My Calamity Jane – Cynthia Hand, Brodie Ashton, and Jodie Meadows
My Calamity Jane is the latest book in Cynthia Hand, Brodie Ashton, and Jodie Meadows “Lady Janies” series, which aims to retell the stories of famous Janes from pop culture and history in new, interesting, and often fantasy-fused ways.
My Lady Jane tackled the story of Lady Jane Grey, while My Plain Jane gave us a new, intriguing take on the fictional Jane Eyre. And now My Calamity Jane will give us a whole new take on the famous American frontierswoman.
Because in this version of her story, she’s hunting werewolves.
In this version of the story, Wild Bill Hickock oversees Calamity, Frank Butler, and Annie Oakley as they pose as a group of traveling sharpshooters to traverse the country and hunt a beast known as the Alpha. But when Jane herself maybe gets bitten by a garou (that’s a werewolf, in the Wild West), things get messy, real quick.
The novel’s synopsis should give you a fair idea of what to expect – both from the story itself and from the authors’ irreverent tone and style.
"Welcome to 1876 and a rootin’-tootin’ America bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and garou. JANE (a genuine hero-eene) Calamity’s her name, and garou hunting’s her game—when she’s not starring in Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, that is. She reckons that if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one. FRANK (*wolf whistle*) Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler is the Wild West’s #1 bachelor. He’s also the best sharpshooter on both sides of the Mississippi, but he’s about to meet his match. . . . ANNIE (get your gun!) Annie Oakley (yep, that Annie) is lookin’ for a job, not a romance, but she can’t deny there’s something about Frank she likes. Really likes. Still, she’s pretty sure that anything he can do, she can do better. A HAIRY SITUATION After a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm, she turns tail for Deadwood, where there’s been talk of a garou cure. But things ain’t always what they seem—meaning the gang better hightail it after her before they’re a day late and a Jane short."
My Calamity Jane is available on June 2.