January Author Spotlight: Tanisia "Tee" Moore
Ashyle Noelle • Jan 26, 2023

BIO

Known affectionately as “your family’s favorite author,” Tanisia “Tee” Moore writes uplifting work for all ages. For young adult readers, her debut book with co-author Lyn Miller-Lachmann in the Women of Power series profiling women filmmakers was announced in November 2020. For adults, she is the author of After the Storm, an inspiring contemporary romance novel of redemption and restoration. Tee has been published in the Alabama News, Medium, and Readers Digest, as well as a TEDx talk on motherhood and entrepreneurship.


She is a proud alumna of Clark Atlanta University—where she majored in Mass Media Arts with a concentration in radio— and Florida A&M University College of Law. When Tee isn’t writing, she’s saving the world as a loving, compassionate (and sometimes crazy) wife and mother. Originally from Southern California, she now lives in the southern belle state of Alabama.


To read Tee’s work, visit https://linktr.ee/moteellc.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BOOK(S)!

I got books for the babies and books the adults. On the kid side, I have a few books coming out. My debut young adult non-fiction, that I co-authored, profiles 15 groundbreaking women film directors. That book came out on September 6, 2022.


In addition, my debut picture book—My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams— with Scholastic will be coming out this year, along with my book 1 of my chapter series with Reycraft books. On the adult side, I'm in revising purgatory. So stay tuned.

HOW DO YOU WEAVE YOUR CULTURE INTO YOUR WRITING?

I'm Black. Culture is all I know.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?

I have been writing since I was child. But as an adult my kids have inspired me to write stories for them with the goal of them being able to seem themselves through the pages.

WHAT BLACK AUTHOR HAS INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST?

Winsome Hudson. She is a big sister to me and my friends. Her writing is poetic and musical. She knows how to challenge me in my writing and forces me to dig deeper. I'm grateful to call her my friend.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GET OUT OF YOUR BOOKS?

I hope that readers get whatever they need from books. If they're looking for something to empower them, I hope my prose will do that. If they're looking to swoon and believe in love again, that my characters will provide that for them.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A BLACK CREATOR IN PUBLISHING?

One of the hardest thing about being a Black creator in publishing is getting the industry to be more open when it comes to our stories. Publishing is quick to put a cap on our stories when one or two creators make it big. It is as if we are only allowed to one Angie Thomas, one Jasmine Guillory, etc. Or we can only one picture book on hair or fantasy book. It is disheartening at most, especially when our less melanated counterparts have several books on trees, feelings, or dinosaurs. I'm just saying.

IS THERE ANY PROJECT YOU ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT CURRENTLY (W/OUT GIVING TOO MUCH AWAY)?

OMG, yes! I'm currently revising an adult novel that I completed in 2020. It is a real labor of love. I simply adore this book and the characters. I can't wait for it to finally go out on submissions and eventually into the hands of readers.

BEST TIP ON WRITING CRAFT?

Writing is a teachable skill. The only way to get better is to practice and to read books in the genre you're interested in writing. See what others are doing in the industry and put your own spin on it.

ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER BLACK CREATORS?

Please keep creating your stories! We need them to be told. This industry can brutal. But we must show up anyway and get out there.

FUN QUESTION! IT'S THE FIRST MET GALA FOR BLACK CREATORS! WHAT ARE YOU WEARING ON THE RED CARPET?

This a good one. I would probably wear something that is royal blue. Y'all come back to me on this question. I need to research this some more. LOL!

WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU?

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