The Man Behind Hank the Cowdog

"When I started out, the dog was working for me. Now, I’m working for the dog" is what John R. Erickson says.
       John was born in Perrytown, TX. By the age of 3, he and his family moved to Midland, TX, and he and his wife and children have lived there ever since.
    It was a cold morning on the 6,000-acre ranch in Texas, where John R. Erickson lives. As he wakes up early, as usual, this sleepy-eyed 53-year-old rancher climbs into his ‘95 Ford diesel pickup and drives over to his bunkhouse office. Every day, he has a 5:30 am appointment with Hank the Cowdog, the head of ranch security.
    Before John R. Erickson sees his family or does any chores, he’ll spend about 3 or 4 hours working on a Hank story. Even when the water and gas freeze, he is one of Texas’s best known children authors. His books capture the flavor of ranch life in the Lone Star State in a way matched by few others.
    After graduating, he worked as a ranch manager and started writing the Hank the Cowdog Books.
    When publishers turned down his Hank Books, he published them himself and went on tour, performing his stories. He writes all the books to be read aloud.