Meet Kathleen Morris of North Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Morris.

Hi Kathleen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I’m a writer. Since grade school, when I began writing serialized mysteries and selling them for 10 cents a copy, until now, I write. For a while, life got in the way of any concentrated effort — five wonderful children, college, making a living, but a few years back, I decided to put my paying ventures on hold and write a novel.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While teaching at Phoenix College and working full-time in medical administration, I’d also written reviews, political news articles, and occasionally short stories. My first love has always been fiction. I took the proverbial leap of faith, finished the book, and began the real challenge: getting published. The traditional route has always been “get an agent, and they get you a publisher.” Sounds easy, right? It’s not. Many query letters and submissions later, many rejections later, I finally found one. Then it took a year and a half for the book to be born into the world. It was worth the wait because that book, The Lily of the West, the story of Big Nose Kate (Doc Holliday’s notorious lady friend), won the Peacemaker award for Best First Western Novel.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Even before The Lily of the West was published, I began working on my second book. The Transformation of Chastity James, with another strong female protagonist, is again set in the West of the 1880s. When the pandemic delayed that book’s publication, I wrote a third one, a historical novel called The Wind at Her Back, about an Irish refugee who landed in New York in the 1870s and sold it to a new publisher. My last historical, Fallen Child, came out in January of this year, about a young female outlaw in Arizona Territory, circa 1880. I portray strong, independent women who defy the odds and build lives for themselves by meeting challenges, whether they are real historical personages or fictional ones. Maybe because I have met and dealt with my challenges, I like to write about other women who’ve done the same, although their lives are much more colorful and dangerous than mine. That’s what imagination is for. However, in my books where the main characters are fictional, I am meticulous about historical research and detail, from 19th-century theater lighting to who was the sheriff in Dodge City at the time. This year, I have been fortunate to be honored as a Western Writers of America Spur finalist for The Transformation of Chastity James and won the Peacemaker award for Best Short Story for my story in Saddlebag Dispatches magazine, entitled Mary Mary, Quite Contrary. I am very grateful to all the writers and historians I’ve had the opportunity to meet in the last six years. It was uncharted territory, and the welcomes, kindness, and accolades I’ve received have been greatly appreciated.

What’s next?
My fifth book, a contemporary crime thriller entitled Risk, came out this week. Early reviews have been great, and I had a fun time writing this one about a couple who discover a backpack full of money and go on the run. I established my own publishing company, Dunraven Press, and have so far published six books under that imprint, two of my own and the rest from other writers. This was an exciting challenge, and I enjoyed working on the reins. I’m currently working on a novel about another real historical personage that has been overlooked for the most part. Her relatives have been enthusiastic about the project and supplied me with letters, pictures, and other historical details that make the story authentic. More plans in the works after that for a series, including a great character who’s been in two of my other books. People have wanted to see more of him, so I’m giving him a starring role.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kathleenmorrisauthor.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.morris.7545/ and https://www.facebook.com/kathleenmorrisauthor