Hi. I’m Amanda.
Author. Copywriter. Word Nerd.
Amanda Jaeger has always had an interest in true crime, suspense, and mystery. As a long term copywriter, she has always had a hand in writing creatively for businesses to boost their income.
She’s the wife of her college sweetheart, and the mother of two spit-fire girls, but she’s also been a sign language interpreter, transcriptionist, and a book slinger. Working with words isn’t her job, it’s her career.
Now, she uses her knowledge and experience in engaging an audience and applies it into her author career, crafting suspense and mystery to keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Residing in Virginia, you can bet on Amanda listening to true crime podcasts, watching cold case documentaries, and playing with her kids. (Not simultaneously).
Follow Amanda Jaeger, psychological thriller and suspense author:
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Website: Home – Amanda Jaeger – Author (amandabjaeger.com)
QUESTIONS:
1. Tell our readers a little about yourself and your writing (including publications).
Hi, I’m Amanda: thriller writer, Murderino, mom of two. I’m a Richmond, VA resident whose car stereo default is murder podcasts and audio books (thrillers or horror, usually). I currently have five published novels:
– The Fallen in Soura Heights: An atmospheric suspense about a young woman entering the forest that “ate” her husband.
– BreathTaken: A psychological thriller about an alcoholic’s love for his married neighbor while a serial killer takes the life of women in the same area.
– Paint by Murders (1), Paper Machete (2), Majestic Corpse (3): A psychological thriller series about a young woman’s love for art who finds herself in the throes of a cult.
All books are available in Paperback, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible
2. Are you a daytime writer, a mid-day writer, a nighttime writer, or just someone who writes when the mood hits you?
Lol. I’m a 10 minute at a time writer. Whatever pockets of time I find available (between my 9-5, running errands, parenting duties, etc) is when I’ll write. It’s usually not for long, but with enough focus I can get some golden nuggets down.
3. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Since I was liiiiiitle. I’m talking six or seven years old. I wrote a story in first grade about my experience in Hurricane Hugo. Even when I was invited to a county-wide event to walk a stage and receive an award for it, I didn’t understand how impactful it must have been. Today, I look back and realize it was a big deal. There were a lot of kids in my county and very few got awards for their writing.
Side note: That was probably the first and last non-fiction I will ever write and “publish” (Does the classroom laminator and spiral binding count as published?)
4. HORROR FANS (pick 1-3): What was the first horror movie you ever saw? What is your favorite horror movie? What is the worst horror movie you have ever seen?
The first horror movie I ever saw was one of the Halloween movies. I don’t remember much, just being about four years old sitting on my friend’s couch and watching through a masked man’s POV with a knife in his hand. That image was the start of a lifelong interest.
I don’t know if I have a favorite horror movie. There are many for different reasons: Saw (the first) because of the psychological question “How far will you go to save yourself?” Scream because my 90s childhood absolutely loved the characters. And Misery and Secret Window because I have a thing for Stephen King storylines that feature writers. I also really, really love the American Horror Story series. I’ll never tire piecing together the timelines from season to season.
5. Do you have any “rules” when you write? (EX for me: the dog never dies!)
Harm to children has to be minimal, if at all. At most, it’s insinuated. But my mommy heart can’t bring myself to write something so terribly and graphically unthinkable to a child. Animals are kind of in that category, too. But I can swing animal harm a little easier if it helps to draw out the plot or paint a horrible character in an even horrible-er light.
6. Speaking of animals, do you have any pets?
Yes! I’ve got the best yin and yang Standard Poodles. Zeta is a merle (black and grey) forceful best friend to every non-stranger she meets. Blanche is a white anxious mess who would rather melt on our laps than be anywhere else in the world. We also have a cornsnake named Snek, but… that’s a whole other thing.
7. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write the things you love to read. Then, love to read what you wrote. By that I mean, don’t be afraid of rewrites and edits, especially when they’ll get you to a place where you’ve created something you aren’t just proud of writing… but you created something that you would love to pick up and read yourself.
Eric Woods, Author 