Why I Write under A.J. Strickland

When I rededicated my life to Christ, I thought I would have to give something up.

Writing.

Because the stories I’d written before? They weren’t what I would have called “God-glorifying.” And I assumed that meant the calling itself had to go.

But God doesn’t discard a calling.

He redeems it.

And in my case, He did something I never expected:

He gave me a new way to write—one that didn’t ignore the world… but stepped directly into it.

That’s where A.J. Strickland was born.

A.J. Strickland exists for one reason:

To show the real world as it is.

Not cleaned up.
Not softened.
Not filtered.

Because in the real world:

And while many stories reflect that reality, they often stop there—leaving readers with something heavy, unresolved, or even hopeless.

That’s not what I write.

I write stories where the world is real… but so is redemption.

I didn’t create A.J. Strickland to be edgy.

I created it to be clear.

This pen name tells readers exactly what they’re stepping into:

And just as importantly, it tells other readers where not to go.

If someone prefers softer stories, they’ll find that under my other pen names.

But if they want something that reflects life as it truly is… A.J. Strickland is where they’ll find it.

One of the defining features of A.J. Strickland novels is this:

They don’t look away from difficult realities.

Because the world we live in isn’t made of simple problems.

It’s made of things like:

And I write about them honestly.

Not for shock value.
Not for sensationalism.

But because people living those realities deserve to see themselves in a story.

For some readers, this is uncomfortable.

For others, it’s deeply validating.

Because when someone sees their pain reflected truthfully—without being minimized or ignored—it does something powerful:

It tells them, “I see you.”

And more than that…

It gives them the chance to see what healing could look like.

That’s why my stories don’t just show brokenness.

They move through it.

There’s one more element that defines A.J. Strickland novels—and it’s often the one that surprises people most.

I write intimacy.

Openly. Honestly. Without fading to black.

Because here’s the truth:

The world talks about sex constantly.

But it doesn’t portray it as God created it.

And the Church, more often than not, doesn’t talk about it at all.

So where does that leave people?

Learning about something sacred… from sources that treat it as anything but.

In A.J. Strickland novels, intimacy is:

It’s not separated from love.

It’s not stripped of purpose.

It’s portrayed the way it was designed to be.

👉 And in an upcoming post, I’ll take a deeper look at why I write it this way.

If you pick up one of my A.J. Strickland novels, here’s what you’ll find:

Because I believe something deeply:

People don’t need stories that pretend life is perfect.

They need stories that feel true… and still give them hope.

That’s what A.J. Strickland is.