Mira Kraz
INSPIRATION
Inspiration is key...
Without inspiration, humans wouldn't be the clever, adaptive creatures they are today. The level of science and technology we take advantage of wouldn't even exist, and there'd be no such thing as art.
What's in a name?
As some of you may know, Mira Kraz isn't my true name. I had several solid reasons for using a pseudonym, the biggest being how common my actual name is. Unlike many authors who hide their identity for privacy or sexist reasons, I have no issues with people knowing my birth name. My full name is Kathryn Lea Moore, and name that thousands of others share and a name that is already in use by at least one other author. In my opinion, Mira Kraz has a much nicer ring to it.
I'm not ashamed of my given name in any way; every element of it is tied into some part of my family. When it came time to decide on a pen name I wanted it to hold significance, as well as being unique and recognizable, so I turned to one of my favorite fields of study: astronomy.
Both Mira and Kraz are stars, and they have characteristics that are quite similar to myself. For instance, Mira happens to be a binary star, signifying two sides in constant battle with each other (two stars circling each other, their gravity always playing a cosmic tug-of-war). Both Kraz (aka Beta Corvi) and Mira are variables, meaning their brightness shifts from light to dark (and back again) over certain periods of time, and there's speculation that Kraz was once a binary system that consumed its parter, although there's no definite proof of that happening.
I've enjoyed staring at the stars since I was a child, so there was no better source for a name entirely of my choosing. If you would like to know more about Mira and Kraz check out these pages:
My Muses
Helen McGinnis (Hale):
Helen was my mother, and I couldn't have asked for a better parent. She was so intent on giving me a good childhood that she worked two jobs and sacrificed her time with me, though I later admitted to her that that was all I'd wanted from her. She planted the seed of a writer in me by playing words games with me and reading Dr. Seuss books. She always accepted me for who I was, and taught me to be proud of being unique, just like she had always been.
Don Moore:
Don is my father, and though he can be odd and frustrating at times, I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. The relationship he had with my mother deteriorated when I was at a young age, causing a divorce, but he always stayed near us, no matter how far away we moved, solely because he wanted to be apart of my life. He's done amazing things for me, and I know for a fact that he would do anything to make me happy. Like my mother, he's also an avid reader.
Anne McCaffrey:
Anne is one of the most notable science fiction writers of all time, and she was the first to include female characters that could get by on their own strengths rather than relying on men and being "damsels in distress". She always painted vivid, beautiful worlds, and I've been in love with her books since I was 13. My style has been directly affected by her. My only regret is that I never had a chance to meet her in person before she passed away.
Others:
There are countless other people who have influenced me in some way, creating the person before you (sort of), and those I meet in the future will probably continue to aid in the process of my constant shifting. There are so many people I owe tribute to that I don't know where to begin when it comes to cataloging them. There's also privacy to consider. So, for those of you who haven't been specifically listed here (you know who you are), I thank you.