Featured Interview With Elizabeth Jaeger
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Queens, New York, but I spent many summers in Mattituck, Long Island. I now live in New Jersey, a consequence of getting married. However, I still consider myself a New Yorker, and I am always happiest when I’m on the road. I love to travel and will jump at any opportunity to go away even if only for a weekend. I have three adorable cats—two black, one tabby. Until a year ago, I was not a cat person. Now, I can’t imagine ever living without a cat.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As a child, I hated to read and I despised writing. My poor mother had to endure many of my tantrums when I came home with a writing assignment for homework. I also struggled to read, a product of learning disabilities I didn’t know I had until college. In high school, I had three absolutely amazing English teachers. They were so passionate about literature it was impossible not to get swept up in their enthusiasm. Also in high school, I was somewhat of an outcast. I was shy and socially awkward and at a loss to understand why I didn’t fit in. Books became my escape. I started reading because I got tired of being alone in crowds. With a book, I could melt into the pages and disappear. I started writing when a boyfriend suggested I keep a notebook in which to jot poems. Coincidently, it was the same year I had to write a short story for English class and my teacher pulled me aside to ask if she could submit it to the school literary magazine. It was the first time I felt noticed by a teacher.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Laura Ingalls Wilder will always be my favorite author. As a kid, I begged my father to buy me the books because I loved the televisions show, Little House on the Prairie. He bought me the first three, but they sat unread on my book shelf until I got to college. They had to wait for me to actually learn to love reading. Wilder is the reason I decided I wanted to be an author. My favorite genres are historical fiction, memoir, and lesbian literature—I’m not sure if that’s a technically a genre, but I consider it one. When I was growing up, I never saw myself in books. Maybe that’s part of why I didn’t connect with them until I was older. Now, I’m making up for lost time. My son inspires me. I’ve written many essays about motherhood and my son growing up. I’m also inspired by queer youth. I want to write young adult novels that they can relate to. I want to create characters that might make them feel a little less alone.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, Stolen: Love and Loss in the Time of COVID-19 is about my father’s death. When the world shut down, I started a blog. It was never supposed to be serious, just something light and fun to ease the tension of being trapped in a small condo with three people. But on day eight, my dad got sick. Day twelve, I drove him to the hospital and I never saw him again. My blog about stupid mundane things suddenly got very serious. I wrote about what it was like living in New York City, the epicenter of the virus in America. I detailed conversations with doctors. After Dad died, my writing became a record of my grief at a time when grieving rituals weren’t permitted. Trapped at home with my sorrow, my devastated son, and my distraught mother only seemed to exacerbate our pain. The first sixty days of that blog has become my memoir.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
Elizabeth Jaeger Facebook Page
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