Under a Copper Moon

by Greg Lilly

Under a Copper Moon
Portrait of a Mail-Order Bride, Jerome, Arizona Territory, 1894

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the New York Post branded Jerome, Arizona the "Wickedest Town in America."

From mine explosions, rowdy men, and enterprising prostitutes to Chinese slavery, opium dens, and a lonely sheriff, a young girl fights her way to independence and respect.

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It's 1894 and a young woman finds herself alone and hopeless after her mother dies, then she discovers adventure in a newspaper ad.

After a long train ride across the country, Inez meets her future husband Josiah who paid for her trip to the mining town of Jerome in the Arizona Territory. Before the wedding, she boards with Sam and Lottie, Josiah's friends. Being a true Victorian age woman, Lottie decides to mold Inez into the perfect lady.

The copper mining town of Jerome is booming. Inez has never encountered so many different types of people, some more mysterious than others. Her inquisitiveness may get the best of her.

As circumstances twist, turn, and buckle, Inez discovers another side of the elegant parlor houses, the mysterious Navajo Onalee, Mr. Zhen and his Chinese laundry girls, the town's handsome sheriff, and a new best friend Pearl who fancies striped stockings and a sip or two of wine.

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Under a Copper Moon is a story of grit, daring, perseverance, and a splash of Lady Marmalade in the late Victorian era when men were strong and women were supposed to be coy and quiet… But no one could convince Inez of that.

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2007

About the author

Greg Lilly grew up in Bristol, Virginia then lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. The rich storytelling tradition of the South captivated him and he began writing. He first turned to creating short stories after plot lines and characters emerged from the technical manuals he wrote for a large family-owned corporation. His first novel, Fingering the Family Jewels – a Derek Mason Mystery, grew from those Charlotte experiences.

To escape the city and find a slower pace, he relocated to Sedona, Arizona for several years. During that time, his novels Devil's Bridge and Under a Copper Moon chronicled adventures of the high desert—present and past.

Scalping the Red Rocks is the next novel in the Derek Mason Mystery series and unites the Derek Mason characters with the lead characters of Devil's Bridge.

Greg’s non-fiction book is Sunsets & Semicolons – a Field Guide to the Writer’s Life. In the book, he shares his experiences and techniques – things that worked, not in academia or in New York City, but in the real world of freelancing and query letters and book signings. He has presented workshops and served on panels at the College of William & Mary's Christopher Wren Association, the Virginia Festival of the Book, the Virginia Writers Club, the World Bank in Washington D.C., Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and the Sedona Arts Center in Sedona, Arizona. The kernel of the book came from requests for his workshop handouts and notes.

His latest novel, Stray, follows a son searching for his womanizer father who left almost 30 years before, a daughter grasping for her distant mother, and the shadows cast on them by the Lost Colony of Roanoke and Virginia’s witch trials.

Greg is a freelance writer, magazine editor, as well as a former Arts & Culture commissioner for the City of Sedona, Arizona, for the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission, and for the Abingdon Arts Commission. He serves on the Virginia Commission for the Arts’ Advisory Panel. Today, he writes and lives in the historic town of Abingdon in Southwestern Virginia.

His next book is a historical True Crime from Arcadia Publishing's The History Press scheduled for release in the summer of 2024.

Reviews

[Rayna Zwerlein · Rating 5 out of 5]

After visiting the small museum in Jerome, Arizona, I was curious about what life was like for women in this mining town. The author has put together a beautiful story about a young 16 year old mail order bride who has to survive in this town. Integrated in this story Is the tragedy of miners dying, limited jobs for women, both American born and Chinese immigrants, law and order and other universal themes like live and friendship. The writing style is user friendly and I completed it in three days. Bravo Greg Lilly for doing your history homework and presenting this beautiful historic fiction story.

[Kris Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The adventure of a mail-order bride in Jerome AZ in 1894. Simply written Special because our family spent Christmas 2019 near Jerome AZ.

[Debi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's obvious that Greg did his homework before writing this novel. The effective and thorough research, just the right amount of imagery, colorful characters, and a fast moving plot created a story that kept me entertained from start to finish (a satisfying finish, I might add).

The story gives the reader a glimpse of how the characters deal with diversity and its hardships in an era where societal rules and expectations were much more stringent than they are today. I look forward to more historical fiction by this author.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because I like to purchase books while traveling that are written by local authors about the places I'm visiting. Sadly, in my opinion, this one missed the mark just a bit. The story was entertaining enough but after actually visiting the town of Jerome, I found that none of the charm of the run-down town was really reflected in the book. The story could have been set in any mining town in the late 1800's and the story was a but predictable. Not one of my favorite travel reads.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected this book to be a non-fiction book as I generally don't read fiction. I read it anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The book was well researched and well written. I have actually been to Jerome, AZ and it is indeed perched on a cliff. Several whore houses still stand but one that housed the "Caribbean Queen" was beginning to slide down the cliff yet was still for sale. It's a neat little place to visit and would be even more awesome to visit now that I've read this book.

[Dawnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a charming book, loved reading about the adventures of Inez. Inez suffers scrutiny and loss and bounces back, when she comes across some delightful parlor house ladies who each have very different personalities. They welcome Inez into their fold and this presents some fun moments. A handsome sheriff comes to town....This is a feel good book, with warmth, humor and just a touch of sadness.

[Leah Pileggi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I felt as though I was back in time with the characters in this book, I had some trouble with the writing style. I would have preferred simple tag lines, so it broke the flow of the story for me. And I wanted a surprising twist of some kind, something unexpected.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially if you have visited Jerome AZ, I had the opportunity to be there, its living history and reading this makes it vivid