Queen of Cotton by Laurie Moore-Moore

 

QUEEN OF COTTON

By Laurie Moore-Moore

Historical Fiction

Publisher: Goat Mountain Press

Publication Date: September 9, 2025

 

SYNOPSIS

1861: The Civil War is raging. The men have gone to fight, leaving the women behind to cope.  Cotton is the lifeblood of the South.

Sara, a young wife, risks her life and reputation to lead an official Confederate Camel Caravan hundreds of miles across Texas to Matamoros, Mexico. There, cotton can be sold and shipped to the buyer, avoiding the Union blockade and providing critical funds for the South and desperate Dallas cotton growers. 

But . . .“It’s not a job for a woman.” The Texas frontier is fraught with danger. The caravan will face fierce Comanche, bandits, extreme weather, internal vandalism, and unforgiving desert. The Mexican cotton market is complex and full of fraudsters. The trail home, carrying gold and armaments, makes the caravan a rich target.  

Joining Sara on the adventure are a fascinating mix of real and fictional characters, including a slave— who quotes Machiavelli—and forty-six camels!  Can Sara face peril and uncertainty with grit and unyielding determination?  Can she survive, succeed, and as a result, shed the past that haunts her? Queen of Cotton: Confederate Camel Caravan is a woman’s adventure with roots in true history.  Climb aboard, your camel is waiting.

A stand-alone novel and book two in the Texas Brave & Strong series.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laurie Moore-Moore and her husband, Roger, have been blessed with many adventures--from trekking across India's Thar desert on camels (and sleeping in the sand on camel blankets) to repeating marriage vows in a remote Maasi village in Kenya (Laurie's dowry was one cow and one goat). Laurie's favorite adventure? As a fifth-generation Texan, Laurie says, "It is discovering more and more Texas history and writing about it!"

After decades in Dallas, Texas the couple moved to a mountaintop overlooking a lake in the Cherokee Nation. "The cabin is unique," Laurie says. "There is a nine foot chainsaw bear in our entry hall. The house was built around it. Never thought I'd own a piece of chainsaw art, much less a nine foot bear. Life is full of surprises--just like a good historical novel."

Laurie is a retired entrepreneur who has built and sold multiple businesses and served on the board of directors of an international Corporation.

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REVIEW

I love when a historical novel surprises me with gutsy, roll-up-your-sleeves leadership. Queen of Cotton grabbed me on page one and never let go. It’s the rare home-front adventure that feels as breathless as any battlefield tale, and it’s anchored by a heroine I’ll be cheering for a long time.

Sara Darnell Brown is the reason to read this book. When the familiar routes collapse, she doesn’t wring her hands in distress—she builds a team, sets the standard, and owns the consequences. Her arc is so satisfying: from anxious shopkeeper to steady organizer to full-blown expedition leader who can walk into any room (or any camp) and make a plan. What I loved is how her authority grows through a thousand small choices: who gets the truth, who gets the job, who gets told “not today.” You don’t just see Sara’s leadership; you feel it.

Jonah Watson quietly steals scenes. On paper, he’s counted as property; on the page, he’s pure presence—educated, observant, and essential. He notices what others miss, argues for preparedness, and at a key moment refuses to step back. What made his arc compelling was his steady claiming of space and voice inside a system designed to erase both. The respect between Jonah and Sara is one of the book’s strongest currents.

Benjamin Brown gives the story its emotional balance. He starts out buoyant and dutiful; by the time he circles back, the shine of war has worn off, and the partnership in his marriage has deepened. I loved that this isn’t a “prove the man wrong” story so much as a “grow together” story—two people transforming what love and work look like under pressure.

And can we talk about the camels? They’re not a gimmick; they’re logistics. The how-to chapters—what pulls vs. what packs, how to manage water across sand and brush, how to swim a river with a string of animals and still protect your cargo—completely satisfied my inner nerd. So many little process details stood out, because the tension comes from doing things right when it would be easier (and deadlier) to wing it.

Bottom line: Queen of Cotton is a page-turner about competence under pressure and community as a verb. Come for the camels (yes!), stay for the characters who earn every victory the hard way. If you like your historical fiction with brains, heart, and a heroine who refuses to be small, this one belongs on your nightstand.

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