It was a dream she wasn’t sure she could achieve. Still, Jaycie Mandrell found a way to publish her book “Think Like the Killer” while she was still in high school.

Mandrell, a junior at Isabelle High School in Maplesville, said she wrote her first book in third grade as part of an English project and has enjoyed writing ever since.

The idea for “Think Like the Killer” came to her a few years ago, but she started writing it about a year ago.

“I always wanted to be published,” she said.

Mandrell got a job at Subway to pay for production costs.

“I found an online publishing agency and they helped me out,” said Mandrell, whose father, Jason Mandrell, works for Alabama Power.

“Think Like the Killer” tells the story of a boy who enjoys journaling and sets out to solve an unsolved criminal case.

“He’s struggling with a bunch of mental health issues, and he gets a bunch of friends to help him out and tries to work it out,” Mandrell said.

She said she wanted to emphasize what it is like for people who struggle with multiple mental disorders at the same time. She researched the subject, including reading academic journal articles, before writing the book.

“I’ve always been interested in people who have mental difficulties, so I wanted to try to help people understand them a little more,” she said.

After graduation, Mandrell hopes to pursue a career in writing.

“That’s all I’m interested in,” she said. “I don’t know of anything other than the writing that I would like to do.”

“Think Like the Killer” is available now via Writers Republic at writersrepublic.com, Amazon.com, the Barnes & Nobles website and Books-A-Million Website.

This story originally appeared in The Clanton Advertiser.