Marshall Moore is one of those writers who comes up out of nowhere all of a sudden and takes over the world. Or at least that's how he likes to imagine it. A native of eastern North Carolina, he attended the prestigious North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics but did not graduate because he was kicked out for various illegal activities. He avoided criminal charges by lying well and having a good lawyer. At the age of 16, he obtained a GED and enrolled in college. He decided 20-year-old college graduates are useful to no one including themselves, and sensibly chose a more sedate approach to his studies, graduating at 21 with a BA in psychology and a healthy disdain for academe.

Marshall became a sign language interpreter by accident--he had a crush on the deaf guy sitting next to him in Latin IV, in college. You could say he just got sucked into it. After graduating and spending a couple of dreary years in central North Carolina, he moved to Washington DC in 1994 to take part in Gallaudet University's Visiting Interpreter Program, which entailed living on campus (Gallaudet is the world's only 4-year liberal arts university for the deaf) and working with the interpreting staff. He has been freelancing for four years and is addicted to the autonomy.

After 5 years in the DC area, Marshall decided to move to San Francisco, sight unseen. He ended up across the Bay in Oakland but for all intents and purposes achieved his goal. Not long after his arrival in California, his writing career took off: he sold his first novel, The Concrete Sky, and about a dozen short stories within his first couple of years. During his time in California, he has traveled extensively; many of his experiences overseas have found their way into his work. However, the California days are reaching their end. As of January 2003, Marshall and his partner Anthony Ly are preparing to move to Portland, Oregon. They are fed up with the Bay Area's stratospheric cost of living, the hideous traffic, the crowds, the social problems, and the bankrupt state government. Marshall's looking forward to being able to afford a place large enough for him to have an office and for Anthony, who is an artist, to have a studio.

The Concrete Sky, described by Australian novelist Neal Drinnan as "a wild, queer, and reckless ride through the flip-side of the American dream," is being published by the Southern Tier Editions imprint of Haworth Press in May 2003. Marshall's second book, a collection of short stories titled Black Shapes in a Darkened Room, is due out from Suspect Thoughts Press in fall 2004. Another dozen or so short stories have been published, are forthcoming, or have been requested. He is at work on another novel and hopes to complete the first draft by the end of 2003. He also hopes his creative momentum doesn't grind to a halt. Even if it does, he expects to keep writing, just because it's what he does, and he's kind of stubborn.

For a complete list of his publications, or if you'd like more information about him, please visit his website. Or you can just cut to the chase and send an email.