AJ Culpepper was born in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. An only child, she developed an interest in fantasy at an early age and became an avid role-player in the play-by-post, tabletop and PC formats. She began writing in junior high but after losing three books to a computer crash, gave up to pursue a more "practical" career in retail. After reading "The Hobbit" some years later, her interest in the art revived. She's been writing and world-building ever since. An eviromental, conservation, animal- and human- rights activist, AJ lives in Michigan with her husband, seven cats, two dogs, two fish and c...