Intimate Conversation with Tyora Moody
Tyora Moody is the author Soul-Searching Suspense novels, When Rain Falls, When Memories Fade (April 2013) and Deep Fried Trouble (June 2013). She is a member of Sisters in Crime and American Christian Fiction Writers. As an literary-focused entrepreneur, she has assisted countless authors with developing an online presence via her company, TywebbinCreations.com. Popular services include virtual book tours, book trailers, customized WordPress websites and book covers for independent authors.
BPM: When did you get your first inkling to write, and how did you advance the call for writing?
I have always loved a good story and reading, but I probably had my first inkling to write when I received a journal in high school. I was 14 or 15 at the time. I poured my thoughts into that journal and have kept many over the years. It was in 2006, during journal writing time, characters were birthed. Out of curiosity, I continued to write and scenes turned into chapters. Soon I had written an entire novel.
I'm currently getting ready to write my fourth novel and I really love the writing process, especially rewriting. Writing the first draft is great, but it's during rewrites, the story seems to come more alive.
BPM: Do you have anyone in your life that was heavily influential in your deciding to become an author?
I can't say one particular person influenced me to become an author, but I grew up with parents who encouraged creativity and motivated me to go after my passions.
BPM: Introduce us to your book and the main characters. What makes each one special? Do you have any favorites?
When Memories Fade is the second book in the Victory Gospel Series and my third book. The best way to tell you about the book is to provide the synopsis here:
Angel Roberts has embraced her new faith, but past memories remain fresh. When her beloved grandmother suffers a stroke, Angel sets out to investigate a mystery that has created family tensions and lingered since she was five years old. What happened to her mother?
She teams up with investigative reporter, Wes Cade, a man obsessed with his Alzheimer stricken grandfather's remaining memories. As Angel lets her guard down with Wes, his determination to get the story could push her to the edge. Is his interest in her or the story?
Angel must conquer her fears to find the truth. Unknown to her someone close is working feverishly to stop Angel from unlocking the truth of what really happened to her mother. Who will win?
BPM: Which character or topic in the book can you identify with the most? Why?
Probably the main character, Angel Roberts. The more I wrote about her, the more I started to see similarities between this character and myself in my twenties. Angel discovers her faith at age 25 after much soul-searching and I did the same. She is a bit of an introvert who is passionate about creativity which I am also. I started to make her a graphic designer like myself, but thought it would be more interesting to make her a videographer.
BPM: What drew you to tackle the questions or topics in When Memories Fade?
I knew after writing the first book in the series, When Rain Falls, that I wanted the next novel to not be so much of who-dun-it story. I watch a lot of true crime shows and for a time period, I watched quite a few shows about missing persons.
An idea started to develop about how not knowing what happened to a loved one affected a family and even one's faith. What if the missing person left children behind? How does that child cope as she grows up not knowing what happened especially when there is such a mystery behind the disappearance. That's how the story from When Memories Fade started to grow.
BPM: Share with us a brief excerpt from one of the most powerful chapters.
She fell on her knees, feeling the earth beneath her. Her heart lurched as the thunder roared like an angry lion above their heads. Big drops of rain began to crash around them. She shut her eyes tight not believing this was her fate. “Please, God help me,” she prayed fervently.
When she opened her eyes an answer laid near her, barely covered by leaves. She glanced up at him. His eyes had grown wilder as he paced around her. He seemed to be having a conversation, but she couldn’t understand a word he was saying. The rain was falling harder now, soaking her clothes. She peered down at the ground again. Why not? What did she have to lose? She had to do something.
She scooped the smooth rock from the muddy ground. Her dormant softball skills kicked in as she zoned in on his hand. Not waiting another second, she swung the rock with all her might.
The rock smacked him square on the hand and he dropped the gun. “No, you …”
She leapt forward like a track runner and headed into the trees. As she ran, the oddest memory of a Sunday School lesson entered her mind. The one about Lot’s wife. God told her not to look back, but she did and lost her life.
His voice bellowed behind her.
“Don’t look back,” She told herself as she ran. “Don’t. Look. Back.”
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BPM: What are your goals as a writer? Do you set out to educate? Entertain? Illuminate? Inspire?
I don't really set out with a goal other than to tell a really good story. I think my writing style is a combination of inspiration, education and entertainment. In When Memories Fade, I found it helpful to "educate" about Strokes and Alzheimer's as I incorporated these diseases into the lives of the main characters. The main plot of the story centers around a missing person case, so there were opportunities to share the process for searching for a person.
I also deal with forgiveness, so that's where the inspiration is woven into this novel. It's not easy to move forward when you have been betrayed or lied to. Most of us have had similar circumstances which I hope readers will be able to relate to as they read When Memories Fade.
BPM: Share with us your latest news or book releases. How may our readers follow you online?
I will be releasing Deep Fried Trouble, the first novella in the Eugeena Patterson Mystery series in June 2013. The novella is what is known as a cozy mystery. The main character, Eugeena, is a retired school teacher and grandmother who stumbles upon a murdered neighbor. Her curiosity and other personal circumstances lead her into a new career as an amateur sleuth. Great fun to write and very different writing from the Victory Gospel Series. I did a lot of laughing as I wrote and edited Deep Fried Trouble.
BPM: Thank you for sharing a little bit about yourself, your journey and your book with our readers!
Thanks for having me, Ella!
READERS, can contact me via my website or social media.
http://www.tyoramoody.com
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTyoraMoody
http://www.twitter.com/tyoramoody
http://www.pinterest.com/tyoramoody
