'The driver of great stories'

 

“When you're a writer, you're always looking for conflict. It's conflict that drives great stories.” – William Kent Krueger

 

Born in Torrington, WY on Nov. 16, 1950, Krueger grew up in the Cascade Mountains and many of his books – especially the Cork O’Connor series – have an “Old West” feel even though he’s made his home in St. Paul, MN for decades and sets his books in Northern Minnesota.

 

I first met Krueger in the early 2000s when I was teaching and doing public relations at Augsburg University in Minneapolis and he would stop over to visit with English classes there.  After hearing the “back story” on his own writing career as well as how he created O’Connor and the cast of characters that surround him, I was hooked on his writing.   I have long been amazed that Krueger doesn’t have any Ojibwe blood, since he does a remarkable job of incorporating great detail about Ojibwe culture into his stories. 

 

With each of the 20 books in the series, beginning with Iron Lake and up to this year’s offering Spirit Crossing (he’s also written 5 stand-alone novels), I’ve learned much, much more about the Ojibwe, something Krueger says he very much enjoys researching and writing

 

“Readers anticipate that a significant element of every story will be additional exposure to the ways of the Ojibwe,” he said. “The truth is that I enjoy this aspect of the work.  Although I have no Indian blood running through my veins, in college I prepared to be a cultural anthropologist, so exploring other cultures is exciting to me.”