More About Moore

I'm interviewed at Get Lost In A Story today. They asked some really interesting questions, so come on by. Feel free to ask more questions, too.

What's with all the lawyers?

Readers familiar with my non-medieval books may have noticed that I've written a few books with lawyers for heroes, including Gordon McHeath in my latest release, HIGHLAND HEIRESS. I've had two solicitor heroes (Gordon and Robert Harding, of HIS FORBIDDEN KISS) and one barrister, Sir Douglas Drury of A LOVER'S KISS. (Unlike American attorneys, British lawyers fall into two categories: barristers and solicitors.)

As far as I'm aware, not too many other historical romance authors have legal eagles for heroes. Why do I?

Blame Perry Mason. I used to watch those shows when I was a very young, obviously impressionable child.

In fact, at one time, I thought about pursuing a career in the law, to the point of taking the LSAT. I'll never forget how some of the candidates paced the hall before going in, as if their entire lives depended on that test.

Me, not so much, so obviously not being a lawyer wasn't going to be a heart-breaker. Later I realized I could be so calm about it because being a stay-at-home mom was much more important to me, and I would have found it difficult to leave or take a hiatus from a legal career after all the work and effort necessary to succeed in that field.

Writing about lawyers, though, lets me play lawyer a little, and - even better - without the work and stress.

Why I've Been AWOL

As I've mentioned, my son has moved to Seattle. However, he has a house to sell here, so while he's been working in Seattle, his wife and I have spent hours cleaning, painting and staging it to sell. It was hard work, but I enjoyed it, in part because unlike, say, writing, when you're done a project like that, you know you're done. I'm rarely sure I'm "done" with a writing project.

A couple of observations from my recent home decorating/prepping experience:

On the advice of the realtor, Bride wanted to paint the kitchen cupboards. I confess I was sceptical. I thought it would be a huge task and might turn out looking, well, like a couple of amateurs had done it. But they turned out great, in no small part, I'm sure, because of the paint Bride chose - Behr's Paint and Primer in One. It went on really well and there was absolutely no odor! When you're doing twenty-three (!!) cupboard doors, plus trim, those two qualities make a huge difference.

I discovered a great product for cleaning hardwood floors - Eco Mist Hardwood and Laminate Floor Cleaner. It's unscented, non-toxic, non-allergenic, and made with plant-based ingredients. And it, too, worked like a dream.

My cleaning lady (believe me, I know how fortunate I am to have this luxury) gave me a secret weapon - a product to clean chrome and porcelain she uses that she gets at a janitorial supply store. It made the bathrooms sparkle.

Best of all, our hard work paid off. The realtor, bless his heart, came by on one of the first cleaning days. You know how your bedroom looks when you decide to clean out your closet and you start by taking everything out? That's what the house looked like, because Bride was also de-cluttering. He didn't say anything, but I gather the look on his face said, "Bride thinks this is going to be ready in four days????"

However, when he arrived after we had finished, he was apparently rendered speechless. We got everything done and then some (Bride had even restained the grout in the kitchen). Never estimate the power of two determined women!

I only wish we had before-and-after pictures, but alas, we didn't think to take any. We were too busy working!

Twenty Years since "The Call"

Twenty years ago today, I received the phone call that would change my life. I'd been helping in my daughter's kindergarten class that afternoon. At four o'clock, the phone rang. I picked it up and heard "This is Tracy Farrell from Harlequin Historicals. We love your book and we want to buy it."

I did not scream. I tried to sound professional, although fire works were exploding in my brain and I'm sure my voice was both higher pitched and louder than normal. I don't remember what I said.

I do remember phoning my husband at work and giving him the news. His answer was "Holy expletive!" Given that he doesn't usually use words of the expletive nature, this suggested a level of excitement on par with my own.

So it was that my life changed - but not only my life. My daughter who was in kindergarten that day? She now works in publishing, helping to decide who's going to get a call that will change his or her life.

And yes, that boggles my mind. :-)