Moore, John L. 1952–

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Moore, John L. 1952–

PERSONAL: Born 1952; U.S. citizen. Religion: Christian.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Thomas Nelson Inc., Nelson Place at Elm Hill Pike, Nashville, TN 37214. E-mail—sundaycreek@midrivers.com.

CAREER: Freelance writer. Also worked as rancher and lay minister.

AWARDS, HONORS: Critics Choice Award, Christianity Today.

WRITINGS:

CHRISTIAN NOVELS

The Breaking of Ezra Riley, Lion (Batavia, IL), 1990.

Bitter Roots, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1993.

Leaving the Land, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1995.

The Limits of Mercy, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1996.

The Land of Empty Houses, Broadman & Holman (Nashville, TN), 1998.

OTHER

Letters to Jess, Richelieu Court (Albany, NY), 1990.

Loosening the Reins, Zondervan Publishing House (Grand Rapids, MI), 1992.

Take the Reins, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1997.

Contributor to periodicals, including Reader's Digest and New York Times Magazine.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A nonfiction manuscript.

SIDELIGHTS: John L. Moore has distinguished himself in both the Christian and western genres. His writing has brought him honors such as the Critics Choice Award from Christianity Today; and he was also a runner-up for the Western Writers of America's Golden Spur Award. Moore is the author of novels about Montana rancher Ezra Riley.

In The Breaking of Ezra Riley, the title character strives to save the ranch his father left him in his will. Prior to his father's death, Ezra had left the ranch as a young man, hopelessly at odds with the man who sired him. Once the ranch is his responsibility, however, he desperately tries to live up to the paternal expectations he had previously rejected. Critics in general approved of The Breaking of Ezra Riley, remarking on its superiority to the average Christian novel. Discussing Moore's work, a Christianity Today contributor observed: "It is good to see evangelical novels come of age—writers choosing to write about real people with real conflicts rather than hiding behind cardboard characters and sloppy, overwritten craft." The critic also noted Moore's ability to make "a character out of a region"—that is, the area around Miles City, Montana, in which the author lives. "That character," the critic continued, "pulls on the lives of the actors as profoundly and unpredictably as God. It is not an easy place."

In The Limits of Mercy, Ezra copes with the difficulties that ensue when his wife brings home an abused woman who is confused about the best way to change her situation. While the woman tries to seduce Ezra, he and his family are also the target of an environmental terrorist.