AJ chatted with us over e-mail for a Sit Down Saturday giving us a little glimpse of what her daily life is like.
When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
I don't really know. I've always written: diaries, articles
for school magazines etc etc. However, it was when we moved to Kuching, Sarwak
in Borneo that I had a chance to write professionally. I began writing as a
stop-gap while looking for a job, landed a column in the New Straits Times, the
national Malaysian daily, and it snowballed from there.
How long does it take you
to write a book?
It depends. At the moment I'm doing a Masters as well as my
day job so I have to write at night and during breaks. The Bonus came together
in about two months because I had some time off work so I could concentrate.
Helpless, my current book, is four chapters from the end but I can't finish it
till I get my last assignment out of the way. I'm hoping I can get it done by
March.
What is your work
schedule like when you're writing?
HECTIC!
Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?I wish I knew. It just percolates and when I sit down to write, it happens. I have tried book outlines but the characters inevitably start doing their own thing. Now I just have a general idea and I plot as I go along.
I know. It's awful. But it seems to work for me.
Tell us a little about your background!
Ermmmmmmm.... I am run by two cats, Target and Guido. I love to read and cook. I loathe ironing and if you're a plant in my house, you're basically on death row. Favourite 'watch them over and over' TV shows are Midsomer Murder, Star Trek, the Sopranos and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Current faves are Sons of Anarchy and True Blood.
Bio type info: I'm Scottish-Dutch, born in Amsterdam, went to school there till I was 11, then Scotland till I was 22. My family at that point moved to Spain and that's where I met Tom. He's an American, from the north of the USA. We moved to Malaysia 19 years ago and we're still here.
Have you ever been in trouble with the police? If YES, for what?
Funnily enough I could have been recently. There was a roadblock just off the motorway last month. Freddie Mercury and me were singing I Want It All, when one of the coppers waved at me. I waved back. It then occurred to me about 10m later that he may not have been waving hello. I looked over and saw he was killing himself laughing. He saw I’d slowed down and he waved me away, still giggling. Bet he’s telling his mates about the crazy orang puteh (white girl) who sings like a cat… I'm lucking some Malaysian police have a sense of humour.
Why did Yankee Doodle name the feather in his hat Macaroni?
I used to write Logomania a language column because I love these questions! In the late 1700s in London there were some very rich idle men who belonged to the Macaroni Club. They wore outrageous wigs, startling makeup, carried fans, and generally shocked everyone with their extreme fashion. Hence the macho Yankee Doodle who poked fun at them by wearing just one feather and pronouncing it fantabulous.
What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
Ironing. I loathe and despise it.
What is the best book you have read so far?
It's a tossup between LOTR and Shogun. Both have the ability to put me into another world. I read them once a year and they never fail to grip me.
Bio type info: I'm Scottish-Dutch, born in Amsterdam, went to school there till I was 11, then Scotland till I was 22. My family at that point moved to Spain and that's where I met Tom. He's an American, from the north of the USA. We moved to Malaysia 19 years ago and we're still here.
Have you ever been in trouble with the police? If YES, for what?
Funnily enough I could have been recently. There was a roadblock just off the motorway last month. Freddie Mercury and me were singing I Want It All, when one of the coppers waved at me. I waved back. It then occurred to me about 10m later that he may not have been waving hello. I looked over and saw he was killing himself laughing. He saw I’d slowed down and he waved me away, still giggling. Bet he’s telling his mates about the crazy orang puteh (white girl) who sings like a cat… I'm lucking some Malaysian police have a sense of humour.
Why did Yankee Doodle name the feather in his hat Macaroni?
I used to write Logomania a language column because I love these questions! In the late 1700s in London there were some very rich idle men who belonged to the Macaroni Club. They wore outrageous wigs, startling makeup, carried fans, and generally shocked everyone with their extreme fashion. Hence the macho Yankee Doodle who poked fun at them by wearing just one feather and pronouncing it fantabulous.
What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
Ironing. I loathe and despise it.
What is the best book you have read so far?
It's a tossup between LOTR and Shogun. Both have the ability to put me into another world. I read them once a year and they never fail to grip me.
What do you do if you can’t sleep at night? Do you count sheep? Toss and Turn? Try to get up and do something productive?
I used to sneak out and write but I've learned that's no good as it means no sleep AT ALL! Now I waken up Target, my senior cat, and ask him to purr me to sleep.
What’s one thing you’d rather pay someone to do than do yourself? Why?
Cleaning. If I could ignore it, I would! However, Target and Guido have standards so I pay for a cleaning service and I spend that time writing or cooking.
Speed Round Questions:
Pool or Beach
Pool
Brad Pitt or George Clooney
Brad Pitt
Less Filling or Tastes Great
Taste Great
Pudding or Jello
Pudding
Shaken or Stirred
Shaken
Manchester United or Man Chest Hair United
Man Chest Hair United
Car with no shoes or Shoes with no Car
Car with no shoes
Currency named after you or Country named after you
Country named after you
Bald or Hairy
Bald
In or out
Out
LETS TURN THE TABLE:
If you could ask the Beantown Bitches Book Page one question...What would it be?
If you had ten minutes with your favourite book boyfriend, what would you do in that time?
TEN MINUTES!! That is not enough time for what we have planned! I guess we should have to go straight for handcuffing him to the bed, that way we should all the time in the world. Maybe stare for a few minutes just to soak in that incredible body. Next run my fingers starting at his forehead and drag it all the way down until we get to right above his belly button. Then lean in and let my tongue take over! What happens next stays in that room because we never kiss and tell!
All things AJ Adams
“I told José he was a fool to try and cheat you,” she said. “I wasn’t part of it, and I don’t work for you. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
She’d heard about our policy protecting bystanders. Of course it doesn’t apply to anyone whose eyewitness testimony can put me in a courtroom. Well, try to put me in a courtroom. In Mexico nobody would dare accuse me, and I’ve enough resources in England to guarantee a police investigation would come to nothing, but it’s not my style to take chances. Solitaire would be going into the ground along with Escamilla.
“Mr Vazquez,” Solitaire gave me her best smile. “I don’t expect something for nothing.” She dropped her voice. “You’d like me,” she whispered. “I’ve heard about you. We’re the same.”
“Are we?”
“Yes, I can make you very happy.” She brushed my hand over her cheek and then kissed my palm. “I’m a very good girl,” she said quietly. “Unless you prefer a naughty one?”
She sucked my thumb, and I was instantly rock hard.
Book Description:
Chloe is a seasoned drug courier who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.Facing a lingering and painful death at the hands of the Zetas, Mexico’s most brutal cartel, she persuades their enforcer to claim her. Has Chloe made a huge mistake, or will her choice prove her salvation - and his?
Warning: This book contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. It is for adults only.
Book Description:
“He wore jeans and a turquoise T-shirt. The colour made his eyes look blue instead of green. I wasn’t fooled by his looks and his gentle ways. This man had a will of iron, and by the way he looked at me, I could see he was just as determined to control me as Angelo. He just used his tongue instead of his fists.
I’d go along with it, because anything that kept me out of the hole meant I had a chance to escape. I’d pretend to be docile, and as soon as he fell asleep or took his eye off me, I’d make a run for it.
He looked me over, frowning slightly. Suddenly I wondered if he was changing his mind. Maybe he wasn’t going to let me eat. Maybe it was a game. Maybe he’d show me the food, and then tie me up and leave me to starve while he stuffed his face. I was trembling at the thought. “
###
Serenity Bishop is a work of art. Her skin a canvas, decorated with the scars of her evil captor’s twisted abuse. But her tormentor, Angelo, is about to lose control.
Zachary Schiavelli is an art thief and forger. His handsome face is merely the mask that hides a cold, calculating man whose own childhood of abuse has honed him into a remorseless killing machine.
Zachary is about to take an intense disliking to Angelo.
Sometimes you need to fight fire with fire.
In a violent tale of mob rule where violence begets violence, an unlikely alliance between two forces of nature is about to change the face of organized crime. When Serenity and Zachary collide, it’s an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, and everyone around them is about to get caught in the crossfire.
A complete novel with no cliff-hangers.
A violent tale of mob rule and dark romance. Warning contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. Adults only.
Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/AJ-Adams/e/B00PTL6BNK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2883330.A_J_Adams?from_search=true
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/AJ-Adams/788371957924016
I used to sneak out and write but I've learned that's no good as it means no sleep AT ALL! Now I waken up Target, my senior cat, and ask him to purr me to sleep.
What’s one thing you’d rather pay someone to do than do yourself? Why?
Cleaning. If I could ignore it, I would! However, Target and Guido have standards so I pay for a cleaning service and I spend that time writing or cooking.
Speed Round Questions:
Pool or Beach
Pool
Brad Pitt or George Clooney
Brad Pitt
Less Filling or Tastes Great
Taste Great
Pudding or Jello
Pudding
Shaken or Stirred
Shaken
Manchester United or Man Chest Hair United
Man Chest Hair United
Car with no shoes or Shoes with no Car
Car with no shoes
Currency named after you or Country named after you
Country named after you
Bald or Hairy
Bald
In or out
Out
LETS TURN THE TABLE:
If you could ask the Beantown Bitches Book Page one question...What would it be?
If you had ten minutes with your favourite book boyfriend, what would you do in that time?
TEN MINUTES!! That is not enough time for what we have planned! I guess we should have to go straight for handcuffing him to the bed, that way we should all the time in the world. Maybe stare for a few minutes just to soak in that incredible body. Next run my fingers starting at his forehead and drag it all the way down until we get to right above his belly button. Then lean in and let my tongue take over! What happens next stays in that room because we never kiss and tell!
All things AJ Adams
\
Book Description:
“You’re the big boss.” She looked up at me and smiled. She was dressed in a cheap cotton shirt and jeans that should be on the burn pile, but that smile was pure gold. This girl had guts. “I told José he was a fool to try and cheat you,” she said. “I wasn’t part of it, and I don’t work for you. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
She’d heard about our policy protecting bystanders. Of course it doesn’t apply to anyone whose eyewitness testimony can put me in a courtroom. Well, try to put me in a courtroom. In Mexico nobody would dare accuse me, and I’ve enough resources in England to guarantee a police investigation would come to nothing, but it’s not my style to take chances. Solitaire would be going into the ground along with Escamilla.
“Mr Vazquez,” Solitaire gave me her best smile. “I don’t expect something for nothing.” She dropped her voice. “You’d like me,” she whispered. “I’ve heard about you. We’re the same.”
“Are we?”
“Yes, I can make you very happy.” She brushed my hand over her cheek and then kissed my palm. “I’m a very good girl,” she said quietly. “Unless you prefer a naughty one?”
She sucked my thumb, and I was instantly rock hard.
Amazon Link
Book Description:
Chloe is a seasoned drug courier who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.Facing a lingering and painful death at the hands of the Zetas, Mexico’s most brutal cartel, she persuades their enforcer to claim her. Has Chloe made a huge mistake, or will her choice prove her salvation - and his?
Warning: This book contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. It is for adults only.
Amazon Links
Book Description:
“He wore jeans and a turquoise T-shirt. The colour made his eyes look blue instead of green. I wasn’t fooled by his looks and his gentle ways. This man had a will of iron, and by the way he looked at me, I could see he was just as determined to control me as Angelo. He just used his tongue instead of his fists.
I’d go along with it, because anything that kept me out of the hole meant I had a chance to escape. I’d pretend to be docile, and as soon as he fell asleep or took his eye off me, I’d make a run for it.
He looked me over, frowning slightly. Suddenly I wondered if he was changing his mind. Maybe he wasn’t going to let me eat. Maybe it was a game. Maybe he’d show me the food, and then tie me up and leave me to starve while he stuffed his face. I was trembling at the thought. “
###
Serenity Bishop is a work of art. Her skin a canvas, decorated with the scars of her evil captor’s twisted abuse. But her tormentor, Angelo, is about to lose control.
Zachary Schiavelli is an art thief and forger. His handsome face is merely the mask that hides a cold, calculating man whose own childhood of abuse has honed him into a remorseless killing machine.
Zachary is about to take an intense disliking to Angelo.
Sometimes you need to fight fire with fire.
In a violent tale of mob rule where violence begets violence, an unlikely alliance between two forces of nature is about to change the face of organized crime. When Serenity and Zachary collide, it’s an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, and everyone around them is about to get caught in the crossfire.
A complete novel with no cliff-hangers.
A violent tale of mob rule and dark romance. Warning contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. Adults only.
Amazon Link
Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/AJ-Adams/e/B00PTL6BNK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2883330.A_J_Adams?from_search=true
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/AJ-Adams/788371957924016
