Craig Johnson is a recipient of a Wyoming Council for the Arts Award, which places the judgment of the Equality State in grave danger. Johnson's background in education and law enforcement gives a unique perspective to his writing and keeps him off the streets, which is good, because their dogs, Ivan and Lucy, follow him wherever he goes. His wife Judy says that it would be okay if Craig got run over because his books might sell better posthumously but she would miss Ivan and Lucy.

Johnson's first novel, The Cold Dish, was a DILYS Award Finalist, and a Booksense pick by the Independent Bookseller's Association and Killer Pick by the Independent Mystery Bookseller's of America.

Craig is fortunate enough to call Tony Hillerman, Margaret Coel, James Crumley, James Lee Burke, Neil McMahon, Christopher Moore, Bill Fitzhugh, Susan Slater and Mark Spragg friends, and they call him Craig.

Some of Johnson's abilities are to fall asleep at any time in any position, memorization of the titles of movies he's never seen, and he can guess the weight of any woman in viewing distance, the later being the least popular of his talents.

Craig's second novel, Death Without Company was made one of the five finalists for the Mountains and Plains Bookseller's Association's Fiction Book of the Year, and was the Wyoming Historical Society's Fiction Book of the Year. He is still not sure if the Historical Society knows he made it all up.

Johnson runs and lifts weights in a desperate attempt to overcome his crippling addiction to Rainier beer but hopes to be a useful member of society as soon as he gets this ‘writing thing' out of his system. On his ranch near Ucross, Craig reviews his work with Ivan, Lucy and his horses, always anxious to discuss his novels with anyone who doesn't read. Craig has convinced the horses that he is John Steinbeck, and that The Red Pony was actually written by Hemingway.