Amanda was born and spent her childhood in Trinidad & Tobago, and now resides in New York City with her daughter. She is a graduate of New York University where she studied Creative Writing, East Asian Studies, and Studio Art at the Gallatin School for Individualized Study. She is voracious reader and an author, who writes novels under the name A.J. Locke. She is also an artist of various mediums. Although a creative at heart, she enjoys working in finance as well.