Laura Moore--Current Releases

About Laura Moore

I was born in New York City and grew up there and in Western Massachusetts. Five years ago, my husband and I, our two children and our two black labs left New York and moved to the Chicago area.

I received my undergraduate degree and my M.A. in art history. Since graduate school I've worked as a museum lecturer, and have taught art, art history, and French.

I first began writing fiction while pursuing my master's degree. My first novel, Ride a Dark Horse, filled most of a spiral bound notebook. I was running out of pages when my wonderful husband presented me with a laptop for my birthday. It didn't take long for me to realize I far preferred writing love stories to cranking out term papers!

Both Ride a Dark Horse and Chance Meeting, my second novel, are stories set in a world I've always loved. . .the world of horses and professional show jumping. Growing up in Massachusetts, I competed in horse shows and spent my summers working at stables. Though I've had to take a break from riding (writing, work, raising kids and being a wife don't leave enough time for serious riding) I hope that one day I'll be able to return to riding, perhaps afford another horse--I try not to think about the fact that I may be too old to haul myself into the saddle before that happens!

From horses to seahorses. In my third book, Night Swimming, I decided to write about another of my long-standing passions: the sea. When I was a kid, one of my favorite heroes was Jacques Cousteau. For years, I dreamed of being the female version o fthis incredible scientist/naturalist/explorer. I took up scuba diving and when I wasn't riding horses I was swimming. I became an avid open water swimmer. One of my proudest accomplishments was competing in the Chesapeake Bay swim, a four-mile swim that follows the span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. (See photo below)

Although I never fulfilled my fantasy of becoming a female Jacques Cousteau, I relly wanted to pay my respects to the wonders of the ocean. I decided I'd write a romance about a marine biologist, Dr. Lily Banyon, a scientist committed to preserving the beauty of the oceans' coral reefs. After spending years away from her hometown of Coral Beach, Lily finds herself assigned to a reef study there and is forced to confront her childhood nemesis, Sean McDermott, whop happens to be the town's mayor. The sparks fly as Lily and Sean fight the attraction between them.

I adored writing Night Swimming . I loved the dual challenge of describing the marine world Lily loves so much, and of shaping Lily's character. Lily Banyon's a fascinating woman: strong, intelligent, and completely committed to her work. She's not a woman who's looking to fall in love--especially not with the too-handsome-for-his-own-good Sean McDermott. Unfortunately, Lily finds all her careful defenses crumbling when Sean takes her in his arms. Read Night Swimming and tell me what you think!

I'm currently at work on a new book. It's called In Your Eyes. It's a story about Alex Miller, a character some of you may be familiar with. He's Cassie's brother, from Ride a Dark Horse. After I had finished Ride a Dark Horse, I kept thinking about Alex and imagining what kind of woman would be able to melt that icy layer that's protecting his heart. It took me a while, but I finally found someone special enough for him. I hope you'll like Gen Monaghan as much as I do. She's a talented artist, a woman who's happy to walk a different path. Alex finds her irresistible. Now he just has to convince Gen that he's the man for her. Watch for In Your Eyes in 2004.

Best,

Laura

	*Laura at the RWA 2003 Literacy signing in New York. She was signing copies of her most recent release, Night Swimming.*
		Laura (left) signs a book for Jennifer Stevenson at the Chicago area 2003 All For Love event, which raised over $2100 for the American Heart Association.
	*Laura displays the cover art for her newest release, Night Swimming, at the Chicago-North conference in April 2002. For more information on Night Swimming, click here!*
		Laura Moore at the RWA National Conference Literacy signing in Denver--July 2002. All proceeds raised from the sale went to literacy.
	Laura (right) accepts a rose from Chicago-North president Deb Rittle, signifying the sale of Night Swimming to Ivy Books in 2002. Look for Night Swimming on the shelves soon!
		Laura finishing the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim. (Photo reprinted with permission from Action Sports International)
	Laura's canine companions waiting for her to finish the day's writing.