Recently I had the honor to meet an old friend and writer, AJ Elmore. AJ grew up in West Virginia on the Kanawha County-Clay County borders, and she graduated from Marshall University with a degree in journalism. However, time and place separated us.
As those who know me, I am a reader. One of the better books I read in April was The Nameless by AJ Elmore. I loved the story! But, it wasn’t my typical read: not non-fiction, not a mystery, not historical fiction, not poetry, nor even a romance. It was a fantasy. As I read the first chapters, I could see myself “being there” in the setting, experiencing what was happening. (Imagine! A 70-year-old grandma at a punk concert and then drinking in a bar afterward! WHOO! The descriptions were that good!) The storyline lured me in, and I made time to read more.
However, it was a fantasy. But I loved it! It was one of my Top 5 books for 2024. I will read another AJ Elmore story in May.
AJ graciously agreed to an interview.
Visit AJ on:
- Do you mind sharing your background with us? We’d like to know why you decided to become a writer.
First of all, it wasn’t a choice. My dad likes to tell me about how a very young me would make up stories to tell my parents on long car drives. I started writing them down pretty much as soon as I learned to write. Somewhere in middle school, I met a girl who also wrote stories, and that was the first time I ever felt like it wasn’t as weird as I thought it was that I did it, too. We ventured into the wild world of fan fiction together, sometimes collaborating using existing characters and original stories. We also wrote our own stories and spent hours on the phone reading those stories to each other.
From there, it was a done deal. I never stopped writing. In my university days, I wrote less due to heavy class schedules and the adventures of becoming an adult, but my stories were always running in the background. It was after I graduated and decided to move away from home that I found some confidence in actually letting anyone read what I wrote. I was living in Georgia, separated from my closest friends, and I went searching for some solidarity. I found writerscafe.org. Before that, I wasn’t aware there were online writing communities. It was through that site that I found a very special and crucial group of people who eventually became the Vicious Writers Circle.
Though the Vicious Writers are no longer a cohesive group, many of us are still close after fifteen or so years. It was that community who gave me true confidence as a writer. We were focused on helping one another become better based on our own skills and strengths. I eventually became one of the moderators of the romance genre group within the community. That group is where I met my first-ever coauthor, my current editor, and my cover artist. Some of those folks are still among some of my strongest supporters. I would very literally not be where I am as a writer without them.
- You’re infamous among those who know you because you say, “I like words.” Could you give us your history of liking words?
Once again, it has always been rather out of my hands. That’s how my brain works. English classes always came easily for me. Consequently, I struggled with math. My mom always read to me as a kid, and I read independently, as well. Vocabulary and comprehension were natural strengths, and my parents encouraged them. I consistently read above grade level, and, especially in high school, I loved discovering new words that would make me sound smarter when writing. High school was also where I discovered writing for the school newspaper, although I didn’t learn much about news writing style, I still contributed stories.
I entered college as an International Affairs major at Marshall University, but somewhere around my sophomore year, I discovered the journalism school. I switched majors to Public Relations, unaware of how much I’d learn about actual journalism. At the time, writing news on a deadline was terrifying to me. Writing for The Parthenon was required for even P.R. majors, though. I put that class off until my very last semester only to discover I was a damn good reporter. At the J-School graduation, my print professor, Professor Burnis Morris, told the whole crowd the biggest tragedy was that I chose P.R. instead of print. I don’t know if he was right, but in retrospect, I know learning news writing and how it’s very different from creative writing lent to what eventually developed into my creative writing style.
- Everyone has stories about their writing and publishing journeys. Your blog, Being Indy on ajelmoreauthor.com, fascinated me with your story. Tell us about yours, especially since you’re an Indy writer.
That story begins, again, with the Vicious Writers. Before that group, I never had any intention of publishing. I always thought of my writing as a side hobby, but within that group I realized it was actually a passion. The group eventually developed beyond a support community and branched into publishing. At the time, the idea of non-traditional publishing had never occurred to me. I think print-on-demand was a fairly new development, but our leader at the time decided to take a chance on me and few others who had managed to finish novels, our first completed novels for most of us. Thus the first edition of my first-ever book, “Order of Crows,” was born. The whole thing eventually fell through, but it was my first taste of being a published author.
As I mentioned, I met my coauthor and amazing friend, Nazarea Andrews, through Vicious Writers. At first we were just writing buddies, sharing our work, giving opinions and support. Then I wrote a chapter on a whim and didn’t think about it. Until I wrote another chapter. Soon enough, the main character dictated that he wasn’t going anywhere. She loved the story so much that I brought her in on it and the crime syndicate world of Seth and Emma Morgan was born. At the same time, Nazarea was entering the world of self-publishing. I have to give her credit for all the technical stuff. She handled everything as far as finding our editors, formatting, uploading – all the hard stuff. She was such a force, and she was the one who made me eventually realize that I was capable of doing the same.
I’ve never considered going the traditional route in publishing. I’m not knocking it, but I’ve been surrounded with alternative means for years. Nazarea helped me publish the first edition of my solo venture, “Cadillac Payback.” When I eventually finished the sequel, I knew I’d have to put the work in myself. Since releasing a second edition of the first Caddy book and its sequel, “Rising Tide,” I’ve learned a whole lot about building a book. The hardest work is not writing the book. That’s the easy part. Editing, formatting, navigating the process of uploading the book for printing, that’s the hard part. Also promotion. Being indie is a never-ending job, but I wouldn’t trade it.
- Many of your books are urban fantasies, with a clear battle between the forces of good and evil. Why have you chosen to tell your stories through fantasies? Who are some of your writing mentors?
Hoo boy, what a question. The first part of my answer is something any writer will say, the stories decide themselves. I grew up reading and consuming fantasy, as well as science fiction and science fantasy. Like every female my age, I had a vampire phase, so high school me was often toting around Tolkien or Anne Rice. I watched stuff like Star Trek and Highlander, Star Wars, and also discovered anime around that time. In college, I discovered Neil Gaiman and that was a total game changer for me. He wrote in a way I had never experienced, and he was so bold and unapologetic with his fantasy elements. I was truly jealous he thought of all his amazing ideas first, but I’m so glad he did.
The second part of my answer is really that it comes down to the fantastical is so much more interesting to me than imitating real life. Not all of my stories are fantasy. “Cadillac Payback” has zero fantasy elements, and the same goes for the “Black Collar” books I wrote with Nazarea. I actually tend to hop across different genres depending on the project, but my heart always returns to fantasy. My “Order of Crows” series isn’t strictly urban fantasy, although it does have fantasy elements. It’s as much supernatural, and reads more like epic fantasy. The original idea came to me after reading Gaiman’s “American Gods.” I wanted to write something as amazing as that story. I can’t say I managed, but I did at least begin what I consider my life’s work.
- In The Nameless, two brothers, Lucky and Chance, are cursed by the Summer Fairy Queen. Your descriptions are extremely vivid, especially in the different settings and how the characters are acting and reacting. In addition, you described the different fairies in such detail, allowing your readers to venture into their psyche. (Such spiteful, raging creatures!) Why did you choose to use fairies instead of other fantastical creatures?
I think it’s fair here to mention that I’m a discovery writer. “The Nameless” had a bit of a unique journey from conception to publication, in relation to my other stories. The story started in a very different way originally, and the whole idea sprang from a punk band name I had wanted to use, So-Called Johnny, not that the band ever became a reality. So the first rendition of the first few chapters were actually from the female lead’s perspective. I wrote them maybe nine years ago. I knew three things for sure, the boys were in a punk band, they were “something else,” and chance, luck, and fate had a part to play in the theme. Then I abandoned the project before I ever figured it out.
Fast forward to three years ago. Sometimes when I have writer’s block or I’m not feeling inspired, I rifle around in my old files of writing that I left off and never finished. I found that “So-Called Johnny” piece and started thinking about it again. It all started with the idea that the boys were children of Irish immigrants in the late 1800s, for whom the fae were real and dealing with them was a way of life. From there, their history began to unfold, so I scrapped the old writing, changed the perspective, and married in the idea that they were two parts of a three-piece punk band. The old title is also why the third member of their band is named Johnny.
I’ve seen tons of readers obsessing over fae books that mostly fall into the romance category. That’s great for them. I’m happy they enjoy that and kudos to those successful authors. I’m not a romance writer. I feel like my story is a bit of a different take on a fae story. I will say writing them was a whole new challenge on a different level. You can ask my awesome friends who read along as I was writing how many times I cussed over trying to think like a shifty, clever fae character.
- I understand you’re writing a sequel to The Nameless. Can you tell us anything at this point? Are you in the publishing stage yet? A possible release date? Will we be able to pre-order it?
I am writing a sequel. It’s currently sitting at about 70% finished, which is not unusual for my writing process. I churned out “That Nameless” in about ten months, which was extremely fast for me, so of course the sequel stalled. There was some other factors involved, like my focus shifting to the sequel to “The Murder Meets at Dusk.” So I’m not quite to publication yet, and no release date at this time. I can say I’m fairly sure the story will be a duology, and be prepared for even more unexpected twists. The fae are not the only ones who’ve managed to surprise me.
- Tell us about your rerelease of your debut novel, Order of Crows. I read it when you first released it in 2010, but now I should reread it.
As I mentioned, the first release of “Order of Crows” was done through my former writing group. I’ve been writing that story for a long time, and I never stopped being attached to it. After releasing the “Cadillac Payback” duology on my own, I decided to get my Crows back into print. Before I did, I had to update a few things, like the way the story addresses technology. A lot has changed since 2010! I also gave the story a decently extensive overhaul as far as the actual writing. What I thought was good writing back in 2010 was … lacking compared to the way my skill has improved over the years. After the story facelift, I hit up my amazing cover artist, Melissa Stevens of The Illustrated Artist, for some new digs. She did such an amazing job with the cover.
I also decided to change the title. Back when I first wrote the Crows, the title seemed catchy, something a little different from what was on the market. Since then, it seems like every other UF title I see has crows in it. Obviously, I didn’t want to change the entire premise of the book, as the crow theme is deeply embedded in it, but Mel and I had decided to market more heavily on the fantasy side than urban fantasy. Thus “Order of Crows” became “The Murder Meets at Dusk,” although I kept “Order of Crows” as the series name.
I’m extremely excited to say the first sequel (there are three in various forms of completion) is currently in my editor’s hands. That title will become my sole focus once the editing process begins, and it’s my goal to release later this year or early next year. That release is very special to me as it’s about eleven years in the making.
- What books have you read recently that you recommend to your followers?
I have to tell on myself here. One of my biggest weaknesses is taking time to read. I tend to keep myself hopping between writing within the Crows, “The Nameless,” and a novella/art project that’s the brainchild of myself and my partner. That being said, one of the last books I read was “Inkdeath,” the third and final book in the “Inkheart” series. They’re technically kids books, but they’re insanely good. The writing is rich, the characters are engaging, and the story gets pretty dark in places.
- What advice would you give to new and aspiring writers?
Your first draft will suck. Accept it. Embrace it. Do it anyway. Keep doing it. That’s how we learn and eventually define our process.
If you find it overwhelming to world build, develop characters, and also figure out the story, turn to fan fiction. I said it. Ignore all those folks who turn up their noses at fan fiction. It’s a beautiful tool for beginners. Pick a fandom you love, borrow some characters and their setting, and run with it. You don’t have to let anyone ever see it. That’s not the point. It’s practice. There are no rules.
The path of the writer might be a solitary road at times. No one will ever care as much about your work as you do. Don’t lose hope even when it feels like you’re alone in it. Be stubborn, do it anyway. It’s all about passion.
I highly recommend having multiple projects. They don’t all need to have the intention of seeing the light of day, but having multiples is a great way to ward off stagnation. Instead of staring at the same words, begging your characters to say something, write something else. I heavily employ this method. Specifically, after I traumatize certain characters (you will do this occasionally), they tend to close up for a while. I give them space and time to come back around while I move on to a different universe. Also, not everything has to be a grand novel-length piece. Write out single scenes, short stories, novellas, poetry, anything. Everything. Don’t be afraid to explore.
Everybody’s different. Don’t feel like you have to conform to anyone else’s idea of what being a writer is. Always look for what works for you, as well as what doesn’t. I like to hand write my first drafts. It works for me. It’s how I started way back in middle school. It’s not for everyone. What works for you might change. We creative people are weird. That’s okay. Necessary, even.
You’re going to fear failure before you have a chance to succeed. And you’ll probably fail some before you succeed. Keep going. Take a break if you need to. Experience your rage or desolation or grief, but don’t throw away your pen.
Finally, don’t fall into the trap of “I don’t have time to write.” It’s an excuse. Make time. The more you make time, the easier it is to make time. This might mean sacrificing something. It’s worth it. Trust me.
Thank you, AJ, for talking with us about your life as a writer and your insight into what changed for both writers and readers. I’m looking forward to your next release.
AJ’s books are sold on Amazon.com. Some of her titles include The Nameless, Cadillac Payback, The Murder Meets at Dusk, and Rising Tide. You can follow her on both Amazon and GoodReads.