Ahhhhh Hi y'all!

I'm known offline by AJ or Aria. Online by either of those or Squirrel. I came out a couple years ago elsewhere but uh... guess I didn't here, so. I identify as Trans/Nonbinary/Gendervoid & use They/Them/Faer & Zey/Zem/Zir pronouns. Still trying to figure out if I'm ace or need therapy or it's just dysphoria getting in my way so I currently just use the label Queer.

I'm a line cook and I love to write (and read) realistic fiction, urban fantasy, supernatural stories (I adore vampires in particular), historical fiction, dark/queer romance and dystopian/post-apocalyptic tales. I used to write a lot of poems but it's been a while since I last did so.

I've recently moved down to the Phoenix, AZ area! No longer a Washingtonian, tired and depressed stuck in the grey eight months out of the year, I now get to enjoy the heat and the sunshine. My body is much happier here (and so is my mind, so far!).

Interests
Music is Love

•Creating in General, but especially: Writing, Character Creation, Fragrances, Soapmaking, Cosmetic Potions, Baking, Cooking, and Cocktails/Mixology. Very specifically obsessed with scent and the science behind it all.

I've always loved spreading awareness because ignorance breeds bigotry and hatred and there's too much of that in the world as it is.

I enjoy the outdoors; hiking, camping, just sitting around a fire and chatting with people.

Psychology and Criminology are interesting to me as is Anatomy, though I don't believe I could make careers of these.

I love history, because there's always something to be learned from others' past mistakes.

I adore tattoos, colorful hair and all the funky fun things in life and I DREAM of traveling the world. I have lots of plans and I hope I get to at least half of them.

Favorite Books
A lot. I love books, okay? But my current favorites are:

•Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielson; a historical fiction novel set in Nazi Occupied Poland from the point of view of a Jewish courier for the resistance.

•In Another Time by Caroline Leech; historical fiction novel from the point of view of a young lady in the Women's Timber Corp, set in Scotland during WW2.

•Looking For Alaska by John Green; a YA novel.

•13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher; a YA novel. This one has a bad rep and while I understand that side, I read it at my lowest point many years ago and it brought me out of it. I also see it as a great way to start tough conversations [in safe spaces!] because it doesn't shy away from the gruesome events that can happen to *anyone*.

•Alex & Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa de la Cruz; Set in the years of the American revolution, the courtship of Eliza Schuyler with one Alexander Hamilton. YA Historical Fiction. Also, apparently, book 1 of 3. I finished this one in a day so I'm just going to *runs off to buy the other two*.

•Queer Romance of all sorts.

•Any other Historical Fiction novels you wanna recommend!

Favorite Poets: Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, and Alan W. Jankowski (or as we knew him, DirtyMartini)


I also have a couple favorite non-fiction pieces, all of which seem to be memoirs:

•Being Ana by Shani Raviv
•Denial: A Memoir of Terror by Jessica Stern
•Night by Eliezer Wiesel.

Favorite Authors
I love a lot of them, but my favorites are:

•Stephen King, of course
•John Green
•Rachel Caine
•Ellen Schreiber

•Andi Jaxon

•Anne Rice

Favorite Movies
SO MANY. But I'm gonna limit myself to six:

•The Invisible Man; a woman finally escapes her abusive partner and then he dies... and things get weird.

•Fern Gully; fae & a bat with Robin Williams' voice protect the forest from being cut down by humans and destroyed by evil.

•Mulan; animated and 2020 remake. The remake is meant to be closer to the actual Legend of Hua Mulan and is a beautiful story of loyalty, honor, bravery and empowerment.

•I Am Malala; one fierce girl against the Taliban. A documentary/memoir.

•Midnight Sun; A love story under moonlight from the point of view of a girl with Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP).

•The Age of Adaline; A woman who thought she was forever frozen at the age of 29 & who has lived a solitary life (save one lovely friend and Flemming, her daughter) for nearly eight decades finds true love again for the first time in half a century. This time, she chooses not to run but to stay.

Favorite TV Shows
Many, many, many that I love watching. Current Favorites, though:

•Cursed; Fae people including Merlin vs religious wackjobs killing everyone

•Crazy Delicious; think food competition meets Willy Wonka's factory!

•Wednesday: The tale of Wednesday Addams going to a boarding school created specifically for the outcasts.

•Lucifer; he's the Devil but he's tired of running Hell & torturing bad guys all day, so he takes a vacay to LA.

•Grey's Anatomy; the best medical drama out there that actually has medical personnel on its board to keep everything mostly realistic.

•Hannibal; Hannibal the cannibal who works with the federal agents and doubles as a shrink. What could go wrong? [Everything]

•A whole load of anime and k-dramas thanks to my bestie. I will not be listing them all, lol

Favorite Music
I'll listen to nearly anything, so if you have suggestions, send them to me.

Current favorite songs change by the DAY and sometimes by the hour, but I've been loving:

•Shelter in Place by Otep
•Literally anything by Milck
•Seriously anything by SkyDxddy

•the whole Optimist album by FINNEAS
•Forgive the Children We Once Were by Delta Rae
•nearly everything by Ashe
•Battle Symphony by Linkin Park
•Hallelujah by Pentatonix
•The Green Fields of France (& all the old songs with George) by Celtic Thunder
•Opaque by Amythyst Kiah
•everything by Ashnikko

•we're not kids anymore by Elias.

•Til You Can't by Cody Johnson

•all of Jake Wesley Rogers & Ryan Nealon's songs