Who the hell am I?

Hi, my name is Amanda Church, though I write under A.J., mainly because it’s kind of gender-unspecific. Handy, when you write a lot of first person from both male and female POVs. At least, that’s what I tell myself. And like most writers, I can make myself believe anything.

I’m an Air Force brat, and that set a precident in my life. A restless spirit at heart, I’ve collected a list of former addresses is as thick as a phone book. I guess that’s why I started writing at an early age. Like most writers, I spend a lot of time lost in my own imagination, which is tailor-made for someone who grew up as the perpetual new kid.

I did my own stint in the Air Force, trekking across parts of Europe and the U.S. Got a nifty college diploma out of the deal, something that came in handy when I tackled my biggest challenge--being a single parent with three kids. For years, demanding bosses, chorus and hockey practices, and PTA meetings consumed my long, waking hours, which didn’t leave a lot of time for writing. Still, I managed to pound out four books, none of which were publishable, but the experience of writing them was invaluable, not to mention cheaper than a therapist.

Along the way, getting up close and personal with corporate America taught me an appreciation for self-employment, and I started my own freelance web and graphic design business, Nytshadow Designs, back in 1999. The work, while sporadic, tides me over between jobs and supplements my income during the full-time gigs. It also provides a more immediate outlet for my right brain chaff when the words get hung up in there.

I’ve always had a fascination with the dark side, whether it’s paranormal or just plain abnormal. As a kid, I eschewed the tame world of Harlequin romance other girls read for the swashbuckling adventures of Angelique in the novels of Sergeanne Golon. Angelique could easily have given any current urban fantasy gal a run for her money. I was fascinated with all things vampire, werewolf, or ghost related, but I hated how they were always portrayed as the antagonist. I wanted my monsters to be the good guys.

And then along came Anne Rice and her Lestat. Finally, a writer who got it. With her paving the way, it seemed all the other writers who had been thinking like me started coming out of the closet. Now the worlds of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, speculative fiction, and steampunk are awash in what was once considered monsters just going about their everyday, ass-kicking lives like any other human.

Writing as always been a part of my life, and like all writers, I want others to read what I toil so hard over. But the whole fortune and fame thing were never an attraction to me. I just like telling stores, which is why I made a conscious decision a few years ago to be an indie writer. I’d read a lot of my favorite writers' blogs, and one thing kept coming through--it takes a lot of hard work to get published, and once you get that big contract, you're pretty much tied in to writing full-time to meet your contractual obligations. Unfortunately, unless you’re incredibly lucky and hit a home run out of the gate, it takes a long time before you start making enough off your writing to support yourself.

Running my own design business, I’ve seen what that’s like. When you’re constantly stressed about making enough money to pay the bills, it sucks the life out of your creativity. I like to write, and I want to keep it that way. Publishing myself, I can write at my own pace. I may not ever become a best selling author, but I control what I write, when I write it. For me, it’s the perfect solution.

And now the obligatory Some of my Favorite Things:
laughing, walking on the beach in winter, cats, Mexican food, good tequila, better wine, rainy and/or foggy days, fine linens, rich, exotic scents, cooking, traveling to new places, walking through old cemetaries, and snarky, smart-assed heroes of either gender.

Thanks for stopping by.

Amanda