A. J. Forget is a writer, traveler, chef, photographer, and dilettante. As a child, he found no greater joy than spending an entire day with his nose lodged deep in the binding of a fantasy or science fiction novel. He wanted to live in those worlds. But the effect those stories had on him was much greater than simply escapism. Those stories taught him about kindness, love, morality, and courage. Most importantly, they taught him about the power of storytelling, the many ways a well-told story can change the world.
When he went off to school, it, for whatever reason, did not occur to him to study literature. Instead he focused on what he found most fascinating, which turned out to be a shallow study of nearly every field. His focuses were Psychology and Environmental Science, but his education contained all manner of sciences, from organic chemistry to computer science and economics, as well as the other side of wisdom with courses on religion and history.
Upon graduating, he discovered that there were not many jobs in the world for a curious dilettante like himself, and he wound up bouncing from career to career, working in various roles as a deckhand, oyster shell recycler, floral delivery driver, bird watcher, resource manager, wildland firefighter, psychological researcher, fire ecologist, map-maker, climate-change researcher, taxi driver, trail worker, and professional grocery shopper, to name a few, before he became serious about writing. And there was a reason for all of that bouncing around: none of those jobs ever felt totally right. On some level, he always knew that writing was his life’s purpose, but knowing one’s purpose can be a blessing as well as a curse. While the direction may be known, there is little in the world more terrifying than the prospect of failing at that which you most desire.
Most days, A. J. Forget is still terrified to open his computer or pick up his pen, and some days he simply cannot. But the other days he finds the inspiration (if he’s lucky) or the courage (if he’s not), and he gets some words down. While he has never found anything so difficult as writing, he has also never found anything so gratifying. Creating a bit of beauty in this world, be it a story, a scene, or even just a line, is a bit of magic. And once you start creating magic, it is difficult to quit.
What you will find on this page are links to all the different projects A. J. Forget has taken on: blogs, poems, stories, books, and announcements of any new and upcoming publications, prizes and projects.
Thank you for visiting!