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Biologist and wildlife photographer Clayton Porter witnesses what appears to be a routine drug-smuggling flight across the Arizona-Mexico border. Instead, he uncovers a sophisticated operation involving a secret lodge high in the Sierra Madre, canned hunts for endangered jaguars, a ring of opioid-dealing doctors in the U.S., and a string of cartel victims partially consumed by a large predator. After he unwittingly throws a wrench into the works, Porter becomes a target of revenge, and resorts to skills from his military service to save himself and those close to him.
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Q&A
When and where do you prefer to write?
I have a beautiful, century-old oak roll-top desk that really should have an Underwood on it but instead holds my Macbook Pro. The desk’s drawers and cubbies are stuffed with all sorts of interesting relics, so it’s an inspiring space for writing either fiction or non-fiction. I’m generally writing by 7:00 AM unless I go for a bicycle ride first.
Do you have a certain ritual?
Not really. I do a lot of other things—work on our vehicles (two old Land Cruisers and a Land Rover), build things around the house, etc.—so I bounce around a lot.
– Is there a drink of some food that keeps you company while you write?
Good coffee, but no more than two cups. Otherwise I start typing too fast and misspell things.
– What is your favourite book?
Impossible to say! I could list 30. Sentimentally, Tarzan of the Apes, as it was a precious escape for me as a child, and was the seed of my love for Africa (even though Edgar Rice Burroughs never set foot on the continent and got a bunch of it wrong). More recently, Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See had me in tears many times. A transcendent vision of a book.
– Do you consider writing a different genre in the future?
I started out with non-fiction books on natural history and outdoor sports, and wrote a children’s fiction book and a book of sort stories, so I guess I already have!
Do you sometimes base your characters on people you know?
There are several characters in Trail of the Jaguar whose inspirations easily recognized themselves. It makes the author’s job easier if you already know someone who fits a character you need.
– Do you take a notebook everywhere in order to write down ideas that pop up?
Yes . . . I frequently get random inspirations and need to get them down right then or they’re likely to vanish.
– Which genre do you not like at all?
Pornography—well, I suppose I shouldn’t say that since I’ve never read any, but . . . Oh, and mathematics. I know people who read math books for fun. They’re insane.
– If you had the chance to co-write a book. Whom would it be with?
That’s a tough one. Of course I’d be tempted to pick some Pulitzer fiction winner, but then I’d be too intimidated. I’d be more likely to pick a natural history writer, since I’d have more to offer in terms of experience and research. Possibly Bernd Heinrich? I love his work.
– If you should travel to a foreign country to do research, which one would you chose and why?
Currently I’m hoping Canada opens up to vaccinated U.S. citizens this summer, as I need to get to the high arctic, where the plot of the sequel to Trail of the Jaguar is centered. Fingers crossed!
Thank you, Jonathan Hanson and Rachel’s Random Resources.
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Author Bio
Jonathan Hanson grew up northeast of Tucson, Arizona, with Sabino and Bear Canyons as his backyard, providing him with years of desert expeditions, hunting like the Apaches and building wickiups (which failed spectacularly).
He has since written for a score of outdoor and adventure magazines including Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Nature Conservancy, and Global Adventure, and has authored a dozen books on subjects including natural history, sea kayaking, wildlife tracking, and expedition travel.
Jonathan’s exploration experience encompasses land- and sea-scapes on six continents, from the Atacama Desert to the Beaufort Sea, from the Rift Valley to the Australian Outback, and modes of transportation from sea kayaks to sailboats to bicycles to Land Cruisers.
He has traveled among and worked with cultures as diverse as the Seri Indians and the Himba, the Inuit and the Maasai. Jonathan has taught tracking, natural history writing, four-wheel-driving techniques, and other subjects for many conservation and government organizations.
He is an elected fellow of the Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society, and a charter member of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and lives in Southern Arizona with his wife of 37 years, Roseann Beggy Hanson.
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Social Media Links
www.facebook.com/authorjonathanhanson
https://www.instagram.com/jonathanhansonauthor/
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Book Link
B for Bookreview 