[Content warning: the article below will discuss mental health, bullying, and suicide. Reader discretion is advised. If you or a loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health please contact the suicide prevention lifeline at 988, or by visiting their website.]
In September 2020, it was announced via Facebook that romance writer Susan Meachen had passed away. Cause of death was listed as suicide. Reports indicated it was due to bullying. Meachen’s Facebook account then became a memorial page, with readers and authors sharing their condolences. Some even tried to keep her memory alive through works dedicated to her.
As much as the author’s passing shook the independent writing community, no one was prepared for what came next.
On January 3rd, 2023 Meachen posted to a private community about her work, confirming that she was still alive. “I debated on how to do this a million times and still not sure if it’s right or not,” the post began. “There’s going to be tons of questions and a lot of people leaving the group I’d guess.”
That has to be the understatement of the century.
The post offers no explanation aside from “my family did what they thought was best for me and I can’t fault them for it. I almost died again at my own hand and they had to go through all that hell again.” So unfortunately it does sound like she did attempt suicide, but was unsuccessful. But there is no way of knowing if that happened before or after the death announcement.
Meachen ends the post by saying she broke her silence on the matter because she is “hoping to write again.” The post is concluded with “Let the fun begin,” a strangely caviler attitude to have given what was just revealed.
Her fans, friends, and fellow writers seem to all be some mixture of confused, shocked, and outraged. They spent the last 2 years mourning the loss of someone that was important to them. Just for them to basically come back from the grave and go “oh just kidding.” For those unfamiliar with the world of independent publishing the communities are small, everyone knows everyone.
“I think the best way to explain it is, we all have to work together. We all have to market together. We swap releases and information, and hold launch parties online,” paranormal/suspense romance writer Candace Adams explained. “Some of my best friends in the world are authors I’ve met during my writing journey, and we talk almost every day.”
Adams was involved with the community when Meachen’s death was announced. The post in Meachen’s Facebook group and has since been deleted or hidden. Screenshots of the post end with a reference to bullying within the community. “Please leave us alone, we have no desire in this messed-u (sic) industry.”
Her community, “The Ward,” remained active during the writer’s supposed death with someone who claimed to be her daughter posting under Meachen’s personal account. The group mostly posted deals on her books and audiobooks, which many purchased in her honor. Adams says the group also held a fundraising auction to help the family with funeral costs. As well as attempted to crowd source some editing for her final books. If you’ve never edited a book, it a very tedious and expensive task.
Adams was also part of a group of fellow writers that collaborated on an anthology of stories called “Bully King Anthology.” It was put together in her memory with an anti-bullying dedication. Meachen’s Facebook account would post links every so often to suicide awareness causes. Furthering the narrative that the author died by her own hand.
Not only did this whole thing tear at the hearts of everyone who knew her. It also sparked a witch hunt for those accused of harassing her to the point of taking her own life. Romance writer Samantha A. Cole says she was targeted as one of Meachen’s alleged bullies. (Cole claims the pair were friends for years, and there was no apparent reason for bad blood.)
“I had been so upset because I hadn’t spoken to her in chats for a few months, just in the way friends sometimes fall out of contact,” Cole said. “I felt guilt about that. Then, all of a sudden, people are trying to stir up drama, saying I was one of the people who were bullying her, that I was a part of the reason she was driven to commit suicide.”
When the post reviling it was all a hoax was posted Cole messaged Meachen’s account.
Soon after, Cole was shown a TikTok account that apparently belongs to Meachen, with her real name and face. It was been active during the time she was allegedly dead. And Adams has also confirmed that the person in the TikToks appears to be Meachen, due to their appearance. By this point, the writers’ community had, had enough and raised some hell.
Though in another bizarre twist, some had apparently suspected this all along. After Meachen’s supposed death, a Facebook account by the name of TN Steele began posting in “The Ward.” This account eventually took over moderation from Meachen’s longtime assistant, Connie Ortiz. Users noticed that the birthday and anniversary dates listed for Steele were the same as Meachen’s. Even more damning, in the days before Meachen’s returned, the TN Steele account announced they wanted to go back to posting under their original name.
“So if all of this is true, she fakes her death, then possibly pretends to be her daughter, and makes another account to watch this whole thing,” said Cole. “She interacted with mourners. She watched as people posted how much they missed Meachen and how sad they were.”
This whole situation has also led to Ortiz being harassed. Not only did someone who she thought was her friend watch as she defended them and mourned their death. Now she is being “accused as a co-conspirator of Susan,” she said. “I am a retired police officer and would never do that. I did not know what Susan was doing, even though we were close.” Ortiz even asked to attend the funeral to which she was told “no, and that Susan had been cremated.” [ ….So what funeral cost did the family fundraise for?] “After that, I didn’t have any more contact,” Ortiz claims. “I have lost a lot of trust in the industry,” Ortiz says. “Friends who I thought were friends, really are not.”
In terms of an explanation for all of this, Meachen hasn’t really given one. When accused of doing this to boost sales they responded “My books haven’t sold at all.” “I stayed silent while I worked with my Psychiatrist and therapist to get in a better place.” While some are still trying to defend her saying this is clearly the result of some serious psychological issues, most are just hurt and feel used.
Meachen and her family have refused to respond to multiple new outlets’ requests for comment, via phone, email, and social media.
