Interview with AJ Rose

Thank you to AJ Rose for answering my questions, I am reading The
Yearning atm hope to read more of your work soon, AJ along with Theo are the
admin of the M/M Romance Authors group here on fb.

  
Me:  If you were stranded on a desert island, what are the four things
that you would want to have with you?

AJ: Duct tape, unlimited fresh water, unlimited access to the Kindle store
for my Kindle, and lube. (You said things, so I didn’t pick people.)


  Me:  Did you make a conscious decision to become a writer, or did it just
happen?


AJ:  Sort of both. When I was a kid, it was all I ever wanted to be, and the
stories just came out. But when I got older, I met someone in college who didn’t
put much value on that use of my time, so I quit writing. For ten years, I
wasn’t in the habit. One day, I got snagged by an internet roleplay group and
the writing bug bit me again. When that group fell apart, I decided to try my
hand at getting published. I’ve been doing it now for going on two years.


  Me:  Favorite childhood book?


AJ: Define childhood. I think my favorite book from before I was 18 would be
The Hobbit, but in those 18 years, I had dozens of favorite books.


  Me:  Favorite book now?

AJ: King Perry by Edmond Manning. The descriptions soar, and the premise of
the book is fascinating.


 Me:  What 3 pieces of advice could you give to writers who are embarking
on publishing their work?

AJ: Sit down and do the writing, don’t just talk about writing. Get
a good beta reader who isn’t afraid to tell you what doesn’twork as
much as will praise you for what does. Never stop learning how to write
better.


 Me:  if you could choose to have lunch with any 2 people alive or dead
who would it be and why?

AJ; Stephen King, because he has written several of my top ten favorite
books, and I would love to get a glimpse of how his mind works. And maybe ask
how he manages to keep so many details of his plots straight in the writing.
Chris Pine, because I’m a total blubbering fannish mess over him and I’m
convinced he’s at least bi, not that I’d have half a chance in hell of getting
his attention.


 Me:  Who would you say is your biggest influence in your life?

AJ: My sister, who taught me about the balance between going after your
dreams while starving to death, and paying the bills with a soul sucking job.
Mostly I do what I have to so that sometimes I do what I care about.


Me: Favorite flavour of Ice cream?
AJ: Mocha Almond Fudge (Edy’s or the Baskin Robbins version, doesn’t
matter.)


Me:  Satin or Silk (sheets).
AJ: Neither! Ugh! Give me those t-shirt cotton sheets any day.


Me:What media is your motivation when writing...music/photography/poetry?

AJ: Music, which I can’t actually listen to while I’m writing, but I will listen
to the rest of the time so I can carry the mood with me when I do open my word
doc.


Me:Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

AJ: Doing nothing much different. Day job, writing in my evenings and weekends,
trying to make a name for myself. Telling stories that I can’t
nottell.

Me:  Favorite film?

AJ; Just one? No, I have more than just one. Inception, Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hollows Part 2, Major League, Poltergeist, The Exorcist, Gladiator,
Schindler’s List... The list goes on.


Me: What takes you out of your comfort zone?

AJ: Crowds. I cannot stand crowds. If they get too far into my personal
space, I start throwing elbows. I can’t help it. It’s fight or flight, and I
will fight until I’m free enough of the people for the flight part.

Me:  Converse or heels?
AJ; Uh... Converse.


 Me:  Greatest achievement to date?

AJ: Getting published (which taught me about the drawbacks of traditional
publishing, and now I’m doing just fine with self-publishing).


Me:  Three characteristics you like about yourself?

AJ: My fierce loyalty to those I love, my sarcastic wit, and my ability to
sleep anywhere at any time, usually within a few minutes of lying down.


 Me:   Three characteristics you do not like about yourself?

AJ: I’m a loudmouth and sometimes speak before thinking. I’m easily
distracted, and find it difficult to focus. I’m completely and utterly insecure,
though this is improving with the more control I take over my future.


Me:  If you could get in your car today with a full tank and go anywhere,
where would you go and why?

AJ: To visit my sister in San Francisco. The drive out there would be
fantastic, and I haven’t seen her nearly often enough. Not to mention where she
lives is gorgeous and I would love to go again.


Me:   Best excuse you have used for NOT writing (lol)

AJ: I have several regular ones, but they’re usually legitimate and piss me
off when they get in the way: migraine, keep having to stop for research, or the
Muse has deserted me.


Me:  Priority in a new home..Library or Pool?
AJ: Library. I can’t really swim anyway.


 Me:  If you could have written or could write a script for a famous actor or
actress who would it be, what would it be about and why?

AJ: Chris Pine, so I could write in an m/m sex scene and then watch it being
filmed.


Excerpt from the Power Exchange sequel, tentatively titled SafewordChapter 1


 Three months ago


 “We go now live to Jan Aldrich on the scene. Jan?”
“Thank you, Mark. In the three weeks since twelve year old Jeremy Trexall disappeared, police and St. Louis County resident volunteers have been working non-stop in their search for him. That search ended today, in a quiet Chesterfield neighborhood at this house.” The camera panned to the right, showing an innocuous house in Anywhere, Suburbia, only remarkable because of the
bright yellow crime scene tape strung from tree to tree, blocking off what I knew to be hoards of press and curious onlookers lining the once-quiet street. My partner, Myah Hayes, and I continued to watch the wall-mounted television in the briefing room,surrounded by everyone in the building not required to man phones. The unnatural silence in a room full of cops could only speak of the gravity of what we were hearing.
“An anonymous tip brought St. Louis County police to investigate a vehicle potentially matching the one two school children
remembered idling near the convenience store where young Jeremy was last seen. When police questioned the occupants of the home regarding the vehicle, they made an astonishing discovery; not only had they found Trexall alive, but another teen at the residence identified himself as Marshall Schofield, a Colorado boy who went missing in 2009 at the age of thirteen just outside Fort
Collins. The owner of the house, David Strange, has been brought into the St. Louis County police department for questioning. The DA’s office hasn’t determined if Strange will be charged in the disappearance of the two boys, and police will only confirm Strange is a person of interest with information potentially relevant to the case. Meanwhile, the boys have been taken to an area hospital for evaluation and have since been released into the custody of their families.
 "The excitement of finding Trexall and Schofield alive is palpable even as crime scene technicians arrive at Strange’s residence to
process the scene.” I noticed a familiar head of blond hair above the emblazoned yellow CSI on the back of one of the techs and watched as my brother slipped into the house on TV. “So far, officials are saying little about Strange or the environment in which the boys were kept. The families of both children could not be reached for comment, and a staff psychologist at the hospital whereTrexall and Schofield were taken assured us that their care was of the utmost concern. Still, there’s new hope in Chesterfield tonight thanks to the potential tragedy averted here. Two children who vanished seemingly without a trace have been
returned to their parents, where they belong. For KSMV News Channel Eight, I’m Jan Aldrich. Mark?”
The news anchor’s voice faded into the background as the room erupted in conversation. Myah turned to me and raised her chin toward the exit, leading the way through the crowd and back to our desks. The October sun touched the tops of the trees, streaking gold through the blinds and painting patterned light across the squad room.
“Looks like another DeGrassi in the limelight again,” she sighed, sitting in her desk chair. It creaked as she twisted from side to side,
loud in a room made eerily quiet by the absence of other investigators. My brother Cole was lead CSI for the St. Louis County police department, and in a case this high profile, that had already splashed across national news websites, there was no doubt in my mind he’d take point on this one. Every tiny sliver of evidence would be scrutinized to the point of absurdity. Cole wouldn’t leave it to just anyone.
I shrugged, my usual response when my fifteen minutes of
fame were brought up anywhere other than privately. “Yeah, looks like your
dinner plans are off.”


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