Died Aborning
My Cody novel is one of those that I liked a lot, but barely surfaced when it was published in 2006. It embodies a rich slice of history, tender, outrageous, and comic. Upon Buffalo Bill's death in 1917, the owners of the Denver Post decided to make his remains a tourist attraction and boost Denver's economy. They succeeded, and even now, Cody is buried outside Denver, and remains a tourist attraction.
There were all sorts of nefarious players in all that, and I've tried to catch them all in my story. The novel is largely a series of viewpoints as all the dubious players make sport of poor Buffalo Bill.
I have my fine editor and e-book technician Karyn Cheatham reviving the book. She will give it a bright new cover; the original cover was, to put it mildly, uninspired, and conveyed none of the wild and bizarre events that followed Cody's demise. Which may be why it never sold. It would take some circus type to give the reader a hint of what's in store between the covers. But if anyone can do it, she can.
Here is the Publishers Weekly review:
Wheeler good-naturedly spoofs Buffalo Bill Cody and the many myths surrounding him in this clever take on the mustachioed millionaire frontiersman who never believed his own press. After Cody dies of pneumonia in 1917, his family, friends and associates squabble over his legacy, his money and where he will be buried. Gen. Nelson Miles reminisces about Cody's days as a cavalry scout. Unscrupulous Denver Post publisher Harry Tammen gleefully manipulates and cheats Cody before (and after) his death. Maj. John M. Burke, Cody's publicist, relates the history of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show and takes credit for Cody's fame. Cody's wife, Louisa, is a greedy, embittered woman who hates her husband for his boozing, womanizing and reckless spending of what she thinks is her money. Other characters add texture: a gold-digging actress sees Cody as an easy mark; a lawman recalls how Cody helped him pull off a friend's jailbreak; and a newspaper reporter is ordered to write a glowing obituary intended to squeeze even more money out of the celebrity corpse. The Cody that emerges from this wholesome compendium of fictional anecdotes is a flawed but good man, and though Wheeler never fully separates the man from the myth, Wheeler's many fans will not be disappointed.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
There were all sorts of nefarious players in all that, and I've tried to catch them all in my story. The novel is largely a series of viewpoints as all the dubious players make sport of poor Buffalo Bill.
I have my fine editor and e-book technician Karyn Cheatham reviving the book. She will give it a bright new cover; the original cover was, to put it mildly, uninspired, and conveyed none of the wild and bizarre events that followed Cody's demise. Which may be why it never sold. It would take some circus type to give the reader a hint of what's in store between the covers. But if anyone can do it, she can.
Here is the Publishers Weekly review:
Wheeler good-naturedly spoofs Buffalo Bill Cody and the many myths surrounding him in this clever take on the mustachioed millionaire frontiersman who never believed his own press. After Cody dies of pneumonia in 1917, his family, friends and associates squabble over his legacy, his money and where he will be buried. Gen. Nelson Miles reminisces about Cody's days as a cavalry scout. Unscrupulous Denver Post publisher Harry Tammen gleefully manipulates and cheats Cody before (and after) his death. Maj. John M. Burke, Cody's publicist, relates the history of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show and takes credit for Cody's fame. Cody's wife, Louisa, is a greedy, embittered woman who hates her husband for his boozing, womanizing and reckless spending of what she thinks is her money. Other characters add texture: a gold-digging actress sees Cody as an easy mark; a lawman recalls how Cody helped him pull off a friend's jailbreak; and a newspaper reporter is ordered to write a glowing obituary intended to squeeze even more money out of the celebrity corpse. The Cody that emerges from this wholesome compendium of fictional anecdotes is a flawed but good man, and though Wheeler never fully separates the man from the myth, Wheeler's many fans will not be disappointed.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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