A J Marquess lives in…let’s face it. That’s not what you’re here for. You’re here because you’re a reader and somehow you happened to stumble upon me and, believe me, I am honored. But I know you don’t actually want a quick rundown of my family situation and the number of pets I have. You want to know what I do, maybe how long I’ve been doing it, and why.
Once upon a time, I might have told you that I defy explanation and I might have felt all mysterious about it. I’ve grown since then. What I am is a person with stories in her head. I’ve been this way since I was small. I will always have stories in my head.
Writing isn’t what I do, it’s who I am. I make imaginary friends and then I torture them.
What’s more, I’ll make you smile as I’m doing it, because I laugh when I’m happy, when I’m sad, and especially when I’m angry. It’s honestly the best way to live.
When I’m not doing that, I love solving puzzles and coding and solving coding puzzles. Strangely, I like playing with data. Sometimes I make art. I’ve made a lot of the art here. Sometimes I get to do all of the above for money. Those are good times.
I have a bachelor’s in Classical Studies, a Master’s in Education, I didn’t finish my AA in Computer Science although I had a stellar GPA and was only 6 credits short when I moved out of state, and I spent more time as a graduate student haunting the Classics Department at UF than anyone should ever admit to. I have stared at course guides for Departments of Egyptology like a child with her nose pressed to the front window of a toy store.
I also write short stories and novels from all those stories in my head, and drink mint tea and generic diet cola–not at the same time. I hate peach jelly, I wear a lot of black, and I repair my own computers. I’m especially fond of finding uses for vintage Macintoshes.