Being an author isn’t easy. It takes months of research, writing, rewriting, editing, etc. before you have a final product. Personally, it takes me three months from conception to first draft and another three months of editing and rewrites to get a final product. Then you have to market and sell the book you just wrote which can be even more difficult. Don’t be fooled into thinking, “well if I go the traditional publishing route I won't have to worry about that” because you’d be wrong. These days, many big house publishers won’t look at you twice unless you already have a big social media following and apparently you still have to do all the leg work, but I digress. Getting the word out there about your book sometimes means thinking outside the box and doing things in an unconventional manner. Apparently, for romance author Susan Meachen, this meant faking her own death.
In September 2020, a post appeared on her Facebook page from her daughter announcing that the author had taken her own life. Friends and fans alike were shocked by the news. When rumors started flying that the cause of Meachen’s suicide was cyberbullying, the community became divided as everyone pointed fingers at each other. Her death was commemorated annually via book auctions, fundraisers, and even an anthology dedicated to stamping out bullying.
But on Tuesday Susan Meachen returned from the dead when she posted her return to the internet online so hallelujah, I guess. It turns out Meachen had not only spent the last two years writing under a new pen name, TN Steele, but had been hanging out and reading all the heartfelt messages in the groups and pages dedicated to her. She even pushed sales of her books on these sites “to keep her memory alive.”
Meachen, of course, is passing the buck saying how her family did what they thought was best. She admitted wanting relief from cyberbullying and thought this was the only way to do it. In an interview with Upstream Reviews, Meachen had the steel set to say, "The same toxicity pushed me to this in the first place proves I was morally justified, as soon as the world learned I still had a pulse the bullying resumed, and the 'piling on' began."
Now there are more questions than answers. Did she fake her own death because she wanted a break from social media as she claims or did she do it in an attempt to make her books popular enough to sell? Is this also why she suddenly decided to return? What happened to the money donated for funeral expenses? What about all the people who donated their services to help her daughter, whose existence has come into question, finish editing her last book? Were any laws broken and will the authorities get involved?
Personally, this whole thing pisses me off. I get she wanted to step away from social media. Was she being bullied and harassed? It’s always possible but since she’s a proven liar we can’t believe her reasoning. Even if it was true, what’s wrong with just announcing that you’re taking a break from social media and may return again at some point? People do it all the time. Why? Because that’s not exciting enough to sell books. It doesn’t get as many people talking as her actual death. What’s even worse is she did it by faking suicide.
As we’ve been hearing constantly, and justifiably so, mental illness is practically an epidemic in this country. In fact, it’s still stigmatized in most countries worldwide and many people who need help don’t get it. Every one of us has either personally dealt with suicidal ideations/tendencies and suicide itself or knows someone who has. It affects each and every one of us. So for this heartless Tuesday to use it as some kind of marketing tool is sick, twisted, and wrong. And if you read her statements in interviews and read her posts, she isn’t even taking responsibility for her actions. She’s definitely not sorry that she did it. People who fake this kind of thing whether it’s suicide, domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, or a racial attack only make it harder for those who are actually dealing with these issues.
What’s even worse to me is the fact people mourned her passing and revered her memory. They gathered together and went above and beyond to keep her memory alive all while she watched with glee, reaping the benefits like some narcissistic parasite. And now that she’s being held accountable rather than receiving a ticker tape parade, that apparently constitutes bullying. People like this need to end up in the deepest, darkest, hottest part of Hell. Their heads should be frozen and thawed out in urine jars that’d been handed down by generations of truckers. They should get reincarnated as a used tampon by a syphilitic prostitute in a third-world country during medieval times.
I'd never heard of Susan Meachen before this story broke and I’ve never read any of her work but thanks to the internet her fans, friends, and family who apparently believed her to be dead as well, and people like me will forever know her and associate her name as the author who faked her own suicide to make a quick buck. If it was possible, I’d say those who bought her books should return them and demand a refund. Otherwise, recycle the copies you have for craft projects. Wrap fish in them. Potty train your pets with them.
And please, don’t make excuses for this woman. Whether or not she actually has a mental illness, it doesn’t justify the fact that she gaslit hundreds, maybe thousands of people who cared about her for her own selfish reasons. She is a predator who sees absolutely nothing wrong with her actions. Any apology issued by her is solely because her plan backfired on her and is hopefully costing her sales and legal trouble. Susan Meachen did a terrible, terrible thing and now she needs to face the consequences of her actions. Will she ever bounce back from this? If there is any justice in the universe then no. Karma will shove a massive boot up her ass for this. In reality, she’ll probably disappear for a few weeks or months before resurfacing behind another pseudonym. One would hope she would learn her lesson from all this but I’m not holding my breath.
For those of you dealing with any of the above mentioned issues please talk to someone. Tell someone you love and trust. Don't say you're okay when you aren't. If you have no one to talk to then call the hotline but please don't suffer alone. As for everyone else, check in with your friends and loved ones. If someone comes to you with a problem and you don't know what to do or how to handle it then find help. Please don't just let it go. This has been my Ted Talk.
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