The Debutante Ball is delighted to welcome author A.J. Menden to the dance this lovely November day!
A.J. Menden is the author of the Elite Hands of Justice, a superhero romance series, as well as Phenomenal Girl 5, Tekgrrl and Sorceress Interrupted from Dorchester Publishing. She also contributed a short story to the Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance.
Her upcoming book, Sorceress Interrupted, combines superheroes, magic, and an immortal or two.
A.J. opted to take the Deb Interview with us, so let’s hear what she had to say about books, quirks, and spiders.
Talk about one book that made an impact on you.
William Goldman’s The Princess Bride. Because I didn’t get that the S. Morgenstern thing was a joke until years after I read it. Sigh. But I still love that book, it’s one of my favorites.
Who is one of your favorite (fictional or non-fictional) characters
Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables. She shows the importance of a good imagination.
Which talent do you wish you had?
I wish I could draw, because then I could write and draw my own comic books.
Share one quirk you have that most people don’t know about.
I make playlists of songs for the book before I begin writing it. It helps to inspire me. Sometimes it is specific scenes, sometimes it is just songs that remind me of the characters.
Tell us a secret about the main character in your novel – something that’s not even in your book.
Fantazia was aboard the Titanic. That’s the last time she ever took a vacation.
Do you have any phobias?
I absolutely hate clowns. And spiders. And zombies.
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Thanks so much to A.J. for joining us at The Debutante Ball this week! Stay tuned next week when author Erin Blakemore will be stopping by for a visit.
Welcome! Aw, why do so many people hate clowns? I like clowns! Especially Homey. I also like spiders. Color me weird. I let them out of the house and admire their decorating skills in the corners of my walls! Zombies? Only the cocktail at Chinese restaurants!
I love the idea of music playlists – I do the same thing with Sirius channels – choosing channel by writing mood. Anne of Green Gables is such a wonderful character for girls – and boys too. A real iconoclast.
Great interview – Deb KIM
Ooh, I love Fantazia’s secret! I think I’ll start with PHENOMENAL GIRL 5 so I get the whole series!
I LOVE Princess Bride! That’s one instance where both the book and the movie are absolutely spectacular.
I also loathe clowns… except Cirque clowns, which are cool.
Scariest part of Poltergeist? The evil clown popping up from under the bed. I still get nightmares…
I write with music, too, but haven’t ever made actual playlists. I’d love to hear more about what sort of music you listen to and some of the songs that go with your newest release!
Tawna