" I first learned of Eric James and his literary endeavors in late 2002, early 2003. My uncle told me about him, as Eric had contacted him while doing research on his book, Jesse James Soul Liberty. He referred Eric to me as my mother had compiled over many years of research a voluminous amount of material concerning the "famous" outlaw Jesse James and his connection to our family.

 

" As my mother had passed away several years earlier, I was carting around these boxes with really no clue as to what was in them. To make a long story short, I sent him over 40 lbs. of documents in the Spring of 2003. Thanks to his detailed knowledge of the subject matter, and his expert skills as a writer and researcher, I've learned more about my mother's work and my family than I ever dreamed possible.

 

" Reading preliminary drafts of his chapters on my mother and her work has moved me to tears, and I have had no qualms about donating all of her research and source material to him for safekeeping. He's a very interesting and talented man, and I endorse him without reservation. "

 

                                              - J. MARK BEAMIS, October 9, 2012

J. MARK BEAMIS is the son of Joan Beamis, who authored Background of a Bandit. Here Mark refers to his mother's research files. Jesse James Soul Liberty describes how Joan discovered her kinship to Jesse James, after her father let the cat out of the bag through a slip of the tongue.