His short story "Where I Go, What I Do" was included in the anthology
The Best American Short Stories in 1978. His first novel,
In a Dark Time, was published in 1980. The book did not sell well, delaying Watson's plans for a second novel. But
Montana 1948, published in 1993, was a success, winning the
Milkweed National Fiction Prize that year and going on to sell more than half a million copies. His subsequent novels include
Orchard,
Laura,
Justice, and
White Crosses.
Esquire magazine called his 2011 novel
American Boy one of the best books of that year. Watson's 2013 novel 'Let Him Go', has been made into a film, directed by Thomas Bezucha, and starring Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and Lesley Manville. Filmed in Calgary in 2019, it was released by Focus Features in November 2020. Watson taught writing and literature at the
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point for 25 years before joining the faculty at
Marquette University in 2003 as a visiting professor. ==Bibliography==