CJ Box was our Grand Finale speaker. What a genial man and a captivating  storyteller he is!  He told us how he became a writer.  You’ve heard people start out by saying, “Funny story…”  well, his was.  He told us how he had sent his first manuscript off to an agent in New York and waited. After a few impatient months he called the man who advised him to wait.  So Mr. Box waited and then he called.  His agent told him to stop calling and to stop worrying.  In the meantime, CJ Box’s wife noticed that there was going to be a convention for booksellers, writers, and librarians in Wyoming where they live and she advised him to go.  He did and as he was talking to another agent, telling him about long wait with the agent in NYC, the guy said to him, ” You know he’s dead? right?” No he didn’t.  The fact that his first agent was dead explained the extra long wait to get published and it cleared the path for CJ to book with this agent who has gotten CJ established as a prominent mystery writer.

His blog has a recent post from an avid fan who calls his writing “Wyoming Cocaine.”

http://www.cjbox.net/ is his website.  Check it out. You might get hooked. I am.

Filed under: Books, Movies, Music, Event, Staff Picks

by Kayne on October 28, 2009