Author reflects on Platte Valley

Wearing his signature cowboy hat, award-winning author C.J. Box was back in Saratoga on Friday to sign books, meet with fans and participate in the first ever C.J. Box Trivia Night.

Box said the trivia night, put on by the Saratoga Museum, was the first of its kind. The event was attended by more than 50 people, and raised nearly $1500 for the Saratoga Museum.

Though Box said he was honored by the trivia night, he was nervous he might not know the answers to the questions about his books.

“With some of the questions about the early books, especially when it comes to the names,” he said. “I tend to insert the names at the end of the book not the beginning, so some of the names don’t resonate.”

Box has strong ties to the Platte Valley. His first job out of college was working as a journalist for the Saratoga Sun. He said his job interview was anything but typical; consisting of a float trip down the North Platte River with former owner of the Saratoga Sun Dick Perue.

“By the time we pulled into Saratoga, I would have paid him for the job,” Box said referring to Perue. “And he didn’t pay me much either.”

Working at the Saratoga Sun was a great first newspaper job, Box said. Being involved in the community helped him meet many interesting people, and would lead to inspiration for characters in his books.

He says he also pulls from experiences working as a reporter and with the Chamber of Commerce in Saratoga. It is because of this, Box said his fans in Saratoga relate to his books so well.

“The people around here, I think, get the books more so than anywhere else, because so much of it is locally based,” he said.

When he left for a job in Cheyenne, he said he and his wife talked about eventually moving back to the Platte Valley. As his books became more popular, he eventually purchased a cabin on the Encampment River. Box said he still makes several trips to the Platte Valley every year to go fishing.

“I can fish right off the front lawn,” Box said about his cabin. “That’s my dream. I always thought if I lived in a place where I never have to break my fly rod down, that would be heaven. And this is the place.”

C.J. said he always enjoys his time in the Platte Valley, and would be interested to see if the CJ Box trivia night becomes an annual event.

 

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