Embracing the Hybrid Life with Moody

M.F. Moody is an Australian author who currently lives in Kent, United Kingdom. Getting to know her has been a joy. I, myself, am not much of a mafia romance fan, but I was pleasantly surprised when I read her book Family Justice and fell in love with the characters and plot. My sister is usually the mafia reader and I instantly recommended Moody’s book to her. 

Moody published her first book, Disconnect, in late 2021. It’s a contemporary M/F that fits perfectly into her preferred genres.

“I write smutty romance, so definitely 18+,” remarked Moody. “I’ll write pretty much any romance sub-genre, except non-con, ultra-dark, and probably horror. It [choosing to write 18+ romance] wasn’t so much a decision, but a natural happenstance. My mind/imagination can be a strange, dark, and twisted place, so it’s not the best place for those wanting clean, sweet, or family-friendly stories.”

Writers get their inspiration from many sources. Our muses don’t come in a single form. A sports reporter might find inspiration in the arch of a pole vaulter, a feature writer might find inspiration in the walls of an old home, and a mystery writer might be compelled to write about a cold case. For Moody, her muse takes the form of dreams.

“I have a dream and it sticks in my head,” she stated. “Once I’ve let it percolate a bit, I sketch out a rough plot, characters, conflicts, etc. I then create a Spotify playlist that I think will fit the storyline, brew multiple bucket-sized mugs of coffee, hot play on Spotify, and let the words flow.”

Moody is a hybrid author not in the sense of using both traditional and independent publishing, but in the sense of her story crafting. You’ve heard me use the terms plotter and pantser in the past. Most writers lean more one way than another, but Moody is a true hybrid that draws on both types to perfect her stories.

“I take a little from column A and a little from column B,” explained Moody. “I will generally have a loose plot set out with major conflicts, particular scenes, as well as the main characters all organized, and then I’ll just let the story flow as it comes. And yes, there have been times when my plot takes an abrupt left or right from where I’m heading, and I’ve learned to just go with it, otherwise my writing stalls.”

When it comes to character crafting, Moody relies on her dreams and friends. She stated, “Sometimes they [characters] are there from the very beginning, aka in the dreams I have. Other times they’ll just pop into existence as I’m developing the plot. There are a few that have spontaneously ‘appeared’ thanks to something friends have shown/told me, but for the most part  I have the main characters in my head from the get-go.”

Creating titles is something that can sometimes be a problem for authors, as they need to create something that draws their readers in but doesn’t give away the plot. Unlike headlines in the newspaper, a title doesn’t tell you the overall plot, it only gives you a feeling of what the story might be about. 

“Sometimes the title comes first, like in my Altered Shifters Universe and Her Soul duet,” added Moody. “Other times it comes from a line or concept within the story. Disconnect and Family Justice both come from this instance.”

“Once the manuscript is 100% completed,” she continued, “I generally go through about 4-5 rounds of intensive edits. However, I often go back and edit as I’m writing, so it could be as many as 10-15 rewrites/drafts before the manuscript sees publication.”

For Moody, the most difficult part of writing is the first chapter. “Writing something that will grab the attention of the reader, without falling into cliched tropes and overused phrases. It also set the tone of the rest of the book,” remarked Moody.

The easiest part of writing for Moody is, “When I’m in the zone. It can be anywhere, even editing, but when I’m in that zone, with music playing and plenty of coffee, I can smash through chapters upon chapters of work.”

Of course, no author interview is complete without asking the hard questions, and while I stayed away from, “Who’s your favorite character?” I did ask Moody what book she was most proud of. Her response was beautiful.

“Oh, that’s a hard one. I have had several,” gushed Moody. “Disconnect, because it’s the first book I published. My Altered duet because they’re my first attempt at RH, and are what people know me best for writing. Family Justice because it’s such a complex story with some amazing characters. Mythic because it shows how much I’ve grown since writing Altered, as well as fleshing out some of my favorite secondary characters. I love all of my books for different reasons and am proud of them all.”

I recently finished reading Family Justice and I’ll admit it’s not a book I would usually pick up. When doing these interviews I ask the author to recommend one of their books to me and that’s the book I read and review, no matter what. My first impression of this book was that it had a gorgeous cover. I love anything with skulls and flowers and so it caught my eye. I didn’t read the blurb or look at the genre, I merely started reading. It became obvious it was a mafia romance only a few pages in.

As I stated earlier, the mafia isn’t a genre I read much of. A lot of mafia books have triggers in them that I’m not okay with. Such as dubious consent or Stockholm syndrome. This one, however, did not. Family Justice had elements of mystery, lots of murder, explicit sex scenes, and family drama all tied together to create the perfect theme of a found family. 

Ultimately, Family Justice is about an orphaned girl being adopted by a mafia family. She does everything she can to be the perfect daughter for the man who took her in, despite it forcing a wedge between her and his true daughter (her former best friend). A  series of events leads our main girl to discover the truth about the murder of her parents, the man who both harmed and saved her with a single bullet to the shoulder, and what true love feels like. Honestly, this girl is the ideal female lead. She is brave, and strong, and keeps going even when the world knocks her down. She doesn’t let others knock her crown off her head.

I ended up rating Family Justice 4 out of 5 stars. I don’t have any real criticism about the story and it was a nice change of pace, where my reading habits are concerned. The only reason I dropped it to a 4-star is probably more on me than the author. With mafia stories not being a favorite of mine, there were points where I lost interest in the story and felt like it was too drawn out, but then I’d get interested and lay around reading it for a few more hours. I’d say this is because of personal preference and has nothing to do with Moody’s writing. Someone who adores mafia romances would most likely give this story a solid 5. 

For all you aspiring writers out there, Moody says, “Find your tribe. Find those people who will encourage and uplift you, who will help you on your journey. These are the ones who will help you stomp out your imposter syndrome, will help you find your feet when you stumble, and will shout out their encouragement from the rooftops. They’ll be honest with you, but not cruel or insensitive. Find them, embrace them, and listen to their advice before you cement your path. Also, don’t get pulled into the petty schoolyard bull that still goes around. Stay professional and civil, even if others aren’t. Their behavior will speak louder than anything you could say in response, as long as you remain civil and professional.”