Walt Longmire Mysteries author Craig Johnson discusses the ins and outs of his writing process, including where he writes (on a small writing desk in a log cabin loft). He also explains the joys and challenges of finding new stories to tell about his long-running character, the sheriff of fictional Absaroka County in Wyoming, who returns to work after his wife’s untimely death and immerses himself in maintaining law and order.

Johnson launched the series in 2004 with The Cold Dish. Since then, he has published 22 books about the character's life, including his latest, The Brothers McKay, which was released in May 2026, as well as novellas and short stories. The Walt Longmire mystery novels also inspired the hit Netflix drama Longmire.

Johnson's books have won many awards in the United States and abroad, including the Western Writers of America’s Owen Wister and Spur Awards, the Wyoming Historical Association Book of the Year, the Will Rogers Medallion Awards, Publishers Weekly's Book of the Year, Library Journal’s Best Book of the Year, Le Prix du Polar Nouvel Observateur/Bibliobs, Le Prix 813, and the SNCF Prix de Polar.

His first novella, The Spirit of Steamboat, was selected by the Wyoming State Library as the inaugural One Book Wyoming. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, with a population of 26.