Award Winning Author, Mary Moore

Last year my Storm's Interlude won Award of Merit as a runner-up in the HOLT Medallion Contest in two categories, one of them being Best Book by a Virginia Author. HOLT is an acronym for Honoring Outstanding Literary Talent and is a contest run by Virginia Romance Writers.

Mary Moore

Since Storm was my debut book, I was ecstatic. Still, I wondered about the author who won the Medallion in this category. Well, folks, I've got her here today and I'm beyond excited.

Mary Moore, award winning author, is my special guest. Her The Aristocrat's Lady won the Reviewer's Choice Award in addition to the HOLT Medallion. This inspirational romance also garnered several other prestigious awards.  We've communicated some by email and I found her very warm--and generous. She's giving away a copy of her latest release to one lucky commenter today. So leave a message and include your email address so she can contact you.

 

Before we start to talk about her latest release, Beauty in Disguise, Mary has agreed to answer some interview questions. Tell us, what is your life like away from the computer? Tell us something about your household.

 

Well, it’s just me, my husband, Craig, and our “child” a black lab named Darcy. We left the Washington, DC suburbs where we had both lived all of our lives and moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia. It’s been a bit of a culture shock, for sure, but it’s so beautiful and it’s home now. My husband retired from the Veteran’s Hospital here locally and I work two days a week at a local family business. We are very active in our church, so we keep pretty busy. Fortunately, I’m a night owl, or I’d never get any writing in!

 

* What authors and genres do you like to read?

 

I love to read what I love to write, the Regency genre. It started with Jane Austen when I was 15! My favorite authors are Georgette Heyer, Victoria Holt, Elizabeth Gaskell and Charlotte Bronte.

 

I also love Christian fiction. Francine Rivers is a favorite along with all of my other Love Inspired authors. You can check out www.RegencyReflections.com for the rest!

 

* Oh, I love Victoria Holt. Tell us, what is the story behind your book title?

 

My heroine is disowned by her family when she is caught in a compromising situation by a well known rake. She must make her own way in the world, and in Regency times all that was available to ladies of quality who had come down in the world was the position of governess or companion. Those are nothing more than glorified servants in the house in which they work. But she discovers that wives will not hire beautiful women for such positions because they don’t trust their husbands around them. The households that will hire her leave her open to insults by the other male servants and even male visitors to the house. Therefore, she creates a disguise for herself that makes her blend into the background. She can do her job and pretty much remain unnoticed. Until one of the male guests invited to the house where she is employed recognizes her and learns she has been perpetrating a hoax. What evolves is a love story that teaches them all the power and necessity of forgiveness.

 

* What part of the writing process brings you the most pleasure? The most angst?

 

I really love creating the stories. I like to write books that satisfy avid Regency readers and still appeals to new readers that might become Regency fans. I always want my stories to have an inspirational message in them, and I enjoy writing around that.  I like doing the blog tours, and I love hearing from readers.

 

I really get anxious at the marketing side. I’ve done book signings but I’m not a natural “out in front” person, so I have to really work at it.

 

* Has your road to publication been a walk in the park or a steep mountain climb? Could you give us some details, Mary?

 

Probably somewhere in between! I started writing about 15 years ago, but it was only for me. I just had the ideas and wrote several stories. I made a few attempts to get them published and entered a few contests, but I knew absolutely nothing about how to go about it so the tries were a dismal failure.

My sister-in-law, who is also one of my best friends, wanted to read them and for some reason I let her. She got behind them and over the years she kept after me to try to get them published.

 

Ten years ago my husband and I moved and I boxed up the manuscripts and put them in the attic. I battled breast cancer and its treatment for a year and during that time my husband found the box of manuscripts. While dealing with the treatment, I rewrote many of them. I realized I never had real life experiences when I actually wrote them and I was excited about infusing them with some of my personal experiences. I did a little more research about how to go about finding an agent and with God’s help and my sister-in-law’s support, I found one and she got me published. 

 

It’s very surreal!!!

 

 

Back of the Book Blurb:

 

After her scandalous first Season, Lady Kathryn needs a new beginning. Concealing her stunning hair and sapphire eyes beneath a dowdy façade, she’s grateful to earn her keep as companion, Kate Montgomery. Until she comes face-to-face with her past in Lord Dalton, the only man she has ever loved. 

 

The debutante Dalton fell in love with years ago was beautiful beyond compare. The gentle, mysterious young woman he encounters at a country house has qualities he now values more highly-until he learns of her deception. Kate has broken his heart not once, but twice. 

 

Can faith help him see that love, like true beauty, always comes to light?

 

 

 

Mary Moore has been writing historical fiction for more than 15 years. After battling and beating breast cancer, Mary is even more excited about her career, as she incorporates some of her struggles throughout her books, dedicated to encouraging others in the Lord and using her writing for God’s glory. 

 

Her debut novel, The Aristocrat’s Lady, won several acclaimed awards, including the 2011 Reviewers Choice Award by RT Magazine for Best Love Inspired Historical, and the 2011 Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers for Best Book by a Virginia Author. She also received an Award of Merit for Best First Book and Best Long Inspirational by the VRW.

 

Mary is a native of the Washington, DC area, but she and her husband, Craig, now live in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia. When not writing, she loves to read, minister in her church, and spend time with her husband and black lab, Darcy. 

 

Mary would love to hear from you! She can be reached by visiting her website at www.marymooreauthor.com. She can also be found on facebook.com/mmooreauthor and can be reached at her email address mmooreauthor@swva.net.

 

 

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