I never thought I would be famous, much less one of the most famous women in the world—especially in 1885. Most women spend their days cooking, cleaning, sewing, and taking care of children. But traveling in the Wild West Show with a bunch of cowboys, Indians, trick riders, and sharpshooters? It never seemed possible. But, here I am; little Annie Oakley from North Star, Ohio, shooting it up with the likes of Frank Butler, Bobby Brady, and Buffalo Bill Cody—and besting them every time. I’ve also become quite the amateur sleuth, solving murders that happen while we are on the road.

I never intended to be crime solver, but when I found Kimimela, my Indian assistant, dead in my tent, I felt a responsibility to find out what had happened to her. We had become close, and Kimi had no one to look after her and her baby—so it was up to me. But, I’m used to taking care of people. Back home in North Star, I perfected my shooting skills by killing game to put on my family’s table. I also sold game birds to Mr. Shaw at the North Star Mercantile for extra money. He was always so proud of my aim. Used to brag to everyone that I could shoot those birds in the back of their heads so there was never any damage to the meat.

Back home my day started with waking up before dawn to do my chores. I gathered water from the creek, then got my brother and sister up and dressed. Sometimes I had to feed them breakfast (if we had anything in the larder) because Mother suffered from debilitating headaches. Then, I headed outside with my daddy’s Henry .44 to shoot game. Daddy had died a few years back, and that’s when I taught myself to shoot. It took a while to get used to the weight of the gun—it was almost as big as me—but I got stronger, and my aim got better.

It was a hard life, not to mention the year I spent at the McCrimmons. Right after Daddy died, Mother, crazy with grief, got overwhelmed and felt I would be better off away from home. Secretly, I think she sent me there to learn how to keep a proper house, so I could marry a proper Quaker who would take care of me. But, I ended up at the McCrimmons who abused and neglected me. I won’t bore you with those details, but I will tell you the only good thing that came from that year was Buck—the beautiful Buckskin horse that has been my best friend since.

Now, I do all my shooting for the show. I make the same salary as the male sharpshooters, and I can send a good portion of my wages to my family in North Star. My day starts with a visit to the corrals to see Buck. Mr. Post has fed him by the time I wake up, but I often bring him apples and carrots, or a sugar cube I’ve put in my pocket during afternoon tea.

After breakfast in the mess tent with the rest of the crew, I head back to the corrals to find Buck saddled up with my silver accented show saddle, ready for practice.

Practice is comprised of shooting clay pigeons, glass balls, live birds, or playing cards. Frank Butler can split a playing card in half at 50 paces! I can too, but that trick made Frank famous, so the crowd wants to see him do it. My specialty is conquering the mounted shooting course. Buck and I race through the arena shooting glass balls off of mounted tripods. When we finish I bring him to a sliding stop and he rears up, pawing into the air. The crowd goes absolutely wild.

Once the show’s manager is satisfied with our rehearsal, Mr. Post comes out and retrieves Buck for a good rubdown. I like to head to the Indian tepees to visit my dear friend Chief Sitting Bull. He is a wise man and we talk about such interesting things. If the Chief isn’t available, I often go to visit my friend Emma Wilson, a top-notch journalist, who has helped me to solve some of the Wild West Show’s most mysterious crimes.

A reformed blue-blood, Emma likes to have high tea in the afternoons at one of the fancy hotels in town. I usually get mobbed when I go out in public. I sign a few autographs and then Emma shoos my fans away, eager to drink her tea and nibble on scones. If we are investigating a murder, tea time is when we can compare notes and discuss our findings.

In the evening I make another visit to Buck to say goodnight. I love to look at the stars and think of my family back home.

Fame is never what I expected, but it has given me a good life. My days are filled with fun and adventure—and then there is always the occasional murder.

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of A Girl With A Gun. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends June 22, 2018. Good luck everyone!

You can read more about Annie in A Girl With A Gun, the first book in the NEW “Annie Oakley” mystery series.

Fifteen-year-old Annie Oakley is the sole supporter of her widowed mother and two siblings. An expert markswoman and independent spirit, she hunts game to sell to the local mercantile to make ends meet instead of accepting a marriage proposal that could solve all her problems.

After a stunning performance in a shooting contest against the handsome and famous sharpshooter Frank Butler, Annie is offered a position in the renowned Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Finally, she has a chance to save the nearly foreclosed family farm and make her dreams come true. But then her Indian assistant is found dead in her tent, and Annie is dubious when the local coroner claims the death was due to natural causes. When another innocent is murdered, Annie begins to fear the deaths are related to her. And to make matters worse, her prized horse, Buck, a major part of her act, is stolen.

Annie soon discovers that the solution to her problems lies buried in a padlocked Civil War trunk belonging to the show’s manager, Derence LeFleur. And so, with the help of a sassy, blue-blooded reporter, Annie sets out to find her horse, solve the murders, and clear her name.

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Meet the author
Empowered women in history, horses, unconventional characters, and real-life historical events fill the pages of Kari Bovée’s blog posts and manuscripts. Bovée is an award-winning writer: She was a finalist in the Romantic Suspense category of the 2012 LERA Rebecca contest, the 2014 NTRWA Great Expectations contest, and the RWA 2016 Daphne du Maurier contest for her unpublished manuscript Grace in the Wings. She was also honored as a finalist in the NHRWA Lone Star Writer’s contest in 2012 with the unpublished manuscript of Girl with a Gun. Bovée and her husband, Kevin, live in New Mexico with their cat, four dogs, and four horses.

All comments are welcomed.