One Thousand Worlds in One Thousand Words: Author Interview - Marsha A. Moore on One Thousand Worlds

One Thousand Worlds today has the pleasure of interviewing Marsha A. Moore.

Author Bio:

Marsha A. Moore is an author of fantasy romance. Much of her life feeds the creative flow she uses to weave highly imaginative tales.

The magic of art and nature often spark life into her writing, as well as watercolor painting and drawing. After a move from Toledo to Tampa in 2008, she’s happily transformed into a Floridian, in love with the outdoors. Marsha is crazy about cycling. She lives with her husband on a large saltwater lagoon, where taking her kayak out for an hour or more is a real treat. She never has enough days spent at the beach, usually scribbling away at stories with toes wiggling in the sand. Every day at the beach is magical! She’s been a yoga enthusiast for over a decade and recently completed a year-long Kripalu-affiliated yoga teacher training program. The spiritual quest of her yoga studies helps her explore the mystical side of fantasy.

Tell us about your latest book.

The Enchanted Bookstore Legends are about Lyra McCauley, a woman destined to become one of five strong women in her family who possess unique magical abilities and serve as Scribes in Dragonspeir. The Scribes span a long history, dating from 1,200 to present day. Each Scribe is expected to journey through Dragonspeir, both the good and evil factions, then draft a written account. Each book contains magic with vast implications.

Lyra was first introduced to Dragonspeir as a young girl, when she met the high sorcerer, Cullen Drake, through a gift of one of those enchanted books. Using its magic, he escorted her into the parallel world of Dragonspeir. Years later, she lost that volume and forgot the world and Cullen. These legends begin where he finds her again—she is thirty-five, standing in his enchanted bookstore, and Dragonspeir needs her.

When Lyra reopens that enchanted book, she confronts a series of quests where she is expected to save the good Alliance from destruction by the evil Black Dragon. While learning about her role, Lyra and Cullen fall in love. He is 220 years old and kept alive by Dragonspeir magic. Cullen will die if Dragonspeir is taken over by the evil faction…Lyra becomes the Scribe.

What are you working on at the moment?

After the super-interwoven plot of a 5-part, high fantasy epic series, I’m looking forward to shifting gears a bit. I’m excited to be working on a few magical realism books, a slightly different fantasy subgenre. The next release will be magical realism with a paranormal mystery set in a yoga studio. I’m eager to work with new parameters of magical realism—a more character driven plot than I’ve done before.

What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

I need my hobbies to balance the concentration of detailed writing work. I enjoy gardening, knitting, kayaking, and reading. My husband and I live on a large saltwater lagoon outside of Tampa. I kayak from our dock and make regular visits to talk with the brown pelicans. Reading or knitting while relaxing in the lanai is a real treat too.

How much impact does your childhood have on your writing?

Childhood books had a big impact on my interest in writing. I still have my much-loved and well-thumbed copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. In addition to those tales, a story that sticks with me is a verbal tale my father and I made up over years, adding new adventures—called The Land of Wickee Wackee. I loved creating new stories in that world!

If you could meet any of your own characters, who would it be?

I feel like I’ve already met the character I love most—my heroine, Lyra McCauley. The more I look at this series, the more of myself I see. Lyra, is very much connected to me. Even in the first chapter of the first book, the childhood memories brought to her mind by Cullen’s magical tea are actually all mine. How Lyra interacts with her Aunt Jean has been a way for me to work through my own issues with my mother’s failing health and passing. Some scenes intentionally connect to my own experiences, like those, and others surprise me much later when I’m polishing my draft to send to my editor.

Do you have a favourite character among the ones you've invented?

This is a truly epic tale with a large and wonderful cast of otherworldly characters, including many talking animals and trees. My main characters, Lyra and Cullen, must attempt difficulties that stretch their abilities and test their love for each other over numerous quests. But my secondary characters often bring laughter and lighten the couple’s load, or encourage their strength to persevere. Kenzo, a giant tiger owl, and Noba, a pseudodragon, are among my favorites, and the readers’ also. Their innocence is charming as they draw out deeper emotions from everyone.

An extra note about pseudodragons—they’re not true dragons, being much smaller, only three feet long. In my legends, we get to know Noba, the pseudodragon Cullen keeps as his wizard’s familiar—a typical role for this species. Noba has a heart of gold that makes people melt. He always manages to find some mischief. I smile thinking about how he helped Lyra raise a dragon hatchling. She had no idea what to do with a baby dragon. I’ve had many readers tell me they want a pseudodragon of their own! Me too!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I’m doing my dream job now. I don’t think I’d change anything in my immediate life. All the past happy times and hardships have helped me know myself more deeply and to be more compassionate toward others. I value each step and each lesson along my path. I feel fulfilled being able to share those experiences with my readers.

Social Media Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter @MarshaAMoore

Google+

Amazon author page

Goodreads

Enchanted Bookstore Legends purchase links: