Prairie Gothic is rich in Texas history. It is the story of Erickson s family, ordinary people who, through strength of character, found dignity in the challenges presented by nature and human nature. It is also the story of the place instrumental in shaping their lives the flatland prairie of northwestern Texas that has gone by various names (High Plains, South Plains, Staked Plains, and Llano Estacado), as well as the rugged country on its eastern boundary, often referred to as the caprock canyonlands....(more info)
In his new book, Story Craft: Reflections On Faith, Culture, and Writing By the Author of Hank the Cowdog, John R. Erickson says that one of the biggest challenges he faced as a young author was figuring out, "What is a story, and what is it supposed to do?"
Those were simple questions, he says, but they didn't have simple answers....(more info)
Frankie McWhorter grew up in Bob Wills Country and bought his first fiddle with his cowboy wages in 1950. He played with Clyde Chesser and the Texas Village Boys and the Miller Brothers Band before being asked to join Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. McWhorter tells stories of touring with these bands and of his hours spent listening to Wills tell his stories. He also reveals his adventures and misadventures as a working cowboy....(more info)
Will begin shipping orders Nov 8th
From the Preface by John R. Erickson:
"Hank has become a popular fellow. We have sold over nine million books about his adventures, and we are now hearing from second and third generation Hank fans. They, too, are curious. They want to know...who is Hank? Where did he come from and how did all of this come about?
In Q&A sessions and in replies to fan letters, I'm not able to address those questions in the manner they deserve because the answers are not always short or simple. They require a bigger canvas and that is the purpose of this book."
There are fun and interesting answers to questions about where characters in the Hank series came from, got their names, are any based on real animals or people, growing up in Perryton, recording Hank on audio books, Hank songs, where do story ideas come from and so many more questions? Packed full with color illustrations and pictures, this behind-the pages book is the ultimate gift for Hank the Cowdog fans and readers.
(Orders with this 10"x10", 180 page book will ship Media Mail) Will begin shipping orders Nov 8th.
From his home on the Texas Panhandle, John R. Erickson, rancher and author of the bestselling Hank the Cowdog series, saw firsthand the raw power of two megafires that swept across the high plains in 2006 and 2017. “These were landmark events that are etched onto the memory of an entire generation and will be passed down to the next. They made the old-time methods of fighting fire with shovels, wet gunny sacks, and ranch spray rigs a pathetic joke.”
Yet Bad Smoke, Good Smoke, while relating a tale of gut-wrenching destruction, also provides a more nuanced view of what is often a natural event, giving the two-sided story of our relationship with fire. Not just a first-hand account, Bad Smoke, Good Smoke also synthesizes and explains the latest research in range management, climate, and fire. Having experienced the bad smoke, Erickson tries to understand a rancher’s relationship to good smoke and to reconcile the symbiotic relationship that a rancher has with fire.
Evocatively chronicled, Erickson tells what it is like trying to stop the unstoppable: Bad Smoke, Good Smoke gives voice to the particular pains that ranchers must face in our era of climate change and ever more powerful natural disasters.
Believe it or not, once upon a time Hank the Cowdog was just one of many endearing characters who made their debut in an early collection of short-stories by beloved Texas author, John R. Erickson.
First published under the title, The Devil in Texas, Erickson compiled his funniest fiction writings and released this book to his local ranching community. Inspired by the encouragement he received,
he later developed one particular character, Hank the Cowdog, who quickly became a literary hero in his own right.
And, if you love Hank, you’re in for a treat! In these stories, you’ll get inside the head of an ornery bronc who’s about to be saddle-broke, read the journal of a spunky ranch wife who has to find creative ways to get the cowboys to help her around the homestead, and gain some comical insights into what a cowboy’s work really involves—the unglamorous side!
