Moira J. Moore

When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

MJM: When I was fourteen. I'd always enjoyed writing assignments in elementary school, but I started writing my first book when I was sitting in junior high, sitting in class and getting desperately bored.

When you write, do you have a set routine?

MJM: Not at all. I don't have a rule for writing at a certain time of day, or for a certain period of time. Sometimes days or weeks go by when I don't write anything. Then, all of a sudden, I get very motivated and I'll write during any spare time I have, at any time of day. I do, however, write best in a half empty bar with a pint of draft.

What was your inspiration for the Lee/Taro series?

MJM: There were so many. The first and most important one, I suppose, was that I'd read a number of books where you'd have this relationship, platonic or otherwise, between someone who was extraordinary in some way, the most popular kid in school, an extremely wealthy and powerful man, and someone who was rather average, and the more powerful partner really seemed to need the more average partner in an emotionally intense way. I wanted to explore that, the possible reasons behind it.

The second inspiration was how we idolize people like actors or professional athletes, and undervalue people like teachers and nurses, who are, in my opinion, much more vital to the survival of our population.

Are your characters based on real people? Or are they purely fiction?

MJM: The characters are purely fiction. There's a little bit of me in both of them, but for the most part they were crafted out of the role they were supposed to play in the story. I find knowing why a character is in the story goes a long way in deciding what that character is like.

Do you have a favorite character?

MJM: I find that hard to answer. I like Lee a lot, because I feel she is, for the most part, sensible, and she doesn't indulge in a lot of angst. I like Taro because he knows how to play. I like Creol because of his determination. I like Rinis because she has a certain amount of compassion and generosity. One of my favourite characters, readers haven't seen yet.

Looking back now, is there anything you would change?

MJM: One thing I would do would be to provide more detail. I had people asking me if the characters used electricity, or if anyone used carriages in High Scape. While I would never be one toasted for indepth prose, I don't want to go back the other way and leave people unable to come up with any visuals for the books.

Now that your done with the first three books, do you plan on writing more in the Lee/Taro-verse?

MJM: There will be three more books from Lee's point of view, and then there will be two more from the POV of another character. Not Taro, which I know will disappoint some. I don't mind writing Taro for short scenes, but the way his mind words is a real P.I.T.A. to accurately portray, and not much fun to read.

Any other books in works?

MJM: While waiting to hear about whether book three will be published, I started working on a book in another world, based on four characters. It is in the third person, and flips from character to character. It's a challenge for me, because when I read other books that change POVs, I tend to stick with just one character and skim through the rest. I'm trying to make each character interesting enough that the reader will want to read each one. I've also written two small, serious books over the past two years that, though finished, were unliked by my agent and probably will never go anywhere.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

MJM: Don't try to imitate someone else's style. I'm a big believer in doing drafts. I think it's unrealistic to expect the first draft to be the final one. Once you think you're done, give copies to people you trust to be honest, and really listen to what they have to say.

Any closing thoughts?

MJM: For a long time, I was hoping to get published as a means of getting "rescued" from my life. Like winning a lottery. But it was only once I found a job that I loved, and a place to live that I liked, that things finally started moving forward with getting my book published. Neat, eh?