Tara
Moss
Speaker Profile
Australia's 'Queen of Crime', Tara Moss is the author of seven bestselling and critically acclaimed crime novels Fetish, Split, Covet, Hit and Siren featuring fiesty heroine Makedde Vanderwall. Her latest is The Spider Goddess. Her novels have been published in 17 countries and in 11 languages, and her non-fiction work has appeared in publications including The Australian Literary Review, Vogue, ELLE, The Australian Women's Weekly, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian.
A lifelong passion, Moss began penning horror stories for her classmates at age 10. She went on to an international career as a fashion model before pursuing writing professionally, first earning a Diploma from the Australian College of Journalism in 1997, and in 1998 winning the Scarlet Stiletto Young Writers Award for her story, 'Psycho Magnet'. The first of Moss' novels, Fetish, came at age 23, and since then they have been nominated for the Davitt Award and the Ned Kelly, two of Australia's most prestigious honors. Moss discovered that the transition from model to novelist would not be easily accepted by some and after meeting with scepticism over her unusual career switch, Moss accepted a journalist's dare in 2002 to sit a lie detector test to prove she is the sole author of her novels. She passed. Moss now has the unusual distinction of being the only crime writer in the world known to be scientifically proven.
Not a writer to rely solely on imagination, Moss' in-depth research has seen her tour the FBI Academy's Hogan's Alley, spend time in squad cars, the morgue, prisons, the Hare Psychopathy Lab, the Supreme Court and criminology conferences world-wide, take polygraph tests, shoot weapons, conduct surveillance with private investigators, pass the Firearms Training Simulator (FATSII) with the LAPD, pull 4.2 Gs doing loops over the Sydney Opera House flying with the RAAF Roulettes, acquire her CAMS race driver licence and much more. In the process of writing her most recent novel, Siren, Moss was set on fire by Hollywood stunt company West EFX, and choked unconscious by former head referee for the Ultimate Fighting Championship 'Big' John McCarthy.
In 2010 Moss hosted Tara Moss in Conversation, interviewing fellow crime authors for the 13th STREET Universal Channel as their 'Ambassador of Crime', as well as new true crime series Tough Nuts on the Crime & Investigation Network. She previously hosted the international crime documentary series Tara Moss Investigates on the National Geographic Channel, and has conducted hundreds of talks at literary festivals, schools and universities.
Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Moss is a dual Australian/Canadian citizen, and now has a star on the Australian Walk of Fame, first person inducted for services to literature. Moss is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a UNICEF Australia Patron for Breastfeeding, and an ambassador for the YWCA and the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children.
Travels from Australia
Client Comments
Client Comments
- No-one really believed she could have written four hugely successful detective novels, and each unaided. Is it possible that such a stunner can actually write? Absolutely...
Vanity Fair - Tara Moss is much more than a pretty face. She's an international best-selling author, ambassador, television host, and reptile-wrangler... she may well become one of the world's best-sellers.
World Literature Today - Tara was wonderful. A delight to deal with and extremely accommodating, especially signing a huge number of her books that members of the audience wanted autographed. She was genuine in her praise of the Karralyka Centre facility and the surrounds and more than happy to pose for photos. Her story and DVD presentation has earned her high praise on our feedback survey including "Tara Moss was entertaining, intriguing and though provoking".
Maroondah City Council - Tara Moss has it all - brains, beauty, and a best-selling thriller...Fetish is a debut novel with kick, from an author who happens to be a supermodel herself, as well as an accomplished, award-winning writer with an acute sense of the macabre.
HarperCollins Canada - As a successful model and author, Tara Moss breaks the mould of both professions.
Melbourne Weekly - [Tara,] Your skills as a speaker are outstanding, and the message you gave was one that should be heard by school students across the state.
The Eating Disorders Support Network - The 25-year old Canadian Jill-of-all-trades, whose modelling assignments have taken her all around the world...knocked the old 'all models are idiots' stereotype on the head.
B Magazine - [Tara Moss is] proving that a woman in heels is a force to be reckoned with.
Jewel Magazine - I think it is important to have a personality like Tara on B&B [panel show Beauty and the Beast], a show a lot of Australians watch, and are influenced by. Maybe a voice like Tara's could open some eyes.
Angelfire Online - We've done three hundred and one shows and that's the first time I've been topped, I can tell you.
Stan Zemanek - Stunning model and author Tara Moss proved the consummate compere.
Brett Lee
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