Featured Author - Sandra D. Moore

Murder on the ol' Bunions

Tell us a little about your book?

What author’s books do you enjoy reading?

What one bit of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

What inspired you to write this particular book?

Tell us what we have to look forward to in the future. What new projects are you working on?

What message do you hope readers gain from your novel?

First off, thanks for having me here today, Marian. It’s a bit surreal for me to be conducting an interview, though I love the idea of encouraging a writer to chase their dreams. I’ve been a member of ACFW for a long time. My member number is 64! Joining was the best thing I could have done to learn the craft of writing. Besides writing, I also homeschool my daughter, help my pastor husband, and love gardening almost as much as I love gadgets.

An agent told me she loved my spunky, mature women characters. I decided to write a story featuring someone like that, plus I really have a heart to show that humor in marriage—not taking yourself too seriously—is an important factor in keeping your marriage strong. LaTisha and Hardy crack on each other throughout MOTOB, but I also show that they harbor a deep respect and admiration for each other.

Writing the funny scenes was exciting and definitely the best part. My least favorite part of writing the book is editing. Once I’ve written the story, then gone over it once, I’m ready to move on. Rereading it again and again makes it hard to find mistakes, so I prefer to hire a freelance editor who can look at the story with fresh eyes.

Homeschooling! This is my first year of homeschooling my daughter and I’m still trying to discover a good balance of writing, marketing, and homeschooling.

I enjoy Claudia Maire Burney’s mystery series, as well as Christy Barritt’s new series. On the ABA side, Mary Higgins Clark’s early novels are some of my favorite mysteries.

Don’t take yourself so seriously. Laughing more will make you live longer and those around you will bask in the sunshine of your humor.

I’m running a contest to celebrate the release of Murder on the Ol’ Bunions. It’s the Most Beautiful Bunion contest. Seriously. You’ll have to check it out at www.sdionnemoore.com. When my book releases to retail later this year, I’ll run a contest where entrants will e-mail me with their favorite LaTisha quote. Details on that contest will release late summer.

Polly Dent Loses Grip is book 2 in the LaTisha Barnhart Mystery series, it releases February of 2009. Eat, Drink and Be Buried releases some time in 2010. I’m also working on a proposal for a new mystery series. One of these days I hope to get back to working on some of the historical manuscripts sitting on my virtual desk.
I’m running a contest to celebrate the release of Murder on the Ol’ Bunions. It’s the Most Beautiful Bunion contest. Seriously. You’ll have to check it out at www.sdionnemoore.com. When my book releases to retail later this year, I’ll run a contest where entrants will e-mail me with their favorite LaTisha quote. Details on that contest will release late summer.

Polly Dent Loses Grip is book 2 in the LaTisha Barnhart Mystery series, it releases February of 2009. Eat, Drink and Be Buried releases some time in 2010. I’m also working on a proposal for a new mystery series. One of these days I hope to get back to working on some of the historical manuscripts sitting on my virtual desk.

Thank you, Sandra for telling us your story!
Check out her new release and her website at the above links.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book? Least?

Tell us a little about yourself?

I entered Get Off My Bunions in the Genesis contest, simultaneously sending a proposal to Susan Downs. After I found out GOMB finaled in the Genesis, I shared the news with Susan. She contracted me shortly afterward. We then changed the name to sound to mysterious and came up with Murder on the Ol’ Bunions. Here’s a sneak peek:

Empty Nest Syndrome, bad bunions and a dead body, what’s a woman to do? When LaTisha Barnhart finds the body of her former employer, her bunions tell her something’s afoot.

Chase the dream until it becomes your reality.

What has been the most unexpected challenge you've had with becoming a published author?

Tell us a little about your main character and how you developed him/her?

I could just picture a curious, sassy, AA woman finding a dead body. One of my good friends is the model for LaTisha, who is smart, savvy, and full of attitude. LaTisha’s raised seven children, so there’s not much she hasn’t experienced, except maybe grandchildren, and that’s taken care of by the end of the book. I wanted her to have a unique, fun relationship with her husband. LaTisha’s sweet natured, longsuffering husband Hardy is her opposite. They balance each other. Such a combination makes for dialogue that flows quite easily, showing not only their differences in opinion, but their love.