Making a monster: Meet ‘Year of the Dogman’ author

Courtesy photo In the fiction novel ÒYear of the DogmanÓ author Frank Holes Jr. writes about incidents occurring throughout 2007 in the made-up northern Michigan town of Twin Lakes. In the book, Holes writes about the infamous Dogman and its search for something taken from it hundreds of years ago.

Frank Holes Jr. found out about the Dogman a year ago and it led him to writing a fiction novel about the creature.

As a teacher of mythology and folklore, Holes Jr. found the stories and song about the creature fascinating and decided it would make a great story. What follows is an interview conducted with the author about his knowledge of the creature and the inspiration for his book “The Year of the Dogman.”

Could we have some background information or personal history, such as where you live, how old you are and profession, etc.

I have been a high school and/or middle school teacher for the past 12 years. I graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in English in 1996 and graduated with a masters from Central Michigan University in 2000. I was recently selected as a Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year for 2007. Currently, I live in Indian River with my wife Michele and son James. I am 33 years old and this is my first book published.

How did you first hear about the Dogman? How old were you?

I first heard the song about a year ago. My father had heard it several times on the radio and had told me about it. We were at my parents’ cabin in the deep woods watching the snow fall around the motion-sensor lights that lit up the darkness and the song “The Legend” came on the radio. It instantly hit me — that would make a great story! I’ve taught mythology and folklore for many years and had never heard of the Dogman before, so I figured it probably wasn’t in too many books yet. Right away I began researching this folklore character and came across Steve Cook’s Web site. After a few e-mails, he wished me the best of luck in developing a story from his song.

Indian River is a bit north for most of the good Dogman stories, as his stomping grounds seem to be around the Big Rapids/Cadillac/Manistee region. I’m a bit embarrassed to say I had not heard of the creature until last year when I first heard Steve Cook’s song, “The Legend.”

Have you ever seen the Dogman or do you know someone who has?

I have never seen the creature, but that of course doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I’m sure there are a lot of strange critters and creatures out there in the wilderness areas of the world (and Michigan too!) that are hiding out from civilization. In the course of writing and publishing our novel, we’ve come across several folks who have e-mailed their encounters with strange or unusual creatures around the state.

What made you want to write your book?

It isn’t too often that there is a story out there, an example of modern day folklore, that has at least a semi-plausable existence. Michigan is such a wonderful state, the vast areas of wilderness where anything could be living, lurking, hiding out from civilization. And I think that deep down, a lot of people wish that the substance of our many myths, our many folklore stories, were real, that these creatures could be out there. It really reaches down to that creative, inner belief we have that wants something supernatural to exist. The Dogman has appeared in several of the “Weird Michigan” type of books that document strange occurrences around the state. However, this creature has not had the opportunity to take center stage in its own book, its own story. There are plenty of werewolf stories and books around, but nothing about the Dogman.

Where did you get all your information concerning the Dogman for the book?

Much of the research was done online and in the various documentary books I’ve collected about weird happenings in Michigan. I looked for the “eyewitness” accounts and encounters that “supposedly” happened around the state. I also hung around the chat rooms and discussion groups on cryptids and cryptozoology collecting ideas and data. Though much of this was pure speculation and rumor, it did add a lot of great details and inspiration for the various encounters I created in the novel.

How much of it is fiction and how much comes from “real accounts” of sightings?

I think many of the “encounters” and “sightings” all seem to be from real folks, down-to-earth folks, people who don’t have something to gain from making up a story. They were the true inspiration for my novel, which is in many ways a year-long collection of various encounters the fictional townsfolk have with the creature. The novel I wrote is a fictionalized account based on several “sightings” and “encounters” I was able to research. I also created many of the scenes in the book purely from my imagination.

One of the most fun things to write about was the introduction in which the origins of the Dogman are shown. I looked through many historical documents and accounts to create a portrait of characters that inhabited our state several hundred years ago. Many of the details in that first chapter are taken from real events, locations and even the Algonquian names are accurate. It needed to feel real, down to the dirty details of everyday life on the frontier.

Do you believe in the Dogman?

Of course I do! There are people who won’t believe in something unless they see it right before their eyes. Well, we believe in black holes, atoms and molecules, and germs, and I can’t say I’ve ever seen one of these in real life either.

There are so many uncharted areas of our state, vast expanses of land untouched by humans, places people avoid because there are no roads there. Could something be out there in the wilderness? Is it a plausible myth?

Of course. Look at how the discovery of the mountain gorilla and giant panda changed how science looks at the folklore of local populations in Africa and Asia. These creatures of myth are only folktales until someone eventually finds one and documents it. Who’s to say the Dogman isn’t another in this line of cryptids destined for discovery someday?