to halt the spread of COVID-19. In my tiny country of New Zealand, our Government committed to preserving the lives of our citizens by instituting a tough lockdown that, at the time of writing, has meant the virus is all-but-eliminated from our shores.
And that’s a huge, amazing achievement, but it comes at a cost. And I know that we’ve been incredibly lucky here in Middle Earth and many other countries are dealing with a much higher cost – in terms of loss of life, loss of jobs, loss of the systems we thought kept us safe. In the middle of this, I wrote a story about a girl with a secret life and a darkness inside her that both terrifies and liberates her.
Mackenzie came to me in a dream. She is… not like any other heroine I’ve ever written. Even though I’ve sworn up-and-down that I’d never write contemporary romance (imagine, romance without vampires? What even is that?) she wouldn’t shut up until I told her story.
I wrote her for you. Because it’s scary out there, and I know when I’m scared I so often find myself in the pages of a book. Sometimes I even borrow a little strength and a little audacity from the characters I love. I think we all need as much of those as we can get right now.
I’m in awe of the incredible health workers and other essential staff who’ve kept the world running and done their best in an impossible situation. If you’re one of them, there are no words I can say to thank you enough for your contribution.
I’m just a teller of stories. I can’t save lives or keep food on tables or make sure businesses stay afloat. But if I can give you a new world and a new life and a strange mystery to lose yourself in for a few hours, then that’s some small way I can help you survive this wild and crazy world.
Writing My Stolen Life has been a joy and a pleasure, but as always, it takes a village to bring a book to life. I’d like to thank my cantankerous drummer husband, for reading this manuscript and giving me so many ideas to make it better. And for being my lighthouse. And for making me so many bacon butties and keeping the house stocked with chocolate during lockdown.
To Kit, Bri, Elaina, Katya, Emma, Jamie, Kim, Mila, and Jenna, for all the writerly encouragement and advice. To Meg and Eveis for the epically helpful editing job, and to CJ for the stunning covers. To Sam and Iris, for the daily Facebook shenanigans that help keep me sane while I spend my days stuck at home covered in cats.
To you, the reader, for going on this journey with me, even though it’s led to some dark places. Warning: if you thought book 1 was tough, book 2 is a whopper. Get it here.
If you’re enjoying Stonehurst Prep and want to read more from me, check out my dark reverse harem bully romance series, Kings of Miskatonic Prep. HP Lovecraft meets Cruel Intentions in this dark paranormal reverse harem bully romance that’s definitely not for the faint of heart. Hazel is the most badass FMC I’ve ever written, and I think you’ll love meeting her. Read Shunned now.
You should also check out my new reverse harem academy series, Manderley Academy. Book 1 is Ghosted and it’s a classic gothic tale of ghosts and betrayal, creepy old houses and three beautifully haunted guys with dark secrets. Plus, a kickass curvy heroine. You will LOVE it – you’ll find a short preview on the next page.
I’ve also got two other reverse harem series. The Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries is what you’d get if you crossed Agatha Christie with Black Books and added a harem of famous literary men. It’s my most popular series to date, and it’s a lot more light-hearted and fun (despite all the murder). Start book 1, A Dead and Stormy Night. If you turn the page, there’s a short excerpt from book 1.
The Briarwood Witches series is about a science nerd heroine who inherits an honest-to-goodness English castle, complete with five hot British/Irish tenants, a fas problem, and some magic she can’t control. It’s a little bit dark and angsty and sexy, and complete at 5 books. You can grab the box set here.
If you want to hang out and talk about all things Broken Muse, my readers are sharing their theories and discussing the book