May 31, 2016

This evening was one of the best dates my husband and I have had in a long time. We’re fortunate to live in Douglas County, Colorado where our library system is one of the best in the country. They periodically hold events to help fund three new libraries which will all be open before the end of 2016. This one was held at the beautiful Cherokee Castle and Ranch in Sadilla. Included in the cost of our tickets was a mini tour of the castle, two drinks, a light buffet of chili, sliders, salad and a copy of the author, Craig Johnson’s latest novella, The Highwayman.

If you are a Longmire fan, from books or the Netflix series by the same name, you may know author #Craig Johnson. Dressed in a plaid western shirt, blue jeans, boots and hat, he’s what I call a “good old country boy”, who doffs his hat in respect to ladies. His momma taught him some good manners.

He entertained the crowd of 300 guests for over an hour with ease, as if we were sitting at the kitchen table, regaling us with stories of where he finds the inspiration for his many books, novellas, and short stories. He is a New York Times bestselling author and his books are in thirteen foreign countries. I was surprised to learn that France has the highest number of sales outside the United States. Go figure, they love stories about a sheriff, #Walt Longmire, from a small town in Wyoming. He is always solving a murder with the help of his two deputies and his friend Henry, Standing Bear, of the Cheyenne Nation. Who knew that this sparsely populated state could have so many dead guys?

Hats off to Kerry Morgan and the library staff who did an outstanding job of continuing to bring this caliber of authors to our fine county. I look forward with much anticipation to the next great event.