Moriah Rose
What’s your genre?
Young adult fantasy
Are you published?
Self published
What inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve actually been writing since I was 12 when a teacher saw my love of storytelling and encouraged me to try out Nanowrimo. Since then, (a number of years I will not name) I have always found that the time when I’m the most happy and at peace is when I’m writing. I both started and keep coming back to writing no matter what my life holds, because I love the joy of discovering the story. I am a “panster,” or an organic writer that lets the story take me where it wants to go. The experience of not knowing where it will end but being along for the ride with your characters (who you ALWAYS fall in love with!) is one of the most magical things in the world.
What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
This is SUCH a hard question! While not my genre, I love Elizabeth Peters. Her’s was the first series (Amelia Peabody) I ever read all the way through and read again! I now call her a “comfort read” and turn to her whenever I’ve had a bad week. Peters wove together a beautiful world with characters who are unique and so alive in my mind that I like to imagine they are actually out there in Egypt solving another mystery as I write this now.
I turn to Peters when writing to remind myself how a unique and well crafted character can make the reader feel invested in their world. When I write, she gives me hope—keeping alive a dream that someone out there will have that same feeling of love for my characters as I do for hers.
Name three of your favorite books and their authors
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Sandstorm by James Rollings
What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I love to tell a good fantasy story but it’s also important to me that the action is realistic. Outside of writing I’m also a practitioner of a martial arts called Hapkido. Often times, when my characters are battling, the moves they are doing is based on self defense techniques and processes that I have done or mocked out with my fellow martial artists.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to a budding writer?
First, there is no wrong way to write. If you’re doing it, you’re doing it right. But if I can go one step past that, I’d say to never forget that it’s for you. Write your story for yourself first and the audience second.
Author bio
Moriah was raised in Corydon, Iowa, a small town that influenced the growth of her imagination. She started writing with the NANOWRIMO program at age 12 where she completed her first full-length novel in 30 days. Entitled Secret Dreamer, it is part of a three-book series. Since then she has obtained a bachelors in Global Resource Systems and a masters in cultural anthropology through Iowa State University. Her travels to locations such as India, Scotland, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Senegal have been a constant source of inspiration and allowed her to experience many fascinating pieces of the world, but she continues to be most at home in the Midwest.
