Biography

Exploring historic, abandoned, and haunted places with her partner
in life and crime, Jonathan (Whispers Estate in Mitchell, Indiana).
Amelia Cotter is an author, poet, and storyteller with a special interest in the supernatural, history, and folklore. Her books include Where the Party Never Ended: Ghosts of the Old Baraboo InnThis House: The True Story of a Girl and a GhostMaryland Ghosts: Paranormal Encounters in the Free State, the children’s book Breakfast with Bigfoot, and the poetry collection apparitions.

Amelia’s award-winning poetry and short fiction explore themes of anxiety, isolation, and trauma, often incorporating supernatural elements. Her work has appeared in journals like Barren MagazineFrogpondModern HaikuThe Heron’s Nest, tinywords, and many others. Amelia is also a frequent contributor to Haunted Magazine, The Feminine Macabre, and Troy Taylor’s The Morbid Curious.

Amelia has appeared on various radio and television programs, including Travel Channel’s Hometown Horror, and in the documentaries Scary Stories and Tinker’s Shadow: The Hidden History of Tinker Swiss Cottage. She also appeared as a regular cast member on Really Channel’s The R.I.P. Files.

Amelia lives and writes in Chicago but is originally from Maryland, where she earned a degree in German and History from Hood College. She has written on the history of Chicago and Maryland, with a focus on Chicagos hidden history, Marylands Civil War history, and, most notably, Marylands German World War II POW camps. Amelia has given tours with Chicago Hauntings ghost tours and modeled clothing and jewelry for The Colette Collection and Sandpiper Imports. She regularly presents at conferences and events and is a member of The Society of Midland Authors. In 2020, the 10th anniversary edition of This House: The True Story of a Girl and a Ghost received the Higgypop Paranormal Entertainment Awards Gold Winner award for Best Paranormal Book. In 2023, apparitions was shortlisted for The Haiku Foundation 2022 Touchstone Awards for Distinguished Books as well as nominated for the Eric Hoffer Book Award.

All this, and Amelia has a day job, too. She has worked for more than a decade in museum and nonprofit management and has volunteered for several animal welfare and wildlife conservation organizations and projects. Amelia loves traveling and has lived abroad in Germany. She also loves the outdoors and has hiked around many parts of the U.S., as well as braved the rainforests of Nicaragua and Ecuador. Amelia loves animals and has a dog named Oskar and four snakes. She also sings and plays the banjo. Her neighbors just love her.

Amelia is a cancer survivor (Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma) who appreciates every minute of her supernatural career. She enjoys her adventures with her husband and best friend, recording engineer and photographer Jonathan Montgomery PollockTogether, they also own Amelias DragonGoddess Boutique, a small online store offering handmade incense blends and other magickal items.

You can find Amelia on FacebookGoodreadsIMDbInstagram, LinkedInTwitter, and YouTube, as well as at Poets & WritersThe Haiku Foundation, and The Society of Midland Authors. Write to her any time at ameliamcotter@gmail.com.