Every author has a moment in their lives that lead them to choose the path of storytelling. Each of them has an interesting story to share about that moment, but what Lori A. Moore (author of ‘Missing Andy’ and ‘Oh Ship!’) shared with me is one of the most interesting how-I-became-an-author stories I’ve ever heard.

Here is what Lori told me in this fun intereview…

• How did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“I didn’t! My former husband died in 2008 and a friend suggested that I journal as a way to deal with my grief. I turned that journal into a book about dealing with grief after the loss of a loved one in the book, ‘Missing Andy: The Journey From Grief to Joy’.

• Was getting published hard?

“Surprisingly, no. It might be hard for some to understand or believe, but I’ll tell you how it happened. I was asked to share my testimony at a church in a neighboring state. After the service was over, a woman walked up to me and said, “God told me you’re going to write a book.” To make a long story short, she had even mentioned the name of a publisher she had researched. After my former husband died and I was journaling, I remembered the name of the publisher that the woman had said, looked them up on the internet, submitted my manuscript, and you could knock me over with a feather because they accepted it and offered me a book contract.”

• Are your characters based on people you know?

“Yes, all of them. My first book, ‘From Zero to Christian in Just 35 Years’, which I wrote simultaneously with ‘Missing Andy: The Journey From Grief to Joy’, is about me and how it happened that I walked into church for the first time in my life at age 35. ‘Missing Andy’ is about the loss of my former husband. My first children’s book, ‘Grady the Gray Cat Gets Adopted’, is about our cat, Grady, who we adopted from the Humane Society and the second children’s book, ‘Hannah the Hedgehog Goes to Heaven’ was written about how to deal with the death of a pet because of my losing two of my precious cats in a two year period. My most recent book, ‘Oh Ship! Tales of a Cruising Chick and Other Travel Adventures’ is about my visits to 50-something other countries and my next book, to be released in Summer 2016, has characters fashioned after real people.”

• What genre are your books?

“Apparently I’m a ‘mutt’ author because two are Christian Living, two are Children’s, one is Travel Humor, and one will be Suspense.”

• Which of your books is your most favorite?

“Can a parent pick a favorite child? Geesh! Okay, if I HAVE TO pick one so far, I’d say ‘Missing Andy’ because readers have given me so much feedback about how it has helped them and I meant it also as a tribute to a wonderful man.”

• Do you have a specific writing routine?

“Routine? You haven’t met me, have you?!”

• What are your current projects?

“Depending upon the success of ‘Oh Ship!’, I hope to write a sequel, ‘Oh Ship 2: More Ship Happens’, as I continue to travel and experience new adventures.”

• What’s next for you?

“So many ideas, so little time.”

BUY LINKS

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lori-A.-Moore/e/B00315CMLG/

Lori’s website: http://www.loriamoore.com/#!books-by-lori-a-moore/cee5

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH LORI A. MOORE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoriAMooreAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LoriAMooreKY

Website: http://www.loriamoore.com