Today, we’d like to introduce you to Aja Graves. Aja was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented SUSAN DEMUS.
Hi Aja, we’re so thrilled to have you sharing your story with us today. Maybe we can kick things off by having you introduce yourself to our readers? We’d love to have you go into your story and how you got to where you are today.
My mother introduced me to pencil and paper at a very young age. Learning how to write is one of my earliest memories, and by the time I started kindergarten, I was already writing in cursive. Writing was always a thing for me. Reading as well, but that part of my story can come later. In the first grade, each student in my class was asked to write a short story that would be “published” in a hardbound book. That story would be my first book, my first story, amongst many. My mother, who recognized I had a passion and a gift for writing, would enter me into contests where I would read my short stories and poems for an opportunity at a cash or savings bond prize. I would win. I now realize she was helping me build confidence in sharing my words because I was introverted. Still am. Then she realized I needed to get stronger at this thing I loved, so she enrolled me into creative writing courses at a local college when I was a teenager. However, even with all the encouragement of my mother, my family, and my community, I fell away from writing during my college years because learning took precedence and creativity died.
It was not until after the birth of my son, my second child that I picked up the pen again. I started with completing writing prompts in an online writing group I joined, and that progressed into me creating a blog and posting my shorts. After getting over my fear of anyone knowing I had been holding my writing voice inside of me, I decided to share my site with reader friends of mine. Remember me mentioning my reading story would come later? Well my mom was an avid reader, and so was I. Despite me giving up writing, I never gave up reading, and found I had another family full of encouragement in the Black Romance community. It was here that I would find loving but critical voices when I decided to start sharing my own stories. After sharing two shorts on my blog, I was strongly encouraged to give up blogging and to publish a book. Secretly I had written two unfinished books already, but with encouragement from the right places, I decided to start writing for publishing. In 2014 I published my first novella, Unexpected, and my first full-length book, I Am Yours, was released in 2015. I have now published twenty-five books with a few more coming this year.
Let’s talk about your work and career – what else should we know?
When I first started writing to publish, I intended to be a multi-genre author. I didn’t want to pigeon-hole myself into something if I ever wanted the freedom to leave it. However, I noticed whether I designated a genre for myself or not, there was always one central theme in all of my stories: love. Especially love between a man and a woman. Romantic love. Now seven years into my career, I can say with confidence that I am Aja, an Award-Winning National Best-Selling author of Passionate Women’s Fiction and Romance. My readers experience realistic, passionate, and soulful interactions when reading my books and I hope they never lose that feeling when reading my words. There are a plethora of other talented writers in the Black romance community that I love, and we all have similar missions, so I wouldn’t say that I am set apart from them. I want us all to be read and enjoyed. But what a reader gets with my work that they can’t get anywhere else, is a part of me. Creatives put a part of themselves in everything they do, and I’m no different. When you read a book of mine, you get to experience an intimate part of me through the characters and their lives. My Soulmates series is a great example of me baring a bit of myself in each heroine. Starting with She’s Got Soul that was released in the Fall of 2019, and ending with Soul Ties that drops July 30, 2021, a special part of my experience with self-love, discovery, romance, passion, and fortitude, is revealed in each story and each character.
So, as we mentioned to our audience earlier, you were introduced to us by SUSAN DEMUS and QueenBee’D Designs and we really admire them and what they’ve built. For folks who might not be as familiar, can you tell them a bit about your experience with QueenBee’D Designs.
I’ve been a jewelry lover my whole life I think. My tastes have grown and have become more eclectic as I’ve gotten older. I’m always searching for something different, beautiful, and representative of my spirit at any given time. I started my journey into wearing beaded bracelets in the summer of 2020 though I had been gifted a strand or two from friends as gifts before then, it wasn’t until last summer that I really started to get into them for myself. I found a few vendors that I liked and were creating some beautiful and creative pieces. Later in the year, a reader friend of mine, Geri Evans, who knew my love for beads because I introduced her to them, introduced me to Susan by gifting me with two beaded bracelet sets that Susan created. Geri created a “monster” in me. No disrespect to any other jeweler maker I’ve bought from before Susan, but Queen Bee’d Designs spoke to my spirit. Susan will promptly correct you about calling them beads, they are STONES. She chooses stones that come from the earth and have great meaning and purpose. I suppose my being intentional about living a purpose-driven life, makes her stones perfect for me. Not only that, but her jewelry is absolutely beautiful. I’m a strong supporter of hers, as I am of other small businesses I frequent. I believe it takes a village. Susan deserves the village to hear about her work and her excellent customer service. If you’ve never received a package from Susan, please place an order so you can get the entire experience. From the burlap sack stamped with her beautiful logo to the carefully wrapped jewelry inside. She always says thank you as well. She never lets that opportunity pass where she doesn’t express appreciation; never takes her customers for granted. Lastly, the thing I truly love about purchasing my jewelry from Queen Bee’d Designs is that she does special orders. I can speak to her about something I want and she will create a masterpiece that is all my own whether it’s a bracelet set, earrings, or necklaces. Each customer can feel special in that way. It’s a testament to how special she is, not just her jewelry, that she can make her customers feel good with each purchase they make with her. If you’re considering buying a new piece of handcrafted jewelry made with love, contact Susan right away.
Website: https://ajathewriter.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajathewriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AjaTheWriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajathewriterbooks
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz5iWSUWMawMtbzxT8g_1Zw
Other: Links to books: https://www.amazon.com/Aja/e/B00K30K138
Image Credits:
Photographer: Lala Johns of Leah Loves That Photography
