John D. Nesbitt lives in the plains country of Wyoming, where he teaches English and Spanish at Eastern Wyoming College. His articles, reviews, fiction, and poetry have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. He has had more than thirty books published, including short story collections, contemporary novels, and traditional westerns, as well as textbooks for his courses. John has won many awards for his work, including two awards from the Wyoming State Historical Society (for fiction), two awards from Wyoming Writers for encouragement of other writers and service to the organization, two Wyoming Arts Council literary fellowships (one for fiction, one for non- fiction), a Will Rogers Medallion Award for Dark Prairie (a frontier mystery) and another for Thorns on the Rose (a poetry collection), a Western Writers of America Spur finalist award for his novel Raven Springs, and the Spur award itself for his short story "At the End of the Orchard" and for his novels Trouble at the Redstone and Stranger in Thunder Basin. His recent work includes Poacher's Moon, a contemporary novel; Blue Horse Mesa, a collection of western stories; and Field Work, a retro-noir fiction collection. "Once again Nesbitt tells a complicated story with the kind of complex characterization for which he is best known." -Roundup Magazine (For the Norden Boys) "For the Norden Boys rings as true as a triangle around the chuckwagon at suppertime." -True West (For the Norden Boys) "Black Hat Butte has stronger characterization than is found in the average traditional Western, but then John Nesbitt isn't an average writer." -Roundup Magazine "John Nesbitt knows working cowboys and ranch life well enough for you to chew the dirt with his characters as this tale unfolds." -True West "Nesbitt creates characters so real, you can hear them talk if you close your eyes." -Roundup Magazine "Nesbitt is a true artist." -Western American Literature