Margaret Moore
Margaret Moore is a Canadian author, born in southern Ontario in the late 1950s, known for her prolific contributions to the historical romance genre. She graduated with a B.A. in English literature from the University of Toronto and further honed her writing skills through specialized courses in popular and romance fiction. Before embarking on her writing career, Moore held various jobs, including retail and banking, while also engaging in diverse activities such as fencing, archery, and synchronized swimming.
Her first novel, *Forests of the Night*, was published in 1987, and she quickly became recognized for her engaging storytelling, often weaving romantic suspense and crime elements into her narratives. From 1992 onwards, she shifted her focus primarily to historical romance, creating multiple series that explore different periods and familial sagas, notably her *Warrior* and *Viking* series. With over forty novels to her name, Moore has received both critical acclaim and popular recognition, including nominations and awards for her work. She was also actively involved in the Romance Writers of America, serving as president of the Ontario chapter. Moore resides in Toronto with her children and pets, continuing to impact the literary world with her contributions.
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Subject Terms
Margaret Moore
- Born: Late 1950’s
- Birthplace: southern Ontario, Canada
Biography
Margaret Moore was born in southern Ontario, Canada, in the late 1950’s, and began writing at an early age. She graduated with distinction, earning a B.A. in English literature from the University of Toronto in 1978, and later took courses in popular fiction at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies, and in romance writing at George Brown College in Toronto. While a student, she became a Leading Wren with the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve, in which capacity she learned to use a variety of weapons. During this time she was also a fencer, an archer, synchronized swimmer, and ballroom dancer, and won the Winston Churchill Silver Medal for public speaking.
After her education, Moore worked in retail, and for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. She married and bore two children before turning seriously to writing. Moore published her first novel, Forests of the Night, in 1987. Since then, she wrote at least one novel—and as many as four novels—per year. Her early novels were stand-alone books, focusing on crime and romantic suspense, with titles such as Dangerous Conceits (1988), Murder in Good Measure (1990), and Fringe Ending (1991). From 1992 onward, however, she concentrated primarily on historical romance, the genre for which she became best known.
Moore created six series covering different historical periods, and spun romantic sagas for each era, often dealing with several generations of a family. Her Warrior series (fourteen books between 1992 and 2003, with titles such as A Warrior’s Quest, 1993, A Warrior’s Honor, 1998, and A Warrior’s Lady, 2002) is set in Wales during medieval times. The Viking series (two entries—The Viking, 1993, and The Saxon, 1995) likewise deals with the medieval period.
The Maiden and Her Knight series (three books between 2001 and 2002, including Tempt Me with Kisses and All My Desire, both 2002) again focuses on a family of Wales during the Crusades in the time of Richard the Lionhearted. Moore’s Most Unsuitable Men series (three novels between 1996 and 1997, including The Wastrel, 1996, and The Rogue’s Return, 1997) presents Regency romances set in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Her Restoration series (three entries between 1999 and 2001, including A Scoundrel’s Kiss, 1999, and A Rogue’s Embrace, 2000) are set in the mid-seventeenth to mid- eighteenth centuries. Moore’s Brothers-in-Arms series, begun in 2004 with Bride of Lochbarr is set in the thirteenth century.
With more than forty novels on her bibliography, and inclusions in several omnibus collections (Mistletoe Marriages, 1994, The Knights of Christmas, 1997, The Brides of Christmas, 1999, and The Christmas Visit, 2004), Moore won popular and critical acclaim for her work. The Viking was named Best Foreign Historical from Affaire de Coeur in 1993. Her character in The Rogue’s Return won a “Knight in Shining Armor” Award from Romantic Times in 1997. Moore was nominated for a Career Achievement in Romantic Times’s Medieval Historical Romance Award. Her late 2005 release, The Unwilling Bride, made the USA Today best-seller list.
A past president of the Ontario chapter of the Romance Writers of America, Margaret Moore lived in Toronto with her two children and two cats.