A Life In Motion: The Writing Life of Catherine Moore

Catherine Moore/Cate Moyle

Catherine Moore’s writing reflects a life lived across fourteen different places, spanning two continents and eight states. Her experiences as a teacher, editor, programmer, and mother of three infuse her work with empathy, humor, and insight. Whether writing as Catherine Moore or Cate Moyle, her stories remain anchored in atmosphere, character, and the transformative power of place. Her latest book, Borrowings of the Shan Van Vocht, reached the Finalists Shortlist for the Silver Falchion Award – Best Supernatural book published in 2020.

Catherine Moore’s writing is deeply rooted in the place—whether it’s the claustrophobic interiors of a haunted midcentury house or the sun-bleached quirks of a small-town beach community. Setting, for her, is never mere backdrop but an active force shaping the narrative. "My characters are often oddballs or outsiders—people who don't quite fit into the communities where they find themselves. My protagonists tend to be competent professionals who are underestimated by those around them, which becomes their greatest advantage, as they're not tied to local loyalties or inherited blind spots."

The Practice of Writing

Catherine Moore’s creative process is grounded in discipline, community, and play. She has long participated in writing groups, where the commitment to submit work on a biweekly or monthly basis keeps her accountable even during creative slumps.

• She participates in online writing sessions featuring two 25-minute sprints within an hour. This structure has transformed her productivity, forcing her to write forward without editing or second-guessing during the first draft.

• She maintains at least two projects at any given time. When one narrative stalls, she shifts to another—or writes flash fiction or poetry—to keep creative momentum alive.

• She engages with group prompts or creates lists such as “Ten things found in the trunk of Character X’s car.” These exercises often spark unexpected scenes or deepen character development.

• When stuck, she turns to other forms of art—drawing, painting, or working in different mediums—to reset her creative rhythm.

• She walks outdoors, observing trees and landscapes that often find their way into her prose.

• And when revision time comes, she reads her work aloud to her dog; wherever the dog frowns or farts, she knows the prose needs attention.

  
  

The environments she creates influence her characters' choices, becoming as alive and unpredictable as the people who inhabit them. Similar to her two writing personas. "My literary fiction (published under Catherine Moore) leans into Southern Gothic traditions: unreliable narrators, morally ambiguous characters, and endings that resist easy resolution. I'm interested in what people don't say, what they choose not to see, and how self-deception shapes our stories about ourselves." As Cate Moyle, she channels that same atmospheric intensity into genre fiction with sharper resolution. Her paranormal mysteries blur the line between the real and the uncanny, her cozy mysteries balance warmth with genuine stakes, and her crime fiction delves into the politics and secrets of small-town life. "I never apologize for genre conventions—I love the puzzle-box structure of a well-crafted mystery and the slow-building dread of a good ghost story." To learn more about Catherine Moore/Cate Moyle, visit her websites and Facebook page. Delve into her latest literary world, Borrowings of the Shan Van Vocht, Audio book or Print version.