Gary Moor
Writer / Contributor
Gary's Bio
As a native Oregonian I spent much of my childhood in Portland Oregon. I graduated from high school and attended community college in Astoria Oregon, where I had my first job. I consider Astoria my hometown. I have an AA degree from Clatsop Community College and a BA from Oregon State University where I twice lettered in varsity crew. I have worked as a pizza maker, logger (setting chokers for Crown Zellerbach), commercial salmon fisherman (Cook Inlet Alaska), Fuller Brush Man, Air Force jet pilot flying EC and KC-135s out of South Dakota and Okinawa Japan. I then did home repair and remodeling for 20 years. It is during this time I started writing books―about 20 years ago. I married twice. I had two children on the second go around. They are now full-grown and pursuing lives they love. I am very proud of them. I have mentored teens, I do rites of passage work with teens and men, and assist in Family Division for Landmark®. Now I live in an RV on a farm in Corvallis Oregon. Here I managed to unburden myself of 95% of the stuff I felt I could not live without, yet I have all that I need. Life is pleasurably simple as a result, and allows me to focus on what is important: my novel writing.
“The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding. Lost somewhere between immensity and eternity is our tiny planetary home. In a cosmic perspective, most human concerns seem insignificant, even petty. And yet our species is young and curious and brave and shows much promise. In the last few millennia we have made the most astonishing and unexpected discoveries about the Cosmos and our place within it, explorations that are exhilarating to consider. They remind us that humans have evolved to wonder, that understanding is a joy, that knowledge is prerequisite to survival. I believe our future depends powerfully on how well we understand this Cosmos in which we float like a mote of dust in the morning sky.”
– Carl Sagan, from Cosmos. New York: Random House. 1980 p. 4
The Creation Process: How a Song Can Shape a Short Story
I am inspired by music much the same way background music in a movie or TV show cues you to feel a certain way. When you hear gentle, sentimental music you're being prepped for an emotional scene. Likewise, if you hear upbeat, exciting music chances are you're...
Emotional and Mental Challenges of Wilderness Living
Wilderness living is not without its challenges, but the rewards still vastly outweigh the difficulties.
Mid-September Update 2017
It’s the middle of September already. I don’t know where the summer went. The leaves are changing at my house, and the temperatures have already dropped significantly. The apples are almost ready, and my thoughts are turning to winter preparations. The last few weeks...
The Craft of Writing: Shadowplay
Why use foreshadowing.
August 2017 Mid-month Update
It’s been a strange two weeks. While I’ve been productive in the sense of book plotting, I’ve been too exhausted and busy to get to my other creative outlets. I’m behind on everything. Emails piled up, and the to-do list is overflowing. Self-employment is a 24/7...
39th Note to Self
39th Note to Self Dear Athena, all that can be said about this year is “wow”. Just wow. To recap the last year, you bought a cottage in the middle of the woods, survived one of the hardest winters in the last twenty years on record, then quit your job with no security...
Changing Patron Milestones
Why I Depend on Patronage to Continue Writing Patrons are amazing. They truly are. They’re generous and supportive, and having patrons is a built-in audience and community. Why does my work need patronage? The two primary reasons I depend on patrons are: I...
July 2017 Mid-Month Update
The summer has been blessedly mild so far. There have been a couple of scorcher days but not as many for the time of year as I was expecting. My area in the woods is well shaded, but the nearness to the creek, and the leaves keeping in air flow means my humidity can...
Finding Rhythms
One of the strangest parts of being a full-time creative, is shaking the old rhythms off and embracing energy in its natural flow. For the years I’ve been working a forty for someone else, I’ve tried to wrap my creative efforts and writing around someone else’s...
Why Leave a Book Review?
Why Leave Reviews? As an indie writer and publisher, my longevity and sustainability is determined by audience. If I don’t have an audience buying books, I don’t have a future as a writer. Sure, there are a million other things I can do to earn a living, but it won’t...
