Like many other children burdened with an over-active imagination, J. Leigh Bralick always wanted to be a writer. Her love for the written word began when she was quite small, as soon as she could write enough words to put with the picture stories she was already creating.
She began her first attempt at a novel at age 6. Unfortunately, the dinosaur computer she was using decided to eat “The Wheatpenny Puppy” before it ever reached its dramatic and stunning conclusion. Shortly after that disaster, which at least taught J. Leigh to back up her stories often, she began work on an overambitious fantasy story. Not surprisingly, this was a cliched, simplistic garble of 10-year-old humor and borrowed tropes. But she had already fallen in love with her main character, a dashing young swordsman named Braden. Braden continues to live today, in the sometimes tragic, often enigmatic, spirited and solitary character of the same name in her epic fantasy WIP, The Grey Tide.
When she was twelve, J. Leigh had one of the strangest dreams of her young life. It had something to do with running away from dark, powerful beings by hiding in a convenience store. The shop owner told her to hide in the storeroom, and she promptly found herself transported to another world. If you’ve read Down a Lost Road, you might find that rather familiar. That was the dream that inspired J. Leigh to begin writing the story that would eventually become the Lost Road Chronicles. She shelved the story for many years, only to return to it a few years ago with the realization that she didn’t want to give up on the idea. With much rewriting, reimagining, and unending edits, she finally turned that wisp of a story into something she felt might be presentable to the rest of the world. Subverter followed much more quickly.
She is now in the throes of writing an insanely ambitious five-book fantasy/steampunk series called The Madness Method. The third book, A Sea Like Glass, was released in March, 2018, and she is taking a brief break before tackling TMM#4, which should (hopefully) make its dramatic entry into the world in 2019.
Despite repeated warnings that no one could really make it as a writer, J. Leigh never wanted to give up on her goal. She can now happily say that she is making a go of it pursuing the art that she loves. But she insists she will only consider herself a truly successful writer when she’s sold enough books to pay for a horse or ten.
When she isn’t writing, J. Leigh enjoys exploring other arts and crafts, including digital and traditional art, photography, costume design, and the fine art of chicken keeping.
Also, check out the writingish blog she and her amazingly awesome sister-writer S.K. Valenzuela (sometimes) update!
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