Little Miss Sure Shot by Jeffrey Marshall

Little Miss Sure Shot

Annie Oakley’s World

by Jeffrey Marshall.

(Historical fiction, history, women’s fiction)

Know More

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.

A Word from the Author

Annie Oakley is a legend whose sharpshooting prowess has been the stuff of legend down the ages. Little Miss Sure Shot is a novel that re-creates her life: her upbringing, her marriage, her career with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, and her loving relationship with her husband, Frank Butler. Some of her famous tricks and shooting records are detailed, and there is special attention to her travels with the Wild West Show, which took her around the country and to Europe and made her one of the most famous women in the world.

(Jeffrey Marshall, 2021)