One of the first questions I often get asked about writing a novel about Bonnie, from Bonnie and Clyde, is how I came to write a story about her. The answer has two parts. The first is that it’s never been done. There have been nonfiction accounts, a miniseries, and the 1967 film, but her—and their—story had yet to be told as a fictional memoir. That gave me the opportunity to slip into Bonnie’s skin and, within a novel, bring to life her motivations, her inspirations, her decisions, and her thoughts, which lead to the second reason for telling Bonnie Parker’s story: To discover what made her tick.
Bonnie Parker was a woman, who for all accounts had a wholesome upbringing. But she was also a young woman whose past involved the death of her father, an abusive husband, an education cut short, the crash of the stock market, and the onset of the Great Depression. Did those experiences make her more willing to fall for a man like Clyde Barrow, who had his own overflowing baggage? And then, after smitten, be willing to jeopardize her future for the man she loved?
Those questions drove my interest, and understanding a woman like Bonnie Parker was ultimately what appealed to me. During my research, I was surprised to find that Bonnie, along with Clyde, had motivations that ran deeper than how popular culture framed their stories, and I was eager to bring it to life.
Throughout history, there have been other women with thrilling stories, many who also made me wonder what inspired and motivated their actions. Below, I’ve surmised what their motivations and reasons could have been for entering into their daring lives.
Mary Fields: For the Right Reasons
Mary Fields, also known as “Stagecoach Mary,” may have lived during the 1800s, but she had no desire to live by 19th-century standards. She was a woman with a penchant for violence, alcohol, smoking, guns, and wearing men’s clothing. She turned many heads and had no problem punching a few jaws. Mary had to be tough to survive in the life she had chosen, which was the second woman in U.S. history (and the first black woman) to carry and deliver mail. That often put her in the position of holding a gun while protecting the mail from thieves and bandits. In Deliverance by Miantae Metcalf McConnell, which was recently included on Oprah’s “10 Titles to Pick Up Now,” readers have the opportunity to experience Mary’s story.
Pearl Hart: For Survival
It seems fitting to follow Mary with Pearl Hart, as Pearl is known as an outlaw of the Wild West for stagecoach robberies, spawning a media frenzy about the “female stagecoach robber.” While Pearl’s upbringing was one of church and education, she turned to crime after trying her luck in the gold mines. After coming up empty, she decided to rob a stagecoach. During her wild life, Mary also worked as a singer and a cook and also as the operator of a tent brothel. Mary once described herself as “good-looking, desperate, discouraged, and ready for anything” and while her exploits have appeared in western pulp fiction, she’s yet to make her way into a mainstream historical novel.
Sadie Farrell: For Self Gain
While some doubt her historical existence, Sadie Farrell, also known as “Sadie the Goat,” is a woman who roamed New York’s “Bloody” Fourth Ward—head-butting people in an effort to mug them. It’s said that Sadie left NYC after losing her ear and her pride in a bar fight. From there, folklore claims she became a river pirate, sailing up and down the Hudson and Harlem Rivers and raiding, robbing, and occasionally kidnapping people for ransom. Although never the leading lady in fiction, Sadie has been referenced in several historical novels, including, J. T. Edson’s Law of the Gun, Tom Murphy’s Lily Cigar, Bart Sheldon’s Ruby Sweetwater and the Ringo Kid, and Thomas J. Fleming’s A Passionate Girl.
Annie Oakley: For the Thrill of It
Annie Oakley has gone done in history as a top marksman. She could shoot a hole in a playing card, while the card was in midair, and hit the thin edge of a card from thirty paces and shoot off the end of a cigarette, while held between her husband’s lips. She’s also been said to have shot a cigarette from the mouth of Kaiser Wilhem II and entertain Queen Victoria. It was no wonder she was a star in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Annie lead the type of thrilling and daring life that I love to experience in books and film and will be the star of Kari Bovee’s forthcoming novel Girl with a Gun, where Annie showcases her sharpshooting skills but also her tenacity as she solves a murder mystery in the hopes of clearing her own name.
Zee Mimms: For Love
Zerelda “Zee” Mimms may not be a name quickly recognized, but you’re likely to recall her husband, notorious outlaw Jesse James. Zee was born the daughter of a pastor, yet despite her sensible upbringing she couldn’t shake her love for her cousin Jesse. This love was quickly tested, Zee waiting nine years between Jesse’s engagement and when they finally wed in 1874. On that day, she married into his fugitive lifestyle and later adopted an alias to elude the law. Since 1927, Zee has been portrayed in nine films and will make her literary debut in Pat Wahler’s forthcoming I Am Mrs. Jesse James.
Rose Dunn: For a Moment in Time
Rose Dunn was familiar with the outlaw life from an early age, thanks to her two older brothers. It didn’t come as a surprise when she fell in love with an outlaw by the name of George “Bittercreek” Newcomb. She quickly became indispensible to his gang and it’s said the boys worshipped Rose for her good looks and calm demeanor, an asset while venturing into towns for supplies, as Newcomb was a wanted man. During a shoot-out, she saved Newcomb’s life by returning fire, then nursing him back to health. Ironically enough, Rose’s brothers left their outlaw ways behind and became bounty hunters, who shot and killed Newcomb for the bounty of $5000 each. After her lover’s death, she also left the outlaw life behind, marrying a local politician and living the remainder of her life as a respectable citizen. Rose’s story became one of infamy, though her story has yet to be told in a novel.
