Amanda Havard


Amanda Havard is an American writer of young adult fiction, songwriter, Creative Director of the Immersedition transmedia studio, the creators of the Immersedition interactive book apps. Havard is most recognized for the paranormal romance series, The Survivors, a five book series featuring history, mythology, and paranormal beings like witches, vampires, and shapeshifters.

Early life

Amanda Havard was born in Shreveport, Louisiana to L.C. and Anneal Havard. She grew up in Dallas, TX and attended the Parish Episcopal School and the Hockaday School for girls. Upon graduation, Havard attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee where she received her bachelor's and master's degrees in early childhood development from Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Havard now lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Career

In 2014, Havard co-founded Health:ELT, a platform aimed at improving engagement and logistical support for Medicaid populations through digital tools like web dashboards and mobile apps.
She later founded Lunae Innovation Lab, a consultancy and venture studio focused on building scalable, human-centered digital products. Through Lunae, Havard has advised and supported several startups, including Wire Health and Zyme.
Havard is was also the founding CEO of “Oria Health” but later departed in 2023. a company focused on delivering accessible mental healthcare to rural and underserved populations. In 2023, Oria Health moved its headquarters to the Western Kentucky University Innovation Campus in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Advisory roles

Havard advises multiple early-stage startups, with a focus on digital health and technology. Her advisory roles include companies like Wire Health, Zyme, and ADoH Scientific.

Personal life

Havard lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

''The Survivors'' series

''The Survivors''

The Survivors was published on March 28, 2011 by independent publisher Chafie Press. The Survivors is also the pilot version of the Immersedition book app. The Immersedition version includes original music, maps, photos, music videos, historical and mythological background information, author commentary, and other relevant additions to the story world. The Survivors was also released in syndication on Wattpad throughout 2011 and has received over 5 million reads.
The Survivors was a recipient of Independent Publisher's 2011 Editor's Choice Award, the 2011 Moonbeam Children's Book Award bronze medal for Young Adult Horror/Mystery, US Review of Books’ Eric Hoffer Lit Award 1st Runner-Up, and eLit Awards' bronze medal in Young Adult and bronze medal in Fantasy/Sci-Fi.

''Point of Origin''

Point of Origin is the second book in The Survivors series and was published in 2012. It was awarded the Review Direct Title of Special Note.

''Body & Blood''

Body & Blood is the third book in The Survivors series.

Creative director

In 2011, Havard was named Creative Director of Immersedition, an interactive book app.

Fiction

Havard's own work, The Survivors, was released on Immersedition. Havard has spoken on several media and transmedia panels across the country on the future of storytelling via multiple platforms and especially interactive books, including Digital Hollywood, Mediabistro's Pub App Expo, UtopYACon, and the New York Film Festival. In April 2012, Wired featured Havard and Immersedition™ among the independent publishers "leading the way" in the development of interactive books.

Education

Havard has worked on an educational Immersedition project using William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, intended for classroom usage in schools.

Songwriting

Havard has written and co-written songs that have been performed and produced to accompany The Survivors series. Havard used songwriting as a tool in the writing process to help articulate key scenes.

"Pretty Girl"

The first song written by Havard and Deanna Walker was "Pretty Girl" performed by The Voice Season 2 finalist, Chris Mann. "Pretty Girl" was released in April 2011 and was written from the perspective of the male lead, Everett Winter.

"Breaking"

The second single written for the series was co-written by Havard and Walker and titled "Breaking". "Breaking" was recorded by Jess Moskaluke. "Breaking" debuted on August 3, 2011 and has over 300,000 views on YouTube.

"Who You Are"

The third single written for The Survivors was co-written by Havard, Walker, Rick Beresford, and Tiffany Vartanyan. "Who You Are" is a duet performed by The Voice Season 1 contestant Patrick Thomas and Jenny Gill. "Who You Are" was released on November 12, 2011.

"Play Nice"

The fourth single, recorded for Point of Origin, was written by Havard, Walker, and Beresford and is performed by singer/songwriter Elle Maze. "Play Nice" was released on November 12, 2012.