The Loomis Gang
IDEA
People ask me, "Where did you get the idea for your book?" The Loomis Gang was my inspiration because they're a history diamond. There's been two excellent non-fiction books written on the gang, Frontier Justice: The Rise and the Fall of the Loomis Gang by Dr. Torrey and The Loomis Gang by George Walter. There was also an excellent documentary film by Brian Peter Falk titled The Loomis Gang. The Loomis Gang had been the largest crime family in 19th century America and was based in Waterville, NY right in the Mohawk Valley of central New York. Legend tells of Wash Loomis returning from the California gold rush of 1849 with gold he'd robbed from miners. To this day people claim Wash hid his loot in the impassable Nine Mile Swamp. This is the backbone of my story. I created a modern day character to chase the gold. I always liked the name Daisy so the first name was set. I came up with Daring from page 25 of The Loomis Gang. "Grove's natural fearlessness and daring won him the admiration of the gang, but his ready fists often involved him in trouble." The cowardly reporter Lyndon Johnson was based upon the nasty reporter chasing David Banner in the television show The Incredible Hulk. The rest of the story fell into place after many rewrites, revisions and late night dream ideas. I don't know about other writers but my ideas sort of fall together from multiple ideas, dreams, news clippings and any other nugget rattling around in my empty brain.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
I went to visit North Country Books the other day and Zack Steffen was punching my information into the computer for the Library of Congress. I guess I won't believe it's real until I'm holding that first printed copy in my ink-stained paws. Writer's dream of publication and spend years being rejected and scorned. I have to say that the years of being denied makes this all the sweeter. This is something only a published writer can understand with another. It's a fraternity, a brotherhood and sisterhood of the writer's block.
BLOOD MERIDIAN
I'm reading my favorite book again, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. I have read this book once a year since 1990 and I still learn something new everytime I'm through. This book is the modern day Moby Dick except much bloodier and violent. I read the excellent book by Stephen King titled On-Writing and he mentions Blood Meridian as being one of his all time favorites. I can write to infinity and I'd never match McCarthy's style. You can taste the dirt of the trail in your mouth and smell the smoke of the burnt game. Take my word for it, this is the best book written by a contemporary writer. I warn you, you'll need a dictionary while you read.
People ask me, "Where did you get the idea for your book?" The Loomis Gang was my inspiration because they're a history diamond. There's been two excellent non-fiction books written on the gang, Frontier Justice: The Rise and the Fall of the Loomis Gang by Dr. Torrey and The Loomis Gang by George Walter. There was also an excellent documentary film by Brian Peter Falk titled The Loomis Gang. The Loomis Gang had been the largest crime family in 19th century America and was based in Waterville, NY right in the Mohawk Valley of central New York. Legend tells of Wash Loomis returning from the California gold rush of 1849 with gold he'd robbed from miners. To this day people claim Wash hid his loot in the impassable Nine Mile Swamp. This is the backbone of my story. I created a modern day character to chase the gold. I always liked the name Daisy so the first name was set. I came up with Daring from page 25 of The Loomis Gang. "Grove's natural fearlessness and daring won him the admiration of the gang, but his ready fists often involved him in trouble." The cowardly reporter Lyndon Johnson was based upon the nasty reporter chasing David Banner in the television show The Incredible Hulk. The rest of the story fell into place after many rewrites, revisions and late night dream ideas. I don't know about other writers but my ideas sort of fall together from multiple ideas, dreams, news clippings and any other nugget rattling around in my empty brain.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
I went to visit North Country Books the other day and Zack Steffen was punching my information into the computer for the Library of Congress. I guess I won't believe it's real until I'm holding that first printed copy in my ink-stained paws. Writer's dream of publication and spend years being rejected and scorned. I have to say that the years of being denied makes this all the sweeter. This is something only a published writer can understand with another. It's a fraternity, a brotherhood and sisterhood of the writer's block.
BLOOD MERIDIAN
I'm reading my favorite book again, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. I have read this book once a year since 1990 and I still learn something new everytime I'm through. This book is the modern day Moby Dick except much bloodier and violent. I read the excellent book by Stephen King titled On-Writing and he mentions Blood Meridian as being one of his all time favorites. I can write to infinity and I'd never match McCarthy's style. You can taste the dirt of the trail in your mouth and smell the smoke of the burnt game. Take my word for it, this is the best book written by a contemporary writer. I warn you, you'll need a dictionary while you read.
posted by dennis at 5:28 AM
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