From Saddlestring to Saratoga

Saratoga, population 1,671 souls, and elevation 6,785 feet, appeared spread out in front of him after he topped a long rise. The town was choked with cottonwoods and he could see a wide ribbon of river through the middle of it. The air shimmered over the hot stack of a lumber mill on the edge of the town.

On Tuesday, March 27 game warden Joe Pickett returns home. So to speak.

For his new book, "The Disappeared," New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box sets the story in the Platte Valley and mentions Saratoga and Encampment by name.

"I've always used this Valley and the people in it and the features in all of the books, but I've always attributed it to this fictional place in the Bighorns (Mountains) so I thought it was time ... to finally have him actually come here by name," said Box.

Saratoga, to Joe, was a smaller and more intimate version of Saddlestring.

Box started as a reporter at the Saratoga Sun on July 9, 1981 before eventually serving as the editor. He was also the manager of the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce and helped start the Saratoga Ice Fishing Derby, which just celebrated 35 years.

Avid readers of the Joe Pickett series, which now numbers 18 books with the release of "The Disappeared," are familiar with Pickett's hometown of Saddlestring.

"When I started writing the (first) book ... I was still here. I sort of incorporated Saratoga into Saddlestring and so many of the stories and so many of the books are Saratoga stories. Platte River Valley stories," said Box.

He noted that the Upper North Platte River Valley, where Saratoga was located, was deceptively situated. The occupants of hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks using east-to-west I-80, where the terrain was high and windswept desert, would have no inkling that twenty-one miles to the south was a lush river valley with mountain peaks on three sides.

Box said he was able to do a few things with this newest book that he had always wanted to do. The first was to use Saratoga and Encampment as locations for a novel. He was also able to use his knowledge of guest ranch culture and the travel industry.

In "The Disappeared," Pickett is tasked by Wyoming's new governor to find a prominent British businesswoman who has gone missing after he stay at a high-end guest ranch in the Valley. Pickett's daughter, Sheridan, works at the very same guest ranch.

"You market guest ranches in England different than you do here and the reason is because ... very wealthy women love to go on guest ranch vacations partially because it's a different type of vacation but also a lot of them want to hook up with a local cowboy," said Box.

When Pickett comes into town he sets up his base of operations in room 9 of the Hotel Wolf. Box said he wanted to set the Hotel Wolf as Pickett's base because he sees it as the "heart and soul of the community in a lot of ways."

If you just sit in the bar long enough, you will meet everyone in this entire Valley," Sheridan tells her father.

"...it's a treat to see Joe's daughter pulled into working with her father," said Kirkus Reviews in their review of "The Disappeared."

According to Box, Doug and Kathleen Campbell are considering renaming room No. 9 "The Joe Pickett Room."

While the homecoming of Pickett is some of the biggest news for the Valley, it's not the only news. As announced at the annual Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce Dinner, the Joe Pickett series has been bought and optioned for a television series by Doug Wick, of Red Wagon Entertainment, and Paramount Entertainment.

Red Wagon Entertainment has produced such feature films as the Divergent series, Lawless, The Great Gatsby and Gladiator. Box said that Wick has read every single book in the series and wants to be very loyal to the books. Box will serve as an executive producer on the series and said he wants it to be filmed in Wyoming.

While the Joe Pickett series has been bought by Wick and his production company, the rest of Box's novels have been purchased by David E. Kelley.

Kelley, who has been married to actress Michelle Pfeiffer since 1993, was the executive producer of television shows such as Big Little Lies, Goliath, Boston Legal and Ally McBeal. Kelley is also the creator of the television shows Harry's Law and Doogie Howser, MD.

Kelley has sold his adaptation of Box's novel "The Highway" to the satellite television network Epix.

Both Wick and Kelley have assured Box that they want to remain true to the books.

A lot has changed since the publication of "Open Season," Box's first book. Even his writing process.

"It's changed from the very first book. The very first one they offered a three book contract so when you're not writing on spec then you have to really hone in on what you're doing. There's deadlines with every one of them. They dictate how many words they're going to be and when they're due. So that's what you do every day," said Box.

Box also had advice for aspiring writers.

"I tell fledgling writers that they should pursue journalism first. Learn how to write. Learn how to write on deadline. Learn how to write quickly and cleanly and then start the books."