Author Moira Darrell retired from her career as a legal secretary and a school admin secretary several years ago and now lives in Strathmore, Alberta, Canada with her husband and kitty. As a teenager, she loved writing in Composition class and wrote several poems, some of which find themselves in her books. Moira has been consumed by writing books for the past five years. Selena and Her Mysteries was published in the summer of 2022, Messed-Up Choices in 2024. Moira belongs to several Facebook groups. When Moira isn’t writing, she is hand sculpting pottery in many techniques; her pottery sells online at The Vault in Strathmore, Alberta. She also volunteers for various charities, dabbles in drawing, paints, and practices Reiki (she has her second level).
Which genres do you cover?
Moira Darrell: My first book, Selena and Her Mysteries, begins with a young girl searching for answers to a multitude of unanswered family mysteries. As the story progresses, you realize she has grown from an insecure adult into an assured and competent woman, so the genres would be Coming of Age, Young Adult, as well as Family Drama. However, I’ve had adults and seniors read this book, and they find it delightful (their word). Messed-Up Choices is my second book with the genre being Family Drama, Realistic Fiction, and Contemporary Drama.
Which is the latest book you had published, and what is it about?
Moira Darrell: Messed-Up Choices is vastly different from my first book. This book is partly about a family in crisis. Jenna is the main character; her husband, Matthew, is a co-main character. Jenna is a strong woman, and she marries her life’s love. When depression strikes her husband, precipitated by a business crime she is certain he didn’t commit, it affects them both. The resort where Jenna’s parents winter is Jenna’s refuge. I like to bring as much humor as the story warrants into my books, and the lightheartedness of the residents brings relief to Jenna’s very soul. Jenna navigates her way through the debris of Matthew’s inner turmoil, and they attempt to recapture what they had prior to his breakdown. However, there are so may obstacles to that happy scenario as more personal issues arise, such as did an unstable Matthew just buy a gun? Jenna worries it wasn’t simply for protection.
At which book events can readers find you?
Moira Darrell: Readers can find me at local events in my home city of Starthmore. I’ve been to book events in Calgary and in Palm Springs, California; however, no big events for myself. Yet …
Which book event connecting you with readers is your favourite and why?
Moira Darrell: The answer would depend on where I am at the time. We live in Canada, so the book events near where I live are very important to me. Not only am I promoting myself, but I feel that I am also promoting the business or event where I am doing readings or signings. During most winters, you would find me in the Coachella Valley – just outside of Palm Springs. I have done book readings and signings in the RV Resort where we winter, and I find these a very personal experience. I don’t really believe at the time that I’ll sell dozens of books, but I love people and these events bring me closer to those that are interested in my books and, in a way, in me.
Do your books have any specific messages to your readers and, if so, which are they?
Moira Darrell: I haven’t thought about my books in this way before. I’m especially interested in the emotions of my characters – the friendships, the relationships, all influenced by people, events, and emotions in my own life. As I write my books, I tend to get totally engrossed in the character’s emotions. These emotions and characters do grab me and pull me along with them. And this is what I want to do with my readers. I want them to be pulled along by my story and the people in my books. The message itself would be what I tell myself: “Instead of worrying about what was or what will be, rejoice in what IS – Feel; love; live your life to the fullest no matter what your predicament may be.”
Which writers keep inspiring you and why?
Moira Darrell: Susanna Kearsley is an amazing writer. She writes using the past and the present within her books in a very real way (e.g., Sophie’s Secret aka A Winter Sea, and the sequel, Marianna). A past author that I love reading is Robert Louis Stevenson. Megan Miranda is one of my favourite authors. Daisy Wood wrote “The Royal Librarian”; this author brings out some possible shocking information about a member of the Royal Family prior to and during WWII. Joanna Goodman wrote Home For Unwanted Girls; this book is a very complicated, drawn out, and emotional read. All these authors bring their characters to life for me. I can visualize them and totally get into them.
Do you have any specific writing habits?
Moira Darrell: I Have a lot of steps that I do. My mind and fingers want to type, type, type. I type 95 words a minute. When I first begin a story, I’m more la-de-dah. Then, as the book builds, I’m totally into it. If an idea pops into my mind when I’m not near my computer or paper, I’ll dictate it into my cellphone. At night, I keep a small, coiled book with a pen attached to it at my bedside. I always type out a separate document with all the character names, their description, types of clothing, and personality as they wander into my mind and want to be in my book. Eventually I go back and map out the order of scenes. Then I ensure the chapters are sorted in a good plan. All of this gets revised as the book evolves. Sometimes when I’m in my final draft, I’ll see a chapter that would be better suited elsewhere. I will definitely need to step back sometimes and regroup if my ‘characters’ have thrown a curve at me and change the storyline themselves!
What are you currently working on?
Moira Darrell: I’m have been working on the factual biography of the grandmother I’ve never met. She deserves to have her very unfortunate story told, The Mad Mistake. Fact pages I have gathered from army records, correspondence, and https://www.newspapers.com/ need a few twigs here and there. When I decide on how to approach the book, it will be another long haul into what will be my third book. Wish me the ability to craft a respectful fictional version of her life intertwined with the heartless acts of her husband, who had another woman, put his wife in an asylum and their four children into a Children’s Shelter, walked away, and never looked back.
Which book are you currently reading simply for entertainment?
Moira Darrell: I am currently reading Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda. In the past, I have read many of her books.
What advice would you give any aspiring author?
Moira Darrell: Write from your heart. Don’t worry about where your story will end up. Just get it down. You’ll need the absolute image of the characters in your mind as you write. Get to know them. You don’t have to like their personalities. Just ensure you know what they are thinking and why. Realize that the characters may be writing the book along side of you. Be prepared to write and re-write, re-think what you’ve written and to learn from any critique you receive from someone genuinely caring.
You can find Moira Darrell’s books are available at Shelf Life Books (Calgary, Alberta), The Vault Gift Shop (Strathmore, Alberta), Serendipity’s (Strathmore, Alberta), Bailey’s Books (St. Albert, Alberta), Lipton Trading Post (Lipton, Saskatchewan), at several online book stores, and on Amazon and on amazon.ca.
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