The Lily of the West

Winner of the 2019 Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award 


The Lily of the West, winner of the 2019 Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best First Western Novel is the story of Mary Katherine Haroney, known as the notorious "Big Nose Kate." In the American West of the 1800s, women had few choices, but Kate made her own way. A Hungarian immigrant, Kate forged her way across the American frontier, an orphaned stowaway on a Mississippi riverboat who became the belle of the Dodge City music halls, known for her outspoken manner and her alluring appearance. Classically educated, she spoke four languages, finding love and much in common with a charming but volatile dentist from Atlanta, Dr. John Henry (Doc) Holliday. She was a trusted friend of the Earps and Bat Masterson, an adventurous woman who witnessed the violent lawlessness that preceded the end of an era. 


I was moved to tears many times by the story of Kate's love for Doc Holliday and impressed by the vivid detail with which the author painted the story of star-crossed lovers. A new take on the O.K. Corral, from a woman's point of view. —Roundup Magazine, Western Writers of America  


Writing in first person, Morris gives the woman's struggle an immediacy and poignancy not usually found in a traditional western. A good companion for Mary Doria Russell's Doc (2011), this compelling debut will appeal to readers of any gender. —Booklist