How did you discover you wanted to be a writer?
My love of writing started with poetry, and I wrote a poem to acknowledge most important events in my life. I moved onto writing articles, short stories and finally to novels.
What did you do to actively pursue writing?
After completing a course in creative writing some years ago, I sought out writing groups and joined societies such as RWAus to network with like-minded writers. I utilised beta readers, mentors and editors who all helped to shape my writing.
What do you find are the advantages of being part of RWAus?
RWAus has a great network Australia wide which enables me to feel connected to an organisation that has my writing interests at heart. Even though I live in WA, I can connect online and participate in any of the competitions and conferences that the RWAus organises. I also participate in as many writing courses as I can to further develop my craft.
What is your favourite genre and why?
My favourite genre is contemporary women’s fiction with a romantic element. This is what I enjoy reading and what I tend to write. I enjoy this genre because I can identify with the characters and what they are experiencing but I am a romantic who likes the subtle slow-burning sizzle of love.
Share a little about your writing process?
My writing process begins as early as 4.30am. I like to start writing when I’m still in alpha brain-wave state as this is my most creative time. I love being able to write when the house is quiet and there are no distractions. I also take time out later in the day to lie down and meditate/nap for about ten minutes. This gives my brain a chance to switch off and reset. Otherwise, if I go to bed with lots of creative ideas whizzing around in my head, I can spend all night “creating” stories.
While I am not a strong plotter, I generally have an idea of what my story will be about. I create a basic structure of what I will put in each chapter (although I add chapters as I go along). I don’t write aimlessly hoping It will turn into a novel.
I decide on the type of characters I want in the story (choosing suitable protagonists and antagonists) but I don’t usually have more than about six characters. This gives me a chance to focus on each one and develop them fully. I generally have an idea of what their motives are in the beginning and what type of arcs and transformations will take place before the end of the story.
When I create my basic draft, I don’t Include dialogue but as I edit, I look at what dialogue is needed to help develop each of the characters as the story progresses. I sometimes use dialogue to include backstory as this can be an informal way of providing details about the characters and helps readers to get to know them better.
Tell us about your current work in progress…
The novel I’m currently writing is set in Japan and it’s the first time I’ve written a novel with two parallel stories. It’s been enjoyable but challenging as the two stories are happening at the same time to two different groups of people. What they have in common is a second-hand kimono that one woman finds in a market that was previously owned by a woman in the parallel story.
I had to create chapters that were in chronological order and to find opportunities where these two disparate groups of people could cross paths (like sliding doors). I used seasons that both groups were celebrating and places that they were both visiting but created very different views and stories around them. While I have completed the story I’m still deliberating on the ending (as of course I need to create two great endings).
And your latest book…
My latest book started as one until an assessor suggested it would be better written as two novels, so the second is a sequel to the first and is set twenty years later. This was a challenge as I wanted to write the sequel with enough details of the former story so that readers could read it without having read the first novel. The advantage of knowing I’d already written a sequel meant I could end the first story leaving a desire in the minds of readers wanting to know what would follow. I think I achieved this as readers have been asking me for the last six months when the sequel is being released.
Where Sunbeams Fall and Where Dragonflies Dream
The first novel Where Sunbeams Fall was released in January 2024 and Where Dragonflies Dream is being released this month.
For Australians Alex and Debra Grainger, expat life in the tiny Shangri-La of Brunei is not always idyllic. Living in a patriarchal Islamic country in the 1970s is challenging for Debra as she struggles to deal with the grief of her child in an unfulfilled marriage with a career-focused husband. While teaching at a local college, Debra meets Rahim, who shares her love of poetry but the secret letters they exchange express more than their love of poetry. Breaching the strict cultural mores of an unyielding society they discover the complexity and danger of forbidden love.
Twenty years later, after her husband dies, Debra hears of a reunion in Brunei. But will it be the same second time around? Will it to help her heal, her troubled son to reconnect with his roots. Her friend, Jo has a similar question as she balances the demands of her adult daughter and aging mother. Muso friend Mike, struggling with the aftermath of his divorce, hopes to rekindle the joy of playing to an adoring expat crowd. On this life-affirming journey, three friends find lost love and renew valuable friendships. They discover that loss is something you eventually work through, but love stays with you forever.
Buy on: You can buy via my website or by ordering online or through a local bookstore.
Author bio:
A love of writing motivated her to complete a course in creative writing twenty years ago and she has been writing ever since. This life-affirming journey has taken her along winding paths and off beaten tracks, to many exotic locations such as the tiny Shangri-La of Bandar Seri Begawan where her latest story is set.
A member of the Australian Society of Authors, the Romance Writers of Australia, the Society of Women Writers of Western Australia, and the South Fremantle Writers Centre Moira regularly contributes articles and participates in writing workshops.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from Murdoch University, Moira completed a Graduate Diploma in Education at Curtin University and lectured for many years in English language, communication, and literacy. She has taught Indonesian and Malay language and is a qualified yoga teacher.
She also publishes a blog that you can follow on her website at https://moirayeldon.com and has author profiles on most social media platforms.