Kathleen Morris lives and writes in the desert Southwest. She is an aficionado of Western history and loves spending time in southeastern Arizona, following in the footsteps of the people she writes about. "The Lily of the West" is her novel of the life of Kate Haroney, aka Big Nose Kate, and her story "Mary Mary Quite Contrary" is included in the anthology "Contention". She firmly believes the key to good historical fiction is diligent research about the places and people she writes about. She is a graduate of Prescott College and has taught writing and editing at Phoenix College.