Today we’d like to introduce you to Glennie Staten-Moore.
Hi Glennie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
This year has been a breakthrough year for my writing, as doors that were once closed in the past seem to have miraculously opened. For years, I submitted manuscripts to various contests and publishers only to get one rejection after another.
Writing has been an important part of my life since my preteen years. I laugh when I think of the scribblings in a notebook about my adventures with the popular 1970s singing group, the Jackson Five. These early beginnings in writing have laid the foundation for where I am today. Along the way came small milestones that encouraged me that maybe I was good at writing. One of the first encouragements came when I was in, I believe, 8th grade, I won a contest in Carolina Country magazine. There was a small prize, but the real prize to me was having my work recognized. So I continued writing my stories and storing them away. When I attended college at NC State University, I became a reporter with the school newspaper, The Technician. I loved getting the story and interviewing people. Later, after college, while living in Newport News, VA, I worked with the Daily Press Newspaper and began writing book reviews. During this time, I also freelanced with a publication called The Tidewater Teen and interviewed some famous influencers, such as TV stars from the popular show “Fame”.
While I enjoyed news and entertainment writing, my heart was devoted to writing fiction stories. After moving back to Raleigh in the early 2000s, I stumbled across a website for a writing group, The TriWrite Club, and first met Lisa Tomey, now Tomey-Zonneveld, who published many of my short-short stories. Having this outlet where I could submit this work I was so passionate about was a game-changer with the encouragement Lisa offered. I began to hone my craft and enrolled in Writer’s Digest School, Writing and Selling Short Stories. I desired to learn more and more about crafting fiction and the writing Industry.
Over the last twenty-some years, I have studied writing magazines, websites, writing groups, and YouTube videos to learn the craft. But the greatest lesson is to just write … write and then rewrite. That’s how you learn to write.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it has not been an easy road. No one likes being rejected time after time. You have to have a thick skin to accept, hopefully, constructive criticism. It will help you to grow, and if you truly have a passion for writing, you won’t give up … it won’t let you. Other than rejections, my biggest obstacle has been finding the time to write, especially while raising a family. Now that the children are grown with families of their own, and I’m semi-retired, I have more time and energy to devote to my writing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Currently, I am semi-retired and work as a substitute teacher with Wake County Public School System. However, I worked for twenty-two years with The News and Observer newspaper in advertising before layoffs. Afterward, I worked at Raleigh Rescue Mission as a client supervisor/ counselor.
I particularly liked working with this population because I’d just gotten my Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Biblical Counseling. I have a passion for helping those who need a helping hand, be it homelessness, drug addiction, or abuse. My heart is to help the suffering. This is important to me because I have my own battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I am grateful that most days I continue to live through the discomforts of the disease. But honestly, God has used it to take me in the direction He wanted me to pursue. Because of my disability, my Seminary education was largely funded through the North Carolina Rehabilitation program. In 2006, I felt called to a life of teaching and counseling the Gospel. What I didn’t know was how God would use it to shape my writing. It became a journey I never expected.
I am an active Member of my church, Friendship Chapel Baptist church in Wake Forest. I teach Sunday School and also work with the Seniors’ Ministry. And I teach an online Bible study on Tuesday nights.
What does success mean to you?
Success to me is making a positive difference in this world, especially to those in your sphere of influence. So it doesn’t matter whether you’re a teacher, preacher, politician, or a stay-at-home mom, but did you touch someone’s life to make it better.
The personal success I’ve experienced this year has come after years of persevering despite the rejections. You have to believe in yourself and what you write is worth sharing with the world.
For ministry, I write Christian articles, Bible studies, and have just released my first book, Entangled Engagements, which I coauthored.
Also, just released, my family biography, Blending Hearts: The Life and Legacy of the Staten Family.
Writing Christian fiction is part of my ministry. My stories often have an underlying Christian theme woven into the storyline. While the characters face real, everyday problems, they find hope in the gospel message.
Jesus was a Master storyteller, and my greatest inspiration comes from His stories and how He taught through them. I hope readers will find a message of hope through my stories.
As for success, I am looking forward to the Spring 2026 release of my first short story collection, Echoes of Destiny, published by Prolific Pulse Press. Many thanks to Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld, who has both encouraged and inspired me over the years.
Pricing:
- Blending Hearts: The Life abd Legacy of the Staten Family, is avaliable on Amazon, Hardcover and Ebook
- Entangled Engagements, Available on LuLu.com, in softcover and Ebook
Contact Info:
- Website: Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glennie.moore?igsh=MXg1eHg3ZnhhcjVoaw==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JcBX6oHjB/
