Meet Aja

We recently connected with Aja and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Aja, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My purpose found me. I didn’t seek it out like one seeks out money, a new job, or a place to live. It sat down beside me at the age of six. My mother helped to place it there. Before that, I excelled in reading. I loved reading so much that escaping into a new world each night was commonplace for me but by the time I turned six years old, I knew I wanted to be the creator of the worlds I escaped into. I wrote my first story at the age of six and I only stopped writing when college bogged me down with educational pursuits and then again when motherhood took all my available moments. That was until I learned to create more moments in time and began to suspend those moments so they felt richer. I did that more and more, and the friend, we’ll call that friend Purpose, sat down beside me again. Writing isn’t my purpose. Touching people through my words … that’s one of my purposes and I’m grateful to have figured that out early in life.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I love writing passionate Black love that jumps off the page and into readers’ hearts, I believe in love and I believe even more in spreading love to people who need it the most. To date, I’ve written and published over 30 books that offer an escape into love stories that center sensual, sexy, and erotic experiences. I’ve won several awards, the most recent being BRAB’s 2023 Brenda Jackson Romance of The Year award. I use life experience and my talent for storytelling to create characters and situations that showcase the best love can be and offer. In the pages of my books, you’ll find relatable characters that seduce you with their intense chemistry that I blend into soul-stirring romances.

I’m a Pittsburgh native and full-time writer. I spent many years working a corporate job when I realized my soul was crying out for me to pursue my passion and purpose. I’ve been blessed enough to make the decision to step away from that job and to be compensated for my creativity. I spend much of my time observing people and life so that my characters have dimensions to them. Being a part of this world through observation is one of my favorite things. So, it’s typical to find me quiet, thinking, and brainstorming my next story until my pen is ready to explode with ideas and I crank out my next best seller.

I’m currently working on two projects that will likely be released this spring and summer. I would share more details but I’ve been sworn to secrecy. 😉 I’ll also be traveling this year and hitting several events. Go to my website www.ajathewriter.com and sign up for my newsletter to be notified of my next event.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Some of what’s been most impactful are things I learned through someone/thing teaching me and some I learned from living,

Three skills that can be taught:
1. Understanding the language you speak and write in.
2. Understanding the genre you write in.
3. Understanding marketing and promotion.

What can’t be taught is:
1. Writing from your soul.
2. Being true to yourself.
3. Drowning out the noise and focusing within and on your art.

My advice is to always be willing to learn but always be willing to stand firm on what matters most to you about your art, your words, and your life. Flexibility is important but not more important than your integrity.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
I never pass up an opportunity to praise my mom. She is a dreamer as well and because of that, she allowed me to live in my dreams until I could see how dreams can be my reality. She gave me reading first, and then she placed the pen in my hand and sent me to camps and classes that would help me develop my skills. I truly owe the ease I experienced coming into this reality to her willingness to allow me to see there was more than one way to live my life and be happy. I’m eternally grateful to and for her.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Leah Johns

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