Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ann Michelle Harris. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ann Michelle , thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

This is such a great question and one which I think about often. Since we’re talking about writing, something which I love, it’s natural for me to think that I should have started earlier. But, the truth is, I wouldn’t be the writer I am today without my life experiences, including the challenges and the triumphs. I began my writing career after achieving significant seniority in my primary career as a lawyer. Many writing colleagues started writing after retirement while some started straight out of college. There is no perfect path but the key is to build a community with other creatives and to pursue honing the craft of writing. There are so many great writing organizations and I wish I had connected with them immediately to get the guidance I needed sooner and even before I made the formal leap into becoming an author. Whenever you start your creative journey, be sure to lean into the wide resources available to support you.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born in Jamaica and raised in Atlanta. I’m a lawyer by day and an author by night. I have a degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from Emory University. I have loved reading since I was a young girl and I often dreamed of being a writer. However, I also always had a strong sense of justice so I pursued a legal career in public interest work. Later, as a mom, I loved reading fantasy adventure stories with my children but I was disappointed by the lack of diverse characters (especially Black characters) in most of the popular novels. Ultimately, I decided to create the kind of books I wanted to see, and to write strong, diverse lead characters in honor of my children.

As a Black woman with a background in public interest work, I strive to create satisfying, escapist stories with meaningful social justice themes tucked inside. I spent years working with people in difficult situations and I wanted to convey that courage in my writing. As the fantasy writing world slowly becomes more diverse, my hope is to fill the niche of encouragement, particularly for teens and young adults. Trauma and social justice are important parts of my storytelling but ultimately my focus is on strength, belonging, and triumph. My goal is to use fantasy adventures to connect to and symbolize real-life struggles and motivations. I’m very proud of my debut novel NORTH for presenting young Black male and female characters in heroic lead roles and showing positive, mature and parental characters as well. The journey to creating a career as an author in the current marketplace has been very challenging but I am proud of myself for starting this new path which I hope will bring escapism and hopefulness for those who need it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a creative is the act of creation itself. It is magical and powerful to start with a blank paper or screen and evolve to intricate, colorful world-building and emotionally complex, fully-formed characters. That moment of seeing your characters take on a life of their own and knowing they are going to connect with so many people, people you’ve never even met, that moment is exhilarating.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to create satisfying, escapist stories with strong, relatable characters who will inspire readers and give them a thoughtful way to process some of the stress in our world through a creative lens. Having positive, diverse characters is important to me. My mission is to connect readers through compelling stories and to create meaningful moments of joy for those who could really use it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://annmichelleharris.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Ann_Michelle_Harris25
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annmichelleharris
• Twitter: https://x.com/_AnnHarris_
• Other: https://linktr.ee/annmichelleharris