>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK TO NEW DAY NORTHWEST FROM THE AAA TRAVEL
ALCOVES. UNIT A SERIES OF BEST-
SELLING NOVELS HAVE ENJOYED A
LONG LIFE AS A TV SERIES ON
NETFLIX.
NETFLIX.
NETFLIX. IT STARS ROBERT TAYLOR IN THE
ROLE OF WALT LONGMIRE.
THE NEWEST NOVEL IS DEPTH OF
WINTER.
WINTER.
WINTER. THE PREVIOUS BOOK WAS RELEASED
IN PAPERBACK PLEASE WELCOME
CRAIG JOHNSON.
CRAIG JOHNSON. CRAIG, YOU LOOK LIKE ONE OF THE
CHARACTERS IN THE SERIES.
>> WHICH ONE?
>> YOU HAVE A LOT OF OPTIONS.
[ LAUGHTER ] WHAT INSPIRED
THIS?
THIS?
THIS? >>
THIS? >> MY WIFE HAS THE BEST REMARK
AND SHE SAID IF THIS IS WHO YOU
WANT TO BE IN 10 YEARS YOU ARE
OFF TO AN INCREDIBLY SLOW START.
I HAVE BEEN TAKING BITS AND
PIECES AND PUTTING THEM
TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS
CHARACTER.
CHARACTER. >> YOU LIVE IN WYOMING, THE
POPULATION OF 25.
NOBODY LIVES IN A PLACE LIKE
THAT UNLESS THEY WANT TO,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? ARE THE CHARACTERS IN YOUR TOWN
SHOW UP IN THE BOOKS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THE GREATEST PIECE OF FICTION
EVER WRITTEN IS THE DISCLAIMER
IN THE FRONT OF THE BOOK THAT
SAID THIS IS A PIECE OF FICTION.
SO WHEN I PUT PEOPLE IN MY
BOOKS, USUALLY PEOPLE KNOW WHO
I AM TALKING ABOUT.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED
WRITING?
WRITING?
WRITING? >> MY EDUCATION WAS IN WRITING
BUT I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT
BECOMING A WRITER.
THERE ARE TWO REASONS YOU
BECOME A WRITER.
THE FIRST IS YOU STUMBLE INTO A
STORYLINE, IT IS SOMETHING NEW
THAT NO ONE HAS DONE BEFORE.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT
HAPPENS IS THAT I RENTED TO DCI
INVESTIGATORS AND WYOMING AND
WE HAD ONE CRIME LAB.
AND I ASKED HIM, HOW LONG DOES
IT TAKE YOU TO DO THE EVIDENCE
AND THEY SAID ABOUT NINE
MONTHS.
MONTHS.
MONTHS. AND I THOUGHT, OKAY, THAT'S NOT
OBVIOUS.
OBVIOUS.
OBVIOUS. SO I THOUGHT, WHAT IF YOU HAD A
PROTAGONIST IN THE LEAST
POPULATED TOWN IN THE LEAST
POPULATED STATE.
POPULATED STATE. THAN THE OTHER WAY IS SITTING
DOWN IN A CHAIR AND SANG OKAY,
IT IS TIME TO WRITE.
>> YOU HAVE A RANCH DON'T YOU?
WHAT KIND OF THINGS DO YOU HAVE?
IT USED TO BE A COW CALF
POPULATION BUT NOW IT IS HORSES.
SO NOW I CAN GO DOWN IN THE
MORNING AND TALK TO THE HORSES
THAT I WILL BE RIDING.
THEY LISTEN INTENTLY.
>> WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF
SETTING A WESTERN.
UNIT IT'S A LITTLE MORE COMPLEX
I THINK.
I THINK.
I THINK. THIS WILL HARKEN BACK TO THE
ROY ROGERS CODE OF DECENCY AND
ALL OF THAT BUT HE DOES REVEAL
SOME MORE COMPLICATED ISSUES.
SO I THINK THAT RAISES THE BAR
A LITTLE BIT.
>> THE TV SERIES IS NOW SIX
SEASONS?
SEASONS?
SEASONS? I HAVE TO SAY, THERE WAS A
PERIOD ON THE TRAIN WERE I WAS
WATCHING LONGMIRE AND I WAS NO
LONGER ON THE TRAIN, I WAS IN
THE WILD WEST.
WHAT YOU THINK OF ROBERT
TAYLOR?
TAYLOR?
TAYLOR? IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WHEN WE MEET
A TRULY AMERICAN ACTOR WE GO TO
AUSTRALIA.
AUSTRALIA. >> MOST OF THESE BRITISH
COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES, IF IT
WORKS IN THE MOVIE INDUSTRY, SO
THEY WILL HAVE TO LOSE THE
ACCENT AND TRY TO BE AMERICANS.
ROBERT TAYLOR IS AN ABSOLUTELY
AMAZING JOB OF THAT.
HE JUST FITS.
THE ONLY THING YOU DON'T WANT
TO DO IS GET INTO A BEER
DRINKING CONTEST WITH HIM.
HE WILL WIN EVERY SINGLE TIME.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT DEPTH OF
WINTER.
WINTER.
WINTER. UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE'RE
GOING INTO TOTALLY DIFFERENT
TERRITORY.
TERRITORY. >> IT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE
VIOLENT AND A LITTLE DARKER.
THIS HAS BEEN BUILDING FOR ABOUT
FIVE NOVELS NOW AND HE HAS A
CONFRONTATION WITH WHAT I
CONSIDER HIS ARCH NEMESIS.
SO THAT'S PART OF THE DRUG
CARTEL IN MEXICO.
SO WALT FINDS HIMSELF IN A
SITUATION WHERE HE HAS TO GO
INTO MEXICO.
INTO MEXICO. SO HE HAS BEEN ABDUCTED AND IT
IS ONE OF THOSE ONE MAN ARMY
KIND OF SITUATIONS.
HE DECIDES THAT HE WILL DIE
DOING THIS.
DOING THIS. SO HE DOES NOT WANT ANYONE
ACCOMPANYING HIM.
ACCOMPANYING HIM. HE PROBABLY WON'T COME BACK.
>> IF WALT DOESN'T COME BACK,
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PROJECTS?
I DON'T WANT TO GET TOO MUCH
AWAY.
AWAY.
AWAY. YOU
AWAY. YOU NEVER CAN TELL, WALT MIGHT
MAKE IT.
MAKE IT.
MAKE IT. >> THE SERIES IS GREAT AND YOU
CAN SEE IT ON NETFLIX.
>> THIS IS NUMBER 14.
ONE A YEAR.
14 NOVELS, AND A COLLECTION OF
SHORT STORIES.
SHORT STORIES. >> GREG WILL DISCUSS AND SIGN
COPIES OF DEPTH OF WINTER
TONIGHT AT 7:00 AT THIRD PLACE
BOOKS IN LAKE FOREST PARK
>> ALSO THREE VIEWERS WILL WIN
AUTOGRAPHED COPIES OF DEPTH OF
WINTER AND THE WESTERN STAR, GO
TO THE FACEBOOK PAGE