We were lucky to catch up with AJ Blanch recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, AJ thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I can think of only three good reasons to share your bed: of course there’s the obvious, “When you love someone so much…” scenario. Then you have the, your kid had a nightmare, and the only cure is to shove his tiny toes into Mom’s ribs the rest of the night, scenario.
And last but not least, when you’re a character in a cute romance novel, and there is only one bed—thus forcing your attractive nemesis to sleep in close, tantalizing proximity to you. This trope gets me every time.
I’ve been an insatiable reader since I was about 8 years old. That’s a lotta years Tony! (movie quote from Home.)
There’s an adage that goes something like this: The best way to learn to write is to read a lot. I’ve pretty much got that part covered, but beyond that, I have devoted hours to courses, podcasts, craft books, lectures, seminars, coaching, training, and good old-fashioned practice that would equate to enough hours for an entire college degree. I love learning about writing at the feet of the greats.
I think the most essential skills for this career are hard to quantify. It depends so much on where each writer is starting on their journey. Building an engaging story can be very complex, and I think I’ve learned something really valuable from every resource I’ve engaged with.
The biggest obstacles have been cold hard cash, and figuring out how to decipher the good educational investments from the not so good. In the future, I plan to start a foundation where I can help fund the coaching and education of aspiring writers so their journey can be a little more straightforward than mine has been.

AJ, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The other day, my daughter strolled out of her room and dropped a profound little truth bomb on me. It began with, “Mom, you know what I love about reading?” She then described how, within a few minutes of sitting down to read a book, the chaotic storm in her ADHD brain calms to a soothing focused hum. It’s always nice to hear that your kids enjoy books, but what she said reminded me of an article I read a while ago. The main point was that studies have shown that reading fiction is as beneficial to our minds as meditation, and more effective for stress relief than a cup of tea, or taking a walk.
I guess that makes me a creator of stress relief.
I’m an author with my own publishing company. My brand centers around Fantasy Romance and will eventually launch a line of Contemporary Romance. I am proud of the fact that I offer entertaining stories that depict healthy relationships and the respect of both men and women.
I sell my books direct at ajblanch.com as well as wherever books are sold.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Picture it, the sun streaming in the windows of an old farmhouse with all the charm typical of shaker-era construction. A little piece of heaven, nestled on five acres just outside of the city. It was a beautiful day in late summer. The kids and I headed off to dance class where I would pull out my laptop to work on the book I was writing. This particular day, I was only a few paragraphs in when my phone rang. It was my husband. He was meant to be home asleep after a grueling morning in the ER passing a kidney stone.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked when I picked up.
“Don’t come home.” His tone was clipped. “The house is on fire.”
My stomach dropped.
He must be hallucinating. They gave him a lot of medicine this morning.
“Are you sure?”
“The fire trucks are here to prove it.”
I got permission to leave my kids with their dance teachers and rushed home. (He was in no condition to deal with the crisis alone) I held his hand as we watched smoke billow from every window of the place that we had just spent two years renovating.
The old electrical wiring had proven lethal to the farmhouse.

It was a full year before we could live in our home again. I had to put my writing on hold to deal with the trial we were facing, and act as general contractor for the rebuild. My mantra became, “I am a tank. This is just a pothole—it can’t derail me.” Yes, I know it’s a bit of a mixed metaphor, but I can’t count the times that it brought me perspective through the many potholes involved in my journey of building this career. I’m grateful. My family survived the fire, and I didn’t give up my dream of writing.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

“Did you hear what happened last night after you left?” We can all relate to that moment when we lean in close, our brain tingling with curiosity to hear the tale our friend is about to tell. We can hardly help ourselves. There’s just something about getting caught in the grip of a good story. I love it just like everyone else. So the most rewarding thing about my career, is that when I craft them, I get to decide which stories to tell. I’m convinced that creating things is part of my DNA—it fills me up and makes me smile. And if life isn’t for spreading happiness, then I don’t know what it’s for. Oh, and about last night… don’t worry, you didn’t miss anything. Everyone was in bed by nine. (I have FOMO too.)

In case you need it, here’s the article I referenced: https://www.anxietycentre.com/research/reading-reduces-stress-by-68-percent/

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ajblanch.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.ajblanch/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.ajblanch