I’m PJ (no dots). Welcome to my space.

My first memory of writing is me, at five years old, telling my older cousin I could write cursive, and demonstrating by making rows and rows of loopy lines across the page.

I wasn’t prepared for her to ask me what it said, but when she did I gave her an entire story, putting my finger on each “word” as I told it.

I’ve been writing ever since. I passed a million words a long time ago. I should probably take a rest, but I can’t. Writing is what makes me feel the most me.

I have dedicated my life to storytelling through a mix of genres, starting in poetry, moving to short fiction, then transitioning into the novel form. I made children during that time – which took me on many detours. Then I got involved in theater, fell into low-budget moviemaking, and told stories through my screenwriting, acting, directing, and editing.

It’s been a fun ride!

On the way I started a lot of novels that I didn’t finish, but it’s when I returned to my favorite genre – soft science fiction a la Ursula LeGuin – that I remembered what I had set out to do in the first place.

It’s my most recent work that I’m most proud of (isn’t that always the case?). I hope you’ve come here to find out more about The UnTwinned, a literary speculative fiction novel that explores what it means to be a single-born person in a world that is designed for twins. It’s based on a short story I published many years ago, but I couldn’t have written a novel about it then – I didn’t have the skills to imagine a whole world and sustain the energy through 90k words. But now I do. Every project gives new skills to the next, and all I’ve done, from having children to making movies, has gotten me here, writing about the world of Amdual.

And yes, there will be a sequel. I hope you enjoy my stories.

Best, pj

CONTACT: I can be reached at pj.woodside at gmail.com or pj@pjsproductions.com