Lee and his wife moved to Colorado in 1978, where Lee finished his fourth novel, Lago, and Moore finished her third, Something on the Wind. They moved back to Texas in 1982. Lee accepted a position at the University of Idaho, where he taught for two years, then joined the faculty at the University of Memphis (then known as Memphis State), where he stayed until his retirement in 1997, when he was named professor emeritus. He wrote one more novel during his time in Memphis, Stalag Texas, and numerous magazine articles. Moore wrote two more novels, The Doberman Wore Black, and The Wolf Whispered Death.
