John R. Erickson's Blog, page 13
March 14, 2013
CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT for “The Case of the Prowling Bear”!
…Actually two contests! For Hank #61, we’ve devised two great contests (for different age groups), and we hope you enjoy them!
Contest #1: Coloring Contest (Ages 3-9)
ENTRY: To qualify for Contest #1, show us your best coloring of illustration from Hank #61! Directions:
1. Print off illustration,
2. Color it to your heart’s content, and
3. Submit your colored illu...
March 12, 2013
The Songs! (From "The Case of the Prowling Bear")
Hi Hank-Fans!
"The Case of the Prowling Bear" is on its way!
The official release of the book and audiobook will be on May3rd, but in the meantime, we wanted to give you a sneak peek at the songs. Be sure to let us know what you think of them in the comments below!
Hank sings "Be Careful When You Drink From the Pot," and the "Thank You Song" is sung by Wallace the Buzzard (and, just so you know, he's NOT happy about having to sing that song!).
~The Maverick Books Team
...
March 6, 2013
Have you found Hank on Goodreads?
Announcing....
.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Hank the Cowdog
by John R. Erickson
Giveaway ends March 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win
February 19, 2013
Some VERY exciting news...
Announcing: "The Case of the Prowling Bear"!
Have you been wondering what Hank the Cowdog #61 will be about?
Wonder no more! "The Case of the Prowling Bear" will be released this April, and here's a sneak peak at the story:
"Everyone knows that bears live in the mountains…and there are no mountains in the Texas Panhandle. So, when Slim claims to have seen a bear cross the road, no one knows what to believe, that is, until Deputy Kile spreads a report that there really is a...
February 13, 2013
Questions from the Mailbag, Part 2
Dear Readers,
As promised: John R. Erickson's answers to some of your questions . . . Enjoy, and keep reading!
Q) From Sunshine: Will Hank ever get a girlfriend? Or have any "little Hanks"? :) I always feel sorry for him always coming out the loser, when he really does have such a big heart and good intentions in a lot of ways. Beulah once said, "Sometimes I think I should follow my heart, instead of my mind..." so does that mean that deep down she really does love Hank, or...
February 4, 2013
Questions From the Mailbag
(Part 1 of 2)
In this post, John Erickson will answer a few questions that he often gets from readers. And, if you have any questions of your own, be sure to leave them in the comments section below, and maybe yours will be featured next week!
1. What motivates you to write Hank?
In the early years, I had a strong desire to prove myself and to support my family as a writer, but after a few years motivation became less important than habit and discipline. A p...
January 17, 2013
The Valentine's Day Song...by Slim Chance!
Chapter Three (of The Valentine's Day Robbery)
. . . Sally May had been sweeping the porch with a broom. Slim made his way up the sidewalk and gave her a greeting. “Morning, Sally May. Is Loper around?”
“Morning, Slim. No, he went north to feed the cows.”
Slim gave his head a nod. “Okay, then I’ll feed the south end of the ranch. Thanks.” He turned and started toward the yard gate.
“Oh, Slim?”...
January 1, 2013
"Sketch of a Cowboy," An Essay
The word “cowboy” did not exist in the English language until the traildriving period of the 1870s and 1880s. Before that time, mounted men who handled livestock were known as “drovers” or “herders.” When the word first appeared, probably in the railroad terminal cities in Kansas and Nebraska, it was written as “cow-boy.” Later, and for unknown reasons, the hyphen was dropped.
Today, the core meaning of “cowboyness”...
December 20, 2012
Ebook Readers On Your List This Christmas?
Hi Everyone,
Merry Christmas! You're probably done with most of your shopping by now, but, just in case you're still looking for that perfect gift for a friend or family member who loves Hank the Cowdog, why not introduce them to the Hank the Cowdog ebooks?
Find Hank ebooks for the Amazon Kindle HERE
Find Hank ebooks for the Apple iPad HERE
Find Hank ebooks for the B&N Nook HERE
...And, just in case you're in need of some creative ideas for how to wrap it:
December 9, 2012
The Saturday Before Christmas
Getting out of this canyon to attend church in the wintertime is sometimes an ordeal. The Saturday before Christmas of 1997, a cold norther blew into the Panhandle. The weather forecasters were predicting freezing rain and snow. They got the first half of it right. It started raining in the afternoon and it rained enough to turn our ranch roads into mush.
After dark, the temperature dropped into the twenties and the rain continued. When I got up on Sunday morning,...
