appear around North America and Europe, but he said in a recent conversation with the Cody library that going to Wyoming towns and libraries gives him back a lot, partly because “it happens to be what I write about.”
He does not require a fee when he appears at Wyoming libraries, noting that the state’s libraries are a source of pride, and also that “we’re in this literacy thing together.” He said the best part of giving a talk is interacting with the audience when they pose questions.
Johnson has avoided writing “straight ahead westerns.” He explained that he “likes combining genres and writing in the fringes.”
His publisher, Viking/Penguin, allows him a lot of freedom in his novels and only requires that he write a mystery that has Walt Longmire in it, Johnson said.
The result is stories that are infused with humor while at the same time delving into social issues and crime, mostly against a background somewhere near the Big Horn Mountains. Some novels go to other scenes, such as Philadelphia, carrying the main characters to new environs.
Johnson said a television series based on his novels is currently in development with Warner Horizon Television and the TNT channel.
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