Z. Moss

Author of Skyclyffe

A Bit About Me

I’d like to say I always wanted to write. But that would be a lie. My first novel came by way of a lifelong love affair with books and a curious little cloud.

It started in first grade. Reading was a superpower, and I had to spread the ability. Each day after school, I’d plunk my three-year-old brother down and regurgitate my lessons to him. I imagined myself the youngest teacher ever.

By sixth grade, I hung out among the Encyclopedia Browns and Nancy Drews when I was supposed to be playing dodgeball or cleaning erasers. (Chalk erasers. I'm that old.) As the year progressed, the teachers arranged for us students to participate in various walkathons and runathons. Each time, I took a hard pass. Until ... the Multiple Sclerosis read-athon. Oh, baby. I consumed thirty books in thirty days. Imagine my neighbors’ faces when I told them how much they owed the MS Society.

Some high schools banned Judy Blume back then, but mine didn’t. So with a nervous thrill, I read Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. After that, I suffered with Deenie when the scoliosis cast left her wearing only a see-through fabric tube. Judy’s stories felt different. She wrote real. And funny.

Today, you'll find me in Stillwater, the birthplace of Minnesota, where the St. Croix Valley sings to me every day. I belong to a book club of fierce ladies who can murder a bowl of guacamole. Before long my daughter shall grow too old to read with me (my son, sigh, has reached that milestone). And now, my own stories can tickle the minds of kids and adults alike.

About the cloud. Use the button below to learn how a plucky hunk of vapor goaded a novel out of me. I owe that cumulus a debt of gratitude.

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“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

Ernest Hemingway

My Work

Book One of the Skyclyffe Series

Rex Bright draws in a notebook, likes to think of people by nicknames, and has invented a little. Nothing crazy. He’s really just a regular teen with a few bullies and no dad.

Until he sees a face in a cloud.

Rex glimpses the girl from a plane window while on his way to his aunt and uncle’s farm for the summer. Her features are so perfect Rex can’t believe she’s only a picture. But what Rex passes off as a figment of his imagination is quite real. And that brief sighting puts events into motion no one would expect. Soon, Rex’s life won’t be so regular.

Skyclyffe is a middle-grade science fiction novel about a boy’s adventure in a flying city. I’m eager for you to meet Rex and learn his story. Skyclyffe is available in print (Amazon only) and ebook and audiobook soon. Click on the Excerpt button to read the first five pages.

Read an excerpt

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Praise for Skyclyffe

Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Readers' Favorite

Sarah Coleman

Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Readers' Favorite

There is so much about this book that will appeal to Middle-Grade readers (and even older readers like myself). What a fantastic tale.

LitPick Book Review

Skyclyffe is a great book with a lot of good ideas … and enough science that it seemed more like electricity and wires than smoke and mirrors.

Sprightly

What a wonderful journey for Rex and his family … exciting, fantastical, mysterious and fun. A thoroughly enjoyable story.

Emily Murphy

A unique and vividly-imagined story with likable, well-realized characters, unexpected plot twists, and a very lovable dog.

Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Readers' Favorite

Skyclyffe is a fascinating read, a real page-turner. What a fantastic tale.

Sarah Coleman

An entertaining read with a lot of character development and world building.

Sprightly

Exciting, fantastical, mysterious and fun. A thoroughly enjoyable story.

Dr. Patricia Eroh

A wonderful book for middle school kids, and the middle schoolers I work with absolutely loved it.

Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Readers' Favorite

Sarah Coleman

Dr. Patricia Eroh

A wonderful book for middle school kids, and the middle schoolers I work with absolutely loved it.

Sarah Coleman

An entertaining read with a lot of character development and world building. I never put it down.

Ellen Stanley

A lovely read that captivates from the first page. The characters are fresh and vividly drawn. Highly recommended!

Nguyet Hoang

The plot keeps you turning the pages and everything is very well-observed with creative descriptions and good humor.

"Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them. "

Neil Gaiman

Get In Touch

Email. Facebook. Twitter. Shout if you’ve got any comments or questions for me. I’d love to hear from you.

651-815-1795