It started with a blog in the wake of the Federal government's snap shutdown of the live cattle export trade with Indonesia.
Then pastoralist Michael Trant was so incensed by this decision and what he describes as "government ineptitude" that he took to the keyboard and started his musings, which he called the Farmer's Way of Life.
This blog was initially an attempt to portray his own experiences in the wake of the live export decision, however it morphed into his thoughts about other general agricultural issues.
"It was an attempt to spread the word about agriculture from my own perspective and I never expected it to go as far as it did," Mr Trant said.
"It had funny and serious posts about policies and other issues as they sprang up.
"And it had a good following at the time."
The blogging took place while Mr Trant was working at Gabyon station, owned by the family of his then-wife Gemma.
He loved the writing process and decided to go a step further and attempt to pull a book together.
With no formal training or writing courses behind him, except a love of the English language, he pumped out a manuscript based on a family living on a station.
He managed to get a publishing contract with Allen & Unwin and, after two years of edits and proofs, Ridgeview Station hit the shelves in 2017.
"It is amazing to hold a real book with your name splashed across the cover," Mr Trant said.
"And it all started with people reading and responding to my blog in such a positive way."
Mr Trant, who grew up on his family's farm in Eneabba, now works as a farmhand at Arrino.
He fits his writing in between jobs.
Penguin released his second book, Wild Dogs, in early 2022 and recently published his latest manuscript No Trace.
These are rural crime thrillers, which is an increasingly popular genre among Australian authors.
Wild Dogs is set in the drought-ridden Murchison and is about a clash of cultures, with an old 'bushie' paired with a young Muslim.
The main character is Gabe Ahern, who makes a living by trapping wild dogs for local station owners.
He leads a solitary life until he rescues an Afghan man, Amin, from execution.
His main opponent is Chase Fowler, a kangaroo hunter with bush skills as sharp as his own.
Ahern makes a comeback appearance as the main protagonist in No Trace, again set in a pastoral location.
He is hiding out since busting open a major crime operation.
Mr Trant said Penguin had requested another novel based on the success of Wild Dogs and No Trace, and he was working on a new book - again centred on the old bushie.
He said having never done any formal writing courses gave him freedom to follow his own thought patterns when it came to pulling a manuscript together.
"I am not much of a plotter, so I find the first draft can be very frustrating," he said.
"I like going back over the first draft and editing it and I love it when the first draft is done and dusted."
Mr Trant didn't know many local writers when he started and had learned his craft during the writing process.
"I had been to a few writers' festivals and joined the Geraldton Writer's Group," he said.
"But mostly I was winging it and making it up as I went.
"Like anything creative, it takes a lot of hours of doing something before you build up your confidence.
"I learn by doing."
Mr Trant said he loved writing "epics" during high school but was told by teachers his stories were too conversational.
"I would like to see those teachers now," he said.
Mr Trant said the inspiration for his characters came from real people he had worked with, giving the books authenticity.
He now fits writing in between tractor driving.
"Everything is autosteer nowadays, so there is plenty of time for me to think about stories in my mind and jot down notes on the go," Mr Trant said.
"Then I do a few hours a day of solid writing.
"I just have to make the time to do it, especially now that I have deadlines.
"A lot of writers work full-time and have families, so I am lucky to be able to fit my passion in around my work.
"I really enjoy the writing process.
"And it is great when you are published and you can have a chat with people about the book and get their feedback.
"So many people have different takes on the stories."
Mr Trant said he would continue to write outback-based thrillers and he had several manuscripts put away that he might revisit in future.
"I have managed to get four books published, so I will keep persevering and see what happens," he said.
After the launch of No Trace in May last year, Mr Trant arranged a few promotional events in country towns from Geraldton down to Albany.
And prompting much excitement, he was shortlisted in 2023 for the Western Australian Writer's Fellowship.
He said his audience was widespread, as outback drama was quite a huge genre nowadays.
"It is the new rural romance," Mr Trant said.
"The mood has shifted a little to rural crime, with big name authors such as Jane Harper and Chris Hammer leading the trend.
"I was lucky the release of my books coincided with the peak of this wave.
"I was just writing about what was happening around me and my experiences and my agent told me they were thrillers.
"The best advice I have received is to just write what you know."
