About AD Uhlar -
As a treasure hunter who plays the role of wife, mother, writer, and teacher, I seek to unearth treasure in all its forms. Treasure lurks all around us, waiting to be discovered. It may be just below the surface, or in the dark corner we forgot about. Sometimes it's part of our very being, itching to escape.
Join me as I search for and write about finding the treasure within. You are more than _____________ (you know what your blank is). You are a treasure to be found and learned about by the world.
I have learned I am all about discovering and experiencing unexpected things in life. I learned about and practiced blacksmithing to identify and unearth the hidden elements of the lead character in The Ingot of Ethereal, a work in progress (WIP). I surprised myself and created the sword and other items from the story. Through the process I discovered the science, the heat, the pain, the frustrations, and the cuts that I couldn't understand through reading or interviewing. I had to experience it!
- The Beginning -
It all started as a child. I was a treasure born on the same Sunday my grandpa featured a baby on the front of the bulletin for the church he pastored. I became his first hidden treasure revealed. It was beautiful and I sweetly cooed.
Then my personality appeared on the scene. Yes, my hair dryer is actually a meat grinder and my hair is a wash rag because my beautiful locks decided to be another hidden treasure until second grade when I could finally sport fountain pigtails.
I loved using my imagination for play and it never truly left. Although in middle school and high school it hid away in the corners of my mind. We moved several times and I had a hard time finding myself and my place. There are still moments when I wonder if I am still searching for that right place, that right career, that right school, that right book. And so, I write characters who are searching for their place, their tribe. Sometimes they find it. Sometimes they don't. I found mine in college.
- The College Years -
In college, I finally found the tribe of women who would live life with me. There were nights of running "Lexi" into trees while flying a flag of granny panties from her antenna. Or dousing each other with water, flushing toilets while someone showered, or hiding rice beneath sheets and leaving goldfish in tubs when one of us got married.
It wasn't always fun and antics, but we have been there through each others' joys, celebrations, losses, fears, scares, and all the moments in between. It took eight beautiful and wonderful women to help me begin dusting off my imagination. They gave me courage to peer into the dusty, cobweb strewn corners and find my hidden treasure. To find out about myself. Occasionally, the treasure was in plain sight, but my vision was blocked by the demands of life. We have helped each other find life's treasures for over half of our lives. When something so valuable accents so much of life, it is only natural that the relationships, bonds, and treasures find their way into the worlds of my books and characters. Especially Aimedaca, the world in a current work in progress (WIP).
- The Partner -
Four weeks before graduating from college, I met a boy. Our meeting was unconventional. It was a balmy, okay sweltering late April day in Arizona. I put my volleyball skills to work at the church picnic, but as I prepared to serve the unthinkable happened. "Come on legs!" cut through the air from the opposite side. I paused, looked at the boy, and buckled over in laughter. See, no one had ever said anything about my legs, or looks for that matter in such a way. I was always one of the guys. I gathered my composure, prepared again, and served the ball directly to him. He shanked it out of bounds, but followed me around the rest of the day. He's been following me ever since, making me laugh, and helping me believe that the uncut stone in the corner of my heart is treasure waiting for me to bring it out. if not for him and endless hours of laughter, I would have cracked as a mother and definitely would not have pursued my Master of Fine Arts in writing. He became part of my tribe and we built a mini band of six.
- College Years 2.0 -
NaNoWriMo and The Story Peddler by Lindsay A. Franklin inspired me to write the first draft of my first novel that helped me get into the University of Nebraska Omaha's MFA program. If not for the boy's support and encouragement of my tribe, I might not have done the excavation work of finding the author within and gaining a degree that was only the beginning of this new treasure hunt. I met some amazing writers, playwrights, poets, and human beings that constantly brush dust from forgotten areas in my mental and spiritual attic.
-Career-
My career as a writer is just getting started and everyday is a treasure hunt. My first publication appears in Whitestead Harvestide: A Speculative Anthology . In Dember of 2023 my second short story was published in the Meet Me At Midnight, an R.H.S. Anthology and Stay tuned for more updates. Keep in the know on the releases dates for my novels by signing up for my newsletter, or following me on social media.
Whether my characters are discovering what being a true heroine and friend is all about, or how to lean on strangers to teach them about their growing abilities to defeat a powerful enemy. I hope you join me and my characters as we learn more about ourselves and unearth treasure in all its forms.
You might even unearth treasure in yourself along the way.
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Short Bio
AD Uhlar is a best selling author who loves helping others unearth the hidden treasure within. She completed her MFA in Writing at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She has served as a judge for the Realm Awards and was awarded UNO's Graduate Research and Creative Activities Grant. Her publications include “A Tooth for Trulian” in Meet Me At Midnight, an R.H.S. Anthology, and "The Miller's Daughter" in Whitstead Harvestide: A Speculative Anthology. She can be found unearthing treasure at www.aduhlar.com or @aduhlar on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Full Bio
AD Uhlar is a best selling author who loves helping others unearth the hidden treasure within. She completed her MFA in Writing at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She has served as a judge for the Realm Awards and was awarded UNO's Graduate Research and Creative Activities Grant. Her publications include “A Tooth for Trulian” in Meet Me At Midnight, an R.H.S. Anthology and "The Miller's Daughter" in Whitstead Harvestide: A Speculative Anthology. In her free time, she guides the creative ventures of her four children and coaches students in their own writing pursuits. When she isn't writing or teaching, she farms, plays board games, and makes fairy houses, although she has yet to find any fae to occupy them. She can be found unearthing treasure at www.aduhlar.com or @aduhlar on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.