One would think that living in a town nicknamed Sin City and known for its somewhat checkered past,  it would inspire many a sordid tale. The muse rarely cooperates so freely (or at least mine doesn’t, she tends to be a bit temperamental). My first published novella, Buckling Down, started off based on little more than a bar, a sassy heroine, and a bull rider for a hero-an idea that blossomed while I drove to work one morning. It was meant to be nothing more than a mere escape as I pulled myself out of the evil clutches of Mr. Writer’s Block.

Let me introduce to my mother. Say… Hi Moira’s Mom! In the past, she wasn’t a huge fan of paranormal romance. So the idea of writing a story she would enjoy, provided another source of inspiration. Granted, writing sex when I know that dear mom will be reading the book does tend to bring out the prude in me, but I managed with a little prodding from some close friends. Did I mention the research? I mean really…bull riders and rodeos? Las Vegas may play host to the National Finals Rodeo every year, but I knew very little about the rodeo when I began to write the story. Thank god for the internet, the PBR website and ESPN for broadcasting bull riding. Without those, I might have had to mug a cowboy, hog tie him, and hold him for ransom.

In truth, Buckling Down was originally meant to be a longer story. I had to trim the fat so to speak, which in turn, made the story flow better. Needless to say, ten months later, the novella was finished, contracted, endured a title change, and was on its way to revisions. It is a short period of time when you hear stories of other aspiring authors. My next story has been in the works for over a year now, so while I am proud of the fact it took me so little time to have Bucking Down reach publication, I am also humbled by that same knowledge. Buckling Down may have started out as a derailment from the paranormal story I wanted to write, yet it captured a special place in my heart and will remain there.

• About the Author
• Posts in the Past

Moira

Once upon a time, in a place called San Antonio, a girl was born with sass and far too much imagination.

At the age of ten, she landed in Las Vegas with her family, where she still currently resides. Growing up in a place nicknamed Sin City and known for over twenty-one focused entertainment, left a lot of time for a young imagination to run amuck.

As a writer, she envisions many worlds within the one she currently thrives in. Her pastimes are playing Rockband with her sons, dancing, daydreaming and living vicariously through the characters she breathes to life. Moira’s ideas for stories run the gambit. In her realm anything goes. One moment she is penning a cowboy novella, the next she is plotting out the details for a hot shape-shifter and fae story. That is the beauty in writing as she sees it. Possibilities are limitless as is the inspiration she garners from the world around her. Oh and of course who can forget her two little leading men? Her twin boys provide an inspiration all their own.

moirakeith.com

• Moira's Parting Thoughts
• Buckling Down
• An Influence