My name is LJ and I'm a mom to my amazing teenage son who is a clone of his equally amazing father, my husband of almost two decades.

​

LJ Daniel is a pen name because I'm fairly certain my government name wouldn't look as appealing on a cover. Still, it does mean something to me. LJ is my Nana's initials and Daniel is my Papa's first name. I used to be terrified of thunderstorms as a child. I lived in a single wide trailer with my parents and sisters, but we lived right next door to Nana and Papa. They had a little brick house, and any time there was a storm coming, they knew I'd be spending the night. It was my safe space. It was also the first place where I was given a book to distract me from my fears. I still keep a copy of The Sunroom by Beverly Lewis on my bookshelf because it's the one Nana put in my hands. 

​

I started writing my own stories when I was thirteen. I found roleplay chat rooms where I could be any character, look any way I wanted, have any type of magic I could imagine, and I didn't have to be around people who could see my physical flaws and point them out to me. 

​

Now I'm trying to put those creative escapes to use and tell stories that I think need to be told.