Writing “The Bootlegger of Illinois”

My journey from inspiration to research and publication.

In writing my first ever fiction book, I took a very leisurely approach (no contracts, deadlines or publisher chasing me). So as not to lose the idea, I jotted down some notes as to the plot and some ideas about the storyline. One was that Jesse would be a veteran and have some military skills and Sheriff Buckley would feel beholden to him for trying to save his son.

When I went back to my notes, I decided on an ambush from cover of the gangsters visiting Jesse's farm, so it was logical to make him a WW1 sniper. That was all I had when, in the UK lockdown for the Corona Virus (Covid19), I picked up the excellent Nicholas Rankin's “Churchill's Wizards – The British Genius for Deception 1914-1945 (Faber & Faber 2008). This wasn't research – just my interest in military history. In the first part of the book, the amazing Hesketh-Prichard appeared – an advocate for sniping and founder of the Sniping, Observation and Scouting school. From that piece of serendipity I found (free online from the Open Library) Prichard's own publication “Sniping in France – with notes on the scientific training of scouts, observers and snipers” 1920 Hutchinson & Co.  What had been intended as an explanation for Jesse's skills with a rifle, became a bigger part of the book as I incorporated the SOS experience into the story.

As my writing developed, I saw that I needed more on the Chicago crime scene of the 1920s, as writing about Jesse's and Buck's region would not fill the book. Luckily, I found another excellent book “Al Capone's Beer Wars – a complete history of organized crime in Chicago during prohibition” by John H. Binder (pub Prometheus 2017). This helped correct many misconceptions I had from reading books years ago and watching movies. A big surprise was the youth of the mobsters – many in their twenties or only just in their thirties.

I am extremely grateful to Mr Binder for informing me about the Whiskey Rebellion (Western Pennsylvania 1791), the Lager Beer riots (Chicago 1855) and that by 1917 thirteen states had gone “dry” due to the Temperance movement, but that did not mean all were alcohol free, some having a prosperous illegal trade. In 1906 residents of Chicago drank nearly three times more than the national average. It confirmed, for me, that I had a workable plot.

Another book that proved invaluable was “Mr Capone” by Robert J. Schoenberg (pub Robson Books, 1992). Short of going to Chicago (which would have been fantastic) I had to rely on immersing myself in good histories.

I’d finished a draft, the complete story told but still needing the embellishment to keep the reader interested, when I picked up “The Mafia – the first 100 years” by William Balsamo & George Carpozi Jr (pub Virgin Books – Penguin – 1988). Apart from being slightly horrified that the title suggests we’ll have the Mafia for another 100 years, I did draw comfort for Sean O’Leary’s actions at the end with this statement:

“It is axiomatic in some sectors of the underworld community that revenge is sweeter when it is not taken against the person who committed the harm…..the theory is, it is better instead to take the life of someone near and dear to him.”

To keep me in the period, I noted the big events of each year on a page before the action and decided not to delete when I completed the story, as I felt they added background, especially for you, the reader, who may not be versed in American history. However, on another rewrite and some feedback from Beta readers, I did delete.

While working on the drafts, I was also reading the excellent “Forensics – The anatomy of crime” by one of my favorite authors – Val McDermid. I do recommend this to any fan of crime fact or fiction. It is so superior to the memoirs I had recently read by a pathologist. It jogged my memory about Edmond Locard (who first came to my notice in the Lincoln Rhymes series of books by Jeffery Deaver) and also Song Ci, whom I had read about in a fictionalized story of him, plus an episode of BBC's Silent Witness. That gave me material to fill out more of Jesse's back history and his skill at deleting evidence.

As an afterthought, I wonder if “whisky chasers” originated during Prohibition, the legally produced “near beer” being boosted by neat alcohol in a process known as “needling.” Just a thought.

Keith Lawson

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Acknowledgements & Hat Tips

Authors: Keith Lawson (Authors page) 
Images: Images created inhouse
Further reading:
- Publication page with links to where to purchase
- Reader Reviews on goodreads.com and The Mommies Reviews