In this installment of getting to know an author we feature H.L Moore. They are a writer of LGBT+ speculative fiction. Moore is the author of the Death’s Embrace queer fantasy romance series and the Tales from the Jovian Empire queer science fiction novellas.
Q) Tell us about your latest project. What inspired you to create it?
I’ve been working on Death’s Embrace since 2017 and I don’t think it’ll be finished until 2030… talk about an ongoing project! I was inspired shortly after reading C. S. Pacat’s incredible Captive Prince trilogy. I immediately fell in love with the complicated relationship between Damen and Laurent, but my one issue with the story was that it was set in a world where women barely seemed to exist. The mothers of the main characters are both dead, and we get so very little on how they feel about that loss… we don’t even know their mothers’ names! So when I started writing Death’s Embrace, the influence of Damen and Laurent on Nathaniel and Doran will be obvious if you’re looking for it, but I made a conscious decision to ensure the world was not male-only. Women are everywhere. They are in every single layer of society – from the highest echelons to the slums. They are nobles, politicians, workers, miners, activists, homeless, professors, mechanics – and both Doran and Nathaniel are forged by the tragedies of what happened to their respective mothers.
Q) Do you know what your next project is going to be? Can you give us a preview?
I have three projects – one is another entry into my Tales from the Jovian Empire sci-fi novella series, another is to be Book 5 of Death’s Embrace, and the third is a short story set in the Death’s Embrace universe which I am going to submit to a short story anthology (but I can’t say more than that at this stage!). I can share a snippet from the short story – BORN OF SHADOWS:
The madam sniffed and continued to preen herself in the mirror. “I’ll be back before midnight. Make sure the girls are cleaned and ready. Celebrations always bring in drunk clients.”
“Good business for us.”
The madam’s hand lashed out to grab Lien’s ear, twisting it tightly between her long, bony fingers. “Good business for me,” she snapped. “I built this place with my blood, sweat and tears. This is my brothel. You’re just the coin-counting scullery maid I took pity on. You are nothing.”
Three hundred years ago, she had ruled as Empress Zetian, a woman so cruel and debauched that the city celebrated for weeks after her death. She had been a royal adviser who poisoned the Emperor’s mind; a criminal boss who trafficked opium and liked to cut the fingers off his enemies; a serial killer so depraved that they told horror stories of his crimes hundreds of years later; a corrupt merchant who defrauded his customers; a bank owner who embezzled millions; a mother who abandoned her son; the military commander who nearly drove the anju people in the Inari Isles to annihilation.
It had come to life with the birth of the world and slumbered in the mountain until the meteor shattered it into the floating islands; it had lived a thousand lives and would live a thousand more. It would live to see the sun swallow the world, if a Nameless assassin did not end it first.
The madam’s fingers tightened on Lien’s ear, twisting it so tightly that the skin burned. Her face was twisted with fury, but her eyes – her eyes flickered with uncertainty, unnerved by Lien’s dispassionate silence. “Say it!” she snapped. “Say you’re nothing!”
How small this woman was, Lien thought. How empty she must be to need a child to degrade herself, just to taste a hint of power.
With a smile, Lien tonelessly said, “I am nothing.”
Q) What was the first story you wrote down? Details, please.
The first story… hmm… well I’ve been writing stories since I was old enough to hold a pen so I don’t remember the details that far back! I’ll tell you about the first proper short story that I wrote that achieved some accolades at school. In my Year 10 English class, we were assigned to write a short story for assessment. I wrote a second-person POV story about Little Red Riding Hood – from the wolf’s perspective. And the wolf was the protagonist, and Red Riding Hood was a sadistic wolf hunter. I was incredibly proud of it, and it must have stood out in the class as I achieved a full 20/20 mark! I experimented with second person POV for a while after that, but less so in recent years.
Q) What do you feel are the most important things a person should take from a work of fiction?
Satisfaction. Always. That satisfaction can take any form, of course – whether one is happy to learn a message, or be traumatised by a dark tale with a bad ending, or simply be in for a fun time. As long as a reader finishes that story feeling satisfied with the storytelling and the ending (and yes, open ended stories can be satisfying so long as they are thematically appropriate!) then I think that’s the most important thing a work of fiction can achieve.
Q) Do you have a set writing schedule or practice that helps you produce pages consistently?
Nope! I wish I had a schedule, but I am nowhere near disciplined enough for that. I write when stars align and the mood is right. It makes for an inconsistent publishing schedule but it’s the process that works for me. I’ve learned the hard way that forcing myself to write never ends in good writing.
Q) What are your biggest dreams and fears around being an author?
My biggest dream would be to have my books go viral on TikTok or Instagram and become an overnight sensation – but that’s a lightning-in-a-bottle situation! My biggest fear… would also be having my books go viral on TikTok or Instagram. I don’t know if I could handle the sudden exposure or pressure.
Q) What do you do to stay inspired? What other authors do you like to keep up with?
Whenever I’m in a slump and I need inspiration, I turn back to reading books. One of my favourite authors right now is R. Sinclair, author of Fracture (Shattered Numbers I). That book altered my brain chemistry and I am DESPERATE for the conclusion of the series. Another favourite author is James Islington, whose book The Will of the Many is currently one of my all-time favourite books. I’m also keeping a close eye on Nicola Zhang: her excellent Celestia Trilogy was a highlight of 2025 for me.
Q) When you are starting out on a novel which comes first the characters or the plot? Are you a pantser or an outliner?
Characters, always. I have never stuck to a single outline I’ve ever drafted, other than maybe sticking to the broadest of strokes – and even then, I’ve ended up with drafts that have looked nothing at all like their plans. So I don’t really bother these days, and I let the characters guide me to where the story needs to go.
Q) If people want more information about your or your books, where should they go?
I have a website! Come and visit me at https://authorhlmoore.com/ for information on my books, my social media links, and updates about my writing.
Final four questions we ask everybody:
Q) When the zombies take over the world, where will you be?
In a library or a bookshop.
Q) What is your favorite fandom? (could be sports, pop culture, favorite director or author)
I don’t think I have a favorite fandom at the moment… but one of my go-to AO3 groups is Stargate Atlantis. I love that ridiculous show!
Q) What book do you think people must experience before they die? Why?
Animal Farm by George Orwell. What a breathtaking satire. It’s so caustic and far too real, especially in this day and age. The quote “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” lives rent-free in my brain.
Q) Give one fact that most people would not believe about you?
I’m insanely good at catching and releasing (non-venomous) spiders. If they can’t hurt me, I refuse to hurt them!
Paper Phoenix ink 