How a Psychopath Changed my Writing Life
by Jennifer Sadera
It’s pretty to think of all the positive things that shaped our lives, a narrative that makes us smile. But bad things happen to good people, and those encounters can be instrumental in twisting us onto a new path.
I always wanted to be writer. At age 8, my dad embraced my love of reading and fledgling attempts to write stories. He became my mentor, gently guiding me through the wonderful world of storytelling.
Encouraging teachers nurtured the spark and soon I was thriving in English class and creating stories that delighted me, if nobody else. After graduating college, I moved to New York City and began working at national women’s magazines Woman’s World and then Redbook as an associate beauty editor, managing the beauty tips sections and helping create all the beauty stories and makeover pages. Not only was this incredible practice for handling deadlines—a must-have skill for writing novel-length fiction—but the job entailed extensive travel, exposing me to many parts of the world and all types of people. These experiences mixed with my imagination to fuel what would become some of my most memorable characters and enticing locales.
As I raised my children I took my career to a new level, becoming a freelance writer and blogger. The main goal was always to improve. Stretching my mind and growing skill set, I became passionate about doing the one thing I always dreamed of: creating novels. When my daughter went off to college and my son started high school, I began life as a struggling author. And it was a learning experience like no other. My first manuscript, women’s fiction, was way too long, verbose, and overly descriptive. I self-published it just to discover if anyone would read and enjoy it. To my shock, people did, flawed as it was. Ironically titled Flawless, the book taught me so much about what worked in my writing and what didn’t. I vowed the next book I released into the world would be traditionally published, and it was. I Know She Was There came out 10 years later through CamCat Books in 2024.
A lot happened during that time. Like most writers, I enjoyed the process but initially had no clue about what kind of stories I wanted to tell. I bounced from two women’s fiction novels to a YA, hoping to find the story that would excite me enough to share with readers. Then I met a psychopath and the course of my writing life completely changed.
He was charismatic and charming, outrageous at times, and intelligent. The last quality made him dangerous. He was dating our daughter who lived 2,000 miles away from us at that time, so my husband and I only glimpsed what he wanted us to see. He insinuated himself into her apartment and somehow got her roommate to move out. He controlled my daughter’s life by threatening to harm her dogs. He traumatized all of us and prompted a cross-country trip to rescue her. It was a devastating time in our lives that could have ended in tragedy, but we powered through it and I discovered a new writing mission: to warn readers about sociopathy. I spent months researching people with the innocuous-sounding antisocial personality disorder. Don’t be fooled by its kinder, gentler name. It’s a dangerous condition, especially if the sufferer is intelligent. The manipulation is intense and the gaslighting boggles the mind.
Using twisty, mind-bending means, I began creating stories about how to escape a psychopath and now I can’t imagine writing anything other than psychological suspense. Not only is it an intriguing topic but I truly feel as though I am providing a public service to my readers. I touch upon the phenomenon in my latest, MAYBE Y0U LIED, through Creative James Media.
I’ve been in the trenches, friends. Up against the calculated evil that masks itself as carefree charm. Read my books and you’ll see the scars in my words—and if you don’t read them, at least remember this: There’s only one thing to do if you meet up with a psychopath. Run away as fast as you can.