Why a Romance Novelist Also Writes Children’s Stories

Every now and then, someone asks a very fair question:

“How do you write both romance… and children’s stories?”

On the surface, they don’t seem to belong together.

One is about love, relationships, and emotional depth.
The other is about imagination, adventure, and discovery.

But for me?

They come from the same place.

The simplest answer is this:

I write both… because I am both.

On one side, I’m a romantic.

I love writing stories about:

• love that heals,

• relationships that grow, and

• the kind of connection that gives people hope.

Romance gives me the chance to explore what love can look like at its best—to craft stories that feel meaningful, emotional, and deeply personal.

But on the other side?

I’m still a kid.

The kind who loves:

• imagination

• adventure, and

• asking, “What if?”

Children’s stories give me the freedom to step into worlds where anything is possible.

And both sides?

They’re equally real.

No matter who I’m writing for, the purpose stays the same.

To inspire.

Whether it’s a woman reading a romance or a child stepping into a magical world…

The goal is the same:

To help the reader believe, hope, imagine, and experience something beyond their everyday life.

That’s why my tagline is:

Live YOUR Adventure.

Because stories—whether romantic or imaginative—give us a chance to do exactly that.

Even across very different genres, my stories are built on the same foundation:

• faith,

• emotional growth,

• moral clarity,

• hope.

Those things don’t change.

Only the setting does.

Writing both genres wasn’t the challenge.

Clarity was.

From the very beginning, I knew one thing:

I never wanted the wrong reader picking up the wrong book.

Children should feel safe in the stories they read.
Adults should know exactly what they’re getting.

That’s why I chose different pen names.

Not to divide my work…

But to protect the experience for each audience.

A.J. Strickland and Allie Jay aren’t just different names.

They represent:

• different tones.

• different content.

• different audiences.

And that separation allows each reader to step confidently into the kind of story they’re looking for.

No confusion.
No surprises.

Just the right story… for the right moment.

There’s also a more personal reason why I write children’s stories.

One I don’t often talk about.

I wasn’t really a child in the way most people are.

As an only child surrounded by adults, I grew up quickly.

I read early.
Spoke early.
Lived in a world of grown-up conversations.

And while I still enjoyed parts of childhood…

I didn’t fully live in it.

So now?

Writing children’s stories gives me something unexpected:

A second chance.

A chance to:

• imagine freely

• play creatively, and

• step into the kind of childhood I didn’t quite have.

And in doing that…

I get to create that experience for someone else too.

So yes—I write romance.

And yes—I write children’s stories.

Not because they’re separate.

But because they’re both part of who I am.

One reaches the heart.
The other sparks the imagination.

And together?

They tell a bigger story.