This tiny nugget threw me for a major loop. Annie Oakley was one of the greatest heroes of her time. How is it no one knows of this story? Why has this never been told before?
Gary M. Krebs – 19 May 2020
The Back Flap
Dark County, Ohio, 1866. Young Phoebe Ann Moses lives a life of peace and harmony on a farm with her Quaker family and has dreams of living a hunter’s life in the woods.
When Jacob Moses, the beloved patriarch, tragically dies, Phoebe’s life is sent into a tailspin. The family suffers in squalor as they move from place to place, until Phoebe is sent to live in the Infirmary, where the orphans taunt and bully her. Desperate to start over, she volunteers to live in a secluded cabin in the woods with a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Wolf, to help them raise their baby.
Phoebe finds she is in grave danger: She becomes a prisoner and slave to the couple, whom she dubs “the Wolves.” Will she ever escape and rejoin her family?
This gripping tale is the origins story of one of America’s greatest heroes: renowned sharpshooter and performer Annie Oakley. It serves as a testament to the strength and guile of the 19th century female human spirit and is more relevant today than ever.
About the book
When did you start writing the book?
August 2015.
How long did it take you to write it?
About four years. I also simultaneously worked on the screen adaptation, which has been signed to a shopping agreement with a Hollywood producer.
Where did you get the idea from?
The idea caught my attention when a one-paragraph blurb about Annie Oakley in my news feed caught my attention. I can’t remember the source, but it mentioned in passing that when Oakley had been a girl (Phoebe Ann Moses) she was held prisoner for two years.
This tiny nugget threw me for a major loop. Annie Oakley was one of the greatest heroes of her time. How is it no one knows of this story? Why has this never been told before?
It was then I knew I had an obligation to convey this story in ways a modern audience might understand it and relate to it: historical fiction. However, I wanted this to be an origins story only. I sought to answer the question: How does a poverty stricken, abused girl become the world’s most acclaimed sharpshooter at such a young age?
While I found smatterings of information about Oakley’s childhood—most of which was contradictory, I was able to piece together a narrative that (I hope) captures the essence of her trials and tribulations.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
There were so many powerful components of Phoebe’s (Annie’s) childhood, but mainly poverty and tragedy: she loses her father and then her oldest sister, both of whom held the family together. Phoebe was next tormented by other kids at a place called the Infirmary prior to going to going off with the abusive family dubbed “the Wolves.” I didn’t want too many climactic moments, but rather, a build to her final showdown with the Wolves. I was able to resolve this by crafting her story into part divisions.
I also sought to separate this work as much as possible from the musical/film Annie Get Your Guns and even the stories of other female sharpshooters, such as Calamity Jane. While writing, I feared people would only want “the Betty Hutton” (or “the Ethel Merman”) Annie which, in retrospect, was absurd.
I did not want the book to be treated as a biography or for anyone to nitpick about this detail or that reference. It is not a biography, although much of what transpired was influenced by events believed to have occurred in some fashion. I conducted a ton of research and sought authenticity, but I also took poetic license to (hopefully) create an entertaining work with narrative flow.
Lastly, it happens I’m Jewish, so I worked as diligently as possible credibly represent the Quaker Moses family. It’s not as if there are many Quakers around to interview these days!
What came easily?
The emotional aspects of the story flowed easily for me. While I am obviously an adult man, I was able to relate to the abuse Phoebe suffered through because of abuse I experienced during my own childhood. While the circumstances were obviously very different, I felt I could tap into my own feelings and memories to provide authenticity.
Originally, I thought I might struggle with the “gun aspect” of her story—but didn’t. I am opposed to gun violence, and yet I saw Annie Oakley’s abilities with a rifle as a type of genius analogous to Ted Williams’ ability to hit a baseball, Amelia Earhart’s to fly an airplane, or Toni Morrison’s virtuosity with storytelling.
No one taught Annie Oakley how to shoot: She was a genuine prodigy. Many people don’t realize that, in her lifetime, she taught thousands of women how to shoot. (Not one student was known to have committed any kind of crime, by the way.)
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
This is historical fiction, so many (though not all) of the characters in the story were real. Obviously, Phoebe and all of her family members existed. Phoebe also had various experiences with other stepfathers and stepsiblings, which I touch on.
I didn’t venture too deeply into Annie as an adult by intent, but I thought her romance with Frank Butler was essential to her coming of age and, finally, to her finding stability and love.
The villainous Wolves (dubbed so by Oakley herself) were real people, which was confirmed by the Garst Museum (the Annie Oakley Museum) in Greenville, OH. The curator told me she knew their real names but, out of respect for the wishes of their descendants and the Oakleys, they will not reveal them. Instead, I went with Mr. and Mrs. Wolf, which has poetic justice to it. I named their bratty child Leroy, which was a sly reference to the old W.C. Fields film nemesis, Baby Leroy.
Do you have a target reader?
I think it will appeal to lovers of historical fiction and American history. Annie was not a true Westerner (from Darke County, Ohio) but, since she was an iconic sharpshooter, her story should also appeal to lovers of Westerns.
One of the things that makes this story have such appeal is its correlation to the modern-day #MeToo Movement. Annie was way ahead of her time in so many ways—her genius with a rifle and her philosophy, for example, which has feminist overtones. Back in the 19th century, abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual) was not talked about—and certainly not in relation to American heroes. Annie is a hero for everyone, but perhaps #MeToo members can especially celebrate her for this reason because she was able to rise out from her abusive circumstances and come out on top.
As I started writing the work, I also realized that my wife and daughter (now 21 years old) love the V.C. Andrews books (Flowers in the Attic) and TV adaptations. I tried watching one such dramatization and was horrified at what the characters endured in the attic—so much so that I couldn’t bear to watch it! Yet my wife—who often hates violent action movies that I like—is mesmerized by these abuse stories. So, I think there is an allure for that audience as well.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so, can you please describe it?
I write from the moment I first sit at my desk to the end of the working day. Since I write professionally as a collaborator with other authors (and do some literary agent work), I prioritize their work over mine in order to best service clients and make a living for my family.
In order to write anything, I have to go through my “warm up process”: shower, dress, breakfast, a few chores, pet the cat, drink lots and lots of coffee. I turn on some music at my desk to clear my head while I organize my desk, check email, and do administrative work: These activities are like a GO button.
The music goes off. Then it’s write, write, write. I try not to allow distraction, but it’s hard with family, clients, calls, etc. I use a rising desk to switch off sitting and standing, which can be murder on the back and neck.
It’s important to take breaks to stretch out, clear the head, and ease my neck and back pain. I admit it sometimes becomes difficult picking up where I left off, but usually I find a way. The upside is that I often come up with new and better ideas during these breaks, especially when I take long walks or do yoga stretching.
For inspiration, I try to read as much as possible, including books about writing. Currently, I’m reading Pity the Reader, by Kurt Vonnegut and Suzanne McConnell. Once in a while, I’ll go back to Stephen King’s On Writing, which is fantastic.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Outlines are critical out of the gate. For me, every story must have a beginning, a middle, and an end: a protagonist with a goal.
Phoebe Ann Moses is a young girl who wants to hunt: Everything in the book is an obstacle toward achieving that goal. We know she ultimately must become the world’s most renowned sharpshooter, Annie Oakley—so her conflicts along the way to attempting to achieve her goal are devastating. Mr. Wolf uses his rifle collection as a way to lure her in and molest her.
If I didn’t outline, my imagination would dominate, and the work would meander all over the place. I do leave some room for revising the outline, especially in terms of the structure and chapter names.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I was a professional trade book acquisitions editor for many years before I became a book publisher and then writer. I started my writing/agenting business about 4 1/2 years ago.
A major advantage I have is that I edited thousands of books over the years in a variety of categories. I’ve seen the good, the bad, the ugly. I worked on many bestsellers (and few klunkers), so I know what sells, what’s marketable, and what reads well.
Sometimes, unfortunately, my sales/marketing brain gets in the way of the writing. I think, “Oh my God, what will this sales director or that marketing director think about what I’m writing?” It caused a lot of foolish second-guessing for me.
Also, being an editor also causes me to edit as I go, which admittedly bogs me down. I am far from perfect on the first—or even second—draft, however. I still go back many times to revise, especially when the draft is done.
Did you hire a professional editor?
No. I’m lucky in this regard. I know my work will be relatively clean when it’s done. I consider myself an A+ development editor, an A line editor, an A- proofreader, and a B copyeditor.
But when it comes to proofreading your own work, you do get snow-blind and miss things as a proofreader, so I would downgrade my proofreading ability to B+ on my own writing.
It is always good to step away from the work for a day or a week before editing and/or proofreading to clear the head and look at it objectively.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I am not at all like Stephen King in this regard. (For starters, I’m more of a classic rock guy than heavy metal…The Beatles, The Doors, The Who, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, et al). I can put on music before or after I write for inspiration, but never during.
Like I wrote earlier, I love books about writing: King’s On Writing, The Sound of Paper, etc. I also admit I enjoy going to writer’s homes, (such as the Twain House) and watching films with writers as main characters. Certain honest/authentic musicians, such as John Lennon, inspire me. I’m a fan of Philip Roth, John Irving, Kurt Vonnegut, Christopher Moore, and T.C. Boyle…
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Although I am a literary agent myself, I did work with an agent at first because I do not have the contacts in fiction. That didn’t work out, so I took the reins and shopped it around and sold it myself.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Traditional publishing didn’t “get it.” Having been a publisher myself, I know exactly what they were thinking: “We can’t find an exact comp title that is a bestseller.”
Obviously, I disagree, and hopefully my gut is right. Sometimes there isn’t a comp title for a unique original idea. There is always a first. I was fortunate to find White Bird Publishing, a small press, which was willing to take a chance on a debut work on what others considered to be an unproven “niche.”
I also sold audiobook rights to Blackstone Audio, which is a big deal: Audiobook sales are scorching hot right now, and it would be a major miss not to have an audiobook of my work out there.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
Not to take anything away from my publisher, but they couldn’t execute an acceptable cover for the book. I told them exactly what the concept should be. Unfortunately, they couldn’t execute it.
I went to a brilliant professional book designer, Libby Kingsbury, who had worked with me years ago at Globe Pequot Press (in Guildford, CT). She banged it out of the park on the first try. The publisher was satisfied with it. Thank you, Libby!!!
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I tried that, but everything has fallen apart with Coronavirus and everyone staying at home. All of my events have been canceled. Now I am just winging it!
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Spend the money investing in a good book editor and a professional cover and interior book designer (NOT a web designer, advertising designer, etc.). Make sure that your feed copy on Amazon.com is 100% perfect and professionally written.
People in the book industry can spot an amateurish book in a half-second. The average reader can spot an amateurish book right away as well, but they may not know how to put what is wrong with it into words.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Born in Brooklyn, NY; raised in Queens, NY; high school in Long Island, NY (which I hated!).
Where do you live now?
Fairfield, CT.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I put 1,000% percent into writing this book and truly hope people enjoy it. I want people to feel the same way I do: This was a story that had to be told.
I’m hoping I don’t get pigeonholed into historic fiction. I write in such a wide variety of genres, it’s hard for me to know where the next creative impulse will lead me. Prior to this work, my own writing only consisted of humorous contemporary fiction. Go figure!
What are you working on now?
Ah, that I must keep secret for now!
End of Interview:
For more from Gary Krebs, visit his website.
Get your copy of Little Miss of Darke County from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
