AJ Titter Author of Magic & Myth
How tragedy pushed AJ Titter forward to a published author
AJ Titter grew up with more than one imaginary friend. Her little gang was the first to hear her stories. As she grew out of the magical stage of childhood, it was her classmates and friends that she tortured.
AJ’s love of stories drew her toward history, for what is history but telling the story of someone’s life. She graduated from Gordon College with a bachelors in history, focusing on Celtic, medieval, and early American history. Now she lives in Virginia with her Scottie, Kira, and can often be found volunteering at her local historical courthouse.
How did AJ get into books?
AJ Titter started reading at an early age. Her mother read every night to both her and her brother. It was not uncommon for the family to have a bedtime, where one went to bed so one could read for at least a half hour before having a sleep time. She devoured all kinds of books from historical fiction, mystery, adventure, and non-fiction. There was a long period of her life where she was obsessed with real accounts of ghosts and even wanted to be a ghost hunter. The one genre she didn’t read until high school was sci-fi/fantasy, but she was hooked for the rest of her life.
How did AJ get into writing?
What stories have inspired AJ the most and how?
Inspiration comes in many forms. For AJ Titter, some of her inspiration has come from other stories. In the fantasy genre, there are two series that inspired her to write fantasy: Lord of the Rings, and The Nine Kingdoms by Lynn Kurland. Tolkien’s writing in the Lord of the Rings showed AJ that you can create a whole history for a fictional world, meaning two of the things she loved most, stories and history, could be used to inspire others. The Nine Kingdoms series was AJ’s first time reading a romantasy and she discovered the series during her divorce. This series is truly what inspired her to start writing Tarnished Relics, which originally was going to have more romance.
About Tarnished Relics
Tarnished Relics started off as a romantasy that closely followed what AJ was going through as she wrote it. The main subplot was a blossoming relationship between Attoria and Daniel who then got married, only to have him leave her. This subplot didn’t end up fitting with the overall story and AJ chalked it up to being her cathartic release and let it go.
Without much of a romantic subplot, AJ focused more on the fantasy and spent time developing the world and its history. Growing up participating in French & Indian War re-enactments, she used her in-depth knowledge of the 18th century to develop a robust world that is a mix of your typical sword & sorcery medieval setting and about 1750-1780. She is also intrigued with the Nephilim of the Bible and what a world might look like if there were still those today who carried the bloodline.
AJ Titter put a lot of herself into Attoria, but reading the book now, she thinks she is actually more similar to Gizem. While some of the characters, like Attoria, changed very little throughout the different drafts, Gizem went from one end of the good/evil spectrum to the other. She was originally one of the main antagonists, then went to being somewhat neutral, and in the final version of Tarnished Relics Gizem is like a second mother to Attoria. While she looks out for Attoria, her motives are still questionable. Gizem has been hardened by her own experiences, which you can learn a little more about in the free prequel short story, Torched Feathers.
What is the most rewarding part of being an author?
The most rewarding part of being an author for AJ Titter is sharing stories with others. The writer is only half of the story process. The reader is the other half and what they take from the story may be the most important part.
What is the most challenging part about writing?
AJ Titter is a pantser so the most challenging part of writing for her is having all the pieces come together and make sense. It’s a good thing authors can write as many drafts as they need because AJ’s first drafts often go on winding side paths.
AJ's advice for those who want to pursue authorship as a career:
For anyone who wants to pursue authorship as a career, AJ Titter would tell them to treat it like one from the beginning. Have your set time that you go to work and sit and write.
What's next for AJ Titter?
AJ Titter has a lot of story ideas, starts of stories, and wants to challenge herself with different story forms. She will be expanding the Children of Isteni series with other stories from the history of the world, but between those she has a story set in Edwardian England (fans of Penny Dreadful will enjoy this tale) and a plan for a frame story using English and Scottish folk songs that Francis James Child anthologized.
Book Merch!
When AJ Titter joined Bookstagram a few years ago, she was quickly introduced to book boxes. She loved seeing the special covers and stenciled edges along with the cute items. While she doesn’t currently subscribe to one, she does occasionally pick up a box here and there. Some of her favorite items she has received include Bookstagram props like a string of battery operated rose flower lights, a wooden bookmark, and socks. AJ is practical so she appreciates the useful items the most. She knew when she started publishing her books that she wanted to offer a limited run of book boxes filled with a special edition book and goodies. These boxes are offered to her newsletter subscribers first, so if you want to be alerted when they go on sale, you should sign up via her website.
