Moser, Nancy 1955(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1955; married, 1975; husband's name, Mark; children: Emily, Carson, Laurel. Education: College graduate. Hobbies and other interests: Music, needlepoint, antiques.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Kansas. Agent—Janet Kobobel Grant, 4788 Carissa Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95405. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, inspirational speaker.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Christy Award, for Time Lottery.

WRITINGS:

Save Me, I Fell in the Carpool, Vine Books/Servant Publications (Ann Arbor, MI), 1997.

Motherhood: A Celebration of Blessing and Blunders, Harold Shaw Publishers (Wheaton, IL), 1997.

Expecting: A Celebration of Waiting and the Wonder, Harold Shaw Publishers (Wheaton, IL), 1998.

The Seat beside Me (novel), Multnomah Publishers (Sisters, OR), 2002.

Time Lottery, Promise Press (Uhrichsville, OH), 2002.

A Steadfast Surrender (novel), Multnomah Publishers (Sisters, OR), 2003.

The Ultimatum: A Novel (novel), Multnomah Publishers (Sisters, OR), 2004.

Second Time Around, Barbour (Uhrichsville, OH), 2004.

Mozart's Sister, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

The Good Nearby, Tyndale House Publishers (Carol Stream, IL), 2006.

Crossroads, Tyndale House Publishers (Carol Stream, IL), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including Christianity Today.

"MUSTARD SEED" SERIES

The Invitation, Multnomah Publishers (Sisters, OR), 1998.

The Quest, Multnomah Publishers (Sisters, OR), 1999.

The Temptation, Multnomah Publishers (Sisters, OR), 2000.

"SISTER CIRCLE" SERIES

(With Vonette Bright) The Sister Circle, Tyndale House Publishers (Wheaton, IL), 2003.

(With Vonette Bright) 'Round the Corner, Tyndale House Publishers (Wheaton, IL), 2003.

(With Vonette Bright) An Undivided Heart, Tyndale House Publishers (Wheaton, IL), 2004.

(With Vonette Bright) A Place to Belong, Tyndale House Publishers (Wheaton, IL), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Nancy Moser is the author of several books with faith-based plots, as well as books of nonfiction and humor. Moser explains her entry into Christian writing on her Web site, saying that after receiving "a scathing rejection" from an agent for one of her secular novels, she felt her days as a writer were over before they had begun. While shopping, she went into a Christian book store, bought three novels, and soon knew that this would be her genre. Moser also said that in buying the books, "I dedicated my writing to God—even though I didn't know much about Him." Moser notes that her faith was strengthened as she made the decision to write for God and speaks of the waiting period during which she learned more about her faith, read the Bible, learned to trust, and at the end of which, began to write again.

Moser tried unsuccessfully to rewrite finished novels, but instead found publication with The Invitation, the first book of her "Mustard Seed" series. The work features four people who are anonymously invited to Haven, Nebraska, where they face temptation and ultimately confront Satan. Booklist's John Mort described the series as "a spiritual warfare trilogy."

The Seat beside Me is Moser's novel about a plane crash into a bridge and then a frigid river that leaves all but five passengers dead. The survivors make decisions based on their faith and reflect on why they were spared when nearly 100 others were not, and a journalist covering the crash struggles in deciding whether or not to exploit the situation in writing her story. A Publishers Weekly contributor felt the novel to be "too long" and noted that a seven-page dialogue between two of the characters "mostly functions to present the plan for salvation," but concluded by saying that Moser "admirably demonstrates that tragedy is a life-changing opportunity, in which reassessments and changes for the better are possible." In a Library Journal review, Melanie C. Duncan described the novel as being "particularly powerful."

Moser has also collaborated with Vonette Bright to write novels in the "Sister Circle" series. In the first book in the series, The Sister Circle, Evelyn Peerbaugh is a widow in her fifties who takes borders into her home and soon finds herself trying to cope with an old hippie, a single mom and her daughter, and an elderly widow with a tarnished past. Before long, the women, although very different from each other, form a strong bond and a fellowship in Christ. In a review of The Sister Circle in Publishers Weekly, a contributor wrote: "The novel's strength is in its multifaceted and sometimes unexpected characterizations."

Second Time Around is a sequel to an earlier novel by Moser titled Time Lottery. In the sequel, three people win the time lottery, which allows them to go back in time and attempt to change events in their pasts. However, if they choose to stay and live in the past, they will die in the current real time. The winners include an actress who left her small-town sweetheart, a woman who had an abortion, and a bachelor CEO whose one time fiancée died in an accident. A Publishers Weekly contributor called the novel "a compelling read that faith fiction fans will enjoy."

In the novel Mozart's Sister, Moser tells the fictionalized story of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's real-life older sister. Although immensely talented, Nannerl has little opportunity to develop or display her talents largely because she is a woman. The story is told by Nannerl herself as she recounts how her father focused on Amadeus even though Nannerl also performs with her brother as they are taken on tours around Europe. "Moser's writing is smooth, and there are some fascinating historical details," wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor. Violet Nesdoly, writing on the BC Books Blog site, commented that "this book delivers an authentic and moving visit to another time and place."

Changing time periods and continents in the novel Crossroads, a woman buys a small town in Kansas and then plans on giving it away to contest winners. The people who ultimately win the right to live in the town and start their lives anew are a diverse group—including a banker, artist, cop, and a Jewish couple—who end up changing each other's lives.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2002, John Mort, review of The Seat beside Me, p. 804.

Library Journal, February 1, 2002, Melanie C. Duncan, review of The Seat beside Me, p. 80; February 1, 2003, Shawna Saavedra Thorup, review of The Sister Circle, p. 68; February 1, 2006, Tamara Butler, review of Crossroads, p. 64.

Publishers Weekly, November 19, 2001, review of The Seat beside Me, p. 48; November 25, 2002, review of The Sister Circle, p. 40; October 18, 2004, review of The Second Time Around, p. 48; June 5, 2006, review of Mozart's Sister, p. 31.

ONLINE

BC Books Blog site,http://blogcritics.org/ (December 7, 2006), Violet Nesdoly, review of Mozart's Sister.

Nancy Moser Home Page,http://www.nancymoser.com (December 7, 2006).

Notes in the Key of Life Blog site,http://cindyswanslife.blogspot.com/ (January 23, 2004), Cindy Swanson, "My Interview with Christian Author Nancy Moser."

Novel Journey Blog site,http://noveljourney.blogspot.com/ (June 28, 2006), "Author Interview: Nancy Moser."

Novel Reviews Blog site,http://novelreviews.blogspot.com/ (December 7, 2006), Michelle Sutton, review of Mozart's Sister.