What's next?

How about cowgirl spies??

One of the questions I always get at a presentation or book signing is “What are you working on next?”

The answer may surprise you. After a lifetime of journalism and writing non-fiction, I am dipping my toe into the pool of fiction writing. So far, I’ve written two romance novels which are out in the world looking for a publisher. Currently, I’m writing a novel about a cowgirl spy, which I’m hoping will become a series.

The idea for a book about cowgirl spies popped into my head years ago when I was researching my book The Last of the Wild West Cowgirls. I set it aside because I was immersed in other projects. But then I saw a letter from Annie Oakley from the time of the Spanish-American War that had been posted online by Madie Ward of the National Archives History Office. Dated April 5, 1898, three weeks before the declaration of war, Oakley volunteered to organize a regiment of 50 American female sharpshooters, who would supply their own ammunition and arms, should the nation go to war. Apparently, this 1898 letter to President William McKinley is a favorite of David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States.

As soon as I read it, it became my favorite too. Of course, Oakley’s offer was declined because women were not allowed to serve. But what if Annie decided that she and her lady sharpshooters could help anyway? What if she formed a spy ring of Wild West cowgirls? Sure, they would be sharpshooters, but they could serve in other ways too, not just during a war. The cowgirls were famous and could get almost anyone to talk to them. They traveled all over the U.S. and Europe. They were as comfortable taking tea with a city’s society women as they were shooting clay pigeons in the arena and twirling a rope around six cowboys racing past them on horseback.

Those thoughts led to more research, and while I was doing that, I asked a lot of people what they thought about the idea. A few looked at me like I was crazy, but mostly people were excited about it. That excitement nudged me to start filling a blank screen with words, and now I’m deep into writing the first book in what I’ve projected will be a series of at least three books, and I’m having a blast writing about Wild Wests, Annie Oakley, and her cowgirl spies, specifically Bea Dallas, a badass cowgirl who saves President Taft from an assassin.

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Are you one of those people who can’t read Annie’s letter? Not being able to read cursive is a problem for many young researchers and scholars today. If you can read cursive, it turns out that the National Archives considers that a super power. They are looking for volunteers to help translate documents. You can read about it here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2025/01/27/national-archives-needs-help-transcribing-cursive-writing/77976664007/

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Cowboy/Cowgirl Lingo of the Day

Argue a gopher into climbing a tree - What a ‘mouthy’ cowboy can do

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This bobcat visited my garden a couple of weeks ago.