Homer Glen Resident Writes Historical Fiction Novel

HOMER GLEN, IL — Homer Glen resident Dave Drown has self-published his second novel, "The Road to the Purple Onion," which takes place in the fictional town of Logansport, Illinois.

The book is historical fiction, with the backdrop of the real-life Bunion Derby of 1928, when 200 runners set out on a foot race from Los Angeles to New York, Drown told Patch.

Drown is no stranger to writing, as he has written both newspaper columns and a weekly gospel reflection over the past 20 years.

COVID forced Drown into retirement, and "it had been a few years since I had written, but that itch never went away," he said.

He self-published his first book, a novella called "Cornerstone," in 2005. That book is about a small Illinois town that comes together to save an old church that's about to be closed, Drown said.

"'The Road to the Purple Onion' is a prequel/sequel to Cornerstone, bringing back the main characters but also incorporating as a backdrop the actual First International Trans-Continental Footrace of 1928, where 200 men set out from Los Angeles to run across the country in 84 days, following the new Route 66," Drown said. "I was always fascinated by this seemingly forgotten piece of history, and finally the story came together in a way that I could incorporate the events of that race and my little town of Logansport."

Drown said he didn't have much difficult in writing the book, but he spent a great deal of time researching the 1928 race.

"All of the runners mentioned in the book were real, and their stories of the race were accurately depicted," Drown said.

Drown added that the novel is family-friendly, and suitable for middle-school age and up.

The book is available on Amazon both in paperback, hardback and Kindle formats.