Minnesota writers

I just finished reading "North of Hope" by Jon Hassler. Wonderful! I'm going to read and re-read all of his books. What is it about Minnesota that makes fiction writers so good? Another of my favorites is "Morte d'Urban" by J F Powers. A friend of mine believes that people who live in nice climates--Florida, California--spend too much of their time outdoors and don't develop their brains. Maybe. But I spent eight years living in Upstate New York and didn't develop my brain worth a damn.