There’s police tape cordoning off the entrance, chalk outlines of bodies and a few silver backs* waddling in. Morning Melodies meets massacre perhaps? What the heck. I have nothing to lose and every thing to gain. That’s how it was as I strutted in to listen to best selling crime writer Tara Moss.
“Life’s too short to live the same day twice” was Tara Moss’ opening line and she went on to illustrate her motto by telling us some of her life story.
I’ll have to admit that her modeling background made me dubious about her ability to write and present. I was gladly proven wrong. She was poised, driven, engaging and importantly funny. Not an ‘air-head’ comment to be heard.
Tara Moss was born in Vancouver Island, Canada and launched her first book at age 24 in North America.
By the age of ten she was obsessed with Stephen King and Halloween was her favourite celebration. She has always had a macabre story writing style, penning a story about a killer car that wiped out her classmates in primary school. I t is hardly surprising that she chose this genre to write in.
Tara was 6 foot by aged 14 and her good looks and height eventually sent her on to the catwalks of Milan and Paris. She had lived an idyllic life as a child but the illness and subsequent passing of her mother introduced her to death in a real sense. Life was too short so she set off to model.
Her desire to write had always gnawed at Tara and at aged 23 with her motto in mind and being disenchanted by the life of a model, she entered a manuscript in the Scarlet Stiletto competition. She commented that she had no confidence in her writing and because it was anonymous was relieved.
In 1998 that manuscript was shortlisted and she won a young writer’s award. Unlike the stories of years of rejection by publishers, Selwyn Anthony, agent for Colleeen McCullough contacted Tara to be her agent. She then created a novel bidding war and Harper Collins were the publishers to print her first novel Fettish. Five books later the rest is history.
If life is too short how do you live each day differently? Just ask Tara. She was mentored by the F.B.I, flew loops over the Opera house with the Roulettes, got a Private Investigator license, had L.A.P.D** training, had someone choke her until she was nearly unconscious and set her on fire to experience ‘the victim’
I think the word inspire is a bit common but the word motivate sprang to mind when I listened to Tara. I am motivated to stick with my blog and try and make things happen. I even had the courage to go and chat to the lady that organized Tara’s appearance and get her agent’s number.
Unlike Tara, I don’t have a thriller hidden in my desk drawer, but it may just be an opportunity to get more of an insight into representing authors. She may also tell me to bugger off, but I have nothing to lose…
When it comes to the future there are those who make things happen;Those that wait for things to happen; And those that wonder what happened.
J. Richardson
A thought to ponder on: Why do we lack confidence in our ability when it’s about things we enjoy most?
*Silver backs is a nickname for senior citizens
** L.A.P.D – Los Angeles Police Department
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