Phoebe Jordan: When did you know that writing romance was going to be the thing that you would do with your life? Which author inspired you to start writing romance? Moira Keith: To be honest, I didn’t want to be a romance writer. Not in the vein of Harlequin anyhow. I knew I wanted to write though and had been writing on and off since I was in junior high. As far as authors who inspired me, there were many. Jeaniene Frost, Vicki Petterson, Nora Roberts, Laurell K Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Lori Devoti, and Teresa D’Amario are among my inspirations. Paranormal inspires me, some with more romance than others. Phoebe: Did you know what type of romance you wanted to write about or did you experiment with different genres before you chose the one that you felt was for you? Moira: As an author, I like to think I am always evolving. I wanted to write paranormal. Romance just seemed to be part of the equation. My first release is all contemporary romance which is way off of what I thought I would write. My heart still calls to the paranormal genre, but I am a firm believer that you go where the story takes you. Phoebe: What was the first fiction you ever wrote? And do you still have it with you? Moira: My first piece of fiction was a story that fell along the lines of Sweet Valley High. I never allowed anyone to read it. There is no printed version of the story in existence, however I do believe it is on a REALLY old floppy disk. (You know the very flat and flimsy ones.) Phoebe: How much research do you have to do for your novels and does it take you a long time to gather that research? Moira: The depth of research and time depends on the novel and subject matter in my opinion. Some information is easily found these days thanks to the internet, but I would love to be able to do more hands on research. I am a firm believer that it is easier to write about what you’ve experienced firsthand. Phoebe: How did you come up with the concept for your debut novel, Buckling Down? Moira: Well, I was stuck in the middle of a paranormal story. Flat out hit a brick wall and could not find my way over, under, or around it. So one morning, while I was driving to work, I passed a bar with a fabulous sign befitting the Las Vegas Valley I call home. The seed was planted for Buckling Down and it grew from there. I looked at it as an escape…just something fun I wanted to share with my mother. Phoebe: How do you come up with each of your characters for your novels? How do you choose their names out of so many names out there? Moira: Wow. Kind of a difficult question to answer, but I will do my best. The characters just come to me on their own terms. Sometimes they appear with the story idea, sometimes before. In Buckling Down for instance, I had the inspiration of the bar and with it came Sydney Hart, my little bar girl next door. The story I am working on now? Well the hero and heroine came to me first, the story just kind of developed around them. Names… I am a name junkie. I see a name I like and I put it into a spreadsheet. Girls names, guys, and last names in a column down the middle. I try them on for size. There are characters that show up with name and all, then I have the others who keep their names under wraps until they decide to share them with me. There are so many great names out there, but I honestly have a thing for Celtic names so I tend to pull from there. Phoebe: Do you have a favorite character that you really enjoyed writing about in your debut novel, Buckling Down? Did you have a character that you felt you could really relate to in your debut novel, Buckling Down? Moira: Sydney Hart, the heroine in Buckling Down, would actually be the answer for both. Though I enjoyed writing both my main characters, Sydney was both a challenge and enjoyable at the same time. I relate to her, but not through the loss she has suffered. I think most of us can relate to her basic desire to find a love that will stand the test of time and hold up against the trials and tribulations we all face in our lives. Plus she is a real smart ass, which if I were being honest is probably the main trait she inherited from me. Yes, I do brag about that. Phoebe: Do you have a process of how you start to write your novels? Moira: No real process. I am so unorganized when it comes to writing. I get ideas, jot them down in one of about fifty notebooks or scraps of paper I happen to have lying around, eventually they make their way to the computer. I brainstorm. I write. Delete. Write. Get aggravated. Ask for opinions from trusted friends and colleagues. Tell them they have all lost their minds when they say they like what I have done. Go back and write some more. (On a side note…I have a real issue with my internal editor. I can’t seem to get her to shut up once I see something out of whack, which doesn’t bode well for the creative writing process.) Phoebe: Have you ever considered writing a series or are writing stand alone novels your preference? How would writing each be different for you? Moira: The idea of a series appeals to me, though I do believe a series has to be done well and with fresh ideas that continue to drive the series forward. There are authors out there, some of whom I hold in high esteem, whose fans believe that the series veered way off the path. Stand alone novels have their benefits. I think stand alone novels do allow the author to test the waters in a new genre if they are so tempted. They also can offer a break from the series. Nora Roberts is a great example of this in my opinion. She writes both. I love when she does trilogies, but her JD Robb In Death series is by far one of my favorites. (No she is not who I was referring to above if you were wondering.) Phoebe: What process did you have to go through to get your first book published and did it take you long? Moira: Oh so many people will hate me for saying this. The story was written in less than a year. It just so happened that Samhain had a submission call for a western anthology they were publishing, so I submitted the book on the very subtle demands of my critique partners and best friend. The story was submitted in October and I received notice that they were interested in mid December. Phoebe: Do you ever get writers block? What do you do to get rid of it so you can get back to writing your novels? Moira: Writer’s block…schmiter’s block. Yes, I do on occasion, suffer from this affliction. Reading, watching a movie, playing Rockband, spending time with my boys—each of these things has helped me overcome the dreaded writer’s block. Phoebe: What is your biggest reader pet peeve, if you have any? (Stock characters, unresolved endings, predictability, everything wrapped up hurriedly in the end, etc.) Moira: My biggest pet peeve as a reader is characters that fail to pull me in. I really have to connect with a character. They don’t have to be deep and complex for me to like them, but they do have to feel real. Phoebe: Which aspects of writing do you enjoy the most and why? And what is your biggest writing pet peeve? (Overuse of exclamation points, adverbs, bad guys named Wayne, etc.), if you have any? Moira: The aspect I enjoy most is the telling of the story. Bringing it to life on paper and managing to recreate it the way I see it in my mind. My writing pet peeves? Since I am assuming you mean what I struggle with, I will be honest and say tense is my enemy. I tend to switch back and forth between past and present without realizing. Phoebe: What is the one writing tool can you not live without? Moira: Besides my laptop? Okay, critique partners. I find they are an invaluable tool if you have the right match. I am fortunate enough to have CP’s that actually understand my writing style, and even though they may not be huge on the paranormal side of things, they do pick up on little things that my more paranormal versed beta reader misses. (Beta readers were up there on the list as well but since you made me choose only one… and I snuck the laptop in…well you get the picture.) Phoebe: How do you handle your writing schedule and your personal life without going insane? Moira: Handle?! Who says I am handling it?! I think I am still trying to find that balance. Not sure if the perfect balance is ever really discovered because both writing and life will throw you a curve ball once in a while, leaving you scrambling to make adjustments. On that note, when I sit outside with my kids, I take a printed version of my WIP to refresh my memory of story details or hash out new scenes. Then I try to do a little writing every night before I go to bed. Sometimes it works out sometimes not, but I find it is important to do something for the creative process everyday no matter how you sneak it in. Phoebe: What do you do to relax after having spent a long while writing? Do you have any hobbies? Moira: I am not sure there is such a thing as relaxation with twin boys that give me a constant run for my money. However, when I manage to steal some time, I enjoy watching movies and hanging out with my friends and family. Karaoke? (Yes I do like to pretend that I am a rock star, though others around me may wish for earplugs. Just a little tidbit of information should we ever meet in a bar on karaoke night.) Phoebe: Is there any advice that you would give to an aspiring romance writer that you wish someone had given you? Moira: I was fortunate enough to receive a lot of helpful advice and as of yet, I have not discovered anything that I wish I had known prior to now. With that in mind, I will share something that I found the most valuable in my endeavor. Surround yourself with people who believe in you, but aren’t afraid to offer you advice and honest opinions. This includes mentors, critique partners, friends, and family. I was fortunate to have all of the above. Phoebe: Is there any writing tips, research tips, promotion and marketing tips that you would give to an aspiring romance writer that you wish someone had given you? Moira: The biggest tip for writing is one I have heard so many times over, but it never gets old. Just keep at it. Write your little heart out. Do not let yourself be discouraged by opinions and feedback if it will change your voice and story. In the end it is your story and you have to believe in it just as much as the story has to feel right to you. Promotion and marketing tend to be a tricky animal for me. The biggest bit of advice I can offer there is that to take advantage of any and all opportunity to promote yourself. There are so many authors and readers out there who are more than happy to help you promote your work, you just have to be willing to put yourself out there. Phoebe: Do you have a favorite genre you like to read? Who is your favorite author(s)? Moira: My favorite genre to read is paranormal romance followed closely by young adult. My favorite authors are Laurell K Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong, Vicki Pettersson, Lori Devoti, Melissa Marr, and Jeaniene Frost. Truly the list could go on and on. Phoebe: What are you reading now? And what do you plan to read after that? Moira: Currently I am reading The City of Glass by Cassandra Clare after that, I think I might read Accidentally Dead by Dakota Cassidy.