The people who have read it so far--those wonderful free proof-readers without whom I could not publish--think this is a great idea. You see, the novel is set ten thousand years in the future, so that's where the futuristic part comes in. It's about a man who is washed ashore after a battle against the forces of evil (hence the fantasy) in an unknown land. In the process of getting back to his wife and children, he has to cross deserts, fight bandits, and lead a revolution. Hence the Louis L'Amour.
It's more than that, though. I actively set-out to evoke a sense of Louis L'Amour in the writing, in the way the sentences were constructed, in the way the story played out.
I once heard of an author who was well-respected (though I never cared for his work) who thought "The Great Gatsby" was the greatest novel ever written. So he copied it down by hand to see how each sentence was written.
I have never done that with Louis L'Amour, but I have read his books over and over. I have a notebook of favorite phrases of his on my computer and notes I have made for myself about his work. They say that flamingos are naturally grey, but they turn pink because of all the shrimp they eat. If my writings evoke Louis L'Amour, it's probably because of all his work I have ingested. This book, though, is the first time I specifically tried to be "L'Amour-colored".
Here's hoping it worked and that you enjoy "A Thousand Miles Away". (Coming soon!)
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