That was definitely my philosophy in regards to writing 
Outlanders...or anything for that matter.   
 But actually...how I ended up writing OL--writing for Gold Eagle period--was because the imprint had been offered the literary rights to 
The Wild, Wild West.    The then-executive editor, Feroze Mohammed, contacted me about writing a four book series based on the show due  to the comic mini-series I had written to generally good reviews a few years before.     
http://milehighcomics.com...ssue=95520999904%204    Feroze wasn't aware of the comic series...I believe Will Murray mentioned it and me to him.   
 But the deal for a WWW novel series fell through...so when I created  
Outlanders,  I added the Sin-Eater in the forearm holster as a  homage to Jim West's sleeve derringer.   
 And of course...there's Sindri, who I always pictured as a  bit more in proportion version of Michael Dunn.