Dog's best friend

Interview: Hank the Cowdog creator John Erickson built a 20-year legacy of stories out of wholesome ranch life and a dog that sins | Susan Olasky

For more than 20 years children have enjoyed reading about the silly exploits of Hank the Cowdog, his sidekick Drover, and the other creatures (human and not) living on a ranch in the Texas panhandle. Their creator, John Erickson, began writing while he was a full-time cowboy in Texas and Oklahoma. In 1982, after getting several rejection slips from New York publishers, he borrowed $2,000 and founded his own publishing company, Maverick Books.

The first Hank book came out in 1983. Since then, without a big marketing budget, Hank has become a multimedia star of books, audiotapes, and stage plays. He now has a New York publisher (Puffin Books), but Hank and his creator haven't moved from the 7,000-acre Erickson ranch in Perryton, Texas.