Fantasy Authors Interview

Meet M. Jager

                                Interviewer: mikaelkrownmk

Let's hear it from Jagermeanshunter, author of The Soul Collector and Heir of the Gods. Learn more about her inspiration and her current works in this interview.

What's your name and tell us a little about yourself?

The name I usually go by here on Wattpad is just Jager. It's a variation of my last name and what I like to use as my pen name. I'm a college student who's currently been accepted into a master's program for Athletic Training. I have a bachelor's in Exercise Science with a Nutrition minor. Aside from reading and writing, my favorite hobbies include watching a lot of movies and TV (lots of K-dramas) and attempting to learn new languages. I practice a martial art called Youn Wha Ryu and should have my brown belt by the time this interview comes out. I also practice Krav Maga.

What or who inspires you to write?

Almost anything can be an inspiration to write for me. Music, movies, shows, other books, random people I see on the street. I just have a head crowded full of characters waiting (sometimes) patiently for me to put them down on a page.

What do you think makes a successful book?

Good, solid characters. Whether you love them or hate them, I think it's impossible to really get invested in a book if you can't feel *something* for the characters. I think when you bring characters who the reader can feel strongly about, then you can do literally anything with the story around them. People read because they want to share someone else's life for a little while. They want to be able to celebrate their triumphs and cry along with their defeats. For me, characters are a story's lodestone and a weak character (in the sense that they aren't well fleshed out) will make a book crumble in the same way a cracked lodestone will send a building tumbling to the ground.

What's your favorite quote?

I would have to go with my most favorite Bruce Lee quotes. The first is "Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one". The second is the more famous "You must be shapeless, formless, like water...Become like water, my friend." I just find them very compatible, reminding us that in order to be strong, we have to be adaptable. We have to bend so we don't break.

Define Fantasy in your own words?

Fantasy to me is the world as we wish it was. I think that's why people write it and why we love reading it. We all wish we could fly with dragons and cast spells. We all hope we could be brave enough to shoulder the responsibility of the One Ring. We all hope we'd have the strength to push back against overwhelming evil. Fantasy, I think, is our wish to be fantastical, best versions of ourselves.

Are you a planner or a Pantser?

I try desperately to be a planner, but my brain ends up having other ideas. Now, I'm mostly a panster. I let the characters guide me through the surrounding story. My one rule about starting a new project is I MUST know how it ends. If I have no clear destination in mind, the path usually runs itself out, and I end up with an unfinishable project, which I hate.

Who's your OTP?

Oooh, that's hard. I think I'd have to say Jude and Carden from The Wicked Prince. They've both seen each other at their absolute worst, they know every ugly, nasty thing about each other and love each other in spite of and sometimes for those things. I would also have to go with Lee Gang-Doo and Ha Moon-Soo from "Just Between Lovers". They're brought together years after a tragedy and really become each other's strength.

Who's your favorite fantasy author?

I'd have to say Leigh Bardugo. The Grisha Universe is just so rich and filled with amazing characters. Every detail is thought out and revealed in a very organic way that I find inspiring as a writer.

Pet peeves?

People who complain about something they can take steps to fix. I'm okay if you complain about something that's totally out of your control, but I find it very frustrating when people just aren't willing to even attempt making the problem a little better.

Most used app?

Probably Spotify. My life needs a playlist, haha. I listen to music when I'm studying, writing, working out, etc. I just adore music and Spotify is my go-to.

A city or country you'd like to visit?

Either South Korea or Prague.

What's the first book you read on Wattpad?

I'm not actually sure of the first book I read. Rather, I think it would be easier to name some of the really memorable books I've come across. Those include The Shadow Road series by @AEPennymaker, The Rose Killer series by @Sarah_MacLean, The Lore of Penrua series by @MinaParkes and Persephone by @ESHurricane.

Read the book or watch the movie?

Definitely read the book. Nine times out of ten the book is a million times better than the movie.

Kittens or puppies?

Puppies.

Can you tell us what you're currently writing?

Currently I'm working on six or seven projects, because I have major project ADD, haha. Lately, most of my focus has been on finishing up a fantasy book tilted "Heir of the Gods" along with working on another fantasy project called "Ink Forged". I've also been putting a lot of effort into my ONC 2021 project, a horror/paranormal work called "Breakfast and Black Butterflies". All of these currently have chapters posted up here on Wattpad.

And there you have it from Jagermeanshunter. Thank you for your time spent on this interview.