by Jeffrey Marshall (Author)
Little Miss Sure Shot is a fictionalized account of the life of Annie Oakley, drawing heavily on the real timelines and events of her life. However, the book is not a biography - it invents situations, people she meets, and a myriad of conversations. Moreover, while the book is presented chronologically, apart from the prologue, it skips certain periods and attempts to focus on those that are especially vital, such as the early years Annie spent with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, including the tours through Europe. A special feature of the novel is the framing of Annie's loving marriage to fellow sharpshooter Frank Butler, whom she married at sixteen and remained married to for 50 years until her death. Frank was far more than just her husband - he was her manager (he gave up his own shooting for that role) and her constant companion. The novel closes with an epilogue in Frank's voice, presenting an overview of their lives together and the circumstances of her death in 1926.
Author Biography
Jeffrey Marshall is a retired journalist, author and poet from Scottsdale, AZ. This is his debut novel, but he was an award-winning journalist for 35 years and the author of two previous books. He's also written two unfinished thrillers that probably would have thrilled no one - and certainly no one in the publishing establishment. Marshall has a bachelor's degree from Princeton and a master's in journalism from Northwestern. He has a keen interest in American history of the late 1800s, the years of Annie Oakley's greatest fame and the era in which America, and the American West, was asserting itself on the world stage.