T.H. Moore Tackles Ingrained Cultural Bias in Our Law Enforcement System in New Book 'I Am...'

Truly an embodiment of the Omega Psi Phi mentality, T.H. Moore lives by righteous morals that have afforded him a plethora of opportunities and more importantly, the respect of his professional colleagues, fraternity brothers, and peers, alike. Moore’s various travels and encounters with people from different walks of life lit a spark in his imagination that manifested into a newfound passion — writing novels.

Blending life experiences with creative storytelling, Moore wrote his first novel, The End Justifies the Mean, which was released independently in 2006. Moore has unveiled the second visual representation of I Am..., a certified “page-turner and must read!”

I Am... follows a young successful African-American couple, a police sergeant, and a trauma surgeon, whose lives intersect after the couple’s tragic loss of their godson, at the hands of a local policeman. The story, unfortunately, sounds all too familiar, even in modern-day America.

We recently caught up with the author to discuss his new novel and career.

Talk to us about your journey to becoming a novelist, has that always been one of your goals?

In 2005, I was hired as an I.T. consultant at Accenture and the first project they assigned me to was in Leeds, England. Although I had traveled extensively in my own country, my first I.T. consulting project would be the catalyst for my first trip outside of America. In fact, I would spend the next ten months in the United Kingdom. During those early summer months, I traveled to London, City of Bath, Stonehenge, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Stockholm. Then harsh European winters hit and my traveling outside of my host city of Leeds receded. But the Blade III trilogy was coming to an end and I was a big fan of the first two installments. So, on a Saturday afternoon, I bundled up and walked from my flat to the local Cinema to witness how New Line Cinema was wrapping up the Blade Trilogy. Halfway through the movie, I walked out of the theatre disappointed. It was like the producers didn’t even try to make a good movie. Part one had me hooked, and part two was even better, so I was salivating waiting for part three but it had let me down. So, while walking back to my flat, thoroughly disgusted that the producers thought that was the proper ceremonious send-off for the Blade character, I impulsively said to myself, "I could have written a better story than that.” And that’s when the light bulb went off. A month later, I had completed my first very very rough draft of The End Justifies the Means. Now, fifteen years and two more books, The Devil’s Whisper and I AM…, later I’m thankful to the producers of Blade three. If not for them, who knows if I would have placed pen to paper and shared the stories my active imagination created.

What is the Omega Psi Phi mentality?

Omega has taught me a few life lessons that were instrumental in my development into the adult I am now as well as my continued growth. Those lessons of perseverance and humility I carry with me daily. They've helped me navigate life and my career, not to mention the genuine friendships that I've developed will extended beyond my undergraduate years. Why was releasing a trailer for your latest book I AM... the perfect move for your career, are you hoping you turn the book into a movie?

I was raised as an only child so when I wasn’t punching the keys of my “computer” or playing sports, I watched movies. All of them! Comedies, dramas, suspense, horror (s/o to Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and The Omen). I even watched a few musicals because the scores were so catchy (s/o to Little Shop of Horrors). If I hadn’t become a computer geek, I’m sure I would have pursued a career in Cinema. So yes, creating a video book trailer was the perfect move to showcase the story for readers instead of forcing them to read the back matter of the book instead. And this was my first attempt at video production.

Talk to me about your novel, what inspired you to write your latest?

In my upcoming novel, I AM..., I purposely instigate an unsettling conversation America has willfully ignored. That the existence of ingrained cultural bias in our law enforcement system has spawned a cultural reckoning on the verge of eruption. And the consequences of further denial will be equivalent to a seaboard state ignoring the fury of a hurricane barreling towards its shores. Simply stated, I AM..., is a literary warning to America.

What writers inspired you growing up?

Eric Jerome Dickey and Omar Tyree. I grew up reading almost all of their stories. Eric Jerome Dickey introduced me to having two main characters in books. I didn't know you could do that until I read one of his novels that flipped back and forth between its two main characters. Then I had the opportunity to cross paths with Omar Tyree when writing I AM.... I provided him with an advance copy and he gave me a review of I AM..., describing it as 'An audacious story and read.'

What do you hope readers take away after reading I Am?

Honestly, my only hope for readers and I AM... is for the story to trigger the uncomfortable conversation this country needs to have to resolve race relations in America. We have to get to a place where everyday citizens address and resolve these feelings of ill will we have with one another before this experiment we call "America" fails. And that conversation is going to be painful but it's necessary.

Besides the book, what’s next for you?

Currently, I'm writing my first in first person novel and after that, I still have the remaining two volumes of "The Devil's Whisper" to complete before I begin converting my novels into screenplays. One of these stories will end up on the big screen. It's just a matter of deciding which story to produce first.