Award-Winning Author Discusses His Journey From Wildlife Biologist To Master Storyteller
John Hansen shares how his experiences as a wildlife biologist and firefighter influence his authentic storytelling, character development, and the evolving landscape of the western genre in contemporary literature.
John Hansen is a masterful storyteller whose works have captivated readers with their vivid depictions of the American West. With a background as a wildlife biologist and wildland firefighter, Hansen brings a unique authenticity to his writing, drawing from his own experiences in the rugged landscapes of the West. His novels, spanning western, historical, and contemporary fiction genres, have earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious National Indie Excellence Award for Best Western and multiple Will Rogers Medallions. Hansen’s ability to weave intricate narratives with rich character development has solidified his place as a distinguished voice in modern literature. His dedication to historical accuracy and deep character exploration ensures that his stories resonate with readers, offering both thrilling adventures and profound insights into human nature.
In this issue of Reader’s House Magazine, we are thrilled to present an exclusive interview with John Hansen. As he shares his journey from a life spent in the great outdoors to becoming an acclaimed author, Hansen offers a glimpse into the creative process behind his award-winning novels. He discusses how his past experiences have shaped his storytelling, the evolution of his writing style, and the timeless appeal of the western genre. Join us as we delve into the mind of a writer who continues to redefine and enrich the literary landscape with his compelling tales of loyalty, justice, and personal growth.
Your experiences as a wildlife biologist and wildland firefighter in the rugged landscapes of the West must have provided you with unique insights into the natural world and human resilience. How do these experiences influence the authenticity and atmosphere in your western stories?
My experience in the outdoors has most definitely helped me create a more believable story. I try, as much as possible, in every scene or interaction between characters, to cause them to employ one or more of their senses beyond simple recognition of a person or place. It is bringing out these nuances that puts a reader there with your character. Whether it be the smell of campfire smoke or wind rushing through the tops of pine trees or the rattle of aspen leaves or the squeak of saddle leather in time with the gait of a horse, these things all help to put the reader in the scene.
With respect to fighting fire, that experience has significantly shaped my perception of what constitutes a physical challenge. And too, the mindset of those who meet that challenge and those that don’t. Again, my experience has better equipped me to describe the nuances of extreme fatigue, sleep depravation and the discomfort of going without a shower for a week or more. I drew on my experiences in fire when I wrote IN PURSUIT OF GLORY. This book dealt largely with Roosevelt’s Roughriders and the rigors of fighting in the Cuban jungles. Extreme physical exertion and working as a cohesive unit were definite parallels between fire and the war.
Your passion for writing began at a young age and has continued throughout your life. How has your writing style and approach to storytelling evolved over the years, particularly now that you have more time to focus on longer works?
If I were to point to any one aspect of my writing and how it has evolved for the better, I would say it centers on my emphasis of letting the character tell the story. Any time I see a page where a character has not spoken, either aloud or in thought, it raises a red flag for me. Another pervasive trait of my writing, regardless of the genre, is my protagonists are not invincible. I believe most everyone has a flaw of some kind in their character. Writing novel length works allows me to explore these flaws in considerable detail. Through the course of the book I try to allow the character to bring a successful resolution to feelings of guilt or self-doubt. But above all, I realize the necessity of maintaining a story arc. It is like a plane taking off. Lots of thrust to get airborne. Once there, the expectation is a pleasurable flight until you land. Engine failure a hundred pages into the book is not an option.
“My experience in the outdoors has most definitely helped me create a more believable story. I try, as much as possible, in every scene or interaction between characters, to cause them to employ one or more of their senses beyond simple recognition of a person or place.” – John Hansen
The relationships between your characters often drive the plot, such as the friendship between Josh and Seth in A Bad Place To Be, and the tumultuous marriage of Phil and Martha in Hard Times. How do you develop these complex relationships, and what do they reveal about human nature?
As far as developing complex relationships, I rely a lot on what I read and my life experiences. People are predictable just as much as they are not. Integral to this, however, is the overriding need to tell a compelling story. Reader interest is generated through your characters needing to resolve a conflict or reach a goal. Something the reader can root for but at the same time it’s got to be believable, and morally justifiable. In the case of Phil and Martha, I had to make Martha enough of a sympathetic character in the beginning so that her abduction would be believable. However, I still had to provide enough acrimony between her and Phil to plant a seed of doubt in the reader’s mind. With respect to my primary protagonist, I find it is often a moral balancing act between good and evil.
In The Outfit, Jake’s journey involves themes of loyalty, justice, and personal growth. How do you balance the historical accuracy of the western genre with the emotional depth and development of your characters?
I invest considerable effort in researching the major events of the time in which any of my books are set. With respect to Jake, I was cognizant of the Victorian mores of that period in Montana. From the outset, Jake was intended to be a compassionate man. The ending of The Outfit, of course, presented him with a moral conundrum.
“I invest considerable effort in researching the major events of the time in which any of my books are set.” – John Hansen
As a member of the Western Writers of America and the Western Fictioneers, how do you see the western genre evolving in contemporary literature? What aspects of the genre do you feel are timeless, and which elements are being redefined by modern writers?
Several years ago, I was at a party and told a woman that I had written a western novel. Her immediate response was, not what is it about or anything of that nature but rather, “Isn’t that a dying genre?” From what Westerns once were, I suppose she is correct. However, I do believe that the Western genre can survive if today’s writers are steadfast in historical accuracy down to the most minor detail and they have in-depth character development. I believe in the long run, the demographic of the current Western reader will evolve to where they will insist on these metrics. And too, I believe an objective and balanced portrayal of Native and African Americans will be critical.
Your book, GRAYS LAKE, recently won the Western Fictioneers’ Peacemaker Award for Best Western novel of 2023. What inspired you to write it?
I guess the genesis for writing GRAYS LAKE came about one day when I happened to be thinking about my great grandmother who single-handedly captured three bank robbers that came to my grandparents’ ranch near Grays Lake, Idaho. She locked them in the root cellar and waited for my great grandfather, who was away with the posse, to come home. With this event in mind, I thought of Josh and Sarah from A BAD PLACE TO BE and what their lives might be like after escaping the wickedness of Montana for a ranch in Idaho. It seemed natural to insert them into the roles of my grandparents and then let my imagination go to work. It was an enjoyable book to write that turned out very well.
