Thursday, December 5, 2019

Sister Blandina and (Her Almost) Run-In with the Famous Billy the Kid

You may have heard the tale of Sister Blandina and her famous run-in with Billy the Kid.

The Billy in question was not actually the notorious Wm. H. Bonney, but a man named Wm. LeRoy (née, Arthur Pond).

Sister Blandina met LeRoy (believing he was Bonney), while LeRoy was hell bent on the hunt in Colorado for the doctors who refused to treat a friend and fellow outlaw for a gun shot wound while he lay dying. Instead, Sister Blandina nursed the outlaw back to health.

LeRoy swore to scalp the deliberately negligent doctors, but Sister Blandina talked him out of his intended, bloody deed, and LeRoy thanked the Sister for her kindness in helping his ailing comrade.

There are still many people who confuse this story, believing Blandina met with Wm. H Bonney., which of course is not so. Sister Blandina, herself, boasted (albeit humbly) of this encounter, as well. After all, Wm. H. Bonney had a treacherous reputation, though it preceded him somewhat falsely and unfairly. Who wouldn't want to believe they stayed the famous "beast"? But in all fairness to Sister Blandina, this is *exactly* what she did, even though it was the wrong Billy the Kid, so she still gets props!

One of the defining attributes of Bonney is his (Irish) temper, but a telltale sign that this was not the famous Kid is Billy Bonney was not an inherently violent individual, and would more than most likely not have made an attempt to exact vengeance in the way LeRoy had, making the trek to carry it out.

Billy Bonney was a gentleman by all accounts, and would not harm innocent citizens.

In fact, during the 5-Day-Battle at Lincoln, the Regs refused to hole up in Tunstall's store, despite the lead-lined doorway (which would have helped tremendously) for fear of having innocent bystanders hurt or killed; so they made their way to McSween's while some of the other Regulators took up strategic positions elsewhere (of course, the 5-Day-Battle is a Benny Hill sketch of its own 🙄).

Billy Bonney knew the dangers of a violent life and was more than prepared while living it, having lost more than a few friends to it. The most devastating to him was Tom O'Folliard and Charlie Bowdre, who were shot and killed within days of one another.

An interesting anecdote referring to the bleak awareness that proved Billy Bonney knew how the game was played goes as follows: 

When Bowdre was shot, falling back into the Adobe the small, tattered remaining Regulator's were hiding out in, Billy pushed him forward, telling Bowdre he was done for and killed, and that he should go back and get his revenge, taking out as many men as he could.

This was simply a reality for the Kid and his compadres. 

Wicked Scribbler (@banditaexpress) 

 For book purchasing information thru Amazon and Barnes and Noble, click here!

http://nicolemaddalodixon.blogspot.com/2019/12/sister-blandina-and-her-almost-run-in.html?m=1




Wicked Scribbler (@banditaexpress)
Visit my website for purchasing information thru Amazon and Barnes and Noble



Sister Blandina and (Her Almost) Run-In with the Famous Billy the Kid

You may have heard the tale of Sister Blandina and her famous run-in with Billy the Kid.

The Billy in question was not actually the notorious Wm. H. Bonney, but a man named Wm. LeRoy (née, Arthur Pond).

Sister Blandina met LeRoy (believing he was Bonney), while LeRoy was hell bent on the hunt in Colorado for the doctors who refused to treat a friend and fellow outlaw for a gun shot wound while he lay dying. Instead, Sister Blandina nursed the outlaw back to health.

LeRoy swore to scalp the deliberately negligent doctors, but Sister Blandina talked him out of his intended, bloody deed, and LeRoy thanked the Sister for her kindness in helping his ailing comrade.

There are still many people who confuse this story, believing Blandina met with Wm. H Bonney., which of course is not so. Sister Blandina, herself, boasted (albeit humbly) of this encounter, as well. After all, Wm. H. Bonney had a treacherous reputation, though it preceded him somewhat falsely and unfairly. Who wouldn't want to believe they stayed the famous "beast"? But in all fairness to Sister Blandina, this is *exactly* what she did, even though it was the wrong Billy the Kid, so she still gets props!

One of the defining attributes of Bonney is his (Irish) temper, but a telltale sign that this was not the famous Kid is Billy Bonney was not an inherently violent individual, and would more than most likely not have made an attempt to exact vengeance in the way LeRoy had, making the trek to carry it out.

Billy Bonney was a gentleman by all accounts, and would not harm innocent citizens.

In fact, during the 5-Day-Battle at Lincoln, the Regs refused to hole up in Tunstall's store, despite the lead-lined doorway (which would have helped tremendously) for fear of having innocent bystanders hurt or killed; so they made their way to McSween's while some of the other Regulators took up strategic positions elsewhere (of course, the 5-Day-Battle is a Benny Hill sketch of its own 🙄).

Billy Bonney knew the dangers of a violent life and was more than prepared while living it, having lost more than a few friends to it. The most devastating to him was Tom O'Folliard and Charlie Bowdre, who were shot and killed within days of one another.

An interesting anecdote referring to the bleak awareness that proved Billy Bonney knew how the game was played goes as follows: 

When Bowdre was shot, falling back into the Adobe the small, tattered remaining Regulator's were hiding out in, Billy pushed him forward, telling Bowdre he was done for and killed, and that he should go back and get his revenge, taking out as many men as he could.

This was simply a reality for the Kid and his compadres. 

Wicked Scribbler (@banditaexpress) 

 For book purchasing information thru Amazon and Barnes and Noble, click here!

http://nicolemaddalodixon.blogspot.com/2019/12/sister-blandina-and-her-almost-run-in.html?m=1




Wicked Scribbler (@banditaexpress)
Visit my website for purchasing information thru Amazon and Barnes and Noble



Monday, February 11, 2019

Looking for A New Take on The Billy the Kid Tale?


Buy the 1st and 2nd Books!


I want to take this opportunity to ask those of who have not purchased books I & 2 of the Bandita Trilogy to go out and get your copies!

Written like no other Billy the Kid saga before its time, it's edgy and humorous (and at times, dark and gritty), and is not your average historian's Billy the Kid!

Told from the perspective of Lucy "Lucky Lu" Howard, our reluctant heroine, all events are accurate and worthy of a read in this, the modern age. I wrote these books with you, dear modern reader, in mind!

So worry not that you'll miss out on eventful facts, but instead appreciate how actively they're brought to life with the advent of supporting characters alongside their historical counterparts!

Visit my webpage: www.nicolemdixonauthor.com for info. and direction, or be aware that books 1&2 are available via @Amazon and @barnesandnoble in both print and electronic formats.

#amazon #BarnesandNoble #kindle #nook
www.nicolemdixonauthor.com **Also available at independent #bookstores

#historicalfiction #historicalromance #LincolnCountyWar #BillytheKid

Looking for A New Take on The Billy the Kid Tale?


Buy the 1st and 2nd Books!


I want to take this opportunity to ask those of who have not purchased books I & 2 of the Bandita Trilogy to go out and get your copies!

Written like no other Billy the Kid saga before its time, it's edgy and humorous (and at times, dark and gritty), and is not your average historian's Billy the Kid!

Told from the perspective of Lucy "Lucky Lu" Howard, our reluctant heroine, all events are accurate and worthy of a read in this, the modern age. I wrote these books with you, dear modern reader, in mind!

So worry not that you'll miss out on eventful facts, but instead appreciate how actively they're brought to life with the advent of supporting characters alongside their historical counterparts!

Visit my webpage: www.nicolemdixonauthor.com for info. and direction, or be aware that books 1&2 are available via @Amazon and @barnesandnoble in both print and electronic formats.

#amazon #BarnesandNoble #kindle #nook
www.nicolemdixonauthor.com **Also available at independent #bookstores

#historicalfiction #historicalromance #LincolnCountyWar #BillytheKid

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Social Media Marketing and Solicitation of Written Works

Some advice for Novelists and other Entrepreneurs alike: 

Books

First thing’s first: Get a brand. For example, my brand is the Little Political Italian Girl from Philly. This is my identifier and it works in my favor; people remember who I am which bodes well for the purchasing of my books.

Now, onto the nitty-gritty: I see a lot of unfitting behavior by authors (and other entrepreneurs); enough to warrant this post in the hopes that I may help a few of you navigate the minefield of selling your projects online. 

As far as authors are concerned, many don’t get it: Our Novels are our offspring. We nurture them - we spend a lot of time researching and learning to get them just right. We sit with them all night long, losing sleep so that we may birth them just right so that they are ready to go out into the world and (hopefully) be enjoyed by others when we decide to share our soul.

It’s hard getting others to understand this, so forget about that.
Having said that, onto bad reviews: When you receive a bad review, don’t use Facebook or any other social media platform to complain about it. Leave it alone and don’t shout it to the world!

Firstly, use that less than illustrious review as a wake-up call to instruct you to self-improve. After all, we’re always self-improving, otherwise, we remain stagnant.

And DO NOT – I repeat, DO NOT -- use your pages to criticize your readers, accusing them of “being too stupid” to understand the meaning and context or your book!

Yes! I’ve seen this and much worse! I’ve seen Facebook pages rife with post after post of a Novelist whining resentfully that their readers are much too illiterate, uninformed, and ignorant to understand their novel. After seeing such accusations, I took it upon myself to read a chapter or two of these particular books, and I can tell you, the writing/stories were in fact not good. Usually these books come from “authors” who produce book after book: One cannot churn out book after book and expect to create a masterpiece. That’s not how it works.

So best case scenario when complaining publicly about a bad review and the audience who’ve read it? The author may be guaranteed they will not receive any further reviews. Worst case scenario? Readers will shun an author’s books all together; nobody wants to buy books from an author who refers to their readers as “idiots”, and behaves poorly, unable to handle a little constructive criticism. It’s amateurish.
Also, you should be using Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Live, and even the dreaded Snapchat (see below under Entrepreneurs on how to maximize your Insta-posts). You can also use Goodreads as a way to give books away via contests, but I’ve since given up on those – the winners rarely post reviews or read your book.

Entrepreneurs:

Now, onto my other various entrepreneur friends. I’ve seen many of you complain on Facebook (just like authors) that no one is buying your products. You do not want to do this! If potential buyers suspect that no one is interested in your wares you can probably count on the fact that customers will not be lining up to purchase what you have. You may get a few pity buyers who generally happen to be friends, but you will scare away a theoretically budding lucrative base of clients who might otherwise be interested in your merchandise.

You want to jettison the complaints of unmoved merchandise all together and simply post pictures and descriptions of the merchandise, explaining the value in buying it. There is no reason to let others onto the fact that no one is buying your goods. As mentioned, if no one is buying, it’s a turn off to potential buyers.

Some social media advice: Forget Facebook (all right, not entirely; use Facebook for what it’s worth), and hop onto Instagram using colorful headlines that are sure to grab peoples’ attention, and be sure to use hashtags that fit your merchandise as well as tagging purveyors and other vendors – this could potentially help get you noticed.

You should also invest in a website, and every time you post a pic and description of your work be sure to list your website as well (that goes for your too, authors!)
Hope this helps! If you should have any other questions, please do ask, but I must say that I’ve mapped everything out here for you. Good luck!

www.nicolemdixonauthor.com
@NMDixonAuthor