When Fiction Crosses a Terrifying Line

There’s something surreal about creating stories that mix history, romance, and the thrill of mystery—seeing them connect with readers feels magical. But this morning, my world blurred uncomfortably between fiction and reality in a way I never imagined.

I opened my inbox to find an anonymous email threatening my safety. This wasn’t just a spam email or an angry reader complaint; it was a message warning that my newest book, In Another Time, would be pirated and plagiarized using AI, and that my personal information would be handed over to criminals. Yes, that level of scary.

Here’s the screenshot:

It’s beyond frustrating to think that a book I poured nearly five years of effort into polishing could be stolen. But honestly, the worst part was reading that I might be personally targeted by dangerous people. It hits a little too close to home when you’ve been through real-life situations that brush up against your worst fears.

In “In Another Time” one of the characters—Celestina—has a mother who survived a traumatic experience. The story doesn’t shy away from hard realities because, as a writer, I believe in being honest with readers. And honestly, for me, receiving that email hit on those same unsettling truths I know from personal experience. I don’t want to go into detail, but as someone who’s been lucky enough to escape an attempted assault, reading that email was terrifying.

For a few minutes, I just sat there, feeling shaken and wondering why someone would send something so dark to a stranger. Then it occurred to me to search, and I was relieved (if you can call it that) to find that I wasn’t alone. Other authors have received similar emails, and someone even shared about it on Goodreads.

But I don’t want this to just be a post about dealing with scary emails. I want it to be about the wonderful things I get to share with you. Because despite the darker side of writing, there’s a much brighter one. For every bit of worry, there’s the thrill of launching a new story into the world, of finding readers who love time travel, history, romance, and mystery just as much as I do.

So let’s focus on something exciting! In Another Time is now part of a curated collection of 13 time travel novels, each with its own unique mix of history, mystery, and romance. Whether you love a good adventure across centuries, crave historical intrigue, or get lost in romance that transcends time, this collection has something for you.

You can check it out here: https://books.bookfunnel.com/timetravelreaders/scgjk2pjiq

You can also read the first four chapters of In Another Time for free—just click on my book cover among the collection and follow the guide!