Meet Tara Moeller | Dreamer-in-Chief and Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tara Moeller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tara, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After writing and editing my first novel–and researching how to get published–I decided that an author’s collective might be a good idea. That initial book was 10 years ago, and now this little collective has 8 authors!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have written and published novellas for an adult audience that spans genres from fantasy to sci fi to contemporary fiction. I have also written award-winning young adult fiction under the pan name Zahra Jons. I have always written stories and poems, from the time I knew how to make words into sentences. My grandmother encouraged me in these creative endeavors, and I will be forever grateful for how she nurtured that in me. Though it is never truly easy to write, the after-the-writing-is-done is the part I find most difficult. I have been an editor for over 20 years, and though I love my job, I am always afraid that I will “over edit” someone’s manuscript and alter their “voice”. Self-editing is almost as bad, which is why I usually get another editor to work on my own manuscripts. I also format and design the interiors of the books we publish, and that has been a long and slow learning process.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite places in Norfolk is the Riverview section of the city; it is home to a couple of my favorites stores, Quixotic Arts and The Village Mermaid, and one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Mi Hogar. I can remember taking my kid to Mi Hogar when they were in middle school, learning Spanish, and the waitresses at Mi Hogar would take their order in Spanish to give them real-world practice. Quixotic Arts is just what it says it is, an eclectic array of local art, much of it bordering on the macabre, but it also has cute, hand-made monster stuffies and youth art. The Village Mermaid is an antique shop with a kitschy, eccentric vibe. The area likes to host artisan pop up sin the summer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout the Talk of the Tavern podcast by Travis I Sivart. Travis is also an author, and has always shared his insights and experience with others. He also has invited me to share my skills as an editor on his Write Night! podcast, and it is always a fun time! His email is travisisivart@gmail.com

Website: www.dreampunkpress.com

Instagram: @dreampunkpress

Linkedin: @dreampunkpress

Twitter: @dreampunkpress

Facebook: @dreampunkpress

Image Credits
All photos were taken by Tara Moeller, except Sip and Read Photo, which was taken by Travis I. Sivart. I have permission to use all; all were taken to be used as promo photos for authors and publisher.