Before becoming a science fiction writer, she worked as a horse trainer, ranch hand, tourism industry employee, guide and environmental lawyer.
Moriarty is the author of a trilogy of hard science fiction novels set in a distant future where Earth has undergone ecological collapse.
The trilogy has garnered significant critical acclaim, including nominations for the Philip K. Dick, John Campbell, Spectrum, Prometheus, and Lambda Awards.
Her young adult novels feature a Jewish main character and take place on the Lower East Side in an alternate Gilded Age New York.
Both The Inquisitor's Apprentice and The Watcher in the Shadows have been book club selections for PJ Library's program to promote outstanding Jewish children's literature.