Lori A. Moore’s career as an author began writing out of grief. Now, she has written five books on a variety of topics, with a sixth scheduled for release in the summer.
Moore began writing after her ex-husband, Andy, passed away in 2008 from a blood clot. She said the death, which occurred not long before his fiftieth birthday, was unexpected.
“A friend suggested that I start journaling to be able to deal with my grief,” Moore said.
While writing, Moore said she wanted to take that journal and publish a book about Andy’s passing.
Moore said she saw it as a way to help others dealing with the same grief. The writing was also a form of therapy for her.
“When you can see on paper what you’re thinking in your head, you can read it and evaluate it,” Moore said.
Missing Andy: The Journey from Grief to Joy was released in 2010 by Christian-based company Tate Publishing.
Since then, she has written four other books based on her experiences.
Although she puts her life in the public eye now, Moore said she was a “painfully” shy person until she turned 23 years old.
“I couldn’t look people straight in the eye,” Moore said. “I couldn’t answer questions from people.”
Moore said when she turned 23, something in her changed, though she cannot really identify what it was. She now considers herself an ‘open book.’
In addition to being a published author, Moore has been an adjunct professor for 16 years.
Moore currently teaches in those areas at Ashford University and Western Kentucky University. She was a professor at Webster’s Louisville campus for 12 years.
Moore received three Masters from Webster University in Business Administration, Management and Leadership, and Media Communications.
Life’s work
Moore’s first book to be published by Tate Publishing was not Missing Andy, but From Zero to Christian in Just 35 Years. Moore said before she turned 35, she had never stepped foot inside a church.
Moore wrote the book to chronicle how she became a Christian, starting when her friend invited her to church. She said she also wrote it to help people who feel uneasy about religion feel accepted.
“We’re all good enough and God loves all of us,” Moore said.
Tate Publishing Marketing Consultant Cody Crawford, who has worked closely with Moore, said the book was published because the company found her story insightful.
Crawford said the fact that the book was Christian-based got their attention first, but the story was what sold it.
“We thought it was a really good work for us to have here,” Crawford said.
Missing Andy was not the only book Moore wrote that dealt with loss. In 2012, the children’s flip book Hannah the Hedgehog Goes to Heaven was released.
Moore said she wrote the story to help children deal with the grief of losing a family pet.
The story was based on Moore’s own loss of her cats Aja and Casper in 2011.
The book itself is about fictional characters Lily and her pet hedgehog Hannah. The flip book tells the story from both of their perspectives.
Her other children’s book, Grady the Gray Cat Gets Adopted, was released in 2010.
The book is based on Moore’s own cat Grady, whom she adopted from the Humane Society when the cat was two years old.
Moore said the book is also about how people should adopt animals from animal shelters as opposed to buying them from breeders.
The book also spoke to parents of adopted children, Moore said.
“They [readers] have told me that they have used that book to help their children understand that, being adopted, they’re just as loved,” Moore said.
Moore said she loves to write for children because, even at 51 years old, she said she still “acts like a big kid.”
Silliness is the greatest gift Moore said she has. She said she feels people can take life too seriously.
“[Life] doesn’t have to be so rigid and so formal,” Moore said.
Crawford said one of Moore’s strengths as a writer is that she writes for a wide range of audiences.
“She is not an author who is just stuck in one genre,” Crawford said. “She’s very widespread.”
Traveling
In January, Moore released her latest book, Oh Ship! Tales of a Cruising Chick and Other Travel Adventures. The book is based on her experiences on cruise ships and traveling the world.
Moore has traveled to all 50 states in the United States and has visited over 55 countries in the world.
Moore said she used to travel around the U.S. for jobs. In 2007, she realized she had been to all but five states.
“I made it a point to go out and finish those last five,” Moore said.
After checking off traveling to all 50 states from her bucket list, Moore said she decided on what she would do next: travel to other countries.
Moore said her travels give her more things to write about, as well as perspective and appreciation for other cultures.
One of those instances was being on the Great Wall of China and the Eiffel Tower.
“It’s [the Great Wall of China] not our wall, but it’s still a wonderful amazing thing and I cried,” Moore said. “When I got on the Eiffel Tower, I cried.”
Moore is currently working on her first foray into suspense fiction.
My Cold Kentucky Home will be released in summer 2016. Moore will have visited 65 countries by the end of the year.
Moore said reading and writing has helped her through personal issues. She said that others can use reading as a means of escaping to another world.
“Reading changes your whole life,” Moore said.
For more information about Moore’s work, visit her website at www.loriamoore.com.
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