Meet AJ
I was born and raised in San Diego, California, as an only child to two wonderful Italian-American parents. I grew up riding horses and competed in horse shows through my childhood and high school years, becoming the champion at the Del Mar National Horse Show two years in a row for my division. I was also very active in high school plays, winning the Drama Department award for acting at La Jolla Country Day School senior year.
I attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, graduating in 2009 with a BA in Art History. I had initially decided on majoring in Psychology but fell in love with Art History when I took a class as an elective. I decided to take another class after that, and switched my major junior year as Art History was more fitting to my creative personality and passion for both Art and History.
I moved back to California immediately after graduation and began working in the Title and Escrow industry the same week in 2009. I have kept that career path, except a two year stint in a different industry, until 2022 when I took time off due to a major spinal surgery. The time off allowed me to reflect on my life and occupation and inspired the decision to begin writing the story I had been wanting to write for years. I have always been an avid reader (a trait passed down from my mother), and I had always enjoyed the creative writing assignments in school.
I have two gentle and loving gigantic rescue dogs who are my children. Although I am an only child, I am very close to my extended family and love spending as much time with them as possible. Other than reading and writing, I enjoy cooking large family feasts, playing games, painting, and traveling.
I attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, graduating in 2009 with a BA in Art History. I had initially decided on majoring in Psychology but fell in love with Art History when I took a class as an elective. I decided to take another class after that, and switched my major junior year as Art History was more fitting to my creative personality and passion for both Art and History.
I moved back to California immediately after graduation and began working in the Title and Escrow industry the same week in 2009. I have kept that career path, except a two year stint in a different industry, until 2022 when I took time off due to a major spinal surgery. The time off allowed me to reflect on my life and occupation and inspired the decision to begin writing the story I had been wanting to write for years. I have always been an avid reader (a trait passed down from my mother), and I had always enjoyed the creative writing assignments in school.
I have two gentle and loving gigantic rescue dogs who are my children. Although I am an only child, I am very close to my extended family and love spending as much time with them as possible. Other than reading and writing, I enjoy cooking large family feasts, playing games, painting, and traveling.
•Author Q&A•
What was your inspiration for writing Book 1?
When I was 24 I had a bizarre dream that was very similar to the storyline (more so of book 2). I began to write a story based on the main premise of it, however it was written on a company computer that was wiped when I left for a different company shortly after, so I disregarded the thought. Around ten years later, I had another dream of the same subject and it stuck with me and I knew I would want to put it into a book one day. I finally had free time when I was 35-36 after a massive spine surgery and decided it was the perfect time to write.
How long did it take you to write?
I began writing in June 2022 and finished in October of 2022
Did you plot and outline or just write where the story took you?
A little bit of both. I had a generic outline of the main plot points (beginning and end) and filled in the rest as I went.
Who is your favorite character and why?
This is tough because I love all of them for different reasons. Other than the obvious two main characters, I would say a close favorite is Chardon because she is really fun to write. Her personality is very different from her sister, Destyne’s. She is extravagant, silly, and flirtatious, but she also has a kind and genuine heart.
Who is your least favorite character and why?
Bella who is Lorenth’s aunt on Finnaire. She is my least favorite because she offered her family members and allowed them to be captured and taken by Fire. She also created the venom Fire used for their swords. Her betrayal of a wonderful family and her hopes of gaining power through her evil ways make her awful.
What is the best advice you have received about writing?
Not to take criticism too personally. Everyone has different tastes in genre and writing styles. One person may hate the story and/or how it is written, while another may absolutely love it. Those that dislike it – that is just their opinion and not that of everyone.
What is the worst advice you have received about writing?
To have every chapter outlined. I started off that way and found it was getting boring. When I did not have an outline for a chapter, I would let loose and allow my creativity to take control. I ended up going back and re-writing most of the first three chapters because they were too structural.
What have you learned about yourself while completing this book?
Writing has made me incredibly happy. I did not realize how boring and mundane my day-to-day life was until I decided to write my book. Now I get to live in a universe I created and it is wonderful.