Casual Commentary on the Arrival of Book II in the Bandita Series -- Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid: The Scourge of New Mexico

Casual Commentary on the Arrival of Book II in the Bandita Series -- Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid:

               The Scourge of New Mexico

I’m anxiously waiting to receive the galleys from my publisher for Book II. I’m way ahead of them, as I’ve taken to revisiting the manuscript early so that I can get any last minute corrections in order. I’m happy to report that I’ve found only one small necessary correction and another that I’ve decided I’d like to change. Learning from my first round in this industry, I knew that if I needed more time to recalculate my story then that’s the way it was gonna have to be, unlike my first experience working with my publisher; I did as I was told despite being given 5 days to return an epic length manuscript, all while working a 40+ hour work week. As a result, homonym mistakes slid through my panicked editing as I wanted to have my manuscript ready for the appropriated day; I was concerned about causing a fuss as this was my frist published book--this is a mistake I live with daily and scold myself for--I should have insisted more time, but as every new author knows, or every aspiring writer should know, you don't want to make waves with your publisher. Publishers have a funny way of not wanting to work with a difficult author. Nonetheless, I should have stuck up for myself and stuck to my guns instead of living with the repurcussions of not doing so.

As a first-time author who’s serious about her prowess as a writer and concerned with her reputation, I can promise you that the last thing you want to do is create a bad-term relationship with your publisher, so you do what you’re told. After my initiation into having the first book in my series published and the mistakes borne from it, please allow me to direct you: you must learn that you have to stay true to your work and its integrity. Once you’ve proven yourself to the publisher, you should have no problem making subtle demands as to when and how you will return the written product.  Once you’ve established your relationship and reputation, your publisher should have faith in you and have no problem meeting your requirements. A good publisher is, after all, more concerned with thoroughness and accuracy over speed**. I’d exercised my burgeoning status within the writing industry and my publisher responded positively: I contacted them and explained that I will need a necessary extension, of which they had no trouble providing.

     (**it is important to note that, unless you are with the Top Five publishers, editors do not "edit" manuscripts, per se. The industry has changed quite a bit so as the writer you must be vigilant when it comes to your own work!)

So, now I’m in the homestretch and cannot wait until Bandita Book II (Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid: The Scourge of New Mexico) hits shelves and virtual shelves alike! Book II is my personal favorite, though that’s not to say that I in no way value Book I (Bandita Bonita: Romancing Billy the Kid). Book I was a tremendous anthology of character development, scene setting, and historical chronicling. In between all of that, humor abounded (humor is my tradmark, after all! A good, dry wit can make all the difference in a book that could otherwise be specified as "series", and I use it in spades...),  alongside a paralleling of modern social issues. It truly is a great read if one is so inclined to enjoy fiction connecting with historical accuracy.

But, with Book II, I was able to do a little deviating. The historical accuracy is there—after all, that was the crux of the matter when I had the idea to write the series. But I could expand more on the relationship between Lucy “Lucky Lu” Howard (Bandita) and Billy the Kid, having a lot of fun playing with both the primary and ancillary characters alike while weaving through historical notes.

Bandita, Book II, should be available within the next two months, sold at Amazon and Barnes and Noble (available for Kindle and Nook in addition to print), as well as Google Play, iPad, and various independent book stores across the U.S. and Europe.

**Don’t forget about Book s III and IV, which are coming down the pike! 

Don't forget to visit my website for information about me and how to order Book I!

Casual Commentary on the Arrival of Book II in the Bandita Series -- Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid: The Scourge of New Mexico

Casual Commentary on the Arrival of Book II in the Bandita Series -- Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid:

               The Scourge of New Mexico

I’m anxiously waiting to receive the galleys from my publisher for Book II. I’m way ahead of them, as I’ve taken to revisiting the manuscript early so that I can get any last minute corrections in order. I’m happy to report that I’ve found only one small necessary correction and another that I’ve decided I’d like to change. Learning from my first round in this industry, I knew that if I needed more time to recalculate my story then that’s the way it was gonna have to be, unlike my first experience working with my publisher; I did as I was told despite being given 5 days to return an epic length manuscript, all while working a 40+ hour work week. As a result, homonym mistakes slid through my panicked editing as I wanted to have my manuscript ready for the appropriated day; I was concerned about causing a fuss as this was my frist published book--this is a mistake I live with daily and scold myself for--I should have insisted more time, but as every new author knows, or every aspiring writer should know, you don't want to make waves with your publisher. Publishers have a funny way of not wanting to work with a difficult author. Nonetheless, I should have stuck up for myself and stuck to my guns instead of living with the repurcussions of not doing so.

As a first-time author who’s serious about her prowess as a writer and concerned with her reputation, I can promise you that the last thing you want to do is create a bad-term relationship with your publisher, so you do what you’re told. After my initiation into having the first book in my series published and the mistakes borne from it, please allow me to direct you: you must learn that you have to stay true to your work and its integrity. Once you’ve proven yourself to the publisher, you should have no problem making subtle demands as to when and how you will return the written product.  Once you’ve established your relationship and reputation, your publisher should have faith in you and have no problem meeting your requirements. A good publisher is, after all, more concerned with thoroughness and accuracy over speed**. I’d exercised my burgeoning status within the writing industry and my publisher responded positively: I contacted them and explained that I will need a necessary extension, of which they had no trouble providing.

     (**it is important to note that, unless you are with the Top Five publishers, editors do not "edit" manuscripts, per se. The industry has changed quite a bit so as the writer you must be vigilant when it comes to your own work!)

So, now I’m in the homestretch and cannot wait until Bandita Book II (Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid: The Scourge of New Mexico) hits shelves and virtual shelves alike! Book II is my personal favorite, though that’s not to say that I in no way value Book I (Bandita Bonita: Romancing Billy the Kid). Book I was a tremendous anthology of character development, scene setting, and historical chronicling. In between all of that, humor abounded (humor is my tradmark, after all! A good, dry wit can make all the difference in a book that could otherwise be specified as "series", and I use it in spades...),  alongside a paralleling of modern social issues. It truly is a great read if one is so inclined to enjoy fiction connecting with historical accuracy.

But, with Book II, I was able to do a little deviating. The historical accuracy is there—after all, that was the crux of the matter when I had the idea to write the series. But I could expand more on the relationship between Lucy “Lucky Lu” Howard (Bandita) and Billy the Kid, having a lot of fun playing with both the primary and ancillary characters alike while weaving through historical notes.

Bandita, Book II, should be available within the next two months, sold at Amazon and Barnes and Noble (available for Kindle and Nook in addition to print), as well as Google Play, iPad, and various independent book stores across the U.S. and Europe.

**Don’t forget about Book s III and IV, which are coming down the pike! 

Don't forget to visit my website for information about me and how to order Book I!

My Biggest Fan?

My Biggest Fan?

Honestly, I never would have thought I'd admit a thing like this out loud as it's so very egocentric sounding, but last night I was up late absolutely riveted by my own story, Bandita Book II, set for release in (early) 2016. I was laughing and just otherwise being generally amused at the antics, but of course I've got the visuals and audio down correctly--readers will have to use their own imaginations to translate (hopefully I did my job properly and they'll get it). 

There are external reasons why I favor this book as well, don't get me wrong, so it's not just the dialogue and description. And also, don't get me wrong about the first one, I do enjoy that. It's just the first one being so long (cut down to 125,000+ words from 140,000) was more of an effort I had to "get out of the way" in that I had some setting up to do. This book, topping out at just 85,000+ words, is a bit more light and airy. While the history is still there, of course, it focuses a lot more on Billy and Lucy's relationship, and a quite a bit of interesting scenarios. 

So...I'm either quite the writer, or I'm my own number one fan...

For Book I of Bandita Bonita: Romancing Billy the Kid, visit my website

My Biggest Fan?

My Biggest Fan?

Honestly, I never would have thought I'd admit a thing like this out loud as it's so very egocentric sounding, but last night I was up late absolutely riveted by my own story, Bandita Book II, set for release in (early) 2016. I was laughing and just otherwise being generally amused at the antics, but of course I've got the visuals and audio down correctly--readers will have to use their own imaginations to translate (hopefully I did my job properly and they'll get it). 

There are external reasons why I favor this book as well, don't get me wrong, so it's not just the dialogue and description. And also, don't get me wrong about the first one, I do enjoy that. It's just the first one being so long (cut down to 125,000+ words from 140,000) was more of an effort I had to "get out of the way" in that I had some setting up to do. This book, topping out at just 85,000+ words, is a bit more light and airy. While the history is still there, of course, it focuses a lot more on Billy and Lucy's relationship, and a quite a bit of interesting scenarios. 

So...I'm either quite the writer, or I'm my own number one fan...

For Book I of Bandita Bonita: Romancing Billy the Kid, visit my website

#Bandita Continues in Book II

         

       

Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid: The Scourge of New Mexico

        The legend of Billy the Kid is one that has been told over and over again, well before the young boy ever breathed his last.

         Before I wrote Bandita Bonita: Romancing Billy the Kid, I intended to simply write a historically accurate, fictional account of Billy; a sort of modern-told biography. There is so much about the Kid we don’t know, and my intention was to fill in those gaps by creating an interesting version of the biographical accounts for the reader’s disposal.
         My inspiration for the modern telling of this story had a couple of checkpoints which were as follows:  I wouldn't simply pilfer the hard-won research uncovered by revered historians and pass it off as my own work, and I had no intention of telling the same story yet again. Use what I've been taught by those who worked hard to give us his story, yes, but give it my own outlook. His storyhasbeen told many times over from the many different perspectives of historians and authors (not to mention in film and song), but it’s always the same story with slivers of new information if the reader is lucky. I simply chose to give it my own spin.

        I decided I wanted to give my audience an interpretation of who I believed the Kid to be. I didn’t want to create another retelling of the same old tale. Interesting though the biographies are, of course (and without the numerous accounts of which I wouldn’t have gained the amazing insight I have into William H. Bonney, and for that I will always be grateful for and cherish them), I wanted to breathe new life into his story. I wanted to create an example for a new generation, and so I wrote the events as true as I know them to be as historical fiction for a modern audience. It was, however, very important to me to keep things as accurate as possible; I had a responsibility to Billy’slegacy, as all historians do, if I planned to articulate his life.

      With the advent of the main protagonist, Lucy Howard (or the titular Bandita), I was able to bring the reader intimately close to Billy in such a way that a male protagonist could not, but I found she presented another aspect of the Victorian time period: The oppression of the female individual.

          Lucy represented the restrained yet strong-willed, resolutewoman of the century, but she did something other than get close to Billy, and that was to play the part of the foil to Billy’s “chilling” outlaw. She drives him absolutely crazy and challenges him repeatedly, but he adores her nevertheless.

        Billy was impassioned, could be ruthless if crossed, and possessed the grit to back up his words with a bullet if he had to, but he was also fiercely loyal, had a gratuitous sense of humor, and was a well-groomed (often referred to as a “dandy” in his day), respectful gentleman to the elderly, children, and especially the ladies. His relationship with Lucy grants contention to this last point and allows the reader to explore the romantic tension between male and female, but Lucy also allows humor to flow freely into the story and lets Billy be human in the way he deserves rather than the cold-blooded killer he’s become known as through legend.

        I had only intended to write one book, but as time would prove, there was so much to this story that an extension only seemed inevitable. In the first half of the first book I had to communicate character development to the reader, and in addition I had to relate the tension that led to the little-big, famous (but oft forgot) war that made Billy who he was—Without that war, there would be no Billy the Kid. And then there was the fact that I had fallen absolutely in love with Lucy and realized that she had much to say, and not just about Billy the Kid and his tribulations, but about her own circumstances. It became my understanding that she would be an integral part of the story on so many levels, whether we’re talking about the role of women during the 19^th century, or vividly relating Billy’s story. She’s wildly vocal and has a wonderfully frank sense of sass. She was the perfect match-wit for Billy, and I wanted to discover what this girl was about. I wanted to explore her relationship with him, giving them both the chance to explain who they are to their audience. It was fiction meeting fact, yes, but Lucy is very real in the mind. She is a representation of what many of us women want out of life. The difference is the period of time we live in.

         Because this book is not only relative to Billy and the events of his life, but also a portrait of his legend, and because Lucy gets a say, it is an extensive tale, and one I plan to continue telling.

Please visit my website: Nicole Maddalo Dixon