Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. My daughter’s premature birth left me with so many conflicting emotions that I decided to write them down, in the form of a poem, to express what I was feeling. I had written various works of fiction since my teens, but this time I was basing my writing on a life experience. It was serious. I was serious. And distraught. And trying to cope. I posted the poem on my Website and joined a Ring of women who’d given birth prematurely. A woman contacted me to ask if she could use it as the introduction to a book she was putting together full of stories of parents and their premature babies. That became “Living Miracles: Stories of Hope from Parents of Premature Babies,” St. Martin’s Press. After that, I sold another piece, based, again, on my daughter’s experience after a very serious surgery, Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. That, too, was published by Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul. From that point, I turned my mind toward fiction and decided to learn all I could. I joined a group called American Christian Romance Writers (now American Christian Fiction Writers), went to a few conferences, absorbed, wrote, and, finally. . .

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break? 

A. After entering Get Off My Bunions in the 2008 Genesis contest for unpubbed writers, I received the call that my entry had finaled. I emailed the news to the editor with whom I had submitted a copy of the same proposal I entered into the contest. She signed me! I was so excited I went out onto our back deck and screamed at the top of my lungs. Probably not a good idea since we lived in a neighborhood. My neighbors came running to find out what was wrong. :)

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release?

Murder on the Ol’ Bunions stars LaTisha Barnhart. She’s sassy and big hearted and fifty-eight years young. When she stumbles upon the body of her former employer, and the finger of suspicion is pointed at her, she knows she must solve the mystery to clear her name.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Murder on the Ol’ Bunions?

A: One of my really good friends is black. She always, always makes me laugh. I fashioned LaTisha after her in many ways--size, height, the fact that she is a good deal taller than her husband, just as LaTisha is taller than her husband Hardy. When I decided to write a mystery, I knew I wanted a heroine who was different, lively, determined to be truthful and big-hearted. I also wanted to show a couple whose individual personalities were at opposite ends of the spectrum but had learned through the years of their marriage to bend and give, and love each other in spite of those differences.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: Truthfully? That marriage is worth fighting for. It’s worth the commitment and the time, effort and patience.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: Keep writing. Finish a manuscript, then polish it to a high sheen, and learn, learn, learn, from other writers. Don’t by shy to show your work around for criticism that is constructive. You will gain so much insight into your abilities by letting others show you your manuscripts weaknesses and strengths.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now? 

A. Abingdon Press’s newest Quilts of Love contract. A Heartbeat Away is a historical romance set in Sharpsburg, MD, during the Battle of Antietam. It is the story of a young woman who finds love through the secret message hidden in the quilt her mother gave her.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do? 

A. I enjoy long walks and a good mystery. I love to learn and often find myself immersed in some historical tidbit or another, trying to get a grip on the details and the people who were major players. My research for the Johnstown Flood (Promise Brides) is a good example of this, as is my research of Sharpsburg, Maryland for A Heartbeat Away. I guess that’s why I enjoy writing historical romance so much.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us? 

A. You can always find me on the Web at www.sdionnemoore.com. Follow me on Twitter: @sdionnemoore or The Borrowed Book: www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com