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Introduction
Moriah is a hopeless romantic who wants to share all the feels with others. She has a tendency to go hard and fast on any romantic potential of her friends/family because she mentally writes her lives into rom coms. So it’s probably better for everyone that she’s channeling that into writing love stories for fictional characters.
She loves her husband, her daughters, and her family and thanks God for them every day. She lives in the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee and enjoys camping, hiking, and running when she’s not reading, writing, or chasing around kids. (Okay, sometimes she does those things while chasing around kids.) She wants to provide clean reads with relatable characters, witty banter, and swoony romance.
Moriah’s Books
Ariel’s best friend is getting married. Married. Meanwhile, Ariel’s summer plans consist of taking care of her six (yes, six) younger siblings. Cue Connor—the third musketeer of the trio that might be falling apart. He’s determined to make Ariel’s last summer before entering the real world the best summer ever.
Between wedding planning, babysitting, and suddenly seeing her best friend in a different light, the summer is turning out to be nothing like Ariel expected.
But with secrets piling up from the people closest to her, she must learn the challenge of letting go of the things that are out of her control, or be crushed under their weight.
Interview with Moriah Delp
Q: Let’s get started with an introduction. Can you tell me a little about how you first got into writing and what it felt like publishing your very first book?
A: Romance was really the start into writing for me. I dreamt up fanfiction scenes of my favorite tv couples before I even knew fanfiction was a thing. When I was in college, I started actually writing down some of the stories I’d made up for characters. Then during covid, I was furloughed so I had way more free time (the introvert dream) and I decided to create my own characters. But it always started with an idea for a couple. The romance factor was really what got me excited about writing.
Publishing my first book was a whirlwind. I tried traditionally publishing for a few years and then I realized no spice romances weren’t what traditional publishers were looking for. At the beginning of 2024, I decided to switch to indie publishing, which was so freeing. I could have creative control over my story, I could provide a clean option for readers, and I found an amazing community of authors supporting each other on bookstagram. (It also was super intimidating and stressful trying to figure out all that went into indie publishing, but it made me feel more proud of myself for doing it because I think it was a lot more work and drive put into it.)
Q: What are some of your favorite hobbies (other than writing)?
A: Most of my free time is spent playing with my two toddlers, but I love hiking and running when I can. Also reading, obviously (I think that goes along with the writer thing.) My girls and I go on walks regularly and my husband and I have recently gotten into pickleball. I love creating things—book characters, painting on unconventional surfaces, crafting, etc.
Q: What is your favorite strange food combination?
A: Some people think dipping Wendys fries and nuggets into a chocolate frosty is strange but I don’t feel like it’s that weird lol
Q: What book (other than your own) do you recommend to everyone that they have to read?
A: It’s hard to narrow it down to just one but I recently read On Wings of Ash and Dust by Brittany Wang and I’m obsessed. I want everyone to see how amazing it is.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about your writing process? Note taking; favorite place to write uninterrupted; etc?
A: Honestly, I really just write whenever I get a chance. It started before I had kids—I would be driving or going to sleep and thinking up scenes in my head. Then if I was parked for 5 minutes or took a 15 minute break at work, I’d quickly type it all into my Google docs app on my phone. Now that I’m a stay at home mom, it’s way more rare for me to find time to sit down at a computer and type. I mostly write on my phone whenever I get a spare second.
Q: Tell us a little about what inspired your latest release.
A: My latest release is my debut novel but one of many manuscripts I wrote. I felt like there were some things missing in the contemporary romance world—big family vibes (which I love because I come from a big family) and complicated friendship dynamics (in this case—dealing with your best friend getting married.) And of course, I included the main character falling in love with her other best friend because friends to lovers is my favorite trope always. But I had some of those vague ideas in my head when I started it and I just kind of wrote and saw where the story took me.
Ariel’s best friend is getting married. Married. Meanwhile, Ariel’s summer plans consist of taking care of her six (yes, six) younger siblings. Cue Connor—the third musketeer of the trio that might be falling apart. He’s determined to make Ariel’s last summer before entering the real world the best summer ever.
Between wedding planning, babysitting, and suddenly seeing her best friend in a different light, the summer is turning out to be nothing like Ariel expected.But with secrets piling up from the people closest to her, she must learn the challenge of letting go of the things that are out of her control, or be crushed under their weight.
Q: Which one of your books was your most favorite to write?
A: Well, I only have one released right now lol. But my favorite to write was the first manuscript I wrote, which looking back, is total trash lol. It was when I really discovered my love of writing. I didn’t know how to write yet or how to edit, so I didn’t question myself, I just told the story uninhibited and wrote the whole thing (which was probably only like 45,000 words) in two weeks.
Q: If you were to ask your friends or family, what would they say your greatest “Superpower” is?
A: Thoughtfulness. They say I’m really good at knowing when someone needs encouragement or just something to brighten their day
Q: If you could be any fictional character (cartoon, movie, show, book, etc), who would you be?
A: This was a hard one, but I think I’m going to go with Aquamarine. Being a mermaid sounds pretty cool, especially a fun mermaid like that instead of some of the darker fiction mermaids. Plus she could travel the world and be on land or sea if she wanted.
Q: What advice would you give to a new writer just starting out?
A: Well, my daughter’s Daniel Tiger book would say “grr, grr, grr, out loud; keep on trying and you’ll feel proud.” That definitely has its place. But I would say first—figure out why you write. If you’re trying to do it to make money or become a bestseller, you’re probably in the wrong field. But if you have a love for it, that’s what will keep you going. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other authors. Everyone started somewhere and in my experience, most authors love to try to help you figure it out. Also, humble yourself/get a thick skin/be open to critiques. I thought my writing was so good when I first started and I had no idea how much help it needed. I’ve grown so much as a writer just by listening to others and implementing their feedback.
Q: You have 50 words or less to convince an audience why they should read your books. Go!
A: If you like friends to lovers (including a one bed trope), no spice romances, big family vibes (think cheaper by the dozen), and exploration of changing friendship dynamics (ie: one of your best friends is getting married), check out Adventure Summer, free on KU.
Follow Moriah
Moriah is a hopeless romantic who wants to share all the feels with others. She has a tendency to go hard and fast on any romantic potential of her friends/family because she mentally writes her lives into rom coms. So it’s probably better for everyone that she’s channeling that into writing love stories for fictional characters.
She loves her husband, her daughters, and her family and thanks God for them every day. She lives in the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee and enjoys camping, hiking, and running when she’s not reading, writing, or chasing around kids. (Okay, sometimes she does those things while chasing around kids.) She wants to provide clean reads with relatable characters, witty banter, and swoony romance.
Looking for book recs…
Adventures in Literature 
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