A: The anomaly was New York, I was born a country kid and always figured I'd be back in the country - I guess the nearest town having a population of 25 is taking things a little far … I spotted this part of the world when I was in my early twenties and always wanted to build my own ranch. I mean really build it myself and not pay somebody else to do it. My father built his home and my grandfather before that so it was something in my DNA code… My father calls it constructive stupidity, which is really helpful in construction and on football fields.

Q: Though your novels, for the most part, are set in Wyoming, their appeal seems quite universal to me. Has that surprised you at all?

A: You know, it has. I guess the purpose of a novel is to find the universality of the human condition; I'd like to take credit for that phrase, but it was Steinbeck. I think that being able to draw the reader into the world of the character is an opportunity to find empathy with others. I think the humanity of Walt speaks to the readers. He's a regular guy who raises himself up enough to do what needs to be done and I think a lot of people connect with that type of thing. Walt isn't an anti-hero; he works within the framework and cares about people.

Q: You seem to easily scatter lots of literary and pop culture references throughout your novels. Is that something that comes natural for you, or something you have to work at?

A: No, it pretty much springs out; that's embarrassing, isn't it - walking around with all that stuff in your head? I think it makes Walt interesting. I mean if you're stuck in a first-person narrative for more than three hundred pages the guy should be smart, witty, insightful, human… Don't you think? (I do, indeed!) Crime Fiction is huge right now, but I think that means that the readers are coming to the game with the same expectations that they have for any other sort of literature, arc of story, fully developed characters, social commentary, humor, and historical perspective. I think that's great.

Q: Absaroka country has a wide diversity of folks passing through and you do a great job of giving them all their own voice? Your respect for Native American traditions and peoples is evident. I have also been thrilled and gotten many laughs thanks to Vicky and the other female characters. How do you get inside the heads of so many different characters and let them take on a life of their own?

A: I promise not to tell Vic that you referred to her as Vicky; she'd rupture your spleen… (Yikes - I know she would, it slipped. Thanks for not telling on me!) It's funny you should mention that particular character in conjunction with the question of voice. She's a pretty important contra to Walt's narrative, an urban voice in the wild… Some of my educational background is in playwriting and I think that makes you focus on the voices, forces you to make them individualistic. Some of the phrases you'll rarely see in my books are the 'he said', 'she said' stuff. I think the voices should speak for themselves.

Q: Walt is facing a reelection soon. Want to give us any hints about what the future holds?

A: So you haven't read The Dark Horse yet, huh? (Well, actually, I have. I was digging for a bit more but I guess we will all have to wait for further novels in this great series!)

Interview Date: July 2009
Profile and questions compiled by Mark B., Main Library