Moore, Jane 1962-

views updated

Moore, Jane 1962-

PERSONAL:

Born May 17, 1962, in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England; daughter of John (an Oxford professor) and Patricia Moore; married; children (including a daughter by author's first marriage). Education: South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education, Cardiff, Wales, graduated. Hobbies and other interests: Photography.

ADDRESSES:

Office—The Sun, 1 Virginia St., London E1 9XP, England. E-mail—[email protected]; [email protected].

CAREER:

Journalist and writer. Solihull, Great Britain, trainee reporter, 1981-83; Birmingham Post and Mail, Great Britain, news reporter, 1983-86; People, freelance reporter, 1986—; Sun, Great Britain, freelance reporter, 1986-87, women's editor and columnist, 1995-99, columnist 2000—; Thames News, Great Britain, freelance researcher, 1987-88; Today, Great Britain, feature writer, 1988, royal correspondent, 1989, department news editor, 1989, feature editor, 1990; Mirror, Great Britain, features editor, 1993-95; Sunday Times, Great Britain, writer, 2000—. Has appeared as self on numerous television shows, including Loose Women, ITV, copresenter, 2000—; Crimewatch Daily, BBC, 2001; This Morning, ITV, copresenter, 2002—; Breakfast Show, LBC Radio, presenter 2003-04.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Fourplay, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2002.

The Ex Files, Orion (London, England), 2003, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Dot.homme, Heinemann (London, England), 2004, published as Love @ First Site, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2005.

The Second Wives Club, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of documentaries, including The Beckhams, Sky One, 2004; Spoilt Children, Channel 4, 2004; Mothers Who Leave, Sky One, 2004; Supermarket Secrets, Channel 4, 2005; Dispatches—What's Really in Your Christmas Dinner?, 2005; Dispatches—Fast Food, 2006; and Grumpy Old Women, 2005-06.

SIDELIGHTS:

Jane Moore is a journalist and novelist whose first novel, Fourplay, tells the story of Jo, a thirty-something homemaker whose husband runs off with his young secretary. As Jo begins to be wooed by an assortment of men, including a multimillionaire and the best friend of her younger brother, Jo's husband Jeff comes back onto the scene and tries to win back his wife. Beth Leistensnider, writing in Booklist, called Fourplay "a perfectly readable, fast-paced, humorous tale, ideal for summer-reading fun." Writing on the BookLoons Web site, Shannon Bigham noted that the novel "has a nice blend of British humor, a touch of romance, and just simply an interesting storyline."

The Ex Files, Moore's second novel, focuses on a fashion model named Faye and her upcoming marriage to a rising chef named Mark. When Faye decides to have a one-night stand, the man turns out to be a guest at her upcoming wedding. Carolyn Kubisz, writing in Booklist, noted that "with a light tone and fresh characters, this is a fun, effortless read." A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that "there's something weirdly fascinating about a soap opera this shameless." Joyce Cohen wrote in People: "Faye has the looks, and this book has the rest—brains and personality."

Love @ First Site, also published as Dot.homme, is, according to Bookreporter.com contributor Maggie Harding, a "delightful story that chronicles a year in the life of Jessica Monroe as she attempts to play the hand that life has dealt her as a single, thirty-something in search of Mr. Right." When Jess is given a subscription to an online dating service for her birthday, she decides to give the Internet a try. She then sets out to master the Internet dating world with its deceptive self-descriptions and other pitfalls. "While the theme of a thirty-something single woman searching for love is central to this novel, Jess's status is not forced upon the reader, nor is it presented as a traumatic situation in need of an immediate fix," wrote Lori Blair on the Curled Up with a Good Book Web site. Blair went on to write: "Unlike many other books in this genre, this novel offers a full picture of a character's life."

Moore tells the story of four second wives in The Second Wives Club. Alison, Fiona, Julia, and Susan find themselves in struggling marriages as they try to cope with their husbands and their first wives. With children thrown in the mix, the four women bond and offer each other advice on how to solve their problems. Kristine Huntley, writing in Booklist, commented: "Readers will eat up this fun, frothy novel." Library Journal contributor Shelley Mosley wrote that the author "delivers humor with great panache, seasoning it with a delicious dash of poignancy."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 2002, Beth Leistensnider, review of Fourplay, p. 1923; December 15, 2003, Carolyn Kubisz, review of The Ex Files, p. 728; May 15, 2006, Kristine Huntley, review of The Second Wives Club, p. 25.

Entertainment Weekly, January 16, 2004, Jennifer Armstrong and Clarissa Cruz, review of The Ex Files, p. 74.

Independent (London, England), June 27, 2005, Sholto Byrnes, "The Interview: Jane Moore—Moore the Merrier."

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2006, review of The Second Wives Club, p. 318.

Library Journal, January, 2004, Shelley Mosley, review of The Ex Files, p. 159; May 1, 2006, Shelley Mosley, review of The Second Wives Club, p. 82.

People, March 1, 2004, Joyce Cohen, review of The Ex Files, p. 57.

Publishers Weekly, December 15, 2003, review of The Ex Files, p. 52.