About My Audience | Books by Alicia, Romance, Fantasy, Adults & Kids Books

About: My Audience

Yes, I know About pages are supposed to be all about the owner of the website.

And I have written one about myself.

But this page isn't about me.

Well, technically, it’ll start with a little about me just so I can get to the point of this page…

Which is all about and for you, my reader.

(Hope you don’t mind if I simply call you “Reader” since I don’t know your name.)

What about Me?

Okay, well, here's that bit about myself:

I’m a sentimental romantic at heart. I’m the sappy girl who cries at the drop of a hat. I like rainy days in front of a roaring fire (cuddling weather). An Affair to Remember. Sleepless in Seattle. Pride and Prejudice. Jane Eyre. Pillow Talk. Phantom of the Opera…

I’m a sucker for romance regardless of its subgenre.

(And, yes, I’m aware those are all movies.)

This picture is of me, my mom, and my dad. It looks like we're at McDonald's or something. I can't tell. Or maybe at some neighborhood pool with a McDonald's in the background. Anyhow, my dad's sitting on a table just slightly behind my mom. He's black (in case you didn't know) and is wearing a red-and-white tank and blue jeans. In the foreground is my mom holding me. My mom was your typical Californian blonde with blue eyes. As her favorite color was read, it should come as no shock that she's wearing a red cap-sleeve tee.

I’m also an avid reader. I read all genres (well, most of ’em), but I always come back to romance.

Which is why, I believe, I write such enchanting love stories.

Because I am you, dear Reader — a romance aficionada.

I know what will make you smile and laugh...

I know what will push your “oh-no-he-didn’t” buttons…

I know what will keep you up at night, turning page after page, even though you’ve promised yourself, “THIS will be the last chapter tonight!”

And I know what will make you sigh in blissful delight or reach for another tissue because the last one is now soggy.

Because I devour romances exactly the way you do.

As an authoress, I write novels that I, as a reader, would love to read.

And, yes, I write for two divergent audiences — Christians and non-Christians — even though I’ve been told I can’t do it that way.

(Apparently, non-Believers won’t appreciate the talk of God or faith. And Believers won’t appreciate the real-life content of swearing and sex. But those are only found in A.J. Strickland novels.)

So, Reader, whether you’re religious or not, read on for my personal message to you.

This is a picture of myself at 7. I'm wearing a purple shirt, which is all you can see of my attire. It's a school picture, I think. Anyway, I'm smiling for the camera, and you can just make out a missing tooth. My brown hair was long but straight, though it does seem to be curling at the ends. Oh, yeah—and I have bangs. And am exceedingly brown. As the caption says, "At 7, I was obviously a sun lover."

This is I at 17. This is probably the first time I ever liked the picture I took (since puberty found me), and that's because my bangs had FINALLY grown out and looked GOOD. So I chose to wear a plaid blouse that incorporated two of my favorite colors: red and blue, then added green, yellow, black... My hair had been layered with my new bangs framing my face and ending at my chin. Dark-brown hair that cascades over my shoulders and down my back. The background chosen was a marron, so it looked good against my hair and shirt. And the rusty-red lipstick I had on also worked well.

Agnostic, Atheist, or Just Plain Apathetic?

I bet you’re thinking, “I’m not religious at all. Don’t believe in anything and especially not in God. So why would I want to read your stuff?”

It’s a valid question.

But I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that you probably have a lot of preconceived notions about God, faith, or Christians in general.

Maybe a lot of your opinions have been formed by movies you’ve seen or news reports you’ve heard/read.

And you’re thinking Christians are, at best, weird…

At worst, pious, overbearing, harsh, AND weird.

Am I right?

Well, that’s why I write my novels for you, Reader.

Because I’d really love to give you a better understanding of God and Christianity.

Am I expecting you to come to some cosmic epiphany and give your life to Jesus at the end of my novel? No.

(Don’t get me wrong. That would be wonderful. I’d love for you to come to know Him as I have.)

But, really, my only expectation is that you spend a few hours reading a good story, enjoying the plot and characters, and maybe you walk away with a [slightly] better opinion of God and Christians than when you started.

So this is where I dare you, dear Reader, to be open-minded and try one of my books. (Especially if you indict Christians for being close-minded.)

Yes, you’ll read about God and faith — and, yes, some of the stuff you’ll read won’t make much sense (or may even upset you) because it’s written from a different world view from yours.

But… if you can somehow stomach the faith part, you’ll also read a great story. I’m talking leave-you-breathless (hopefully not literally) and wanting another one… posthaste!

And just so you know, I have fans who aren’t religious. (I know of one in specific who’s an atheist.) But they still love my stories. Because they’re entertaining wild rides. Oh, yeah... And the sex.

(Though there will be love scenes in Alicia Jane and HEARD Crittenden novels, the spicy stuff is relegated solely to A.J. Strickland.)

So try one out. What do you have to lose?

Believe in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds?

That’s excellent! So do I. And I’m proud of my faith.

Because Jesus worked overtime getting me “back in the fold.”

(I won’t get into the particulars here (this is supposed to be about you), but if you’re interested in learning more about me, then go to About: My Testimony. If you’re interested in the genesis of A.J. Strickland novels, go here.)

Still, I can almost hear you saying...

“Yet your A.J. Strickland novels contain characters who swear and, well, some steamy love scenes. How can you call yourself a Christian?”

My answer?

The same way Jesus can, having inspired Song of Solomon.

Jesus is the Word made Flesh. Which means He not only stands behind the erotic prose of King Solomon’s love story but actually IS that book.

But if the sex scenes bother you, don’t read them.

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t write them for shock value but to glorify God’s creation. And to combat the modern opinion that sex within marriage is boring, stale, or nonexistent.

Drawing of the First Couple in Eden at their moment of temptation — done in browns and creams. In the center of the image is the infamous tree with a large snake wrapped around it. To the left of the tree stands Adam (the snake's tail is at Adam's face level). To the right of the tree is Eve, reaching for the infamous apple. The snake's head’s at elbow level, and his mouth's open as he's tempting her to eat the apple (not unlike the witch in "Snow White" saying “Go on. Go on.”).

No, I’m not bashful or backward when writing love scenes. And, yeah, I write sex God’s way but also the devil’s. To provide contrast. To depict the beauty, creativity, and selflessness of the former and the selfishness or degradation of the latter.

And when it comes to the swearing, yes, there will be hells and damns in all my novels, but rest assured I don’t write out the heavy cuss words.

But if you can’t stand any curse word… don’t read them. (Do what I do when I edit… add the less offensive word in its place.)

For the record... I include them because my novels are about real life, and in the real world, well, people swear. And I want my characters to be as authentic as possible.

Okay, so, this is where I challenge you, Reader.

Pick up an A.J. Strickland novel. Read it for my take on how we, as Christians, are to live out our faith. If the sex and/or swearing bugs you, skim over it. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on a matchless story of love and romance, God and faith.

But if you really can’t take the real-life “grit,” try one of my stories under Alicia Jane. You’ll find them easier to digest.

And if historical romance is your thing, try out something by HEARD Crittenden. (But if it's co-authored by A.J. Strickland, I'd skip it. Those are gonna be spicy.)

Again, just give my books a try. I don't think you'll regret it.