C.J. Box (Charles James Box Jr.) was born in Casper, Wyoming, in 1958 and has lived in the state for most of his life. He studied mass communications at the University of Denver and now lives on a ranch in Wyoming with his wife, Laurie.
Before writing full time he worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide and small-town newspaper reporter and editor, and he and Laurie ran an international tourism marketing business. His first novel, Open Season, came out in 2001 and introduced Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett. It won the Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe and Barry awards for best first novel.
Box has published more than thirty novels, including the Joe Pickett series, the Cassie Dewell books and standalones such as Blue Heaven, which won the Edgar Award for best novel. His work has been translated into 27 languages, and recent Joe Pickett novels have debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list.
Two television series are based on his books: Big Sky on ABC, drawn from the Cassie Dewell novels, and Joe Pickett, starring Michael Dorman. He was an executive producer on both. His other honors include a Western Heritage Award and a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America.
